Last day in Barca

As much as we missed home and bakmie and char kway teow, we were also sad to finally this beautiful city.

Easily the prettiest, most colorful, most wonderful city in Europe I have ever been to.

We decided to make use on our one day in Barca to see Las Arenas, the bull ring that was turned into a shopping centre. So happy to know that bull fight is banned here. Such ridiculous cruelty.

Las Arenas was located at plaza espana, with metro stop of the same name. Plaza espana.

This is where you can witness the famous magical fountain in action from 7 onwards.

Las Arenas has a rooftop we can hang out at, for the cost of a few euros.

There were awesome restaurants on top and more importantly. The view! 360 degree view of the Barcelona skyline.

And since there were just the 3 of us, Sheldon had to help us - mommy and daddy take a picture at this beautiful rooftop.

And voila!! He did it so well!

Check it out! 

So proud him! :):) it was oddles of fun for him too!

The shopping centre itself was not great though.

Regular brands, nothing awesome. or maybe because we have had enough of shopping and we had no more space in the luggage! 

Pic above was just some random pic. I think Sheldon was trying to kiss the flower. Very cute!

And a baguette with Oreo ? That was new! Only in Spain! haha

For dinner, we went to a bustling nearby tapas place called Tapa Tapa. 

Looks like the type run as a chain. But it wasn't too shabby at all.

After we were done with dinner, I saw the restaurant next door having a long queue!! What a bummer. We would have loved to try it. 

Anyhow, the hidden gem of the last day was found near the airport- as we stayed at Salles Hotel El prat to be near the airport. (oh ya! We actually took the bus from El prat to Plaza espana! was a great experience! Not too long, around half hour?).

So back to the hidden gem, it was this local neighborhood Spanish Restaurant just a few doors down the Salles Hotel. The restaurant is called El Caliu. Couldn't even be found on trip advisor or google map.

Totally unfounded!! 

We met a couple of elderly English couple there though. Didn't look the type who would use google map or tripadvisor,

So indeed many uncovered gems are still out there.

But the meatball and garlic prawns were so to die for! Sheldon finished his full

plate of pasta too!

I just love it when we uncover hidden tracks.

And that was really the end of Spain trip, just writing about it brings back that longing for beautiful architecture, food, culture, view and of course shopping.

Barcelona, we love you and we will be back! 

Sevilla!

Sevilla the bellissima Andalusian capital. 

Hmm.. where do I start.

Well let's start with the boring stuff, airport was again convenient and lots of taxis were waiting outside when we reached. Taxis had big boots and our 2 big luggage, pram and hand luggage had no problem fitting in.

To go to city center was a standard cost of around 20 -30 euro as there is surcharge for being outside of town.

Again we didn't hire a car. We heard Sevilla is a city to be enjoyed on foot.

Now the not so boring Part.

The stark contrast between Barca and Sevilla was apparent.
Sevilla has this old world charm, but that's not it. The architecture is half Moorish, with all its colourful mozaic.

Nothing like we have ever seen before.

Most people who have been to Sevilla will tell you that 2 or 3 days would be more than enough.

But not if you're going with your little ones.

For us, 5 days 4 nights was just nice.

On the first day, we stayed at an apartment at Triana (across the river from the old town).

It was the first time I booked an apartment through airbnb.com after my friends recommended.

Yes, it would be more convenient if we have kids, as there will be place to wash clothes. boil hot water and prepare his breakfast.

The apartment was nice. Here are some pics.

It was also nicely located next to the market.


However, in the end, we didn't have a chance to buy any raw materials from the market as the food in Sevilla should be savoured every single moment, you shouldn't be cooking anything at all!

Triana was a lovely but quieter area. More laid-back, nice wide roads and pathways, easy for pram to roam about. And there were no worries about unaccessible apartments. I was worried about having to carry our huge luggage and a pram and bouncy toddler along pebbled narrow pathways, as that could be the case if you were staying in the centre of the Seville old town.

Triana is famous for its tile makers, but we didn't visit any though. Somehow didn't get to.

I would like to recommend this amazing tapas bar in Triana that we went to.

Sheldon ate the rice, the meatballs, the potatos, the cod fish, the green noodle! There were lots that he liked too! And we were spoiled for choice.

The place was non-touristy at all. It was so local that they don't even have an English menu.

So, thanks to google translate, we found our way around the Tapas menu.

