biking around

Tuesday. It was to be a day of culture. And bikes, obviously. Now I'm a fan of getting bikes and having an explore and, having recently had a slightly, definitely drunkie cycle down the Kings Road with my friend Oli, I felt cycling round Barcelona would be a doddle. It's weird if anything else. Apparently you don't use roads, you use the pedestrianised pavements and there are no such things as bells, instead you just squeeze your very squeaky brakes. At least we had hats. Safety safety! 

                   

   

Our first port of call was The Sagrada Familia. Despite doing a degree in History of Art I'm not really a pro expert on Modernism- all I knew was that it's a bit of an acquired taste and not really me, but it'd be silly to come to Barcelona and not see Gaudi's masterpiece. It's actually pretty impressive, and huge. As in, massive massive massive. 

                   

   

                  

And still incomplete. We'll wait til 2026 to see the final piece. Either way, it's definitely somewhere I recommend visiting. Suck up the long queue and have an explore of what is, undoubtedly, an impressive and highly original piece of architecture. 

A little bit more cycling ensued. 

                  

                 

                  

The hats are great, no? 

Said hello to this little dancing chappy...

   

   

And headed across to the Gothic Quarter and The Picasso Museum. 

                   

    

                   

I think this was my favourite area of the city. It's just a maze of little streets, cafes and delis and shops bursting with rings, scarves and artwork. Even the graffiti is pretty cool and artistic. The whole area has so much charm to it and I'm sure, because of the winding streets, you could always discover somewhere new, even as a local. 

   

                    

   

   

The Picasso Museum is amazing and perhaps one of the best galleries I've been to- and I've been to a fair few! You can't take photos but that's just another reason to go to this city- get exploring my little ones! 

Another safety photo: 

                   

I think if you're brave enough to navigate new streets and you have a sense of adventure in you, grab bikes and get pedalling. Both Christina and I agreed that today was the best day of the whole trip. We had some hilarious times on the bikes- my brakes were so squeaky, even a street away Christina could hear me bumping my way through crowds- and even enjoyed lugging our super sexy hats around for the rest of the day. You'll find red bikes around the city but stupidly the city doesn't let tourists borrow them, rather, they are just for the convenience of locals. But most hostels or independent bike shops will have a couple they'll lend you for just a small amount. Kerching.

Don that Lycra (please don't...) and get those legs pumping! And remember, hats are both safe AND cool! 

L. 

lizzie christina barcelona

Hola mi amigos! I'm back and bursting to the seams with stories to tell and food pictures for you all to drool over. Barcelona was a doll and, now, is up there as one of my favourite places to escape to for a few days. Christina and I decided very, very last minute that a holiday to Barca was in order, so hopped on a plane on Monday to a city we have been wanting to visit for a while. It is the perfect mix: beach, winding streets, culture, history, food and nightlife. Just what the doctor prescribed. 

Having experienced the wettest English winter in a million years, we decided the beach would be our first port of call. We donned bikinis and slipped on our shorts and headed down La Rambla to soak up the morning rays. 

                  

                  

    

Yes, it could have been warmer but we enjoyed it for as long as we could until our goosebumps proved too much for us to handle. 

   

   

Christina makes a wonderful mermaid. A career yet I think... 

                 

                 

Cheeky cheeky! 

                 

                 

                 

From the beach we had a little explore and ended up stumbling across the beautiful Parc de la Ciutadella. This was soon to become one of our favourite places. In the sun it shone and was ram packed with children running around and lovers perched on benches, sharing stolen moments. Oh, and us! 

                 

The Catalan government buildings are here too and they are quite something. 

   

                  

   

            

   

   

                  

   

The fountain is huge. I should probably be aware of why it's here and who built it etc. but I'm ignorant and don't. Either way, it's stunning and very, very impressive. 

                  

                  

Now Christina was aware, before she embarked on this little trip, that I was a foodie. Good job she was too because we were about to explore foodie heaven, and I wasn't wanting to leave for a while yet. La Boqueria is just off La Rambla and it is full to bursting with meat, seafood, cheese, fruit, nuts, everything. Queue foodie photos:

   

   

   

   

   

                  

                  

    

    

   

   

Safe to say day one of our Barca adventure was living up to expectation! 

Expect a flurry of posts about this little Spanish gem in the next few days!

L.