Come on and dance with me in barcelona

On to volume number 6 in the jenni-goes-on-holiday saga from this year and this time it was adios England and hola Barcelona! And with 3 of my favourite señoritas - Sian, big Katie and little Katie (Staci didn't have enough holidays left at work so unfortunately it couldn't be all of us). So after leaving packing until the last minute yet again, we headed to the airport on Saturday morning and I was wearing black culottes with lace trim, stripy crop top with floral trim, black lace up sandals and my mustard jacket which is my new obsession and which I've barely stopped wearing since I got it. We started drinking as soon as we got to the airport (of course) and then landed in Barcelona at around lunch time. Although this time, I did something I'd never done before and we booked an Airbnb rather than a hotel. I didn't really know what to expect and I have to admit that the whole checking in process is a lot more of a faff without a reception desk to give you the key and show you to your room but the apartment was amazing! We were right near the beach and had a view of the Sagrada Familia from our roof and the apartment itself was really nice too. Although Sian and big Katie bagsied faster so they got the bedroom and me and little Katie shared the sofa bed - clearly Katie was happy about getting the bedroom as you can see her dancing around while I was getting photos of the place. Then once we'd dropped off our bags and freshened up, we went out for some late lunch at a local place right round the corner - so local that they barely spoke English so trying to order was a challenge but the food was amazing. We didn't arrive to the best weather though; it was absolutely pissing it down! So we figured that instead of exploring, we would find the nearest supermarket to stock up our fridge with alcohol. So 3 bottles of wine, a litre of vodka, 2 litres of mixer, water, juice and 2 bags of snacks later, we were back outside and trying to get a cab. That's where it got interesting because could we get one? No! We ended up stuck in the rain for like an hour but all it made me think is how lucky I am for my best friends. We were laughing the whole time (while getting drenched) and probably had a funnier time than if it had been perfect sunshine. After all, life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Then once we'd finally got back, got ready and got drunk, we went out much later than we hoped (because it's us and we're late to everything) and headed to Las Ramblas. Because the weather still wasn't overly warm, I opted for my long sleeved outfit and wore this black floral print playsuit with choker neck and paired it with my black sandals again. As soon as we got out of our taxi, we were met by a guy who offered us free champagne at the bar he was PR'ing for and we didn't need any more convincing than that. Then once we got there, he told us about a ticket he was selling for free drinks and shots at the bar, free entrance to the 3 main clubs on the beach (one of which is Pacha) and a free bus there for €15 which we thought was pretty good - so that's exactly what we did! We didn't actually go in Pacha but we went in the other 2 and they were really good although I did get some Ibiza deja vu because one place wanted €20 for a double vodka! Then in another case of deja vu, when we came out of the second club at about half 3, it was chucking it down with rain again and so we ducked into the nearest food place. This is where I learned that chips and cheese are purely a British delicacy because when we asked for it in there, we were presented with chips with feta crumbled over the top which is a way-more-sophisticated but nowhere-near-as-nice version!

The rain had finally cleared up by the time we headed out on Friday morning; me wearing this daisy print jumpsuit with my yellow jacket (again) and brown and gold sandals. I went with the jumpsuit because we were heading to the Sagrada Familia and with it being religious, it's respectful to wear more covered up clothing (although we did see plenty of people there who hadn't got that memo). So after successfully navigating the bus and the metro (which is way easier than the New York subway and much more like the London Underground), we went for lunch at a cute little pizza place with a perfect view of the Sagrada behind us. And I ordered pasta that was shaped like hearts! We had drunkenly booked the Sagrada while we were pre-drinking the night before because we hadn't gotten around to it in the run up to our holiday and I'm so glad we did because I think you'd be queuing for a long time if you just turned up on the day. Whereas for a €15 ticket (the most basic one), we were straight in and could stay as long as we liked. The building was so impressive and beautiful once you got inside - it was just how detailed it all was like the stained glass windows and the mosaic tiles - now wonder it's taken nearly 150 years and still isn't finished! But it's due for completion in 2026 so woo not long now.

When we were looking to book our apartment, our main criteria was to have a pool (which narrowed our options quite a lot) and I'm so glad we did. The weather in the late afternoon was gorgeous and so we went up to our rooftop pool (armed with a bottle of prosecco) and had ourselves a mini pool party. The water was freezing though so I didn't go all the way in - I got in the pool but didn't quite force myself to get my shoulders under but little Katie had no such fear and jumped straight in! It was so nice watching the sun set over Barcelona too; we really did have an a amazing view. I knew it wouldn't quite be bikini weather so I opted for one of my swimsuits instead - this white number is from new look and I love the criss-cross detail down the front.

