Tag Archives: barcelona

New Year- New Resolutions

5 Jan

So it’s now the 5th of January, definitely enough time to seriously consider my New Year’s Resolutions, without legging it to the gym and never using my membership after the end of January. Plus I HATE those resolution gym treadmill stealing newbies who arrive all made-up and matching and take over all the machines for a month all full of swagger and pzazz, and then never come back. Ok rant over.

Here is my carefully-put-together-made-with-love list of New Year’s Resolutions: (in no particular order)

  • Get a job that defies awesomeness in Marketing/PR/Social Media/Event Management-preferably a giant mix of all of the above
  • Get my full Driver’s License and actually use it. I will let you all know when I finally take to the roads so you have the option of not, while I find my feet.
  • Take more photos and make the time to do it slowly like when I was in college.
  • Travel more- Already this year I’ve booked Berlin to see Florence in March, Barcelona this weekend, have to book Manchester with the lovely Ciara for our anti-European Cup trip, and somewhere along the lines I want to make it to Edinburgh to see Shell and Paulie, Southampton to meet baby Leila, Cath and Mike, and London to visit Emma, Mags, Emer, Ruth, Jamie, Paul, Kasia, Amy and more… On this hit list, if someone else is paying I’ll add in a few weeks in Thailand,Vietnam and Laos and a shopping trip to New York when my little brother Ali hits the East Coast with his buddies for the summer. Oh and Galway to see Rosalie and James, Rory, Jonny and Ciara and Gary.
  • Hand in my Post-Grad projects. FINALLY. By the end of January. POW.
  • Get back into Zumba classes at the end of January with Ciara.
  • Start to run again twice a week- I know…When it’s a little less gale-forcey.
  • Get back into music- Feel like my iPod list it about 10 years old. Seriously, any suggestions for playlists welcome 🙂 Also going to more gigs would be delightful. small and cosy. Noel Gallagher and Florence are on the list so far.
  • Go somewhere random in Ireland with the girls for a weekend. Something like Delphi or Killarney back in the day. YUUUUUHUUU!
  • Learn some more yummy recipes like these
  • Get a few facials. Want to try this
  • Be more positive and not so cynical in certain situations.
  • Start an intercambio or get back into my Spanish when Ana comes to live in Dublin yay 🙂
  • Embrace the pale.
  • Learn a new skill. Mosaic classes or pottery anyone? I’ll make you an amazing pot for Christmas.
  • Find new places in Dublin to love it all over again. Open to many suggestions on this one.
  • Cut down my wardrobe and fill it with smaller amounts of more useable lovlieness. Bags and shoes are an exemption to this rule.
  • Step back and see the bigger picture. It’s not always black and white. This is a toughie.

This list is ever changing. Let me know if you have any more suggestions.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Best of Barcelona, ssh! it’s a secret…

21 Sep

Sightseeing in Barcelona


So you have the guidebook, so you know what you need to see…Well here’s my best of  if you are stuck for time in Barcelona, in no particular order….

Parc del Laberint d’Horta
This is as the name suggests, a giant labyrinth. Made me feel like I was in a lovely film, running around trying not to get lost. Beautiful gardens, crumbling Arabic mansion, and no city sounds…wonderful. p.s. I’ve lived in Barcelona for 4 years and I just discovered this beauty last weekend. It’s a weirdly not-rounded-up €2.17.

The Magic Fountain
This is a must see, but make sure to check the website before you make the journey. It’s roaring classical music meets lights, lasers and romance. Oh and it doesn’t cost a thing.

Mar Bella Beach
Forget the dirty touristic beach that sits on the end of the promenade. Go a little further, and meet the real 20 somethings of Barcelona. Great music, cleaner water and lots of bronzed bodies.

Walks

Gaudi
Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, Fountains in Parc De la Cuitadella, Casa Mila and Casa Batllo…they are all in the guidebook for for good reasons.

El Gothic
Windy streets, lots of tourists, roman ruins, big squares, lots of cafes and bars, souvenir shops, shady characters, cheap raybans, hippy clothes will all leave you with the distinct feeling you’ve just been on holiday…Check out Plaza Trippy for some cosy but crazy nightlife.

La Rambla
It even has it’s own wiki page.

El Raval
Twisty, dirty streets, full of chaos, loud noises, large families, great museums, pickpocketers, lots of great bars, a huge mix of expats from all over the world..oh and lots of men offering cerveza beer and a whole concoction of other things. weird, a little smelly in places. But very Barcelona.

Gracia
This is real Barcelona, full of 20 somethings, always up for a good time, with fresh food markets, little quirky vintage boutiques and cosy little bars with great prices.

Camp Nou

One of the most famous reasons to visit Barcelona. This stadium is HUGE, and to be honest any ticket you get guarantees a good view of the guys in action.
Get your tickets here: Football Tickets Barcelona
These guys speak English, French, Spanish and German and have been doing this for years.

Bars

Timeline
Owned by the lovely Carla and Nina-both bilingual- this bar is sure to please. Decorated cleverly in, well, a timeline of clocks, vintage furniture, old school books as menus, delicious cocktails served in generous jam jars, oh and the most yummy patatas bravas you will find in Gracia..this is a great location to meet new friends, kick back, relax and watch the time go by..

Heliogabal
This is a gem if you are a big fan of little intimate bars with good music and cheap beer and vino. The crowd is a good mix of locals, and expats, usually only too happy to strike up conversation.

El Chatelet
This is one of my favs, they do great cocktails, there is always a good crowd and the atmosphere is second to none. The crowd is kind of trendy, but relaxed and chatty. Mostly locals.

Tapas

I think I should be on commission for Bitacora. Every time we have guests over, this is the one place that we always want to show off in. Fabulous tapas, served in a grungy FC Barcelona supporters bar. Rude writing on the bathroom walls, dirty napkin filled floors, but some of the most delicious food I have EVER tasted. eh..did I mention I think this place is pretty awesome??

Museums
Quirky, in the heart of Raval, surrounded by skaterboys and girls, is Macba, tattoos, kitch bars, and stark white surroundings, this is the heartbeat of the art scene in Barcelona. Keep an eye out for some great photography exhibits in the gallery there.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

what’s in a bag?

26 May

anyone who knows me well knows i have a soft spot for bags, leather bags in particular. today, i’m attempting to override the awful irish changeable weather with a delightfully happy blue bag, a gift from my boyfriend in barcelona. it’s soft, bright blue oilcloth with a tan leather strap and  it was love at first sight.

i think that most irish girls have a similar collection of loveable junk carried with them at all times, like myself, just in case…

what’s in my bag today?

battered copy of ‘come, reza, ama,’ or in english ‘eat, pray, love’, don’t know what’s wrong, it or me…but i just can’t get into it, teeny green ipod shuffle, small card wallet with about 50 quid in notes, about 10 quid in coins, travel card, umbrella, two pairs of sunglasses(!), an umbrella, ‘liz earle’ handcream, 2 x ‘to-do’ lists-both still ‘to-do’, hairclips, two hair bobbins, lipbalm, tiny sample of ‘roche posay’ factor 50 suncream, a foldaway shopping bag and a shopping list.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,