An Insider's tips to where to go and what to do in Barcelona

I do this a lot for friends, compile a quick list of my favorite places in Barcelona, with the hope that they too love it. It's part tourisic part practical... but as things change quickly, you never know if it's out of date. But here they are. I hope you enjoy!

Lunch

Al Passatore

Pla del Palau, 8, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

Do the lunch menu here or cheap dinner. The pizza is to die for. The lunch menu exceptional value and they have a terrace so you can enjoy the sunshine.

Bo de B

For the BESt sandwiches ever cheap and cheerful (right next to the big post office)

Dinner

Santa Maria (no website)
Carrer del Comerç, 17, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
You MUST try this place it's AMAZING. It's my exclusive bcn insider tip. You will not be disapointed.

Salamanca (not salamanca II which is not on the beach)
For traditional Pallea to to Salamaca on the beach

Calle L'almirall Cervera, 34

Drinks!

El Xampanyet

Carrer de Montcada, 22

This is right across the street from my old flat. It's so charming and lovely. Don't eat there as they'll charge you an arm and a leg for tapas... but do go there and try the cava they make themselves. It's under 10e for a whole bottle and it's so amazing. Always busy. But if you see Juan Carlos tell him Sarah (la madre de Sienna) who used to live across the street sent you...

Night life...

Carpe Diem Lounge
there are so many fab places you'll just stuble upon... but if you're down at the beach check out Carpe Diem and reserve a lounge sofa outside.

Shopping

Just head down Portal de L'angel towards Plaza cataluna and you'll find everything. Zara, Mango, the usual suspects.

Avoid the ramblas... (tourist hell and pick pocket central) avoid Raval as well as it's quite dodgy there at night!

Doppelganger

 

 I do the Monday and Friday morning 6h15 body pump class at my gym in Oakville which is on my way to work. I always position myself at the left hand side of the room and smile when I see one of the studio pictures as it looks so similar to my friend Eric in Barcelona. It's pretty funny really as they could have been separate at birth. This morning I had my ipod with me and snapped a pic. For anyone who knows Eric you'll appreciate the resemblance.














I'm all booked for miss Sally and Mihir's wedding in Phuket at the end of March. Will be a bit of an epic journey from here but still, I am so looking forward to it. I'm stopping in Hong Kong on the way for a quick rest and visit with my sister's mate Victor who teaches there. It will be my first time ever in both places so lots of adventures to be had... and maybe a bit of sunshine too. Sad that I can't take mini me with me, but perhaps its a good thing!?!

Pessimist: 

One who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both

. - Oscar Wilde

Hello Blog it's me, your owner!

Waiting...

It's been an eternity since I've last posted, in fact I was certain I would most likely perhaps never post again... that this blog had had it's day and that there was truly nothing left to write. I think the biggest thing is really that it's been hard for me to write. It sounds strange but even with all the changes, new job, buying my first car, Sienna starting school... I've been waiting. I've been waiting for life to kick back into normal. This however has not happend. I've made changes and moves and countless other life adjustements since I left Barcelona (2 years ago this week) but still I wait, and I want... and I don't feel like it's all there. It's a terrible state of purgatory, one purely self inflicted I may add, but I think it's fair to call it a self made aflliction of the wait.

I'm sure it's simply adjusting to life on my own, and coming to terms with what my future has in store. But this store that my life is apparently being held at, seems to not have my size, and what I think I want looks terrible on me. So it's an ongoing cyclical strife kind of thing. Something not best really written down as it would very quickly tumble into self deprecating dribble.

So I'll stop, now (okay maybe in a minute) having mentioned it and take this moment to recogise that I am a person of action and am not in the least troubled by the thought of changing house, country and job at the blink of an eye. So waiting is against the very grain of my nature. But life throws you what you can handle, and if you can't handle it, you learn how to handle it. So waiting for me is like a life defining excersise. I just hope it doesn't take my whole life to realise that sometimes you can't engineer things and you can't always be in control. This is a bitter pill to swallow considering I earn my livelyhood organising things. Enough! Wait I must, so I shall. But I would just like to have it recorded here that I'm none too pleased about it.

On a completely different note, I had some lovely and exciting news this week. Miss Bambach got engaged! Mihir bought her a beautiful 2 carat diamond. She's of course over the moon and I couldn't be happier for them both. Now only time will tell if the wedding will be in London or Sydney or both. I best start saving up every last penny!