We basically ordered almost everything on the menu. We were greedy yes, but each dish was only 2.90 Euro anyway. =)

That was probably the best tapas bar we visited during the whole Spain trip.

Albahaca. Don't miss it!

We also checked out another Tapas bar the next day. This one was listed as #3 in Seville by the tripadvisor. It's called DeO.

But alas.  the food was not quite nearly as impressive as Albahaca.

But if you would like to have a variety, you may want to check it out too. They open from 1 pm onwards. The Spanish eat very late. 

DeO was probably in a more commercialized part of Triana. But there were still few tourists here. The tourists in Sevilla are crowding around the old town.

We also walked across the river from Triana to visit the old town when we were staying at Triana. It was a 15 -20 minute walk,

I must say it was a little far and a little tiring though. I would suggest taking a cab.  However the view and charm we found were worth the walk.

We visited the Plaza de Espana, a huge compund with amazing architecture. This place was used as expo but me and hubby agreed that this was the most beautiful building we have ever seen in our life.

We went at night and the lights from the fountain make the whole place even more beautiful.

Sheldon was utterly excited about the fountain and we did mark our territory while we were there.

We changed Sheldon's pampers at the fountain. So that was memorable:)

Around the plaza, there were many lovebirds romancing under the moon. We suspected one of the guys just proposed to his girlfriend at one of the towers, they looked jubilant! So romantic right! I wish my hubby proposed to me at Plaza de Espana and not Sengkang! hahaha

We also managed to stroll along Calle Betis one evening in Triana.

This is probably the boat quat of Triana, but it is not quite as crowded of course.

Some interesting bars, like blues bar and a piano bar. 

Probably we would have visited if Sheldon wasn't sleeping.

At the end of the Calle Betis, we found a chichi restaurant that had the most magnificent view.

The restaurant is called Abades - Triana. 

We were quite skeptical about their food at first. But we didn't regret giving the place a try at all.

Sheldon was asleep in his pram. So we did have our dinner in peace. I missed him by morning and couldn't wait to wake him up by then. haha

The food was surprisingly pretty good. But the view and the ambience was just priceless.

Priceless.

Seriously.

It was our candle-lit riverside romantic dinner for the trip.

And for the view, the food, the experience, it was really cheap- around $50 plus per person in total.

Check out the view across the river. The picture tells it all.

So that's Triana. 

We booked 4 nights in Triana. However, we didn't end up staying there til the end.

There was a turn of event.

The problem is that airbnb.com apartments could be empty or holiday apartments, where the owners hardly come back and occupy. 

Tenants may not be filling up the calendars either.

So It could be rarely occupied.

Hence, perhaps a tad dusty.

Sheldon developed a bit of rashes on the first day at the Triana apartment.

He kept scratching his calves and initially we thought they were just mosquito bites.

But then by the second day, we found more "pimples" all over his back and stomach, so by the third day, we were worried they were bed bug bites as the rashes didn't go away!

We decided to move out on the third day, forgoing our paid reservations. Just in case there were indeed bed bugs,

However we found out it was his eczema flaring up so they weren't bed bugs, perhaps just the heat, the dryness and the dust.

Oh yes Sevilla is hot. In daytime it could go up to 32 degree just like Singapore but without the humidity.

The downside of booking an apartment through airbnb.com is probably this. We can't get them to give us a replacement room, as a hotel would. 

There were no concierge or reception to speak of. So, not taking any risk, we just booked another hotel in the old town, Las Casas De La Juderia through hoteltonight.com ( for last minute bookings) and got a nice offer.

Really lovely hotel made up of old Jewish houses, put together with typical Sevilla courtyards, Moorish architecture, colorful mozaic and of course the old world charm again.

Moving to the old town ( across the river from Triana), proved to be a very good thing too. As we could explore the other side of town, that was older, more bustling and more touristy

A change of scene indeed.

We took a cab to move accross the river and it cost less than 10 euro.

The old town was very different from Triana. The paths were narrow and winding and pebbled. So they were not pram friendly at all. Sheldon had lots of bumpy rides this side of town.

The first thing you need to see will Giralda. The 3rd biggest cathedral in the world. But the most special thing about Giralda is that it used to be a mosque so the architecture was special. The cathedral was built around the original Minaret.

Next to Giralda is Alcazar. Another must visit site. 

A apa lace with lots of history.

The interior was laced with a lot of moorish and Arabic art. Colorful mozaic and tiles adorned its intricate fixtures.

