Did someone say...tapas?

So, week 2 has almost come to an end and I can safely say that I am professionally qualified in rental property searching within the Barcelona area.

This week has in fact been a bit of a rollercoaster. Our time in our hotel accommodation was coming to a finish (goodbye comfy cloud bed), and it was all hands on deck to try and find a suitable, more permanent living arrangement. Although we had been apartment searching in the lead up to this week, we had been relatively unlucky in securing something. Finding monthly rentals in Barcelona, just as the student semester was beginning seemed to be an an impossible task. I swear that I now know of every rental agency in Barcelona. But despite the countless enquiries submitted and the many phone calls placed, it all added to the experience and was all meant to happen for a reason. So let me tell you about the glorious day that we finally found our new home...

Friday afternoon, Sant Pau, Barcelona:

Our cab driver pulls up in front of a tall apartment block with a wrought iron gate. We stare out of the car window not knowing to expect on the other side of that gate. We pay our cab driver and he mutters something in Spanish. Unsure of what he was saying (it didn’t sound polite), Andrea and I proceeded to get out of the car and remove our luggage from the boot. Somehow, I had managed to accumulate enough belongings in the last 10 days for my suitcase to be bursting at the seams and my having to carry two extra bags stuffed with various other things. It was 5.00 in the afternoon, the sun was hot and the air humid. After a full day of work, lugging suitcases across the city was not the ideal way to spend a Friday, but it was all for good reason. We managed to catch the wrought iron door as another tenant was exiting the building. We waited in the foyer at the bottom of a staircase, away from the heat of the sun. Soon after, we were greeted by a lady and a man, who took us upstairs and showed us into an apartment. We entered with looks of curiosity on our faces. This was our new home for the next three months. A quaint fifth floor apartment in a neighbourhood right next to the famous Sagrada Familia. The apartment’s Spanish look and feel has us feeling very much part of the culture. We unpack, get settled and take it all in.

Friday evening comes about and we decide to head out for a late dinner. We know exactly where we want to go. On one of our long walks through the city one afternoon, we noticed a large establishment with a neon sign, nestled down a lane off Passeig de Gracia. It was called ‘El Nacional’. Intrigued by the look of the place, I looked it up online the night before and decided we absolutely must go there immediately. Walking into the establishment, I felt like I was in a culinary dream. A gastronomic heaven. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The space was incredibly large and complete with polished concrete floors, dome like arches in the ceiling and a sizeable low hanging chandelier with tiers made of long strings of lights. Although the space was vast, the atmosphere was incredible. The ex-gallery, come garage, come empty warehouse was now spotted with elegant bars down the centre and various eateries set along each side. It was all one restaurant, however each section comprised of a different theme. An oyster bar, a beer bar, a meat restaurant, a tapas restaurant, a seafood restaurant…. It seemed as though they had thought of everything. “Why would you ever need to leave” I caught myself wondering. In awe of where we were, we slowly walked through the space, not knowing where to look, let alone which section to choose to dine in. Choosing seemed like an impossible task at first, but before long, we found ourselves sitting in ‘La Taperia’ a restaurant where instead of ordering everything from the menu, tapas dishes simply flow out of the kitchen at an incredible pace. Wait staff float around the tables with giant trays filled with mussels and croquettes and garlic prawns. All we needed to do was learn when to say no (and eat of course).

Following our El Nacional experience, we decided to go to a salsa club we had only heard great things about. Mojito club was about 15 minutes walk from where we were and was still half-empty at 12.30am. As the crowds of salsa lovers slowly piled in, Andrea got some salsa-ing in, and I happily watched (I can shamefully only successfully do 4 salsa moves without freaking out) and after, we retired to our new apartment in Sau Pau.

The end to another week in Barcelona was a great one, and we were excited for what else the weekend would bring.

#week2 #food #experiences