Ooh yes and did I mention Vegas? We had what will now been (or seems liekly to be) an annual girlie pilgimage to Vegas in early Oct. It was such fun! It was lovely to see Andrea, Autum and Sally there and seestor even came along too! Next jaunt is penciled in for Miami in April! I'm counting down the days already. See that waiting thing, it manages to weasel it's way in every little nook and cranny even when you're trying so damn hard not to wait! GRRR.

It's a quiet Sunday morning...

I should be painting but instead i'm untagling some invoice madness for work. Not ideal but it's better than dealing with the pain of trying to do it next week in the office which will be impossible. Lilli is quite happy as it blends well with her idea of a fab day (curled up in a ball at my side while I work)

This last week my uncle by marriage lost his mum. She'd been ill for quite a while and finally slipped away last Friday. She was such an amasing woman. I remember as a child we went to visit her and her husband as they lived in Oliphant. I remember it being a really long drive... and being worried about the bears that were known to trapse across their property. They were kind and they were so welcoming to us. That visit was definately a highlight of my childhood. I remmeber Peggy's amasing cesear salad that she prepared in this massive wooden bowl and most importanly her fabulous rasberry jam. I'm happy she's been released and will no longer suffer, but we'll miss you auntie peggy! But on the flip side her first grand daughter is now in the process of delivering her second great grandson. So in with one spirit and out with another. Funny how those things go isn't it?

Yesterday miss Andrea and I terrorised the poor people in South Kensington... A walk down memory lane, that's for sure. We stopped in to the Chanel shop to pick out a foundation and had giggle at the woman who was refused service as she was using her 'fiance's black amex' they don't let folks here just use whatever card they like, they insist that the owner of the card be present ( I don't think this is the case in the states as this lady was american and not too pleased about being rejected)... but any way, Andrea and I giggled and felt quite smug that we were able to buy what we wanted ourselves... mind you I can tell you that neither of us would protest very much if somone else wished to pay the bill... we then me the lovely miss tasha who looks so fabulous. An inspiration to get the ol bod back in shape again. Proving again how fab she looked, when we stopped in for a drink after our shopping she got asked for ID at her local pub! Honestly. If you're 31 and people think you're 17, you're doing something right!

I'm on the home stretch right now with work. Only 7 working days left and then it's on to packing and sorting things out... one weekend of fun with miss Sally who is flying all the way in from oz to say goodbye to me and then one spa day with andrea and voilia! I'm missing Sienna and can't wait to see her again, but she's enjoying her new life and doesn't seem to miss me much... it all feels like a bit of hurry up and wait. *sigh*

I'm alive!!!!!

Well it's been so damn long since I've been able to write anything here, I think the bookies were taking bets on my probable demise. Not so. Since coming back at xmas work has been busy, weekends full of kiddie things like tennis and swimming... and then miss Sienna's 4th birthday. I've now scraped my self from the pankake-like (run over) shape on the floor and I've taken up a new hobby... It's all about the shrink wrapping baby! I know, not but a few posts ago I was extolling the virtues of posh bin... and now shink wrapping. I have reached a new level of geekdom.

So yes, shrink wrapping or actually vaccum packing I think is more of an apt description. I bought a set of bags from Amazon and wow, live as I know it has now changed. I think the feeling of compacting away all of your skinny jeans the don't quite fit you just now is a feeling second to none. I think I'm going to start my very own vaccum packing therapy sessions. I tell you, it will be all the rage in LA before you know it!

Why am I vaccum packing you ask? Well, after a year long chapter of life back in London and doing the what I know now is possible but perhaps not sane thing of raising a 4 year old on my own and working full time with no support network... I've decided to vaccum pack my life and head back over the pond and for once make my life a tiny bit easier. I know I know it's almost acomplete 180 to my normal modus operandus but hey, I'm getting old folks... and if the fact that this blog is over 10 years old now doesn't do a job of convincing you, I'm not sure what will. So yes, life will be so much easier and better for little miss with a bit of help from my family.

