Plaza del Sol

Even after living in Barcelona a week, I knew that Gracia was my favourite neighbourhood.  There is an air about Gracia.  It’s the ‘cool’ part of town that houses all of the students. One person once told me it was the Shoreditch of Barcelona, I really dislike that comparison now.

A little bit further out of town, Gracia doesn’t attract too many tourists. Of course there’s nothing wrong with tourists, I make a great one myself, but sometimes it’s nice to walk around without being bombarded with Irish pubs, people taking selfies and cheap fast food.

Gracia has kept it’s cool, and it’s grace. It seems that even on the cloudier days, a little sun can be found in the pockets of this district. Plaza del Sol especially, which literally translates to sun square.

Due to only having a few days left on my own in this beautiful city, last night I decided that I wanted to go to Gracia for dinner, even if I was by myself.  This is something I quite enjoy doing, I can please myself, do what I want and I don’t have to worry about splitting the bill or buying someone a drink!

When I arrived at Plaza del Sol at around 9pm, the whole square accommodated revellers sitting down drinking and eating their takeaways. It felt like a festival, and I could feel it in my soul that summer really was coming.  Even if you only get to visit Barcelona for a week or a long weekend even in the summer, I can’t stress how much you should pay Gracia a visit and find one of these busy little squares to enjoy some on the street drinking with friends.

I went to Mucci’s on the corner of the square for my dinner. I got a slice of caramelised red onion and brie pizza and a goats cheese one, and it came to €3, that’s around £2.25 for two big slices of homemade pizza guys.

What’s really bloody cool and handy about eating and drinking at this square is Bodega del Sol, a beer shop that sells pretty much any kind of beer at supermarket price. I am not good when faced with that much choice however so went for two Estrella’s which cost me another €1.60.

So that’s two beers and two slices of pizza for under €5! Not a bad start to my night was it?

Like I said, the square was heaving with young people, so I made a smart move and thought if I sat down in the middle with my beer and pizza, someone was sure to befriend me. And so they did! Before I’d even finished my second slice, Carlos had waved me over and I was suddenly sharing his and Miguel’s liquor. They were two guys from southern Spain, and so very friendly.

By the end of the night I had made friends with an Argentinian, a Venezuelan, A girl from Turkey and a group of Italians. We all sang along to Bob Marley songs whilst the others played their instruments.  Talking and meeting with different people isn’t always easy, you just have to put yourself out there sometimes and be friendly.

I would say ‘Sods Law’ usually that this happened just as I was leaving. But the reality is that this situation probably only exposed itself to me because I was in a mind frame that I wanted to be exposed to it, and that has come from deciding to leave the city and visit my dad, a decision that has made me very happy.

Review: Cafe Alsur

Plaza de Sant Cugat, 1
Barcelona
931 82 54 07
http://www.alsurcafe.com

I have learnt many things about myself over the last year, some more meaningful than others perhaps.  I have had the pleasure of tucking my tablecloth in to many of Europe’s most palatable cities. I’ve had Macaron’s in Paris, Biscotti in Florence, I got strudelie in Slovenia and I’m partial to a fresh croissant, especially on Sundays.  One thing I have learnt however is when it comes to afternoon tea, I am a cake kinda girl, and no posh pastry will beat a succulent piece of moist sponge.

Barcelona boasts 7,000 restaurants, not to mention the bakeries and patisseries. If you’ve got a feeling for an eclair, they’re sure to have it around the corner. Good ol’ British style sponge cake however? ain’t so easy to find.  Which was why when I saw the cake selection at Cafe Alsur, I just had order one.

Located in the beautiful district of El Born, Cafe Alsur has ample outside seating and catches the sun just at the right time: afternoon tea time.  The menu is pretty trendy in the sense that it features a lot of quinoa and green smoothies (none of which interested me as soon as I’d spotted the cake stand!)

At €4.90 a slice (£3.50) it is a little expensive.  However, they don’t skimp with slices here and each piece is a generous slab of sponge.  If I had known in advance I probably would have shared a piece with my friend, but there is no such thing as regretting cake and I don’t think I’m the type of person who shares cake anyway…

We ordered two pieces of red velvet, and in hindsight should of gone for a more refreshing drink and not a cafe bonbon (espresso and condensed milk) but whatever, I was so pleased with my sponge that I barely registered how full I was. Ooops.

I have been eating out and indulging a lot lately, last weekend I most certainly overate and probably consumed twice my daily allowance for four consecutive days. On Monday I did not restrict, I did not plan meals, I just ate and listened to my body, I craved fruits and vegetables and so that’s what I ate.  Today I probably won’t want much for dinner, something light and fresh.

