Barceloner!

Well, that’s another one off the bucket list; go on a romantic weekend away, alone.

And, as first dates go, I’d do it again, for sure!

Diary difficulties meant my original companion couldn’t make this trip, but (don’t tell them this!) I actually relished the possibility of a weekend away on my own. As you probably know, my diary is pretty hectic, and I’m usually around people. So, as a predominantly only child, I was gagging for a bit of “ME!” time…

As ever with me, it’s a busman’s holiday, so my first stop was Parc Guell, the Gaudi-inspired park on the hilltop. Which meant a long walk.. I tend to recoil at those tour bus things, and like a good walk, and to soak up the environment. Sadly, I always wear “fashion shoes”, which are shit to walk far in. Oh well. Further being allergic to queues, I didn’t queue for the tickets to get to the ‘inner section’, which I’d seen before anyway. Instead wandering round the larger part of the park, with lovely architecture; both buildings and plants!

By stark contrast, my visit two days later to Parc Diagonal was less inspirational. The tangled mess of steel appealed to me in some way, but I couldn’t help feeling the park had been “a good idea at the time”, but was now forgotten! There were massive, Gaudi-esque planters, which sat six feet above the ground, and the plan seemed to be for climbing plants to billow out and along the sky wires.. just like a sky garden, I guess. But, I don’t think they’d irrigated the plants that well.. Even Mediterranean, drought resistant plants need some water as they establish!!

In between these two contrasting highlights, I also walked Parc Ciutadella, dodging people on segways. A few years ago, who could have imagined a world where people went around on those…? Plus, I spent lots of time looking up, admiring balcony displays, with some plants would never, could never, grace a window box in the UK!

 

And I ate lots of yummy food, repeatedly. Sacrificing my body to carbs meant the increased need for regular siestas, which I now must get out of my system, now I’m back to my relentless schedule!