So miss Sienna jetted off with my mum who was over visiting earlier in the week. They're nestling into things back in Canada and I'm here wrapping up my job and flat. I love love love this flat. After living in such a horrible place for so many years in Barcelona I've been so spoiled by having this place. It's big and light and airy and perfect for miss Sienna and I . I will miss it. I'll also miss the beautiful family who moved in upstairs in Sept. They've been so kind and lovely to us both. I hope one day they'll come out to Canada to visit us.

So while I finish up things at work I also have a bit of work to do on me. Living this life that is so full-on has reduced the 'me' down to a faint concept. When you're spread so thin and never have any time to yourself it's amazing how quickly you lose yourself. I've got a month here now with only work and packing as my obligations. Do I know what to do withmyself? Well apparently not. I think I have mild agoraphobia of being me. I think I've forgottne. So in an effort to remind myself that I can woop it up for a bit I've got to get myself a London bucket list so I can cross things off and get stuff done before I go.
On the list for now are>

Tate Modern
Portrait gallery
Hayward Gallery
Harvey Nicks
The long bar at the sanderson
Oscars at the charlotte st hotel (best cocktails in the world)

Any other suggestions?

It goes without saying

That finding the will or the inspiration to write and breathe life into my poor neglected blog has been an unsurmountable challenge. The grind and pull of daily life is indeed relentless. It's not made any easier when you're raising a wee one on your own.

I have however, have had the delight of an unexpected visit from a dear old friend miss sal sal from oz this week. It's been so lovely to see her. It's funny how having her back in town for a week has made me realise just how lonely I've been here. It's a huge anonamous city... it's kind of like quick sand, in that before you know it you can be swallowed up and disappear. Added to the fact that I certainly find it hard to ask for help from the friends I do have makes it an even greater challenge to keep my head above the sand. Life is all about balance and acheiving that here is proving the biggest challenge of my life.

However, this week in celebration of miss andrea's b'day , sal sal andrea and I trapsed off to the So spa in st james for a day of pampering. What a delightful and luxurious day. Pathetic i know but i felt both so happy and so sad during the whole time. Delighted that i was with my friends but sad as I miss so much my old life where we were all together in London... so true in that you don't know how good something is until it's gone. Well, we hot tubbed gossiped, got massaged, had a very delish afternoon tea and then rounded off the day with a delish cocktail at the charlotte st hotel.

One week left of the grind before wee me and I jet off to Canadialandia to visit the family. One sneaky week in cuba tucked in the middle to truly relax. What a year it's been... lots of tears lots of challenges and lots of successes... I'm praying that next year will be a year of calm, joy and renewed faith in love and all that is good.

Little Madame

Is growing like a weed! She's such a pretty thing (okay I'm allowed to say that i'm her mum). She's started tennis lessons (whith the hope that one day she will play with me).

My office is awash of burgeoning bellies as two of my colleagues are now expecting. Luke and Helena (my friends who I set up with one and other years ago) are expecting their first bebe in a few weeks! I'm so delighted for all of them. I am not certain I could ever go through it all again... I'm really enjoying having a little partner in crime with Sienna. Now that she's older she truly is a lovely companion. She says the most delightful things at times, I can fall about with laughter. She told her teacher the other day that she wanted to be a Doctor so she could buy a house with a swimming pool. She also laughed at me the other day when i was answering her question about what our friend Char's husband's job was. As I was telling her, she burst out laughing and said to me "silly mummy, daddy's don't work only mummies do!" imagine that! I wonder where on earth she got that concept from *cough*.

I've got a weekend of girlie fun ahead. Chiara is here and so is vero, whom I've not seen for a whole year now! I think Autumn is in town too and Eric next week. I guess until I pluck up the pennies to return to Barca for a visit, Barca will quite simply, come to me!

I also have a date with a lovely Canadian bloke this Saturday which I'm really looking forward to. I don't want to jinx it but what a nice guy!




Sienna sends you a hug!

I admit it

Posh bin has made life fabulous... maybe the bar is just really low right now but, man what a difference. I will never go back. I guess it's the same thing after fying in first... economy would seem like something unthinkable.

Back into the weekly grind now. My big project at work still has still not launched yet but another one is building steam... that's the problem in this sort of job... there are never any quiet periods... but it is nice when things come to a tidy finish!

