Weekend in Barcelona

I have fallen, hook, line and sinker, in love with Barcelona! The weather, the friendly, beautiful people, the food, the drink, the architecture, and...aaah, the Turkish baths.
Unfortunate about the economy because it is fully understandable why locals don't want to leave and immigrants would love to come.  Amazing.
Here are the highlights to my fantastic weekend:

STAY
Air BnB~ we stayed in a gorgeous 2-bed, 2 bath apartment with a balcony, right off of Passeig de Gracia  for 175 euros per night. It was perfect.

Grand Hotel Central~ Beautifully simple, sleek, and very centrally located.

Hotel Arts~ located close to Olympic Village and close to the seaside, this hotel probably is the most glam in the city.  Great pool and restaurants.

EAT
Near our apartment, and I'm sure all over the city, you find excellent coffee, jamon and beer if you choose!, small sandwiches, cookies, and small pastries for breakfast which is the most common diet. Not hard to get this right at all.

EAT

Passadis Del Pep~ Perhaps one of the greatest dinners we have ever had.  It is a MUST when in Barcelona.  NO menu just a maitre d' who asks if you have any dislikes, and on and on and on the platters come. We were a group of 6 ppl and one after the other, the most interesting and exquisite of seafood kept coming.  At some point, you'll need to "pause" or "stop" and tell the maitre d' when you are nearing your peak of fullness. Each course is more wow than the previous.  We universally LOVED this restaurant.

Cuina Santa Caterina~ Is in the Parada de Mercado (market).  Wide variety on menu.

Loidi ~ Contemporary and more affordable bistro by this Michelin starred chef.

Moritz~ Brewery restaurant.  Lovely, lovely casual German menu (think Brats and Wurst and sauerkraut) all awhile sitting atop a brewhouse.  Tours of the brewery too, (brush up on your Spanish!)

DRINK
Palau Dalmases~ a real hidden gem! We went after midnight Roman Bath for late night drinking under the stars...Absolutely stunning.

Mirablau~ stunning views! Great spot for after dinner drinks

Boadas~ I loved this little bar, a la 1940's style in La Ramblas, for pre-dinner aperitif.  Truly charming and old school

DO and SEE
You are in home city of one of the greatest architects of all time, Antoni Gaudi.  His influence can be seen all over the city but a few of the highlights which are a must see:

Sagrada Familia

La Pedrera

Casa Batllo
Casa Calvett

Markets, Markets and Markets

And last, but not least, one of my MOST favorite experiences was a post-dinner visit to Aire Ancient Baths.  Pack a bathing suit, make an appointment, and take 2 glorious hours rotating amongst plunging into hot baths, cold baths, salt bath, steam room.  A truly outstanding experience and especially decadent after a long day filled with sites, food, and drink for a total decompress.  Of course, to stop in to Palau Dalmases on your way home is not a bad idea either.

Favorite London Walks

Love the idea of guided walks.  I have scheduled them in NY, I have gone on them in London and I just never tire of the banter of the dedicated guides that never seem to run out of steam, humor, charisma.  Perhaps they crash and burn and one of their colleagues then steps up -- while they recuperate -- but its never a case where I've seen a guide not at "their best".  That being said, you can't go wrong in whatever walk/talk/tour you decide on, but  here are a line up of a few of my favorites:

Fox & Squirrel~  on her website they have fabulous, ready-made walks & talks already arranged under the categories of ART, VINTAGE, FASHION.  Already, I'm in love.  I had inquired about a custom walk that would be in the evening and the stuff Penelope came back with was FABULOUS!!
Take a look:
1) Millinery class: We will be exploring the world of hat making with one of London's most acclaimed milliners.
2) The art of perfumery. Please see below the experiences I can offer, and, choose one.
Fragrance in Visual Art:You will experience some delightful scents and while working out the colour, shape and scenery of a fragrance (be ready to consider the scent of a Picasso painting...) and create your own olfaction-inspired piece of art.

Touchable Fragrance:Prepare for a delicious workshop which brings together perfume with fashion and textiles, whether you'll work out which fine fragrances corresponds to silk, bubblewrap, velvet and even chalk, while learning about the connections between architecture, sculpture and scent.
Scent in the 1920s.The 1920s is one of the most discussed of vintage eras, but this is a new, scent-based take on the decade, in which we discover art, culture and social mores throug the lens of vintage perfumes. From aviation to silent movies, smoking and surrealism, fragrance can tell a story of the age.
3) Vintage Hair & Make up:A demo on how to make the perfect bee-hive hair and 1920s eyeliner flick
4) A story-telling walk through Soho:
An established London- base story teller will reveal a magical side of the city.
'Goddess to Succubus' a walk through Bewick Street and more that ends with music and stories in St Anne's churchyard /Soho square? This will take in the erotic shops along the way where the story teller will bring to life ancient sex myths such as the wonderful Egyptian 'Nut and Geb' in the centre of London.
I mean, are these FABULOUS, or what?!!  Next walk is April 14 and after that, May 12 (which I will be attending) 

Street Art London Tours Looking for something that your kids may actually be interested in? How about graffiti following throughout London?  This city is filled with fantastically creative people and some of them (are they criminals? - i don't know!) are decorating (defacing, to the pleasure of graffiti lovers everywhere!) otherwise terribly boring blank spaces.  Griff and the gang give regularly scheduled tours every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday and will also put together a custom tour to suit other times that are convenient for your group.  LOVE these.  Going this Sunday and can't wait to report back on what we saw this time around....

And last but not least, is a very fun/funny walking tour called Liar's London.  What happens is, 2 tour guides walk with you in a designated area (we have picked Chelsea/Kings Rd area) where one guide tells you the truth about some feature and the other, true stories about the location. Points are awarded at each stop and there is a prize at the end for the person who is not fooled by our silver tongued tricksters. Dogs on sticks, ghost bears, lavatory humour, satanic sports venues, secret agents, vampires, phantom Eskimos, wombats, ultra violence and suicidal sea captains. This plus the story of Diana Dors and John Betjamin, Wellington's duel and the secret of the Green Door. More bonkers tales than you can shake a stick (with or without a dog attached) at but which are true? Sounds fun?  More on that later.