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TRAVEL DIARIES/ Barcelona, part 2- what to do
So far I’ve given you a quick insight into where’s good to stay in #barcelona (as featured in part 1 here) but what can you do when you’re there? Here’s a few of the things I did…
Sunglasses Pretty Little ThingThe Bus Turistic is an absolute MUST. It’s a fairly cheap way to see all of Barcelona’s sights, landmarks and hear about some its history without going underground or walking for miles.
We paid 35.1€ each for a 2 day ticket (pre-booked fare, which is about 4€ cheaper) that included unlimited journies across 3 routes and allowed us to get our bearings of the city as well as see things that we probably wouldn’t have had the inclination to travel to otherwise (such as the Olympic stadium, which is in a suburb a little way out of the city rather than in the main Olympic park area).
As well as doing full tours, we also used the buses as a kind of taxi service and hopped off at places we wanted to stop at for a little longer, such as the beach and the Sagrada Familia.
We also saw the city a little closer to the ground by taking a Segway tour with Barcelona Segway Tour. If you remember from my Marbella travel diary I did the Segway thing pretty recently and really enjoyed it, so I dragged Mr Alice along to try it out. As I predicted (because I’m awesome, hehe) he really enjoyed it.We opted for the 2hr tour which took us to places like Park Olympica, the non-tourist beach and the stunning Cuitadella park (which would be an amazing picnic spot).
(If you can see them!) jumpsuit Boohoo/ sunnies Topshop. Mr Alice- shorts Boohoo/ tee Bench/ sunnies River Island
There’s a longer tour option which cover a little more of the area, as well breakfast and tapas tours. We chose to do our tour pretty early in the day to avoid a lot of pedestrian traffic and being out in the high noon sun, which seemed to be a pretty good decision. Visiting Guell Park was high on my list. If I’m honest, it’s been the main reason that I’ve wanted to visit Barcelona for such a long time!
It’s a bit of a trek away from the main part of the city, about a 20min car ride, so this is where the Bus Turistic came in pretty handy as it stops pretty close by (though there is a trek up an incline to contend with) and is much cheaper than a taxi. The metro service is an option, but it’s nicer to be overground looking at the pretty building than rubbing up against lots of sweaty people ungerground…
Park Guell is a great place to visit for a few reasons – it has really lush park area to walk round which is really calm and peaceful away from the main part of the city, and free to get in to. Secondly, the Monument park section is so charming and quirky – a mixture of medieval gnome town…
mixed with Romanesque architecture…
and random animal statues…
I was most excited by the colourful mosaics, so gorge…
The best bit has to be this amazing view over the city. It’s really something on a clear day.
To get into the monument park (realistically, it would seem a bit silly to go all the way up there and not pay the 7€ to go in) you have to book a specific entry slot, which the staff are VERY vigilant about sticking to. The popular times (morning and mid afternoon) get booked up quickly, so think about doing this before you go. We booked the day before and got a 12noon slot, the other other availability was 6pm.The final thing we did was see Barcelona from the sea on a mini cruise along the coastline. There are quite a few boats on the marina offering these sorts of tours – 15€ each got us an hour and a half on a pretty traditional tourist boat, and it was kinda nice to have the sea breeze in your hair and a cold drink in hand whilst taking it all in.
A few tips I’d pass on about being touristy in Barcelona:
– Clothing-wise: wear something come table/easy to move in, more ‘breathable’ fabrics and shoes with a decent grip that fasten to your feet
– Pre-book any tourist attractions that are on your must see list. They can get really busy so this will help you avoid spending lots of time in queues, make sure you can see what you want when you want, and it can save a little bit of money too (Barcelona is an expensive city so this is a welcome bonus)
– If you visit the beach make sure you take snacks and drinks with you. There aren’t a great deal of shops/bars near the main tourist section of beach to just pop to,and there’s definitely not a lot of sunbeds for hire on the beach so take something to shade you.