That’s how it works, cake is not a ‘reward’ or something you plan to eat and then worry about.  Cake fits in to a healthy diet, and you should just trust that after a big slice of red velvet cake like this, you don’t have to deliberately restrict afterwards, your body knows when it’s hungry.

Review: Cosmo

Barcelona’s foodie scene has a lot to offer. Weather it’s pinxtos and rioja or salted cod on the beach, it’s a gastronomical melting pot. I am happy to say I have dived knife and fork first in to this melting pot too, and although I’ve probably only had the pleasure to dine at about 1% of the cities restaurants, I have not been dissapointed.

Cosmo was a little place I happened to stumble upon whilst nursing a heavy head and exhausted body last Sunday.  My best friend and I had had three big nights on the trot, fuelled by plenty of wine, good food and junk food. By Sunday morning we probably didn’t ‘need’ to have a big breakfast out, but it was our last morning together before she flew home, so of course we were going to sneak a few coffee’s in and brunch.

Cosmo is in one of my favourite areas: Universtat. It’s a very nice, clean and trendy part of town with plenty of cute and quirky brunch spots. It’s always quite quiet too, apart from maybe a busker or two or the sound of other bruncher’s chattering.

I have found that when ordering an iced coffee abroad you can either be a.) extremely happy or b.) extremely disappointed. I still have not learnt that simply ordering an iced coffee in Spain gets you an espresso and an ice cube, but ordering an iced latte gets you the king of coffee’s with all the trimmings, chocolate sauce and all.

I made sure I went for the later in my hungover state last Sunday. I swear by iced coffees, sunglasses and toast when I’m feeling delicate, I owe my recovery from Saturday night to this beautiful iced coffee, which did not disappoint thank goodness.

After we drank our coffee’s and smoked the last of our cigarettes (vowing to never again smoke, something I am working on I promise!) We started to feel peckish. I say we felt peckish, I was not hungry at all, but seeing other peoples food go past set of a huge sense of food envy and me and my best friend agreed that we should go out with a bang and order brunch too.

What I liked about Cosmo’s menu was that it wasn’t too elaborate.  For someone who can barely decide which knickers to put on in the morning, simplicity when it comes to menus suits me best. Anything that’s too overwhelming and excessive and I’ll forget where I am or who I am.

You can basically make you’re own breakfast, you get a boiled egg, toast and fruit and then you pick two extras. My friend added avocado and salmon to hers, which is always a great combination with egg.

I was feeling a little more delicate than my friend and couldn’t think of facing egg and salmon quite yet, so opted for a sweeter carb laden breakfast of yoghyrt, homemade granola, toast and butter and jam. It was the first time I had eaten toast with butter and jam in years. Mainly because at home I would almost always put peanut butter and secondly because I stupidly convinced myself I didn’t like butter for about seven years. But guys, secret’s out, Lowri likes butter on toast!

My verdict? Perfect.

I had my sunnies on, was sipping on a cold iced coffee and was eating jammy toast with my best friend, laughing about what idiots we were the night before. I was a very happy girl.

The bill came to €18 which is about £13. Good service, good food and a beautiful location, another great time brunchin’.

Bye Bye Barcelona

After living in Barcelona for two months I have discovered two things about myself

1.) I am not a teacher

2.) I will live with my own family and nobody else’s

I’ll explain the second one a bit better.  Basically I have been living with a Host family whilst here. They don’t ask for rent, they provide my food (ish) and they don’t expect me to babysit (much). I am very grateful that these people are so generous and have taken me in without asking for anything in return, besides me speaking english with the family.

Living with a host family is something I don’t think I’ll do again though.  As I type this I can hear the father shouting at the children and his voice is so full of anger and pure temper that it makes my skin crawl.  He is a  very stressful man (a lawyer) and although he hasn’t really intended to, he makes me feel very uncomfortable.

I feel sorry for him, he is very anal. If I’m cooking in the kitchen he almost always comments on how many pans i’m using, although I’ve never once left a mess and always help out with the cleaning.  He once said he’d be livid if he saw a teacher with a tattoo and when his 7 year old daughter said she’d like to play hockey he said hockey ‘was not a girls game.’

This is why I have made the decision to leave Barcelona early. I have enjoyed the past two months, although there have been ups and downs I feel I have actually learnt a lot about what I want and don’t want in life.  I feel ready to move on to something different, which for now is 4 weeks in Tenerife!

