Spain solo trip: Day 4 Lost in Barcelona

What better way to end a trip to Spain with a visit to my favourite city again, Barcelona?

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How I got to Barcelona from Loret De Mar

I took the bus from the main bus terminal in Loret De Mar and purchased my ticket on the day at the bus station. It was a direct service where I had to pick time slots to travel to and from the city and was also was given designated seat numbers. The lady behind the counter explained that it was important that I stuck to my seats and times as it was a busy bus service.

The journey took around one hour and cost €10.90 for a return ticket.

Completely lost with no GPS, I wanted to cry

I arrived at The Barcelona Nord Bus Station to find I couldn’t get a GPS signal on Google maps. Before I knew it, almost an hour of my 6 hours had passed and I was still no closer to resolving the issue. You can only imagine my frustration, so I decided to walk whilst keeping it on in the hope of it picking up my location.

Hooray! It worked well, for all of two minutes, and after I had walked well away from the bus station, I was completely lost!

At this point, I felt so anxious and my mind was so clogged in panic mode that for the next few minutes, the vulnerable child-like part of me took over and I wanted to cry. But then, as always, the more mature and wise part of me shows up to reassure and nourish that vulnerable side of me, and then I was fine.

Letting go of resistance

I often have little moments of feeling anxious when travelling solo. I don’t see them as a bad thing, but rather a chance for personal development, growth, and confidence. In these moments, I have to take a break and think about what my path of least resistance will be. It usually involves stopping for a coffee.

Once I’m calm, my mind becomes unclogged and I’m able to think more logically and find solutions. My conclusion here was that, since I knew the name of the station to get back to, it wasn’t really being lost and I could always maybe get a bus or uber back to the station.

I came out of the coffee shop with the intention of making an adventure out of being lost.

Once the resistance was gone, everything started to fall into place.

Here’s what happened:

I found Basílica de la Sagrada Família

First of all, I came out of the coffee shop and walked whilst enjoying the view. In the distance, I could see the top of a spiked building. As I got closer I realised it was the Basílica de la Sagrada Família.

I didn’t get to go inside since I was limited for time, but I was so excited to see it since I’d never seen it before.

I started to see buses that would take me back to Nord Bus Station

Whilst enjoying my stroll around the city, buses started to appear with Nord Bus Station highlighted on the front. The place I needed to go back to to catch my bus.

Not only this, I started to see several buses with Lorer De Mar highlighted on the front. The place where my hotel was where I was staying.

The truth is, I reckon many of them had gone past me, but in my clogged up state of mind, I wasn’t able to see the apples for the trees.

Google maps started working again

I just happened to try Google Maps in a final attempt and noticed I had automatically been signed out of my Google account and needed to sign back in. I am not sure why this happened. It has never happened before.

Free to roam and find all the places of interest

Now Google Maps is working again. I was able to find the places I wanted to visit. This meant I could revisit the Gothic Quarter.

Last time I was here, I remember feeling mesmerised by this medeival quaint neighbourhood. I had been hoping to revist again on this day. I’m so glad I got to visit again, but after spending around half an hour here, I decided I had actually enjoyed being lost, so I turned off Google Maps and went back to wondering freely.

I couldn’t really tell you where I ended up roaming, but it was so nice to wonder so freely in this beautiful city, and being lost in Barcelona ended up being my favourite part of my entire trip.

Unfortunately, my phone’s battery was low, so I couldn’t take pictures of my adventures, but I can confirm that this is an incredible place to get lost in.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my solo trip to Spain.

Thanks for reading

Stay blessed 🙏🏾

Natalie ❤

Jul 19

Spain solo trip: Day 3 Tossa De Mar, a beautiful medieval town

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Day 3 of my trip was spent in the beautiful medieval town of Tossa De Mar.

Tossa de Mar’s location

Tossa De Mar is located on the coast of the Costa Brava and sits around 103 kilometres from Barcelona and only around 100 kilometres from the French border.

