Why do nice things go by so fast?

Due to the fact that Saturday was all raining and wet we had to postpone crucial parts of our trip to Barcelona to Monday and therefore the start of the new week was dedicated to shopping. We met Anja in the morning for excellent breakfast at Café Flamant, close the University and afterwards made our way through Muji, Zara Home and El Corte Ingles on Rambla de Catalunya and Placa de Catalunya, and stopped by the probably most modern and stylish H&M store in Europe located in an old building on Avenida Portal de’l Angel.

After lunch in Bar Lobo, just off La Rambla, we continued walking down Carrer d’Avinyo, a tiny road with lots of nice shops and boutiques as we made the experience that we get to learn a city or area best if we explore it by feet, getting lost every now and then, but as long as we find our way back again, we really know the place afterwards. Hence it should not be a surprise for anyone that also on Monday we walked almost everything - we admit, that we took the bus from Passeig de Colom to Barceloneta! In Barceloneta we enjoyed a drink in Sal Café overlooking the beach and sea – this by the way must be the perfect place to chill in summer – before walking back towards our hotel via Born, Placa de Catalunya and Ronda de la Universitat for a short but absolutely necessary rest.

BCN - Even the garbage truck is branded!

Our local insider Anja who showed us a the city from a Spaniard's point-of-view joined us after work on our last night in BCN for farewell drinks in Bar Dostrece which we kept rather short as our taxi on Tuesday morning picked us up at 0500 to the airport to get back to Vienna on the early morning flight at 0640. Both of us headed straight back to work, are somewhat tired now and sad that the short break is over again. It was a great time with Anja and we are glad that we met her there, as fairly soon she might be back in Vienna again and we won’t have an insider anymore in this beautiful city which combines old architecture and tiny roads with modern design and cool bars and restaurants.

Kerstin & Markus