Hubby said that palaces in India are just as pretty but lesser known. But I wouldn't know that as I have never been.

After having been to Versailles and Buckingham and all the European palaces, Alcazar was a fresh change.

Thank goodness for Wikipedia, we can go back and google the history of Giralda, Alcazar and plaza espana so we didnt to queue for your guides and what nots. The place was crowded.

But Sevilla is really not about the touristy sites only. It was abut absorbing the old world charm you cant get elsewhere.

The narrow and winding back alleys had interesting shops.

Sheldon found something else interesting though. 

He was busy charming up Spanish girls and a little puppy. 

It was a joy to see them playing together Eventhough they cant even speak each other's language.

Very cute sight.

Again, just like other Spanish cities i reckon, night life is very vibrant.

The city came alive at night just like Barcelona.

Locals and tourists were crowding the tapas bars having their tapas, sangria and beers. 

We didn't join of course, Sheldon wouldn't appreciate the crowd and the smokes. By the way, people smoke everywhere in Spain. So different from back home.

The next day we took the tram up to plaza Nueva to check out the chi chi-er shopping belt in Sevilla but alas it was siesta time so the Loewe etc shops were closed. All we could do was have more Paella. Sadly we haven't found really good Tapas bar this side of town.

A little more packed with tourists too.

The best one was still in Triana.

How about shopping?

Well I couldnt get enough of factory outlet shopping. That's normal for Singaporean right?

Sevilla has one too. Albeit slightly out of town.

We tried taking the free shuttle bus from near Plaza Espana. 

The description on the website just said : 

1 Av. Portugal, Prado San Sebastián

it's horrible. When we reached Avenue Portugal, the road was long and there were many huge coaches parked. 

Many buses passed by and there were a few bus stops around.

We didn't know where to wait at all.

No one knew about the bus either, maybe they were tourists too. But the taxi drivers and the local at the bus stop didnt really know about the place either, so perhaps factory outlet shopping is not that popular a past time there either. 

The website said 10 am for first pick up so we arrived early at 9.45. No sign of such bus waiting. 

So we waited at one side of the road. Perhaps the bus has not arrived yet. At around 10 am, we then saw the long black extended bus with sevilla outlet written all over it, but it was on the other side of the road. Our heart sank. The bus just drove along the whole stretch of Avenue Portugal and left. 

I was adamant we had to go by the bus.

So I crossed to other side and waited some more. I cant believe it just passed and left. It didnt even stop. 

So at 10.10, it appeared again. At that same side the road it previously drove on. So I suppose he was just making a big round but didnt find parking? I really don't know what it was doing. 

But this time, we were on the correct side of the road, so we ran towards it and flagged.

It stopped! Thank goodness. So we managed to catch it after all.

The website for the outlet is :

http://sevilla-aeropuerto.thestyleoutlets.es

Check out its list of brands, mostly high street like MNG, Pull & Bear but it has polo, bimba&lola and Massimo Dutti too.

I dashed for Massimo Dutti and shopped like a mad woman there. So cheap so cheap!! Men Shirts were only 29 euro so hubby bought whichever one that has his size.

Belts (20 Euro), blouses(15-30 Euro), scarfs, everything was so much cheaper than Singapore.

We also visited Desigual again. I just cant get enough if this quirky brand that claims to be desigual ( unequal!).

It was quite a challenge keeping Sheldon entertained during our shopping time.

So we had to get him his favourite drink and snacks so that he will sit in his pram. 

But once we had time and shopping is done, we will let him run about again. 

We decided to leave early with the 1 pm shuttle bus back as The next one is at 5 pm.

But we regretted afterwards as we later on realised that we haven't shopped enough! 

I also just found this local brand Flamenco in town that had an outlet there, but i didnt visit at all.

That day I went back to the hotel, packed my luggage and realised there's still space!!!!! ( of course after buying another travel bag).

So we came again the day after!!! 

Alas! This time, the shuttle bus experience was even worse.

We stood on the side of a Avenue Portugal and waited at one of the bus stop as we presumed that buses would stop at bus stop.

At 10 am, we saw the bus coming our way we were so happy.

We flagged but sadly, the driver waved his index finger at us, gesturing a "no no!".

So he didn't stop for us at all. Until today i still don't understand how the pick up system works. Why did he pick us up the other day, at the other side of the road, and why he wouldn't that day, at the bus stop.