The beautiful town is filled with cobbled streets and is constructed around an incredibly ancient castle. Besides this, the town is surrounded by mountains and beautiful green valleys, which adds to its beauty.

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A bit about the history of Tossa De Mar

It is filled with a beautiful network of medieval paths, passageways with embedded shops and restaurants, as well as ancient houses.

This part of the old town is known as Villa Vella.

How I got here from Lloret De Mar

I took the bus from the main bus station in Lloret De Mar. The journey took around 40 minutes, and it cost €8.20 for a return ticket.

On arrival in Tossa de Mar

I strolled through the beautiful, quaint streets and did a spot of shopping until I reached one of the towers and started the elevated walk.

From here, I walked along the castle walls.

Tossa De Mar Lighthouse

After walking along the castle walls, I made my way up to the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was built in 1917 and sits at the highest point of Tossa de Mar. It is the headquarters for the Maritime Museum, where people can learn all about the evolution of lighthouses in the Mediterranean Sea.

The views approaching the lighthouse are stunning!

After the lighthouse visit, I made my way back down towards the beach, where I ate at a lovely beachfront restaurant called Da Giovanni. I would highly recommend it. It is very reasonably priced and has nice, friendly staff.

I spent the perfect end to my day trip with an hour at the beach overlooking the castle.

I hope you have enjoyed my blog today.

Thanks for visiting

Stay blessed 🙏🏾

Natalie ❤

Jul 06

Spain solo trip: Day 2 Lloret De Mar

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Lloret De Mar is a former fishing town on the Costa Brava in Spain’s Catalonia region. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Costa Brava. I could clearly see why as I walked around and discovered the area myself.

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It boasts a stunning, lively stretch of beach lined with bars along its promenade, along with hidden beach spots and rocky coves.

As I wandered around the colourful streets in the early morning, I got the feeling this place could become pretty lively. In fact, I had read this was a place of a vibrant nightlife where places to drink are open 24/7 between the months of May and September.

I’m not really one for going out when I travel, (nor at home tbh) so I can’t tell you about all about the bars and clubs, but I can tell you I did see several pretty cool looking ones, from the outside, of course 😉. As well as this, there are plenty of restaurants, coffee shops , supermarkets and shops to wander around in.

Although I was staying in Lloret De Mar, I only got to explore here for one day because I had plans to travel to other places. Therefore, I didn’t really get to explore as much as I had initially hoped.

After wandering around the shops, I began to look for The Parish Church Of Sant Romà, which conveniently for me, was around a 5 minute walk from where I was in the centre.

The Parish Church Of Sant Romà (Iglesia de San Román de Lloret)

After a few missed turns I eventually come to the Church Of Sant Romà, the patron Saint of Lloret De Mar.

The church has two very different types of architecture. The forefront part is in the Gothic style and was built around the years of 1509 and 1522. While the other part is strikingly colourful and influenced by the Catalan modernisation movement which started in development at the end of the 19th century.

How beautiful is the architecture? Unfortunately, I didn’t get to visit inside because I arrived just as it was closing.

If you would like to know more about this place, visit it here.

D’en Plaja Castle

After a visit to the church, I took a stroll along the beach and went to D’en Plaja Castle.

The hilltop Castle is located at the end of Sa Caleta beach and is one of Loret De Mar’s best features.

It’s not a castle!

I never knew this at the time, but since returning home and researching a little more about the castle, I learnt that it wasn’t a castle at all, but a summer home. The home was constructed in 1935 by Girona industrial magnate Narcís Plaja, and an architect named Isidor Bosch.

It apparently caused a fair bit of controversy amongst the locals at first, but has since become one of Lloret De Mar’s favourite features.

The most beautiful coastal views

Once past the Castle, there is a foot path I walked along that took me to the most scenic coastal line views!