– It’s worth considering taking a pre-loaded currency card with you to avoid carrying lots of cash or being stung with exchange rates by paying on credit/debit card. This is the second time we’ve used one, the first being in Vegas, and it was super easy to pay directly using chip and pin and also to withdraw cash. You can can access online statements whilst away, have an extra card and change your PIN exactly the same as in the UK. Plus, in the unlikely event of theft, they can only take what’s in there rather than several thousand pounds of your credit limit.
The final part is coming up very soon and features the highlight of most of my trips away – food! Don’t miss it.
Stay stylish,
J 😘xx
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FOOD/ #HullFoodie …The Mad Italian
You can never have too many good places to eat in a city, FACT. Some of my favourite pastimes include eating and chatting, so meals out with friends or Mr Alice feature frequently in my social calendar.As we’re now firmly in countdown mode for Hull 2017 the #HullBloggers have decided to create a series called #HullFoodie to show off some of best places in town to eat, drink and be merry.
Hannah, Heather and I kicked this off in style when we were invited to sneak a peak at The Mad Italian menu before its official launch.
Based on Newland avenue (one of my fave places) it fits in perfectly with a developing trend of restaurants in the same area that really commit to their food genre through the decor. When you walk in there’s a unmistakeable rustic, quirky Italian feel – lots of wood, colour washing, bare bulbs and a beautiful mural of the town where the owner grew up in old Italy.
Moving on to the most important but now…the food. Yay! At the back of the restaurant is a deli-style antipasti station so you can pick exactly what you want to nibble on with a glass of vino. If you’re having a full meal, my advice would be to have this OR a starter so that you don’t feel overstuffed. 
As you can see in this next shot I’m speaking from experience, we had both and were very full. But, when it’s tasty AND pretty healthy that’s ok! Although we had this delicious haul as a starter it would also be a great lunch or something to pick at over a bottle of wine with the girls on a sunny bank holiday afternoon.
This food is soooo insta-worthy!
My main course, lobster ravioli, didn’t disappoint. Beautifully presented and garnished with yummy olives and tomatoes. There’s a lot of lobster meat in the ravioli as well as shelled bit on top so amazing value for money, and the creamy sauce was perfect with it. This dish behind is Hannah’s Pollo a la crema which was a beautiful rich sauce that I know Mr Alice would adore.
Dessert. Oooooohhhhhh myyyyyy. Being the undececsive person that I am, it was super helpful that the owner put together some suggestions of dishes with (home made) ice cream accompaniments he thought we’d like. We did an ‘eat a bit and pass it left’ thing so we got to try errrrrthang…Almond/marzipan biscuit with Madagascan vanilla ice cream (NB: the owner used to make 200 of these a day for Harrod’s back in the day). Gooey, cookie-like texture of the biscuit and really rich flavours from both.
lemon sponge and chocolate mousse flan with chocolate, orange and chilli ice cream. The milk chocolate offset the darker chocolate in the ice cream, and the chilli came in as an unexpected warmness at the end.
meringue, cream and profiterole tower (I can’t remember it’s actual name!) with fresh strawberry ice cream. The meringue was chewy and exactly as I like it, pairing it with something fruity (there were strawberry pieces in it too) gave it a kind of Eton mess feel which is one of all time faves.
We didn’t have room for after dinner coffee or tipples this time; frankly I’m completely stuffed again just looking at the pictures! We were happy girlies when we rolled ourselves home for sure.The final thing I’ll mention is cost. Based on the menus we saw everything is really reasonable and appropriate for the area, and portions sizes are good (great for people like me with a big appetite). Plus, there’s a set menu in the works that promises to offer the students and bargain hunters an amazing deal! You can keep up to date with menu options and opening deets on Twitter and Instagram.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find me a snack…hehe.