Anyway, we decided to give up in Shuttle bus. 

we took a an there after lunch instead.

It cost us about 20 Euro to the style outlets.

But We happily shopped more. Hubby bought Camper shoes at a steal. So the can ride was definitely worth it.

^_^

So that was Sevilla. Eating, seeing, walking, embracing and shopping. 

We were gonna go back to barca for one last day before flying back to Singapore.

So i already planned out a 1-day itinerary for us. 

Las Arenas!!!

Arty and foody Barca

What else to do in Barca? Tons! Besides soaking up the artsy atmosphere with a buzz, there's FC Barcelona to visit. And of course the food!!!

Here are some that we ventured.

The souvenier shop was packed. Bought a cute little FC barca football for Sheldon, he was so happy.

You can buy their official jerseys here but you can buy them downtown too. Lots of FCB boutiques and the prices are the same.

We also visited the cathedral of Barca, it was gothic and of course pretty as usual, but if you have seen Sagrada, St Paul's and some other magnificent churches, you may want to skip this one.

We had a nice seafood lunch by the bay, Marina Village by Ciutadella. 

We went to Moncho's Marina Bay. The fried mini squid was good. Sheldon loved it. The seafood gazpazho was really good too. Sheldon ate up these two.

The prawn was good but I am not a big mussel fan.

We then went to Spanish Village which was near Placa Espana, where the national palace and the magic fountain here. Kids would love the magic fountain show by the placa Espana. But do google check their timings as it varies for summer and winter.

Spanish village was a good place to get arty souvenier, including handmade glass statuettes. It was made on the spot too, with the furnace and allz

I was so impressed I just had to buy a piece, very cheap too just €5 for the lottle duck.

There were cafes and tapas bars all around. Art, jewellery shops and more.

However it may be a bit touristy. I doubt the Locals will come here. 

Dinner was awesome! It was by the bay again - Port vell this time and the black squid ink Paella was so delicious! What more my friend brought spicy sambal from home. Goes so well with paella haha.

The next morning we set out for Montserrat monastery, about an hour drive up the "serated" mountain. Bustling with tourists, the place is still a functional monastery and church. There was a mass happening when we were there. There was a snaking long queue to see the black madonna up close too. Story has it that back in the cave in the past, all the candles lit have blackened the face of the virgin Mary face, hence the name black madonna. The statue has an Asian flavour to it though, I feel.

Anyway, just a walk down from the monastery, there was the Montserrat Restaurant, and I found the best paella ever!!!

The goat cheese curd was er, weird though. And the iberico ham? The spaniards should try bakwa and try to make that instead.

But the paella! I had to go for second helping.

After montserrat, we went to La Roca Village, about an hour drive away ( from montserrat and from downtown), and here we had to make some holea in our pocket!

Sheldon was a bit bored there, luckily there's. playground!! How handy!

Loewe and Furla and some local Spanish brands ( Lupo, desigual, Custo), were such worthy buys. So much cheaper than back home!

For dinner, I went for a Flamenco Show. But it was so late ( shows were 9:40 and 10:40), that daddy and Sheldon stayed at the hotel and slept early. The food was not exciting at all, but at least the show was otherwise.

But I think it was such an interesting show. Lively, very unique experience.

We also went to a Cava factory the bext morning. Cava is Spanish version of sparkling wine.  

The brand Freixenet was apparently huge Internationally but I haven't heard of them before though.

The tour was however very educational. The wines and Cavas were very cheap though. Starting from €4 ish for a bottle. Wow. We bought our favourite sweet wine Monbazillac for just €8, back home is at least $30. We intend to drink it up tonight.

Lunch was downtown at a lovely restaurant-boulangerie-cafe that was rather Frenchy, called Farga, by Avenue diagonal. 

The cakes and salad were really good though!

We also bought some of their macaroons back to the hotel. €12.50 for 7 pieces.

Apparently Sheldon stole the first one, called it pink hamburger and happily gobbled it down. 

At night we went for an "atas" gala dinner, up at Montjuic ( mount jewish). 500 years ago, it used to be a jewish cemetery. 

But now, it's a revolving restaurant with anaing amazing view or Barcelona skyline ( you will notice the lit up, colorful agbar tower standing like sore thumb, apparently, the Spaniards call it the big supository ^_^). 

Montjuic is high up but still very near downtown, so it is a must visit. 