Who knows what Tenerife will bring, but I hope that by living in a smaller town, spending time on the beach and maybe surfing, and not having to work at a school, I’ll have a better chance of meeting likeminded people.  My dad has already been living there 6 months and has many friends. To be honest, I think me and my Dad are quite similar, and are at an age and place where maybe we can even have the same friends.  What is age after all?

Tonight I am grateful for opportunities like these. I am grateful that I have such incredible parents who help me financially, and always support my decisions.  I am grateful to the family who have accommodated me for the past two months, although it has not always been enjoyable, it was a kind thing for them to do. On Monday I need to go in to school and tell them I’m leaving on Wednesday, it will be hard letting them down at such short notice, but at the end of the day I know what’s best.

I was thinking of making up excuses or lies, but then I thought, what would happen if I just told the truth? Firstly they will appreciate my honesty even if they are disappointed, and secondly lying and making up excuses will only make me feel like I’m doing something wrong, when in reality this is and should feel like a positive decision!

Review: La Cua Curta

To quote my best friend;

I think I just came up on cheese – Lottie Milne

As a self-proclaimed cheese aficionado, I have no ability to even remotely empathise with anyone who says they dislike this dairy delight. I was surprised however that it had taken me so long to try a cheese fondue, but I think I may have been subconsciously holding out for this cheese fondue in particular.

Hidden away (because it took us about 5 wrong turns, a figure of eight, the wrong placa and walking in the complete opposite direction a few times) is La Cua Curta in the medieval quarter of El Born, Barcelona. We had to wait outside in the alley to be seated as the restaurant was full, despite it being 11pm.

From the outise La Cua Curta looked so inviting. The low beamed ceilings and tiled flooring reminded me of a farmhouse kitchen in France. The windows were all steamed up and the candles flickered with warmth, I wanted to go in, sit down and tuck in to some offensively stinking cheese.

When we finally walked in to the restaurant, I was not prepared for the sensory pleasure that filled my nostrils. It smelt so strongly of cheese, as if the restaurant may well have been made out of cheese and the whole place was melting and you had gruyere tricking down your face and in to the corners of your mouth.

The decor of the place is very simple. There was no needless pictures or slogans, just a warm, cheese filled restaurant. The wine was very reasonable too and we had a bottle of crianza for €11 which was not even the cheapest one on the menu (for a change!)

My fellow cheese lover and I opted for a classic cheese fondue (emmental and gruyere) to share with extra goats cheese. It came in a cast iron bucket that was kept bubbling by a little flame. To accompany the cheese we had a generous basket of cut up fresh crusty bread and some vegetables.

The waitress had to get us more bread and the bucket was well and truly scraped clean.

This cheese experience will be remembered.  Cheese, wine and your best friend… A perfect way to spend my Saturday night.

Happy_Lows

X

Lowttie in Barcelona

I am a coffee drinking, city strolling, sunday morning bruncher.  I also love good company, and living in Barcelona alone has sometimes meant I have not been able to enjoy as many lazy Sunday mornings in the city as I would have liked. I don’t mind a coffee and a walk on my own from time to time, but enjoying brunch and laughing about life? That’s much better with your best friend.

My other, other half paid me a visit this weekend, and it could not have been timed more perfectly. I admit I am homesick, I am trying to understand why I’m feeling like this and how to cope with it, but truth is it has been a struggle.  Apparently we Welsh experience homesickness more so than other nationalities. We call it ‘hiraethu’ which is a more powerful emotion than just homesickness, and is a mix of longing, yearning and nostalgia.

We had a lovely weekend, and a balance of relaxing and partying. We ate about a weeks worth of food in three days, and one night we even had three ice creams each after the night out and half a packet of oreos. On paper, this sounds like a binge right? I know it’s excessive and very unhealthy, but emotionally it did not feel like a binge. I was following my friends lead, who doesn’t have any issues with food and is also very very slim.

So that’s what I did for the whole weekend, which turned out to be extremely indulgant and I spent a lot of time nursing a food baby. But we only had three days and both of us wanted to catch up, have a good time, drink wine and eat cheese. I wanted to go to some restaurants (reviews to come soon) and not having had a partner to go with in a while, I obviously made the most of having her as such great company.

We didn’t do much sight seeing. But that was never the plan anyway. The plan was to catch up with my best friend, who I am so very lucky to have.  She is an amazing, funny, kind person and in many ways we are like two peas in a pod. Although I love Barcelona, living here without my friends, family and boyfriend has taught me that it’s not about where you are in the world, it’s about finding what’s important to you and makes you happy.  Having my friends nearby is what’s important to me.

We both promised that come summer we would make the most of living in the Uk and prioritise seeing each other and plan to do some fun things like camping on the beach or little day festivals.