The further I walked along the path, the fewer people I came across until I came to a perfect beauty spot to just sit in the stillness and enjoy all the surrounding areas. It was just pure bliss!

The best part about it was it was completely unexpected. I only found it through curiosity, as I wondered what was beyond.

The trail goes all the way to a beautiful town called Tossa De Mar, though it is a 12-km walk, so it would take a few hours. It is said to be an incredibly magical walk that I would have loved to have done had I known. I did, however, visit Tossa De Mar by bus, which I will share with you in a later post.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, its much appreciated.

Stay blessed 🙏🏾

Natalie ❤

Jun 29

Spain solo trip: Loret De Mar Day 1: Arrival & Travel challenges

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Hi everyone! Hope your all having a great start to the week. It’s been a little while since I wrote to tell you I plucked up the courage to travel abroad again but, I’ve finally got around to writing the blogs. 🙌🏾

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I was all excited about my trip, that was until the day before, when I started to find fault with everything.

Vaccination proof

Although being fully vaccinated wasn’t required at the time of my trip, I had gone and got a booster so I could travel freely without having to list the location of where I was staying, then be possibly called at any point in time of my stay to take tests. However, I had noticed that night that the NHS had me listed at my old address. I wasn’t sure if when my covid passport was scanned, it would show my address, and if so, if this would be a problem.

I decided I would just have to call the NHS service in the morning and find out if it was going to be a problem. If so, I figured I would just have to go through reluctantly as unvaccinated.

I managed to ring NHS customer services whilst at the airport. I was told the scanned documents might be okay. Not exactly the best reassuring words are they?

Holiday insurance not validated

As if discovering the issues of my vaccination wasn’t enough, I found out I would be travelling on invalid holiday insurance and this wasn’t anything I could fix. 🤦🏽‍♀️

As I read through my insurance policy, it prompted me to ring my new doctors, where I had just recently registered two weeks prior. The receptionist informed me that my registration was still in the process stage, which meant I was not a registered patient yet. And with an hour to go until closing time and a full surgery of patients, this was highly unlikely to happen today. Therefore, not being registered with a doctor invalidated my insurance!

Train cancellation

As I arrived at the train station, I discovered my train had been cancelled. It was a Sunday, so the next train available wasn’t until another hour! Having been advised to get there at least an hour and a half early, this would make me arrive just half an hour before, which panicked me a little. So instead, I decided to purchase a ticket and take a tram to the airport, then I discovered this was going to take more than an hour and I would arrive later than the train!🙄

Travel money card blocked

A few days before travelling, I got myself a travel money card. When I travel, I always take my debit card, some exchanged currency in cash and a travel card for extra precaution. Did you ever read what happened on my trip to Salou? I’ve learnt since my rookie travel days. Well, clearly I haven’t, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this blog ha.

I think I may have caused my card to block. I was supposed to activate my card at 10am on the morning of my travel day, but me being me, tried to do it before and blocked the card! I rang customer services from the airport and they unblocked it for me and gave me a new pin, but it still appeared to be blocked.

I tried to use the card on the plane but it wouldn’t work. Then again, when I arrived in Spain at my hotel, it wouldn’t work. Also, I was blocked on the card App. Therefore, I couldn’t rectify anything.

Great! Now I had no backup card, I thought.

Everything is always working out if you release resistance

One of the things that keeps showing up in my life, is that everything is always working out, no matter what the situation is…… Here’s what happened when I gave in to all the resistance throughout this travel day.

2. When I realised I was going to be late for boarding I jumped off the tram and took a taxi and arrived exactly an hour and a half early (the time required to get there).

3. On arrival in Spain, the lady took one look at my covid passport and allowed me to walk through and nothing was scanned.

4. Whilst I was blocked on the card app and couldn’t use the card to pay with, I discovered I could withdraw cash from it.

5. As for travel insurance, well, I still travelled with invalid travel insurance and a blessing to me, I didn’t need it, because everything worked out.