The restaurant is called El Xalet. The appetizer of raw monkfish salad was gross ( sorry I don't eat raw stuff), but the experience was made up by the very decent duck confit and the overwhelmingly gorgeous view at the balcony.

I can't stop thinking about the view. We were lucky enough to spot fireworks too. Sheldon was ecstatic when he saw the fireworks.

But then the night came and the next day we ventured the famous Ramblas (Barca's Orchard Road), where it's bustling and crowded.

Plaza Catalunya is probably the center of it all, and you can feed pigeons in this big square. At the basement of the square, you can also claim your VAT refund.The place is sorrounded by big department stores ( el corte ingles), Hard Rock Cafe and many lovely restaurants.

We went to one amazing one called Ciudad Condal.

Packed and we had to queue a little. 

The prices were not low but the food and variety was really good.

Walking to the other end of Rambla, we found the famous la boqueria market. Fresh fruits, nougat, jamon and lots more stalls. Many stalls selling fresh produce, fresh fish and also many cafes in it too. 

There is also this Chinese Wok fried place "Wok to walk" that seemed to be packed all day long. We couldn't resist but eat there a few times as we missed Chinese food a little bit haha.

The big fire wok fry made the food taste pretty good eventhough the sauces were not so authentic. Good concept I must say and it's a big hit with the Asian tourists and the locals.

Further along, there's Placa Reial, a big square sorrounded with many restaurants, bars and cafes.

The restaurants look tempting, but I have a feeling it's a lite touristy. However, we saw one or two with a long queue, I suppose that one could be good! ( kiasuism kicking in).

For those who want to party, Barca is awesome for parties.

I am lucky to have a hubby who was more than willing to help look after Sheldon at night, So i went out one night with my friends and colleagues.

Nasty Mondays at the Apolo.

Place was packed by 1am, 2 rooms- obe hosue one Rock n roll.

The Rock&Roll place is the legendart one. It plays a little Indie beats, some off mainstream rock and some mainstream Rock.

And they even have sing-along sessions with lyrics on the big screen. A very interesting nightlife experoence for us!

That summed up Barca for now!

We were going to Sevilla the next morning!

Touristy barcelona day

Some must visit sites in Barca are those by Gaudi. Of course, he is uber important in the history of architecture. A genius, ahead of his time who created out of this world masterpiece.

La Sagrada Familia, the unfinished and still under - construction church is the most unique I have ever seen.

St Paul's and Notre Dame was beautiful, but not one is quite like La Sagrada Familia. The best thing to do is buy your ticket online in advance or else the queue for the ticket will be ridiculous.

Next most important site is of course Parc Guell, do learn about their histories, very interesting.

Both places are crowded and not so stroller friendly. Remember to keep your belongings close to you. Beware of pickpockets. 

If you like Gothic churches, Santa maria del mar, located in the old town with pebbled back alleys and totally medieval feel would be a good visit. 

Sheldon didn't want to go in though as I suppose it was rather dark and poorly lit at night so daddy had to wait outside while I just grabbed a quick look.

However daddy enjoyed his "people watching time" outside the cathedral.

Passers-by, tourists, locals, all seem to be happily enjoying their enchantes evening.

While you're there, turn a corner and visit the Picasso museum too.

Sheldon didn't quite enjoy these though. They were meant for the parents to enjoy I suppose. It's ok, we take turn, yesterday was his day.

We learnt quite a lot of interesting facts about Picasso but we don't quite resonate with his paintings so we didn't buy any souveniers back. Hubby said he doesnt understand them. haha. 

We bought Sheldon a Picasso - Barcelona T-shirt though, he chose it himself. In Barca, even the touristy T shirt souveniers were artsy, gorge and different. 

We had another food comma meal for dinner ( totally overfed), slightly out of the way, at North Barca, we had romantic Spanish dinner. 

Their Fiduea was more like fried beehoon with sotong. Was very happy to find anything resembling food back home! haha. Less heard of internationally, but I think it's worth a try!

Sheldon slept throughout the dinner else he would have loved the char bee hoon.

Ah but did I mention? 

The hotel Le Meridien at La Rambla is so gorgeous. Such a different feel in this side of town, more buzz, more crowd, more vibe but still very cultural, breath taking and artsy. Most of the hotels are really gorgeous too as they are in refurbished classic old buildings. Esp. Hotel 1889 opposite Le meridien. So so painfully gorgeous.

I can't get enough of just looking at the facades of all the buildings. All different, all gorgeous. 

