5 Things you MUST do in Barcelona #5 - Avoid getting pickpocketed

That's right, f*ck you pickpockets, I was in Barcelona for A WEEK AND YOU DIDN'T GET MY PROPERTY. I had that shit nailed DOWN all week.

Mainly because I carried what I needed in my bra, so they'd have to be pretty amazing at stealing for me not to notice THAT happening.

I've got everything I need and you can't get it thieves!

Seriously though, I'm sure it has a high volume of theft, but the reputation Barcelona has is incredible. I got bored of the amount of people who mentioned it when I said I was going there. No reputation a country has would ever stop me from going there.

Apart from Somalia.

And maybe the Congo.

Possibly also Afghanistan too.

BUT ANYWAY. Please don't ever be put off by Barcelona's reputation. Six of us were there together for a week and we didn't have a single incident.

And yes, we did leave the apartment in that week thank you very much.

I have a few suggestions on how you can avoid being targeted in BCN:

1. If you wear a bra, just pop your camera down the sides, but maybe invest in a case if you sweat a lot. If you're a man, I recommend a strapless bra to avoid embarrassment.

2. If you INSIST on carrying things around, get yourself the tattiest looking bag possible so that it doesn't look like it has anything of value in there. One with an over the body strap and a zip is good too.

3. For the love of God keep an eye on your bag at all times. Sounds obvious doesn't it? But you'd be amazed at how quickly people let their guard down as you walk around the city. Street theatres are a hot spot and I saw how easy it would be to swipe a bag or a phone. I didn't do any swiping though guv'.

4. Don't fall for any obvious tricks. My Dad was in BCN on the metro a few years ago and the guy in front of him on the escalator dropped his ticket, my Dad (being the awesome guy he is) bent down to help and the guy behind him jumped him and tried to steal his camera bag - he was working with the fakester who 'dropped' his ticket (I'm still looking for him....) Anyway, long story short my Auntie jumped on this guy and he ran off which was a really stupid thing to do but that's what the heat of the moment will do to you...

Yes there are nasty people in Barcelona and yes crime seems to be fairly high yadayadayada, but I don't know of a single place in the world where this isn't the case. The fact that it's in the press so much can only be a good thing as hopefully something will change as a result.

In the event that it does happen to you though, do me a favour and don't fight back like my Auntie. Everything but your life can be replaced. Maybe not your photos but you can look at mine on Facebook if you like!

5 Things you MUST do in Barcelona #4 - Tapas!

Mmmm tapas. Told you I'd probably write a food related post. Boy I love tapas. You look at those tiny plates of food and think 'that's never going to fill me up' but it does!

You're spoilt for choice in Barcelona when it comes to tapas bars. It's almost overwhelming if you're only there for a short trip and don't have any solid recommendations to go on.

Well I'm here to help. We found a central tapas bar that doesn't look much from the outset but it has a great atmosphere and even better food.

As far as I'm aware it doesn't even have a name that I could give you, I just know it as the yellow tapas bar near the Rambla... well, off you go, what are you waiting for?!!

So, I'll do my best to direct you to this bar.

If you're on La Rambla, head to Carrer del Pintor Fortuny which is a few streets down from Placa Catalunya. Walk along Carrer del Pintor Fortuny until you see a bar with yellow signs, I stole this from Google Maps:

Attractive, non? Anyway it's not the most historical or most beautiful eateries I've been to, but it's in a great location and the food was delicious and fairly inexpensive.

Plus, there was a Spanish girl who was eating alone and had a 3 course meal to herself and then jumped on her moped after eating, that is so rock and roll. I would never dine alone and shamelessly eat a 3 course meal THEN jump on a moped. So European, I love it.

Anywhere that is good enough for her is good enough for me I say.

Good luck finding this place and if you do find it, tell them you heard it from me. They won't have a clue what you're talking about but it'll be fun to say it.

Adios!

5 Things you MUST do in Barcelona #3 - Cable car mayhem!

I love cable cars. I have NO idea how they work and I'd rather not know, a bit like how I feel about flying really. I'm just happy that the plane leaves the tarmac, I don't need to know anything other than that. I put my faith in the pilot and he/she responds by talking in that nice accent and telling me the temperature outside of the plane.

So... cable cars. Here's the deal, I pay to get on a tiny capsule that is suspended between two points by a rusty cable that goes around a big wheel. Fine, everything seems fine with that.

Get the metro to Paral-lel stop and look for the black sign with the handy picture of the funicular train (basically a line drawing of a train going uphill - great!) The trains to the cable car are automatic, there's no driver, so if you're a nervous traveller, just don't freak out when some idiot like me shouts out for a laugh 'THERE IS NO DRIVER ON THIS UPHILL TRAIN' tee hee. Sorry.