Tennis lessons start for wee me next Saturday... I figure if I can't find a tennis partner, I'll make one! Her racket is so cute. We've been practising already! Swimming started back last week and the swim in the wave pool after the lesson tires us both out. We were delighted to see our new upstairs neighbours there this morning too. It's nice to have some people you know in the same vibe... they're so lovly and had invited us up to theirs last weekend for supper. It makes such a difference to have some adult company on the weekends! The kids enjoy it too so it's a win win situation! Sienna is due to pop upstairs later to play so i may just may get a chance to sneak some painting in!

Counting down the days till xmas... saving pennies so we can go to cuba or mexico while on that side of the pond for a proper break... ambitious, yes... but hey when you've not had a holiday since may 2010 and gone throught what I have then, yes, a necissary luxury!

unlike some people's blogs i often read...

yes i have the guilty admission that I read some people's blogs because I am astounded at how much I dislike them... but it's a love hate thing... they obviously catch my attention enough to make me always read them first when I check in.... but I'm not writing about them I'm writing about how far away different my guilty pleasure luxury purchase this weekend was... it was a bin for my kitchen. I have one of course but it cost 7 quid and I bought it on mare st. but after the ridiculous acceptance that my forever friend denise and my work colleague sevil both extoled the virtues of this bin... I admit I bought one. But only because I got it for 50% off the normal price. It was on sale for 40 quid rather than a hundred... so yes, even writing it feels obscene as really, that much for a bin? But yes, I'm sucker... and the syncher was friday night after work I had sienna with me in the office for a while and she was playing with the very same bin at work... facinated how she oculd open and shut it so easily... dear god am i really trying to justify it? yes, yes I am.

guilty pleasure bin... yes it's sad that pleasure has come to this...


On another note we're really enjoying having our new upstairs neighbours. The loud irish guys got the boot and in came this lovely family that have just sold up their home up the road with a view to finalise their bid on a piece of land in hackney, on which they'll build a new home and a studio to work in (they're both artists). They've got three lovely children! one who is 9 and a set of fraternal twins who are 6. Sienna is of course over the moon that she's got a potential play mate. They ever so kindly invited us to join them and their ex neighbours to supper tonight. Such a lovely bunch. I feel blessed and just that little bit less lonely. Thank you lucky stars.

New neighbours and a posh bin... what more can a simple gal like me ask for?

It's been a whole year now...

Since life as I knew it disintegrated in Barcelona. Alfredo is long gone from all of our lives. It's sad really as the only thing I can liken it to is mourning. He's not dead of course but to us he's gone the concept, the total veil of lies he created are gone forever, so therefore not dissimilar to death. I know it's crazy as the amount of financial and emotional damage he inflicted to Sienna and I along with all my friends and family was horrific, but there are days when I miss him. I know what I miss is the fake him the him that never existed so in that respect I don't think it's harmful. I miss having a partner someone to share life with and enjoy Sienna and Lilli with. I can't begin to explain how much work I've done since last August (with the help of my friends and family) to re-build my life, move countries, start a new job and 'move on'. Having this last month to myself here in London while Sienna holidayed with my family really gave me a lot of perspective... I've been trying to date with the empty hope to find someone to enjoy life with again , alas it's not that easy and nor will it ever be. I know there are stories of beautiful guys who don't care about the woman having a child and that they date, fall in love and live happily ever after... But that reality seems like a far off fairy tale to me...

So instead rather than focusing on trying to meet someone I've resolved to try and sharpen the focus elsewhere in life... get my fitness back, get miss Sienna out and about London and try not to feel so lonely. It's a long process and I'm the first to say it's not easy... but there aren't many other options to hand are there?

Nope... not doing something at all!

Well that was all just a bit silly... Doing something turned out to be doing nothing with any of them! I wrote to 14 people and not a single one wanted to do anything... hmm maybe i've got the cooties? I think I've got small child cooties, no big mystery there really :)

It's a beautiful sunny day and it's been that way all day which is no small feat in this country. I did a nice circut round the park with miss Lilli. Much better than our stroll through yesterday's downpour.

Doing something?

