Whizzing through Barcelona

This was my second trip to Barcelona. The first was with the infamous Contiki tour group, a rite of passage that many Kiwis and Aussies take as they embark on their first O.E (overseas experience) to Europe. Days were spent hungover and snoring on the coach, then gradually showed signs of life by late afternoon and completely resuscitated by nightfall to guzzle enough alcohol to fill up a lake. And if you're allergic to alcohol like 4 of my buddies and I.....well...learn to count sheep or in our case, cars that sped past our coach (once you've exhausted the entire collection of Lonely Planet guidebooks you lugged along).







I was given fabulous tips by many lovely Instagramers who are far more familiar with Barcelona than I. Sadly, I was traveling in a group, albeit much smaller than the Contiki so it was difficult to deviate from the given itinerary. We whizzed past all the major attractions like tourists on crack. Casa Battlo, Sagrada Familia, Magic Fountain (Font màgica de Montjuïc), Park Guell, La Boqueria food market.......to name a few.

The architecture in Barcelona? Let me just pick my jaw from the ground. I've stopped dead in my tracks so many times, gawking in awe at the innovative, eclectic and sometimes surreal buildings. 

The BCFs - Best Cousins Forever, as they called themselves. Both wish they're both each other's true sibling. I hope they'll have each other's back and continue to be as kind and considerate to one another as they grow into adulthood.




Outfit: H&M linen t-shirt, J.Crew shorts, Hermes belt, panama hat, Miu Miu sunglasses, Hermes Cape Cod watch, K.Jacques St Tropez sandals and Louis Vuitton Speedy 35.

I was told that the temperature the week before we arrived hovered around 38˚C to 40˚C so we were "blessed" with far FAR cooler weather (33˚C). Since this blog is also meant to be a sort of personal style slash travel slash food (as you can probably tell, it tends to skew more heavily towards the latter two), I'll ramble on a bit about my outfit. My choice of outfit? Anything that allowed AS MUCH ventilation as possible since I wasn't able to carry a portable A/C on my back.







The one place I could happily wander around and eat all day would have to be the La Boqueria food market (actually, any food market for that matter). The price tags seemed to shrink as you continued your way into the other end of the market. I was transfixed by the sight of watermelons........... I can't out-drink anyone but I can sure out-eat any Tom, Dick and Harry when it comes to melons of any kind.

I popped into a supermarket and somehow ended up at the fresh seafood counter. There were incredulous gasps all around. Sorry, I meant me. I'm so used to seeing seafood priced so high that it's more like a treat here in England. I can't believe fresh anchovies cost less than €5. In fact, fish and most forms of shellfish were incredibly inexpensive in Barcelona in comparison to the UK. I contemplating moving to Spain temporarily just so that I can eat fresh seafood everyday.





Coming from South of France where the general restaurant scene was rather abysmal, Barcelona was like a food heaven. In fact, I believe Spanish cuisine is completely under-rated. I'm surprised it isn't celebrated more outside of Spain. I know little about the various regional Spanish cuisines but I wish I do now after spending 5 whole days of gorge-fest where I was blown away by the flavor and texture of the different tapas dishes. We ate like kings and paid less than half of our below average meals in Nice. We didn't even had to force feed the kids. Instead we fought over the last prawn, piece of octopus or who deserved the last spoonful of the heavenly paella.

Spain i

Next pit stop: Villefranche-sur-mer

Outfit: Isabel Marant Étoile Gemma dress (sold out but similarly priced options below), panama hat, Miu Miu sunglasses, K.Jacques St Tropez sandals and Hermes Cape Cod GM watch

From Royal Ascot to vacationing in the French Riviera, this little black dress from Isabel Marant Étoile is getting quite a lot of mileage. Given that the weather in the U.K can be pretty unpredictable, I prefer to buy dresses that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

Once upon a time, I had my share of blings - a diamond tennis bracelet, necklace, Hermes Collier de Chien bracket etc etc etc and then thought....sod it, I can't deal with putting them on and then taking them all off when I'm exercising or having a shower, baking or traveling. These days, I've pared everything down. No blings other than my watch which cleverly masquerades as a bracelet too.







What fascinates me about the European continent is the vicinity of one country to another. Villefranche sur mer is a quick 10-15 minute bus ride from Nice along the coastal highway to Monaco and Ventimiglia which sits just across the border in Italy. Nice is PACKED to the gills in August so we decided to escape and head for a more secluded beach where the gentle waves are far more child friendly.

I know diddly-squat about the history of Europe or the U.K. All I've ever studied was the immensely flawed history of Malaya plus several years of analyzing the Treaty of Waitangi to bits. A quick google search on Villefranche (quite literally means free city or in this case, free port) gave a good insight into the historic town which was fought over for many centuries. The Romans, Duchy of Savoy, the Turks and the French all had a go, flip flopping between various kingdoms before serving as a base for the U.S and Russian naval forces.








Nevertheless, Villefranche sur mer is an idyllic and extremely charming town with lots of character. We hopped off at Octroi bus stop (take bus #100 to Monaco from the port opposite Saint James store) and strolled downhill towards the citadel and harbor. Years ago when we walked over to the citadel, I caught sight of a group of elderly men playing petanque there. They casually gestured us over to join in the game. I had to politely decline. If they'd known what a disaster I am at any ball games, they'd NEVER ever extend an invitation. My last experience involving a ball was at a bowling alley where I'd swung my arm and the ball flew backwards like a torpedo, nearly obliterating an unlucky bloke. My second attempt caused a mass evacuation. Sigh.

We took a stroll along the harbor via a stone pathway that weaved around the fortress, watching the waves crushing against the rocks below and passing a tourist changing his knickers (!!). A seasoned fisherman sat mending his net a few steps away from the restaurants and bars that lined both sides of the main street by the beach.

I'm officially obsessed with 12th and 13th century terraced buildings with their wooden shutters painted in typical Provençal colors. It might be the peak of the summer holiday season but the Old Town was tranquil and almost devoid of tourists since nearly everyone was at the beach. Villefranche is an interesting town to explore if you don't mind getting lost. There are steps everywhere which extends from the beach to the top of the hill where you'll get a spectacular panoramic view of the bay. 

Despite several visits to the South of France, I'm still relatively unimpressed with the food scene there. They have rested on their laurels for far too long......(I'm sure I'm going to be pelted with rotten eggs here). Unless you know specifically where to go and be prepared to empty your coffers , the average restaurant is rather uninspiring (pizza, mussels, salad and pasta anyone??)