Anyway, it's all worth it and the expense when you get views like this:

What a view... oh.
 

You can then choose to either walk back down the hill or take the cable car up even higher but that was high enough for us.

So we chose to get on ANOTHER cable car (because one isn't enough for one day) and this one goes OVER THE SEA. Oh yeah, this was about to get serious.

Again, I think you can justify the expense when you get views like this:

So that's my third recommendation of what to do in Barcelona. Two more to go, I suspect they might be food related...

5 Things you MUST do in Barcelona! #2 - Sagrada Familia

Yawn. I hear ya. This is on EVERY must-see-and-do list and you prefer to get off the beaten track and see the 'real' Barcelona...

Well, I say to you, there's a reason this is on every must-see-and-do list!

For those of you uncultured swines out there, the Sagrada Familia is Antoni Gauid's unfinished masterpiece and is one of Barcelona's biggest tourist attractions. It's supposed to be finished by 2026 or something like that.

What a beauty! The Sagrada Familia that is...

The wonder of Gaudi is present all over Barcelona and it makes my head hurt thinking about what Barcelona might have looked like if Gaudi had thought 'You know what? I think I'm going to be a butcher'

Barcelona = Gaudi.

Once you get over the entrance prices (€16 entry) and the RIDICULOUS queues in the hot sun, I'll guarantee it's worth it.

This was actually my third time to visit the Sagrada Familia (smug) but I haven't been for almost six years. The previous two visits felt like paying to visit an overpriced building site, and I didn't even get to wear a hard hat or hi-vis jacket. Unfair.

The main basilica wasn't even nearly finished the last time I popped over and you had to climb a spiral staircase all the way up those towers in the picture above. Dizzy and sweaty is NOT a look I can pull off that well.

So I even comtemplated sitting it out and sunbathing in the park with a beer ice cream opposite while everyone else queued in the hot sun and slogged it out.

But I didn't, and I'm glad I didn't.

It's amazing. I don't tend to describe things as breathtaking as I'm not in a romance novel, but it really was.

 

 

 

 

There's a noticeable lack of handrail in the middle there...

So all in all, a fun couple of hours and well worth the entrance fee. Visiting the Sagrada Familia should be on your must-see-must-do list in Barcelona.

The only negative point I have is that while Gaudi was an extremely clever man with a huge vision, he didn't think of building a tea room in the entire compound the Sagrada sits in. So if, like us, you queue up mid morning for an hour and then your ticket states that you can't take the lift up to the top of the building for another two hours, you're going to get hungry. And grumpy. You can't leave and come back with your ticket, that would be too helpful.

There's is not a scrap of food to be found once you're inside the gates, trust us, we'd have found it - scavengers that we are.

Gaudi, if you'd have built a tea room, you'd have been able to charge extortionate fees for a sandwich which would have overflowed the cash fund to finish the build a LOT quicker than 2026. Tut tut.

If only my Dad had come to Barcelona with us, he's the king of packed lunches...

5 Things you MUST do in Barcelona! #1 - Magic Fountains

I love these five things posts, here's five reasons why I love these five things posts:

1. You know what you're getting - five things
2. Normally I like things in threes, but three isn't always enough

Yep, I've run out of reasons. This is awkward. Well I started this post with the intention of shoe-horning all these things in one post, but I've decided to split them out in to separate posts. It's my blog and I'll do as I please :)

ANYWAY! I was in Barcelona a few weeks ago and had an incredible week. I realised that quite a lot of people tend to go there on a city break for maybe 3 days/2 nights, but we were lucky enough to go there for a week. Barcelona is expensive, so you have to know how to play it.

1. Magic Fountains of Montjuic - They're called magic fountains for a reason ok? It's a free water show that takes place between 9-11pm. So basically, you think 'Oh right, well I'm short of cash and I quite like a water fountain anyway, so I'll pop along and check it out.'

You get the Metro to Placa Espanya and see some fountains in the middle of a huge roundabout and feel a big anticlimax. BUT WAIT! Those aren't the fountains you've come to see! Turn left and you'll walk up an avenue that is lined with loads of fountains.

- It's at this point you realised you forgot to pee and there's A LOT OF WATER AROUND THAT IS NOT HELPING. Uh oh.

Make your way up to the top and you'll be greeted with a huge crowd all staring at a giant water fountain. You're underwhelmed aren't you? Well take a look at these photos and see what I mean! My camera is 100% not waterproof, so I couldn't take too many as the spray is everywhere from the fountains!

