All entries for July 2006

I love Barcelona

Follow-up to Barcelona from For blog's sake

I have just returned from Barcelona. In my experience it was a very cool, beautiful, cultural, fun and relaxing city. There's a great miscellany of people all living alongside each other – locals, businesspeople, tourists, streetsellers, hookers, entertainers, travellers – and they all convene around Las Ramblas…the entertainment centre of the city.

There is also everything you could want from a city – culture, architecture and art, history, sun, beaches, an excellent metro system, brilliant bars and restaurants, shops, the list goes on…

Most city breaks tend to last a few days but we were there for six nights in total so were able to balance the 'city break' sights with the beach holiday relaxation. We generally did a tourist attraction in the morning (11am – 1pm), beach in the afternoon (1 pm – 6pm), sangria and tapas (6:30pm – 7:30pm) and then back to the hotel for a quick change before our evening out from about 9:30pm onwards. We often didn't eat dinner until 11pm and the pace of life was so chilled.

Here's a brief overview of what we did while we were there…I will try and blog some of the funny incidents that occured some other time, such as:

• Street acrobats trying to hoist my cousin, Maria, onto their shoulders as part of their act
• Losing my skirt
• Having my handbag stolen
• Potentially not having any money
• Ordering steak tartar not realising it was raw steak

Anyway, back to what we did…

First night – Wednesday
Arrived at the hotel
Dinnner: Pizza Mazarno, Las Ramblas

Day One – Thursday
Beach: Nova Icaria
Dinner: Tapas bar in Placa de la Seu Maria or Katrina - can you remember the name of the restaurant?
Bars: Went to Placa Reial. Had a drink in an Irish bar and then went to Jamboree

Day Two – Friday
Sights: Sagrada Familia
Beach: Ventured to Bogatell but wasn't so nice so went to Nova Icaria
Dinner: Steak tartar place – name?
Bars: Fonfone, Moog, Pipa Club (don't ask!)

Day Three – Saturday
Sights: Museu Picasso
Beach: Barceloneta
Dinner: Fritz, Port Olympico
Bars: CDLC, tried Catwalk but was too late to get in.

Day Four – Sunday
Beach: Nova Icaria
Sights: Estadi Olimpic, Palau Nacional at Monjuic, Magic Fountain
Dinner: Txapella Tapas Bar, Passeig de Gracia (the best tapas ever!!)

Day Five – Monday
Sights: Parc Guell
Beach: Nova Icaria
Dinner: Agua, Port Olimpico
Bars: CDLC then had to go to police station to report stolen handbag(!)

Day Six – Tuesday (our last day)
Beach: Nova Icaria
Dinner: Tapas at Txapela before heading to the airport

More photos in the gallery

Eleanor Lovell : 27 Jul 2006 15:43 |  Tags: Barcelona Family Holidays |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Barcelona

Follow-up to We're staying in a palace! from For blog's sake

Yay - I am going to Barcelona tomorrow with my two cousins - Katrina and Maria – and I can't wait!

Maria landed in Birmingham today from Indonesia and I am picking Katrina up from New Street at 9pm (she lives in Leeds).

I have yet to buy some travel insurance and euros and have not even thought about packing although I have done a bit of fake–tanning ready for the beach :)

I think its probably as hot here as it is over there at the moment (which for me is a bit too hot) but at least I can have a dip in the sea to cool down.

We are flying from Coventry at about 5:30pm tomorrow evening so will have tomorrow to pack and have a quick read of the tourist guide to check which bar to go to first!

In other news - i'm buying a flat!! Eeeekkkk! More on that another time…

Eleanor Lovell : 18 Jul 2006 14:32 |  Tags: Barcelona Family Flat Holidays |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

You Cheeky Swine!

Follow-up to YAY to Russell Brand!! from For blog's sake

Russell Brand has changed his date at the Arts Centre and postponed until 17th December...the cheeky swine!

Now I will have to wait even longer to see the strangely attractive, self-confessed “woman adorer” – hmmmm.

Eleanor Lovell : 13 Jul 2006 11:47 |  Tags: Comedy Theatre TV Warwick Arts Centre |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

'Curing the Blues'

Contrary to the title of this entry, I do not currently have 'the blues' but it is the title of a poem written by an 81 year–old man that I met a couple of weeks ago.

He used to work at the University in the late 60s, soon after it was founded and has written poems about the University, students and staff who he knew at the time and various other non–University related things.

This is one of the non–University related ones… I never had the pleasure to read the others…

Curing the Blues

To lose the blues is simple
If you count your blessings first:
Inspect each limb – all there I trust?
Is headpiece whole, with uncracked crust?
No woodworm yet, or creeping rust?
Good appetite and thirst?

Can slumber close your eyes with ease?
Do shoes still fit your feet?
Each muscle function at its work?
Is clothing donned without a jerk?
Five senses neither ill nor irk?
Then…questionnaire's complete!

Get out and smile, you misery!
Give thanks for what you've got:
Breathe in and out – it's easy, see?
Bestir your shanks, and stride out free:
Laugh with the world (there is no fee)
…the blues? What utter rot!!!

Written by G.D.Cashmore on Friday, February 5th 1965

Eleanor Lovell : 06 Jul 2006 09:46 |  Tags: Poem |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

World Cup Office Sweepstake Update

Heading into the Semi–finals we had:

Italy (Tracy) vs Germany (Tom)

Tonight we have:

France (Claudie) vs Portugal (Faye)

After last Sundays game I DO NOT want Portugal to win so hoping for an Italy vs France final!

EDIT: Yay! France did knock Portugal out - ha ha ha to Ronaldo!

So… Tracy or Claudie – who will win?!

Eleanor Lovell : 05 Jul 2006 11:49 |  Tags: Football Work World Cup |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The Lily Allen bandwagon…

Writing about web page http://www.lilyallenmusic.com/

Sorry to jump on the bandwagon with this one, but from what I have heard so far – I think the Lily Allen hype might well be justified.

Have just been listening to her Live Lounge Session on the Jo Whiley Show and her voice is so chilled and smooth – people have been hyping her album as the 'sound of the summer' which is a cliche we have heard a few times before but I think they might be right. Plus she does a great cover of The Kooks' 'Naive' – another great track!

I look forward to finding out when her album is released later this month!

Smile

When you first left me I was wanting more
But you were doing that girl next door, what ja do that for
When you first left me I didn't know what to say
I never been on my own that way, just sat by myself all day

I was so lost back then
But with a little help from my friends
I found a light in the tunnel at the end
Now you're calling me up on the phone
So you can have a little whine and a moan
And it's only because you're feeling alone

At first when I see you cry,
yeah it makes me smile, yeah it makes my smile
At worst I feel bad for a while,
but then I just smile I go ahead and smile

Whenever you see me you say that you want me back
And I tell you it don't mean jack, no it don't mean jack
I couldn't stop laughing, no I just could help myself
See you messed up my mental health I was quite unwell

I was so lost back then
But with a little help from my friends
I found a light in the tunnel at the end
Now you're calling me up on the phone
So you can have a little whine and a moan
And it's only because you're feeling alone

At first when I see you cry,
yeah it makes me smile, yeah it makes my smile
At worst I feel bad for a while,
but then I just smile I go ahead and smile

lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala lalala

At first when I see you cry,
yeah it makes me smile, yeah it makes my smile
At worst I feel bad for a while,
but then I just smile I go ahead and smile

lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala

Eleanor Lovell : 04 Jul 2006 14:56 |  Tags: Music |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem