I’ve been home for nearly seven weeks now but I still find myself reminiscing on what was probably my favourite trip ever- travelling around Spain and Portugal with two of my best friends. We ate so much incredible food, drank so much coffee and also continued with my holiday tradition of buying new football shirts in each place I visit (much to my mum’s dismay!). Being able to practice my Spanish also brought me lots of joy- even when I accidentally asked two men if they were ‘doing’ the chair rather than using it. The answer was no in both cases! We visited six cities over three weeks so I’m going to turn this into a blog series instead of making you read a dissertation-length blog in one go! First up- Barcelona!
After flying into Barcelona in the evening, we spent the night getting checked in at the hostel and at a local bar drinking cañas (my new favourite thing!). The next day was when the holiday truly started and, as with nearly every day of this trip, we started it off with a coffee. We wandered over towards the Sagrada Familia and found a coffee shop tucked away a couple of streets behind it called Blackbird Coffee Co. It was the first of many recommendations I got from the Roasters App (aka the best app ever for coffee fans!). It was the perfect start- a smooth, creamy flat white along with a sweet and sticky cinnamon and apple bun. The baristas were also super friendly so I would recommend a visit if you like good coffee!
Afterwards, we took a stroll through Ciutadella park, observing the Barcelona locals doing an array of outdoor yoga, exercise classes and, our favourite, a bit of line dancing! Park Guell was next on the agenda and, despite the heavens opening and drenching us all, it was worth it for the beautiful views from the viewpoint and the exquisite Gaudi architecture.
My standout moment from Barcelona, of course, involved food! We stumbled across ‘Mendrugo’ after not being able to get into another restaurant. Sometimes it’s the places you don’t plan that are the best and this was certainly the case with Mendrugo! The jamon melted in the mouth pairing perfectly with the crispy, garlicky pan con tomate and the croquetas were crunchy on the outside with a creamy, cheesy centre. But the star of the show was the sobresada- it’s genuinely in the top three things I’ve ever eaten (and I’ve eaten a lot!). The key to an amazing tortilla is it not being fully set- giving it a smooth centre. The sobresada added richness, saltiness and smokiness- taking it to a new level!
Torrential rain came on our last night when we planned to go to a secret speakeasy called Monk Bar. We got turned away at first but our friend Kat was not taking no for an answer and managed to convince the bouncers to let us in. I’m super thankful she did because the cocktails were elaborate and impressive, one being garnished with a mini chocolate covered apple and bright blue foam. Very cool vibes!
I’ve listed my Barcelona recommendations below so give them a go if you visit. Next up in the blog series… Valencia! :)
Food and coffee:
Blackbird- great coffee and pastries
Billy brunch- highlights were the pancakes and pan con tomate with mushrooms
Departure Coffee Co- cute location, décor and sold cool t-shirts!
Mendrugo - tapas place in Gracia- amazing food- special mention for croquetas and sobresada tortilla
La Panada- small empanada shop near sagrada- great cheap eat. €1,95 for one
Nomad (fruta selecta)- incredible coffee, friendly servers
Bohl- healthy brunch spot- really good toast, smoothies and açai
Attractions:
Sagrada Familia
Park Guell
Park Ciutadella
Poble Espanyol
National Art Museum of Catalonia (walking distance from Poble Espanyol and has an amazing viewpoint where you can watch the sunset)
Barcelona Cathedral
Barceloneta beach- I would recommend walking along here and the port. There are sometimes an array of market stalls too (we got some tasty olives from one of the stalls!)
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