Jessica reporting from Barcelona

{Well, as you all know Bloesem is a fantastic blog, and I couldn’t be happier to take part on this world tour and show you around a small bit of Barcelona! Thank you Irene!}
When travelling to Barcelona most people think of themselves shopping at all the zaras, strolling down the Ramblas and ending up on the beachfront! As a German Brasilian who came here following her heart, these are some of the places I would definitely not leave with out seeing!

I recommend any visitor to go see the fabulous and crazy architecture of Gaudí, from the Sagrada Familia (still unfinished) to the La pedrera. My all time favourite for Gaudí tough has to be the Parc Guell. With its inspiring coloured mosaic seating area and beautiful view of the whole city! It might be quite crowded, like all the tourist sites in Barcelona, but it is still so inspiring!

If you follow on down from there you will arrive at the neighbourhood of Gracia. The small village like streets and abundance of town squares (PLAZAS) makes it a lovely place to get lost in.  For those of you with little time I will do my best to pinpoint some of the places I always enjoy.
Start off going down the Calle Verdi, as it is a pedestrian street filled with small shops and cafés – if you have time you can also enjoy the cinema Verdi with its original movies.

One plaza I always enjoy sitting in is Rius y Taulet choose any of the cafés around with a terrace and watch as life just goes by. There is also a very sweet shop there owned by an Argentinean girl who sources lovely feminine clothes and accessories called MUSHI MUSHI.

Continue down to Calle Seneca and find the cool kiddies shop NObodinoz, furniture store OX and Swedish clothes design store SNÖ.

Then there is always Flash Flash, a tortilla restaurant that hasn’t changed its design and I would dare say many of its clientele for the last 30 years! Enjoy the cool décor and have a plate of the day, a tortilla or a Cadillac hamburger (my favourite by far!)

Down from Gracia is Eixample – with Passeo de Gracia where all the big labels have their stores. Don’t miss out on Vinçon, a lifestyle store in a beautiful building. Secret tip: go to the terrace on the second floor and you can actually peak into the la Pedrera with out waiting in line ;)

A trip to Barcelona would not be complete if you didn’t come by and visited us at vonblum, you can then follow through the Arco de triunfo...

...down to the Parc Ciutadella to the famous Barcelona Zoo and of course if you still have stamina follow the sea breeze and end up at the beachfront!

What is vonblum? It is a café store that I opened 3 months ago with the concept of having a space more or less like a friends home. Where you could come in for a coffee cake and chat, enjoy a healthy lunch or sip a fresh juice. All of that surrounded by nice things to put in your house, bring as a gift or just indulge in for yourself.

Thank you Jessica!

* * * VonBlum
* * * VonBlum blog

{here you can read a very nice review about vonblum and here is another one,  vonblum must be a very nice place and i hope I can visit vonblum and Jessica sometime next year when going to my father's house in Llagostera, an hour up North from Barcelona}

... and this is me, Irene from Bloesem, I just wanted to add a little something to Jessica's guide ...

Alicia is the owner of Duduá, a shop who supports young artists and sells DIY craft products. Alicia just posted a list of her favorite spots in Barcelona, a google map and she will be adding new places in the future, so if you are visiting Barcelona, this is a very handy guide by a Barcelonian!

{originally posted on August 11, 2008}