A week in Barcelona ...

I've just got back from a week in my favourite city in the world - Barcelona. And what a fantastic few days. It was one of the most enjoyable holidays I've ever had, no exaggeration. And I'm actually not too angry or gutted to be back which I think shows how chilled I have got in the last few days.

Barcelona is a vibrant, cultural and welcoming city (for those who haven't been), and I find it a great place to go and unwind. There's an energy to the place which is very uplifting, probably due in part to the fact that it is a very young city and has a lot of travelers there most of the year. Most holidays I go and yet still think about work or somehow never manage to shed concerns or irritations. I can honestly say I only though about work properly on one occasion and that passed in short order. Everyday I woke up and was glad to be alive.

I went with my partner Theresa and we rented an apartment right in the middle of the old district in the centre of town. A few minutes walk from the beach in one direction, and only seconds from restaurants and bars. It's the first time I've rented an apartment in this way and it worked out so well. I normally stay in hotels or hotels. This way gave us the option to go back and chill when we wanted to, have a washing machine, proper kitchen, and several rooms to relax in. There were no worries about other people being around, cleaners coming in or anything like that.

Both of us have been to Barcelona before, but not for some years now so it was interesting to see what was new or changed since last time. We went out walking everyday and probably covered something like 150km on foot during the week. The blisters back that up, although it didn't feel like it at the time. When you're walking, chatting and enjoying the air the miles just seem to pass by. I'm still sifting through the photos and memories, but highlights included the Sagrada Familia cathedral currently under construction, the new Forum district being built from scratch and Parc Guell on the edge of town.

We also ate and drank out a lot. The culture there is very much eating tapas for a couple of hours over a good bottle of wine, and we enthusiastically joined in. We're both fans of this type of food and of Spanish wines so it was like heaven. I'm still learning about seafood, so it was great to have an abundance of fresh things to try. In the whole week I think we only had one bad meal, and that was mainly due to the poor service. I would class every other meal as excellent or better. Because we spent so much time out eating and drinking we never made it to any salsa clubs as we planned. No regrets about it, but I guess we'll just have to go back soon ..!



Because of our love of Spanish food and drink we went a bit mental and bought lots of Chorizo and wine. Both are so cheap in the markets there that it would have been wrong not to have indulged a bit. The eyes bigger than stomachs thing happened though and, after packing everything our hold luggage weighed 37kg/82lbs. Wasn't a problem for British Airways, but nearly pulled my arms out of my sockets! Will be worth the effort when we start to tuck into our first bottle of Faustino I over some cooked chorizo. Soon ....