Well this is my last foray into internet dating. I’ve tried a few sites since I moved back to London and all with various results. There are definitely a lot of options to choose from, but since the whole process is a ‘numbers game’ or so my friends keep telling me… Mine is about to be up so after reading about this new site in my guilty weekly girly glossy magazine I couldn’t resist! It’s called http://www.doingsomething.co.uk/ I love the quirky premise and the relaxed design. Early days for them still so it’s free to join and communicate. There aren’t thousands of people on it yet either so we’ll see how it goes. Then in a few week’s time when Sienna is back from her sejour in Canada, I’ll retire from the whole process for a while. It’s quite exhausting emotionally and logistically. But man do I ever have a few stonkers to tell about. Best told over a bottle of red, not so blog suitable when one is naming and shaming!

I’m finally 85% through The Invisible Bridge I’ve been reading for the last 2 months (sad really but that just shows how busy I’ve been). But a leisurely weekend with two lie-ins and afternoon siestas helped things considerably!

Lilli and I have been doing our morning jogs in the park… much to her chagrin of course. It never fails to amuse me at just how ridiculous one looks while jogging with a tiny dog… but the sad truth is that she’s always ahead of me and never tires before I do. We won’t tell anyone about that…

A month of freedom of sorts...

My fabulous mother has whisked miss Sienna off to spend a month in Canada frolicking and playing with her relations. I'm here, with the evil Chihuahua making sure that I get up to plenty of mischief...

Having time entirely to my self after work is hilarious. I honestly feel like a teenager again. I've been enjoying the toils of internet dating, seeing friends... drinking cristal champagne with my work colleagues. Life is good! I could of course use a holiday but a change is sometimes as good as a rest I suppose...

I've re-discovered the joy of a lie-in on the weekend and the delights of early morning walks in the park with Lilli without feeling guilty about dragging Sienna out of bed to come with me!

Best get a move on... only a few days more left of this new found freedom.... shopping with miss Andrea awaits after the collection of her new fabulously re-set blue diamond that has become the 'engagement' ring that goes with her wedding band! giggle!

Shameful really but it's nearly been a month

Summer has sort of come and gone and then popped back in again... I guess the key is that if you don't stop working you don't notice as much? It's strange but true but i've nearly seen more (or perhaps the same amount )of Autumn, Chiara and Siobhan than any of my friends here. It's logical really because of course it's not only my life that has changed since I last lived here... it's a case of resolving the differences I suppose and re-positioning my perspective and figure out how it all should be now.

I met two totally separate and equally lovely neighbours last week. The first was a lady in her 40's who stopped and talked to us after work one day on our way home from our walk with Lilli in the park. She said she had bought a flat in the neighbourhood 12 years ago and all her friends thought they were mad... she said she was happy to see that nice families where starting to move to the area... aww bless! Then she invited us to tea at her place which was so sweet of her. The other lady we met was a few days later during one of our early morning walks in the park... she was walking her dog with her little guy in her arms who was just about a year and a half old. She lives in one of the nice houses that face the park... again mentioned how their friends though them nuts to buy here but how happy they are here. We exchanged numbers and she kindly offered help with lilli if i ever needed it! So sweet. wow and who says london is a cold place (in temperature yes but in people not so much)

Mum arrives next week yet again to save the day. There was a delay in the big project I'm working on and it was looking less and less likely that the timing would work for me to take sienna to canada so she could spend some time with the family. So mum agreed to come and collect her. I'm gutted that i'm not going as i'm desparate for a break. It's been since last may that I've had any down time. *okay there were those few days in nyc* ... and after all the craziness that spun through at the end of the summer and moving twice and starting new job and blah blah blah. Yea, I need a break. I think two weeks on a beach in the caribean would do the trick... i'm saving up for that in my mind... ahh i guess when i finally do get a rest it will be so fabulous, it won't matter where I am.

Days seem to swirl by

...faster than I can keep track of lately. I've passed my 4 month probation at my new job... Sienna's citizenship has been granted and shortly she'll have her own little red British Passport! Lots acomplished indeed. Work has started making greater demands on my time in the evening which is all the more challenging. This weekend the accumulated exhaustion was apparent... but not so much as to keep us from a lovely cupcake shop catch up with Miss Serena in South Ken. Indeed such a different part of town in comparision to the delights of East London. We did some window shopping in the estate agents around there and hmm and hawwed between the 2,8 million and 3,2 million mews houses on offer. Ahh imagine having those options?

The most monumentous acheivment was definately sleeping in till 8h45 this morning, which sadly resulted in us missing Sienna's swimming lesson... but really!?! a lie in on a Sunday till nearly 9h (both of us), amazing!