Sheldon is loving the spacious room with. great view!

 However La Rambla gets a little noisy at night with party goers. So you may need earplugs at night haha. 

So now I am gonna look for earplugs. Good night.

Tomorrow we are going to the Football club Fc Barca! My Fave!!!

Today is Sheldon's Day - Ciutadella and Barceloneta

The day started early today. By 8 plus in the morning we were walking from Llacuna to Ciutadella. 

Sheldon was so excited he was pushing the pram all the way.

The walk took about 15 mins and we were presented with beautiful weather and beautiful views.

We stopped by for a quick breakfast neat Calle de Pedro IV, just before the bridge hump.

Lovely burger, with fresh patty grilled in a stone fired oven, all for about €3-4. 

Breakfasts are very affordable in Barca.

We also stopped by a little playground before the main stop - Parc De la Ciutadella.

After monkeying around a little. awe adjourned to the famous Parc De la Ciutadella, that's just next to the city'a zoo and the parliament house of Catalunya.

The park is a short stroll away from the nearest metro/tram station - Ciutadella villa olympica. But we decided to walk all the way from our hotel at Llacuna- just 15 mins.

The park is called such as it had a citadel within it, and a lake too. 

It was gorgeous!

We went up to the grand citadel and daddy played a little hopscotch with Sheldon, they both seemed to enjoy it!

There was a little playground too, we had to make a little pitstop there as Sheldon requested:)

The lake was pretty too. There were ducks that kept Sheldon mesmerised for sometime. You can hop on the boat too for about €3 per person.

All these while, daddy was catching on his book. " Song of winds" by our good friend Julian Kim. Daddy couldn't put it down.

We checked the weather forecast and it said that there may be 50% chance of rain in 2 hours.

So we decided to make our way to lunch and then back to hotel.

Anyway, we intended to let Sheldon have a short nap before we go out again, so that he doesn't fall asleep during dinner like last night.

A quick lunch along the way to the tran station Ciutadella. This elcafe was just opposite the University of Pompeu Fabra.

Looking at Uni students always help us feel young and youthful again!:)

 

Sheldon insisted on having the muffin and he did eat about 1/3 of it voluntarily.

He also had some of my cheese toast.

And then a peach drink, his favourite drink in Spain so far.

After the train ride back to the hotel, we were hoping that Sheldon was sleepy already.

But it took us another hour of trying to get him to sleep, plus a stroller walk around the hotel block before he finally sleeps. But he slept by 3 anyway, so that's good enough:) We are going to the aquarium and seafood waterfront dinner this evening, luckily the aquarium opens til 9pm.

After nap, we took the metro to Barceloneta station and we were greeted with atmosphere different from what we have been used to the last few days. It's actually bustling. People scurrying past, chatty tourist left and right. So different from quieter, suburban Poble Nou. 

The waffle and hotdog stand served really good waffles; crunchy, fragrant and the milk caramel sauce was so heavenly. The hotdog had fried onion on top instead of fresh, chopped ones. 

Having them while you enjoy the view of port Vell- the waterfront and harbour at Barceloneta, was an experience one shouldn't miss.

There was this basker who blew humongous bubbles, Sheldon was happily chasing the bubbles with a few other Spanish kids.

Sheldon dropped €2 into his hat. 

And the we walked further along Port Vell  to reach the aquarium. The size and variety was not as great as the one in Perth.

But we spotted some unusual mediterranian fish.

Like this funny bugger with non existent tail and fins on top and at the bottom only.  ( second last row, next to penguin)

We also spotted the horseshoe crap ( top right), a species apparently older than the dinosaurs!

Also we saw some herbivorous piranhas ( bottom right), which were way bigger in size than the carnivorous ones! ( also in picture). 

Wow looks like turning vegetarian won't make you slimmer.

After spending about 1.5 hours here, we started to make our way back to ghe row of restaurants along Barceloneta.

It's seafood dinner time.

El Rey de La Gamba is the king of prawns! Expanded to more than 4 shops now, came very highly recommended.

The squid ink paella was good, prawns were good but the octopus was lacklustre. 

But still worth a trip I think.

Before going back, I noticed the wine prices in the supermarket.

€3 for a bottle of wine?? Manggggg.... wouldn't that be music to many of my friends' ears???

And so the night ended. Sober this time, no sangria overdose. Tomorrow is the day we are moving hotel to 'chi chi' Le meridien at La Ramblas. Can't wait.