Stay stylish (not hungry)
J😘 xx
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FASHION, FOOD & FUN/ August favourites
I can’t believe we’re in September already! A month that is commonly associated with ‘back to school’ (and in our house it still is) but now it’s also associated with changing seasons, taking on new challenges and (my fave) refreshing wardrobe staples! Here are some of the best things about August for me…
Fashion
(Mama Alice and I REALLY need to up our selfie game don’t we!)Quay Australia are kind of a blogger fave – with cool shapes and funky mirrored lenses, why wouldn’t everybody adore them? I picked up these beauties from Topshop Oxfor St at the start of the summer, and have basically alternated between these and the black pair I’ve been wearing to death since last year. Despite that, my sunnies collection is still steadily growing…
Food 
I’ve often struggle to unwind and get a decent night’s sleep for most of my adult life, but I’ve found these Pukka teas have been a TOTAL GAME CHANGER in this process! I was introduced to these by a work colleague who recommended the Herbal Collection (which is a great combo) they seemed to work really well so I got an entire box of the Detox and Night Time. After using them for a month they’ve really helped me feel calm and wind down as part of my evening routine. Truly amazing find for my lifestyle.Fun
I finally managed to get some good quality time in with my girls in August which was a lot of fun and long overdue! Coffee dates, laid back dinners and bank holiday drinks, I’ve got some fun memories to smile about.
What else?
I think the more ‘unexpected’ colours are super sassy – even #snapchat is getting in on this action! I really like that it’s a fun yet slightly gothic kind of look, really cool for A/W evenings and #LFW street style. I’ve invested in a couple of the NYX soft matte cream shades to have a play with, I’ll be showing off the results on social media if it goes well!Have a fabulous month of refreshing goals and refreshing your wardrobe!
Stay stylish,
J 😘xx
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TRAVEL DIARIES/ Barcelona, part 1 – where to stay
Barcelona has been on my f**k it list for a loooooong time, and apparently I’m not alone. Forget Santorini, THIS is the 2016 travel destination du hour if my social media feeds are anything to go by…but I wanted to go there first! Haha.
I finally convinced Mr Alice to go with me this year (we decided to do all city breaks together and then each of us have taken a separate beach holiday) so I got this booked pretty much as soon as the agreement came out of his mouth about 6 months ago.
We both agreed that we wanted to stay somewhere pretty central so that lots of things would be super close to walk to or on public transport links as we hadn’t been before. As well as that, hotel aesthetics are VERY important to me – I’m not a fan of chinz and would rather not go somewhere if that was only sort of thing I could afford. I know that might sound a bit diva-ish, but for me it’s just a waste of money if you go somewhere you don’t really like, rather than waiting a little while until you can find somewhere that you do.
After a bit of digging we chose the Petit Palace Boqueria Garden which is on a little street about halfway down the famous La Rambla (not Las Ramblas, as most of us call it). From here is was really easy to go from the main square area, into the side streets of La Rambla and to the marina/beach area. In short, pretty much spot on.
You’d almost walk past the entrance as it blends in a with the other buildings (thought it’s still very clean and smart) it’s the interior that makes it stand out
From the moment we walked in, I could instantly see that this is probably one of the most instagram-able places I’ve stayed – the perfect combo of traditional meets modern. This beautiful marble entrance greets guests with a cooling temperature and a beautiful fragrant scent, which is so welcome after a early morning flight or a long day of sightseeing.
the vibe turns more homely-cool towards the back of the ground floor in the breakfast area with the fabulous exposed brick and colour pop soft furnishings. We chose to stay here on a room only basis because the hotel wanted us to pay 13€ per person per day which we felt was a little excessive for a simple buffet. Besides, part of the enjoyment is having the freedom to try something a little different each day (thought that’s not quite what we ended up doing!)
the funky af bar was a whole other vibe again and felt like a great place to chill out, listen to music (they had great playlists) and enjoy a cheeky sangria. There was also a lovely outdoor courtyard area with yet another chilled out vibe – funky shaped (but comfy) white seating, garden and more cool exposed brick.
