Barcelona

Going to Barcelona was really spontaneous. We were in Switzerland and it was absolutely bucketing down with rain and I had reached the end of my Australian style tolerance of Winter. I looked online found some cheap tickets and was blessed enough to have a friend living in Barcelona who very generously gave us a free apartment in the heart of the city. We were there for about a week, and it was there I learnt I am not very good at being on holiday! The city is really cool, but I was so consumed with trying to see the 'real Barcelona' in one week that I really forgot to relax! I think those Lonely Planet travel books are a bit of a curse, they entice you in to seeing everything and before you know it the week is over and you have spent a lot of time worrying that you are missing out on all of the things the book says will give you the Barcelona experience! But anyway, we did get to enjoy the city, the atmosphere and the people. The highlights of the trip were the beach, the delicious tapas, the markets, again the food, and spending time with my dear friend Pepa Plana. When she came in to the city, she took us to the yummiest tapas place and gave us a speedy tour of the city. To here dismay, no matter where you are in Barcelona, there are tourists everywhere, it is difficult to believe it is where the locals live, but they are hidden in there somewhere amongst all the Americans! 

Pepa lives in the Delta region of Catalonia. It is about a 2 hour train ride from Barcelona. This region is surrounded by the river and the sea, while the land is dotted with rice paddies. Pepa owns a 100 metre long house which has been converted from a chicken farm. It is a massive, very impressive project her and her partner have taken on. Being in the Delta region gave me the real Catalan experience. We ate amazing seafood tapas and rode along the beach with beautiful old bicycles. This little trip was very memorable!