But being that far away isn't fun and you can't really hear the excellent music that plays in time with the jets. Move closer and prepare to get soaked. Now that's the fun part.

 

Great fun and all without spending a penny. However, it will leave you needing to spend a penny if you forget to pee beforehand.

I'll always treasure the memory of Queen's 'Barcelona' starting up and everyone just going crazy to it getting absolutely soaked. You definitely don't need to pay loads of money to have the most fun.

Fountains of fun! Here's a link to the site with more info on times and dates of shows etc.

My Favourite Blogs Right Now...

I love blogs. That is partly why I have a blog of my own. Duh.

I love clicking on to someone's page and seeing what they have to say, but I am massively guilty of bouncing straight off again if I don't feel like sticking around. Apologies if you have high bounce rates, that would be my fault.

I especially love blogs that make me laugh out loud or talk about cats or give me money saving tips (because I have no money and therefore need to save money) or are just plain random. Love it. I like to think this list below gives some kind of blueprint of my brain...

Here's my list of my current favourite blogs/sites:

Just general chitchat and excellent use of swear words:
http://luvandhat.tumblr.com/ - My absolute all time fave right now. Two writers, one topic or object. One loves said object/topic, one hates it. Brilliant. Read it and read it again. The only negative is that it's not updated as often as I'd demand, but it keeps me going back for more. Just like a drug addict.

Just hilarious travel:
http://roymarvelous.com/ Laugh Out Loud score is a healthy 8/10, very well done Roy. Almost got busted for reading it in the office but IT IS WORK RELATED I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW. Back off. It's about travel and I work in travel. Roy has a great writing style and has had a lot of fun on his travels so far, read it please.

Just pretty things:
http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/ Crikey - I've spent so much time getting lost on this blog, but I justify it because it keeps me out of mischief. I'd just be scribbling on walls, supergluing coins to the pavement or posting Josh's credit cards through the floorboards if I wasn't reading blogs. Plus, it's mega creative and full of good tips. And photos of pretty shoes. All very important stuff.

Just love the writing style:
http://25pillsaday.wordpress.com/ You might have seen Mary's blog post '15 things white girls like to do on facebook' which went viral a year or so ago, I've been following it since then. I love her writing style and she has the cutest dog called Monty. I'm not even a dog person but Monty makes my heart melt. Nice work, Mary. You have the ability to make light of a tough situation and I applaud you for that.

Just because:
http://maddieonthings.com/ Yeah that's right, when I've had a hard day at the office I like to come home, take a bath and then look at Maddie the dog and all of the things she can stand on ok?! This dog is incredible.

No one has paid me for any of these recommendations, but I have no issue with taking bribes to get your site on this list. I'm just kidding. (Email me)

No, I actually am kidding, just looking to share a little blog love in this cyber world.

Ok see you later!

Taking photos of clouds: My new obsession...

I have a fairly addictive personality, but I'm aware of it so I can channel it in the right direction. I get little obsessions and I'm loyal to them for as long as it takes to get bored of them and toss them aside.

So, I'm a little surprised that I'm married :)

My previous obsession was a game called Bejeweled on the iPhone. I didn't even HAVE an iPhone at the time, but I blame my sister Beth for getting me hooked on this game, she's like a pusher. She gave me a taste of it and then I was addicted. One time I played it for three hours straight and only stopped when Josh threatened to cut off my supply (it was his phone) and divorce me. When I stopped looking at the screen I could still see all the jewels... not good.

Check out my super high score though! (it came at a price...)

So... I was talking about clouds, not Bejeweled... My latest obsession is taking photos of clouds. And trees. I just love them. Give me a photo with clouds AND trees AND Instagram and I'm all over that.

Hell to the yeah.

On with the cloud love!

I've always loved clouds, even before I'd been in a plane (I first flew when I was 14 I think, to Holland) and I wondered what it would be like to fly through one.

I can name loads of different clouds too, yeah. Cirrus, stratus, cumulonimbus... errrr. Fluffy ones, giraffe shaped ones... well you don't have to know everything about something to appreciate it, I say.

I'm hoping to actually experience what falling through a cloud is as I'm doing a charity parachute jump soon. Good Lord that even frightened me to type that.

Hope you like my cloud pictures! I love Yorkshire.

I don't know what to write about first!

What a mental July I've had.

Presented an idea in front of 12 serious suits at the HQ of the company who owns the company I work for (big smiley face logo, you know the one) in the hopes of winning £1,500 towards another trip somewhere (can you guess where I'd go?!)