I am emotional tonight now she has left, but I must remember what a wonderful weekend it was, and that my real friends are not going anywhere.

Review: Delizie Gourmet Italian

A little tip: If you’re watching your weight, do not think it is a good idea to leave the gym hungry and without a snack if you’re heading in the direction of Sarria High street.

Luckily I’m not watching my weight! So when I left the gym at 8.30pm after a gruelling two hour cardio session, it was no surprise that my body wanted carbs.

On the way home I kept telling myself NOT to spend more money buying food, and that a tuna and cheese omelette would have to make do for dinner.  An omelette? No carbs there.

So when I passed Delizie Gourmet Italian on Sarria highstreet and saw the lady behind the counter carefully putting out fresh ravioli (my favourite kind of carb!) naturally, my two naughty feet took me inside and before I knew what was happening I had eight pieces of fresh stuffed ravioli in a cute little box.

I just couldn’t help asking her what the varieties were, and when she told me, oh christ! It was like God had devised a pasta menu especially for me and fate had bought me in to that little shop so that I had a culinary experience suitable for angels even. Far fetched you say? I kid you not.  This Ravioli was amazing!

x2 Salmon stuffed

x2 Goats cheese and honey

x2 Truffle

x2 Manchego and sun dried tomato

I had the eight pieces for just over €3 and it took me 4 minutes to cook the little babes.  Served with some sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

This is why I love living here! Being able to just pick up some fresh pasta on the way home for cheap and know that it’s not only delicious but it’s good honest, flavoursome food! Life is too short to eat tinned ravioli guys.

Review: Brunch And Cake

Before I had even thought about what I was taking with me to Barcelona, I had already spied out Brunch and Cake and scrutinised their breakfast menu.  Don’t get me wrong, I love walking around a city and stumbling across hidden little restaurants that I would never be able to find on google or with my maps, but I was so excited about the sheer amount of culinary havens Barcelona had to offer, that I couldn’t resist doing a bit of research incase I happened to miss out on what might of been the most memorable pancakes of my twenties or something.

You guessed it, Food is a passion of mine.  That’s why I love it here in Barcelona. The Cafe culture of eating out as much as possible suits me well, a coffee stop in the morning and an apertif before dinner? Yes, that bodes well!

I soon found out that Brunch and Cake was quite a popular little place amongst us foodies.  Luckily, being alone, they could squeeze me in between the couples and the girlfriends, whilst awaiting groups either sat outside in the wind, or waited patiently.

The place is just so inviting and charming.  It’s painted white with gleaming windows, sparkling silver letters ‘Brunch and Cake’, winning me over instantly.  The inside is equally lovely, with light floral cushions and soft throws, shabby painted stools and free standing SMEG’s, it looks a dream kitchen, but it’s not you cooking.

The menu isn’t too over whelming. There’s a lot of eggs to choose from, and some interesting sounding combinations like a hot dog benedict or a truffle and bacon buttie.  Despite the menu not being too long, it still took the waitress a few trips over until I finally ordered granola wit fruit and some avocado and feta on toast.  My usual tip for when I eat out is to suss out what everyone else is eating, to avoid the disappointed of my food arriving and it not even closely resembling what I thought I’d ordered!

The place is simply gorgeous to look at, and so are the staff for that matter. The food arrived looking like something straight out of a magazine, which of course is as equally important as the taste nowadays with the Instagram hype.  The actual food was okay… It was avocado on toast and fruit I know! Next time I visit this little sweet spot I’ll push the boat out and go for some whackier creation.  The iced caramel latte I had was delicious however, and satisfied my ever needy sweet tooth.

This place is great for friends and couples who are visiting the city and want something chic and trendy. It’s definitely not typically Spanish, or particularly good in regards to the food. Come here if you want a good gossip with a friend and an excuse to Instagram you’re eggs! Which is almost always worth buying breakfast for right?

Review: Bar Tomas

I don’t think I’d even been in Barcelona an hour when my host family started talking about Tomas’ Bravas.  Before I’d even had a chance to unpack or change from my travelling clothes, I was already being whipped down Sarria High street to his legendary bar.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, just a regular spanish Bar that looks a bit naff and dated if anything. Inside, we struggled finding a table. The place was crowded.  Families would be gathered around tiny tables and old Spanish men were propped up by the bar, shouting across for another beer. I didn’t think I’d be getting any bravas soon.  The waiter, a small Spanish lad who if he was a dog would definitely be a Jack Russell; small, stocky and whipping around carrying plates upon plates of tapas.

