Local Festivals and Personal Tour Guides

Ellie was VERY tired so I let her sleep in, it’s going to be really bad when we return and she wakes up 6 hours earlier 😁. We were finally able to spend time with our friends. They drove us a short distance to the Sarria neighborhood. It’s really lovely and used to be an old village with small streets and cute little shops. We stopped at Bar Thomas – very famous for patatas bravas – fresh fried potatoes with hot sauce and aioli. The was a line out the door waiting to enjoy the local specialty. It was worth the wait. I’m definitely going on a strict regimen when I return home.

 

This weekend people celebrate the festival of Pilar and there was a feria (festival) in Sarria, an area with rides and activities for kids. The two girls had a blast on a couple of rides but then it was closed down for siesta/lunch time. UGHHH!

We found a great local restaurant called Quinto Pino – it’s an expression that means far away. It’s a PERFECT little spot to dine under the trees while the kids play on a little adjacent playground. We had to wait as it is a very popular place for a beautiful Saturday. The food was delicious but they were a little frugal on the portions.

We drove to the top of Barcelona to Tibidabo for an amazing view of the city. We were very fortunate to be able to park right at the very top because our friend has a handicap permit.

At the very top is a beautiful church and an amusement park. It’s crazy as some of the rides go out over the cliffs – yikes!! You can buy an unlimited ride pass for about 28,50€ for adults and 10,30€ but we only wanted a few rides for the kids so we paid 2€ each ride – not bad. Ellie and her friend Claudia had a lot of fun.

The kids were getting very tired and ready to relax at home. We got back to the apartment and ordered Japanese from their favorite place for take-out Yu Ja on Carrer Corsega. The girls watched programs in Spanish, it’s so great for Ellie to practice her language skills!

The best part of the day was going to the local neighborhood and finding where the locals eat.  I would never have that if I were staying in a hotel.  This is the most important thing I love about home and hospitality exchange!