we stayed in a standard double room – simple, chic and with really cool backlighting behind the headboard. As with most hotels, my HUGE bugbear was that there was no damn mirror over the desk area to do my hair/makeup in good lighting. Why do all hotels do this now??
the bathroom was awesome – powerful and warm hydro shower and lots of space for our stuff.
image credits – mixture of myself and the Petit Palace Boqueria GardenStaff were really nice and friendly, really keen to offer us recommendations of places to eat and providing us with maps. They also allowed us to book tickets using hotel contact information so that they could ensure that our documents could be printed out properly and promptly.
A few things to be aware of when staying in the La Rambla area:
– Non-public minibuses/coaches aren’t allowed to drive down the main throughfare, so if you book an airport transfer than expect to br dropped off in the main square and walk the final part of your journey (you’ll see a lot of people doing it). Taxis are fine.
– Crime is said to be rife. I say ‘said to be’ because we didn’t witness or experience any, and are both incredibly aware of this sort of thing (I in particular am always in a semi-state of suspicion). Be wary of people bumping into you during very busy times, people stopping you in the street for a light or unofficial street sellers.
– the walkways are all very well maintained, but can be a teeny bit slippy in the wrong type of footwear.
– a lot of the restaurants and cafes on the main road have the tendency to charge higher prices for food that’s not necessarily worth the inflated price.
Keeps your eyes peels for parts 2 and 3 which will cover things to do and (my personal fave) where/what to eat!
Stay stylish,
J 😘xx
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July Favourites
Happy August everyone, July seems to have go by so fast! This next month is going to be another of new work challenges, as I’ll be finishing my current job and am currently on the hunt for my perfect role. Keep your fingers crossed for me. In the meantime, these are a few of things that I’ve been enjoying for the last month.
Fashion
Chokers
Specifically those paired with last month’s fashion fave, the Bardot top. So far I’m all in the black but am dabbling in other colours. Oh, and I’m pretty sprung on bandana neckties too. This is my latest purchase from PLT.Food
Burgers
I don’t think I every truly appreciated the beauty of a really good burger until I went to Vegas last year, but now myself and Mr Alice have a slight obsession. Our fave place to go locally is Larkin’s bar, but I’m also really into the meat free burger at Sleepers. That makes it totally healthy, right? The pic is from a lovely village pub near the Britannia hotel for Leeds Bardford airport (that I’ve totally forgotten the name of) and was delish.Fun
Snapchat filters
You can look funny, sound silly or make yourself look airbrushed within an inch of your life…what’s not to like? I particularly enjoy doing matching selfies with my baby niece, she goes nuts when she sees herself on screen and looks adorbs in a flower crown. I’m thisisjennychat if you want to give me a cheeky follow.
What else?
Jennifer Aniston
I’ve always like Jen (it’s in the name, we’re all awesome) but since she wrote this Huffington Post piece she has become an idol to me. I’m younger than her, but since getting married over 6 years ago I am constantly asked about children. I’m made to feel like less of a woman for not having them, like a social pariah for not wanting them, and like I can’t possibly know my own mind for THINKING I don’t want them. No thought is given to why I may have made that choice (or indeed if I even have the luxury of making that choice) or how those with children would feel if I questioned their choice to have them. I could go on, but that’d probably be a whole other post of its own. So I’ll simply end by saying well done Jen, you’ve said for us all.
I can’t wait to see what you’ve all been favouriting lately, so make sure you tweet and show me!
I got back from Barcelona a couple of days ago, so I’ll be posting some travel diary posts very soon. In the meantime you can check out some of my pics on my Instagram feed.
Stay stylish,
J 😘xx
About Me
I’m Jenny, nice to meet you. I’m a thirty-something who likes fashion, holidays and wondering about life. A lot.
Jenny Chat 