Kenya - I might have mentioned it.

Barcelona - For a week, for my birthday. Lots of tapas. Countless sangrias. Sun! Vitamin D ahoy! Rooftop pool, couldn't be more different to Kenya...

York. Just because I fancied getting on a train.

I'm getting closer and closer to home with my trips it seems. Time to go away again.

So there's plenty of things I have to write about and I REALLY enjoy writing. I just need to try and put it down in a way that doesn't make any sense to you whoever you are, reading this. I mean it barely makes sense at best anyway...

What I will do is this... because I haven't done it for ages:

Things I'm excited about!

(I can't remember if I used to do bullet points or numbers and I HATE being inconsistent) *quick check confirms it was bullets*

• Ooh! I might be doing a parachute jump for Lunahome in Kenya which I'm sh*tting myself really excited about. Why wouldn't you be excited about throwing yourself out of a plane?

• On that same note, there's talk of us climbing Mount Kilimanjaro too next year to raise money. Oh God. I'm really going have to start taking the gym seriously aren't I?

• The Olympics. That's right. I'm on board. GB! GB! GB! Although I'm also cheering on Kenya and Uganda at every opportunity.

• Going camping this weekend to see my lovely little sister's wedding venue. Exciting. We're off to the Lake District. PLEASE DON'T RAIN. I'm not good at camping in the rain, I get very grumpy.

I'll be back with more stories from far and near. Stick with me.

x x x x

10 Reasons Why I Love Kenya...

So, I've been to Kenya three times now and had three VERY different experiences there. Here are just a few of the reasons I love this wonderful country...

Can't I just say one reason and hit the beach?

1. The Kenyan Olympic runner Ezekiel Kemboi stabbed a man in Kenya and was on trial for this crime, but they still allowed him to compete in the Olympics. I love Kenya.

2. Nyoma choma is a meal where you order meat in kilograms, wash it all down with beer and eat it with your hands. Carnivore heaven, veggie hell. Meat and beer, you can't beat it.

3. When I was following a truck load of men all wearing the same clothes sitting in the back of a pickup truck, I asked if they were the local football team... the reply? 'No, they're prisoners'. They were riding in the back of the open pick up truck. Oh, ok then *locks car door*

4. Public transport? You have a choice of a boda-boda (get on the back of a motorbike and cling on) tuk-tuk (3 wheeled rickshaw thing which I think runs on AA batteries) or a matatu (a 9 seater minivan which normally has a minimum of 15 passengers at any time PLUS at night time, they turn in to mobile disco vans pumping out vintage Britney Spears and Ace of Base) Your guidebook will tell you avoid them all at all costs, but don't you dare avoid them! Otherwise you're paying well over the odds for a private taxi, and that's no fun. What the hell does the Rough Guide know about anything anyway...

5. Talking of tuk-tuks, it's so easy to flag one down and being a tourist, what I find the funniest is that even if they already have a passenger AND they're going in the other direction, they'll pull a u-turn and chuck out their passenger so that they can charge me over the odds for a ride.

6. Mazungu means 'whites' in Swahili. So, 'white person'. You'll be walking along and hear 'hey, Mazungu, how are you?' or 'Hey Mazungu, you give me fifty bob' which just has me in stitches every time, I don't get mad at that. Unless it's said in a derogatory way in which case I act in typical Brit fashion and curse under my breath and walk away.

7. The music. I just love it, it gets under my skin and everyone that I've met just seems to love music and dancing and dance without shame. I don't have natural rhythm, plus I have hips, so that doesn't make for a great sight on the dance floor all the time but I don't care.

8. I'd move to Kenya just for the beer, NO! Sorry, not for the beer, for the Tusker brand of beer. I'm not a beer drinker at home, but it's cheap and cold and sooooo refreshing. I can just picture it now with the condensation running down the neck. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, when is the next flight to Kenya?

9. I'm teaching myself Swahili and it's not going so bad. I managed to have an argument with a tuk-tuk driver in Swahili, so I must be learning it... It's a great language and I loved it EVEN MORE ONCE I REALISED THAT THE LION KING IS BASED ON SWAHILI! Simba is ACTUALLY lion in Swahili... woah. This changed EVERYTHING.

10. They sell Top Deck chocolate bars in the supermarkets. Remember Top Deck? It was from Cadburys and was milk chocolate with white chocolate on top. Good Lord that stuff is magic.

Hmmm, so it seems that most of these points are around food and drink. Ooops. I'll be back with more food and drink political and religion based points next time. (I won't.)

Asante sana and kwaheri x