Soon, he cleared a table and ushered us to sit down whilst commanding us to order drinks.  It’s funny, customer service is very different here. They aren’t worried about coming across rude, they are abrupt and straight to the point, which in fairness makes a lot more sense. Tell me what you want and I’ll bring it to you! What else is to it?

I left the ordering up to my host mother Blanca. I trusted she would know what to order.  ‘Tomas Bar has the best Potatos Bravas in all of Barcelona’ she kept exclaiming, ‘They are legendary!’

I thought this would be my lunch, I wasn’t familiar with the Spanish way of eating at this point, having an apertif at 1pm just didn’t cross my mind.  I was quite concerned therefore when we shared three tapas between six people! We had three different types of Bravas; One plain, one with hot sauce and one with alioli (garlic oil).  Accompanied by a Clara, which I also had no idea at this point what a Clara (Spanish equivalent of a Shandy) was.

So, these legendary Bravas to me where okay… They weren’t so good that I’d catch a plain, two trains and a tube for… but they were good.  Ultimately, they were nice chips.  Seeing as I only started eating chips about six months ago, Bravas probably wouldn’t be my go to snack.  They were very oily, and well seasoned by garlic.  *TIP Don’t go on a date here guys! Unless you plan on rinsing your mouth in the niagra falls afterwards!

Nevertheless, I will be back.  Maybe bravas are something that grows on you, maybe in a months time I will be craving these oily, garlicy chips. Who knows. I like Tomas’ Bar though.  It’s got a real Spanish feel to it, they serve Bravas and that’s it. No fancying it up, just beer and chips guys!

Have We Forgotten The Art Of Pleasure?

Today I had a long lunch, and instead of following out my usual routine of eating my sandwich on the bench across from school, I decided to do a little exploring.

I wanted to have a stroll around the Gracia region of Barcelona, after hearing good things about the place, that it attracted a quirky, alternative crowd, so I was expecting it to have an arty, chilled out feel.  I absolutely love to wander around a new place, I love getting lost in the cities streets, stumbling across beautiful buildings and gardens.  I like to look at the shop windows, the people sitting out eating their lunch, listening to the buskers play their tunes. I consider it my meditation, walking aimlessly, not worrying about anything or anyone but me and my two feet.

I thought about how I would never spend my lunch time like this at home. It would almost always be a mad rush of me eating something I really had no hunger for, just something convenient like a carton of soup or baked beans.  Chances are it would be raining so I’d try to spend as little time as possible outside.  Sometimes I wouldn’t see anybody else, maybe only the glimpse of a worn out face, before they darted their eyes to the pavement again, focused on getting back to the office to carry on with the humdrum work.

But here in Barcelona, there’s something different in the air. There’s pleasure in the air.  She’s laughing over a glass of wine, talking with a friend. He’s lazily reading the paper, not worrying about the meeting he has at three. She’s popped in to the market to buy fresh fish, deciding on how she should cook it for her parents tonight.  A mother having a joke with the baker, whilst picking up some pastries for the children after school.

They know the importance of pleasure, and it’s not even the finer things in life. It’s about living simpler, fresher and truer.  The place is radiated by all these people who have not forgotten how it is to be happy.

As I write this, I feel positive. I know the changes I need to make to be happier too. We need to remind ourselves of what brings us pleasure, true pleasure.  Too many of us have been poisoned by Ipads and smart phones, that we rarely think to pick up a book anymore, listen to the radio or buy that CD someone told us we’d enjoy.  We count down the minutes of each day until it’s over, then think our down time is shutting ourselves off in our living rooms, eating quick thoughtless dinners and seeking some sort of satisfaction from a screen.

I know it’s not easy to break the habit, It’s difficult knowing what to do after work when it’s raining outside or if you’re tired. But we are tiring ourselves out even more by not prioritising pure pleasure.  Make a list if you have to, all the things you enjoy doing and don’t do enough of, here’s mine (everyone’s is different of course!)

Things Lowri enjoys and wants to do more

• Read poetry
• Write
• Practice Yoga
• Listen to Six Music
• Go on long walks
• Watch films and give them my full attention (no Ipads/laptops/iphones!)
• Talking/making friends with strangers (to an extent)

Bad habits Lowri wants to break

• Planning ahead, and writing strict rules for myself that I always break
• Mindless eating, eating because of known/low calorie content and not because it’s what I want and will enjoy
• Wasting money on trivial things that bring me no enjoyment
• Scrolling through Instagram excessively
• Living according to time, a man made concept which shouldn’t always structure my day.

I hope that I find the balance between work and pleasure. I really believe that stress is the biggest killer out there, and that making the time to relax is key to a longer happier life.