Sun-drenched Barcelona

Rather than hanging around in London for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations we decided to make the most of the four-day long weekend and head to Barcelona.

It was a great decision.

We had an absolutely amazing time – Barcelona is a cracking city.

Firstly – the vitamin D. After being in London for the better part of 6 months we were in desperate need of a hit…and Barca delivered!!

Secondly – the food. We spent a fair bit of time sitting in the glorious Spanish sun with a range of simple, yet delicious tapas….so so tasty…and so so relaxing! We were also mightily impressed with the quality of the gelato. One shop in particular served the ice cream to look like a rose. To make sure it wasn’t a fluke, we went back there several times!

Thirdly – the art and culture. Barca is bursting with the stuff, with Gaudi, Picasso and Dali all having spent significant creative periods there. The city is literally bursting with colour and life.

After sitting down to enjoy a dinner of tapas and sangria one evening, we heard the rhythmic pounding of some Latino drum beats. Intrigued, we followed the noise and came across a troupe of about 20 drummers snaking their way through the narrow back streets of the Old Town. We followed them as they made their way through the narrow streets – it was a bit like Pied Piper as more and more people started tagging along. We finished up in a small square hidden away in the middle of the Old Town with five other groups of drummers all descending on the square from different directions at the same time. It was an incredible – and very loud – cultural experience. We ditched our original plans for the night, instead spending the rest of the evening grooving along to this local drumming festival and the funky Spanish beats. It was a wonderful experience.