We were blessed today with a glorious hot and sunny day today but we only managed a few hours in the park as this total exhaustion thing that I'm suffering from required a few hours of collapse on the sofa.

I'm drifting off as I write this, dreaming of a nice luxury vill holiday in Ibiza... one day soon!

Delightful indeed

Oooh how delightful were you, date from last evening? Tee hee. I shall say no more.

Unfortunately I do not appear to have won the lotto this evening although I had great illustion that it would be the case... I settled for a viewing of Made in Chelsea. It's car crash television at it's best... and yes I admit I watch it. I can't quite believe that any of them are under 25 but apparently they all are. They shot part of the episode in a bar that is part of a Hotel who's website I helped produce. The hotel always went on about how the fabulous people go there, and if these are the peeps they were referencing, all I can say is wow!

My noisy neighbours upstairs appear to be getting evicted which is fabulous. My favorite moment with them was this Friday/Sat Morning at 2h30 , when I went to knock on their door to ask them to turn the music down and the bloke so kindly explained to me that it was just kind of too bad as he'd just returned from Africa and that the party was quite simply, just getting started. I mean , really? Being the non-confrontational person that I am I just walked away. The music didn't die down at all. But my landlord is quite keen on just turfing them as it's beyond obvious that they have every intent on continusng the 24h party people homage for the foreseeable future. Amazing, I've got radar for finding flats with bozo neighbours! I think I may just offer my services out to estate agenst to help quickly weed out the bad places *as i would instantly chose them first*. Niche market perhaps?!?! I'll not quit my day job just yet.

Hello 1000!

I've been away for a long while. Mostly due to the fact that I've reached my 1000th blog entry and although it means pretty much nothing, I just couldn't face writing anything fluffy or non-insightful... but really I think I just simply had to focus energy on this new chapter of my life and finding balance. It's no small feat let me tell you.

Life is not easy, oh no most certainly not. I'm learning how to adjust with absolutely no personal time... keeping the wee one and the furry wee one *that finally arrived* happy and healthy. There isn't much time left for anything. My old social circle in London has changed entirely. Something I wasn't really prepared for but have accepted. People have moved on and that's fair enough and I clearly can't interact with them the same way I did before as I've a few more priorities in my life then when I lived here last! So from that I focus what little time I can on creating positive things, new friends and maybe if I'm lucky some romance!!!

Sienna is growing like a weed. When we first moved into this flat she couldnt' reach the light switches... now she almost doesn't even need a stool to reach the sink to brush her teeth! She's so sweet, I'm so blessed.

I'm all in gear as well to get back to Painting... need a few visits to galleries I think to pique my inspiration a bit but that's on the list of the 1001 things that I should be getting up to!

So for now, the blog is back... metnal irrigation will continue to flow... hilarious London stories to follow. I've been piling them up.



My little angel

Spring has arrived to London

Not sure if it will stay around long but here, you learn to appreciate the small episodes of sunshine...

My birthday came and went and so did the lovely Joey who came down from Scotland to have her first weekend away from her little milk monster. It was good fun... turning 35, not so much. Can't freeze time.

Sienna and I caught some rays just before we went off to work on Friday



hello! I'm not small, I am big!


If Sienna were blone... *don't freak it's my hair next to hers*

Soooooo yes I admit I tried it...

well i've tried a hell of a lot of things in my life there is do doubt about it. But miss Andrea convinced me to give online dating a try... so as with most things in life I have given it a whirl. It's been a 'laugh so hard you cry' thing... followed by the 'oh my god this is useless' and that's pretty much where it stands. But an interesting excercise nonetheless. My synopsis of the experience is that if you're nearly 35, single and have a child, forget it. The people you could imagine going on a date with want nothing to do with you... and I would love to say that even the people you don't see yourself going on a date with do... but alas that isn't even the case! I mean come on people. I sent a slew of emails and absolutamente nada. Their loss... my gain in life experience (and a few belly laughs along the way)

I'm off to the animal shelter to start my collection of cats as surely i'll need to start somewhere to start my pre-destined life of spinsterhood!


okay so i was trying to find an appropriate spinster photo on google... and seriously poor jennifer anniston as her pic kept coming up... so i went with this cat instead.