Then we got ready again (considerably earlier this time) and went out for some tapas because you can't exactly go to Barcelona and not have any. We ended up eating at a cute little place in the main square at Placa Reial and our meal was kicked off with a guitar player singing Despacito to us with a freestyle verse about 4 beautiful girls from Nottingham (coincidence right). Again, I wore another floral playsuit but this time it was a white one with a halter neck style which is from topshop. Then after dinner and plenty of sangria, we found our way to a rooftop bar in Hotel Barcelo which my mum and dad stayed at when they went to Barcelona a month or so ago and recommended it to us (they know we love a rooftop view). It didn't disappoint either - the view was amazing and the hotel itself was really cool too, although they need to invest in some more comfortable bar stools because we all felt like we were slipping off them. Then when they called last orders and shut the bar, we found our way to one nearby - very hipster vibes with neon signs on the walls and industrial style furniture (which was still comfier than the ones at the rooftop).

Then on to another day of sightseeing and being tourists! The weather was gorgeous so I wore a proper summery outfit; black halter neck top from missguided, floral shorts from topshop and my brown and gold sandals. We started off with the Barcelona Cathedral; another of Gaudi's creations but one that is actually finished. It was so impressive and there was a really cute little market going on next to it with guitar players singing and fairy lights strung above everyone.

Then despite my protests about not wanting to look like a cheesy tourist, we bought tickets for the hop-on-hop-off bus which actually ended up working out really well. From the cathedral we went round the coast and down to the Port Olimpic, where we "hopped off" to find a nice place for lunch. It took us all of 30 seconds to pick The Chicken Club where we had cocktails, beers and chicken quesadillas (apart from sian who is a part-time "vegetarian" and so she got mac n cheese) in the sunshine.

Then after we hopped back on the bus, we went round the coast and then up north to continue the tour until we hopped back off again to see Park Güell. There was a massive hill to get up there (which was a struggle, especially considering the food coma and the fact we hadn't slept much since we arrived in the country) but it was definitely worth the walk. We couldn't go in to the monument section (the bit with all the mosaic structures) because the tickets were sold out but we went round the rest of the park and it was so lovely. I feel like this is how I know I'm a full blown adult - I now enjoy going to gardens and places with lovely scenery, the kind of places my mum and dad had to drag me round against my will when I was younger. Plus the perfect blue skies were a big bonus! We got stuck in some traffic after we got back on the bus due to a political demonstration (we saw a lot of flags about the Catalonian independence while we were there) but we got to take in all the sights, including Mount Tibidabo (Friends fans, if you know you know).

Then we got ready for our third and final night (in record time so we were clearly getting better each day) and this time I wore black lace bralet under blush pink bodysuit with flared sleeves, black denim shorts and black lace up sandals. Then we downed our drinks and got a taxi (both also in record time) to Camp Nou because we'd booked tickets to Barcelona vs Malaga. None of us had ever been to a football game before but with it being the largest stadium in Europe, we wanted to see it and it was €25 to see it in the day or €40 to go and see a game so we figured we might as well! And it was actually so amazing. We didn't have the best start because my purse got nicked as we went in (if it was going to happen anywhere then it would be the number 1 place for pick-pockets and it only had cash in so could've been worse) and then some random man was sat in our seats and tried to convince us it us in the wrong, but once we were finally sat down and things got started, it was amazing. I was actually surprised at how in to it I got; the atmosphere was just so good and we all got so excited and went wild when Barcelona scored. We also found it hilarious at how photoshopped in we looked in all the pictures we took! Then, gasping for a drink (because the stadium doesn't serve wah?!) and having battled to get a taxi again, we went down to the beach where all the main clubs are again. We were at a place called The Coconut Club for a while which was really cool and then went on to one of the clubs we went to a couple of nights before. Then in a perfect twist of fate, by the time we emerged from the club it was chucking it down with rain and we got drenched while trying to get a taxi for the third time! Nothing like ending it how you began. And then for an even more perfect ending, we treated ourselves to a mcdonalds!

Then feeling tired and hungover, we packed up and tidied the apartment in record time (a downside to getting an airbnb instead of a hotel that you feel like you can leave looking like a pigsty) and got ready to leave. For my final outfit, I wore short-at-the-front-long-at-the-back burgundy stripe skirt, black top with strappy details and black lace up sandals. My yellow jacket was added by default because it was the only jacket I had with me and while at first I joked that I looked like the Spanish flag, it turns out I looked more like the Shell sign across the road!

After playing musical chairs on the flight (because really, who wants to pay the extra to choose your seats), we landed back to a very cold and very October-ish England. But luckily, we had our fabulous fifth member waiting to collect us at the airport (what a cutie) and so we headed straight for the pub to fill her in on the goss. We had such an amazing time and packed so much in and it's safe to say I'm not glad to be back!