Arrival

After, let’s call it an eventful day, I finally reached my hotel at around 6pm. I stayed at the bluesea Montevista Hawaii , a 3 star cheap hotel which provided great value for money…. I honestly don’t like to spend much money on hotels, especially since I’m never in them.

My entire 4 night trip cost me £164 at onthebeach.com, this included flights, transfers and hotel. And get this, the hotel was All-inclusive. 🤣

As I arrived at 6pm, there wasn’t that much for me to do other than take a shower and try out the hotel’s buffet-style restaurant, which was great with a good selection of food and drinks. Not long after this, after an episode of Good girls,I was ready to sleep and that was the end to my first night.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, I hope you enjoyed reading.

Stay Blessed 🙏🏾

Natalie ❤

Jun 11

I finally plucked up the courage to travel abroad!

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As much as I have been enjoying travelling and exploring the UK, like many people, I had been hoping for the return of the travel industry to open again.

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Location

Everything felt a little overwhelming

I knew from the end of last year this would be the year when I returned to continue my dreams of traveling the world. I began to look for a small trip to book last year for this year. However, with all the uncertainties, everything felt so overwhelming so I didn’t end up booking anything. Instead, I decided to wait until I felt confident enough.

I felt a strong impulse

It was the beginning of May and I had a few days off work coming up and I just felt a strong impulse to book a flight to somewhere. I took this as a sign of being ready to fly again. Within 8 days of booking, I was on a flight to Spain.

I look forward to sharing my solo travel adventures in my next blog.

Stay blessed 🙏🏾

Natalie ❤

Dec 09

A Day In Tarragona/ Catalonia, Spain

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Tarragona is a port city situated in north-east Spain on the Costa Daurada Although, it only sits 100 km to the south of Barcelona, It is by far less known. It’s full of well-preserved medieval and roman charms and is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

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The majority of tourists visit Barcelona and the more popular locations such as Madrid, Seville and Valencia. It’s surprising how many people have never heard of Tarragona here in the UK, especially since it is located only 11 km from Salou, the hugely popular British tourist destination.

Now I have to admit, I had never heard of it myself until I was searching for a city to visit on my 6th day in Salou. I come across it on trip advisor and was completely blown away by the pictures and reviews.

That morning I made the 15- 20 minute journey by bus for €2.50, I was so delighted I did! It was full of wonders!

I got off the bus at Tarragona bus station, google maps directed me to turn right and to walk straight ahead.

After 5 minutes of walking, I arrived at the beautiful port.

I was then lead slightly to the left off the port to this bridge.

I could see the views of the Amphitheatre as I walked further along the bridge.

Tarragona Roman Amphitheatre

This Roman amphitheatre built approximately in the 2nd century sits on the coast just of Rambla Nova. Initially, it was used for battles of the gladiators and fighting and hunting of animals. Later on, it was used for undertaking executions of people who were sentenced to death.

Circ Roma

Directly across the road from the amphitheatre was the Circ Roma (Roman Circus). Circ Roma is the underground open-air ruins of the 1st century where horses and buggy racing took place.

Admission is €3.30, free for children under the age of 16 years. €1.70 for groups of over 25 people, pensioners, students and one parent families.

Inside is spectacular! Full of dark underground tunnels. I didn’t get as many pictures as I would have liked but here are a few.

I made my way up the building, stopping to admire the contents inside until I reached the rooftop. The views from the rooftop were stunning!!

A 10-minute walk from here is the Roman walls and the cathedral.

The Cathedral

The cathedral is a Roman Catholic Church from the late 11th century and was declared a monument in 1905. The architecture inside is truly astonishing!

More wandering

I found a little people square surrounded by shops and cafes where I stopped to refuel. It was the perfect place for people watching and taking in a bit of the culture, as many locals seemed to be here with their dogs.

After here I wandered into the centre and browsed through the shops, whilst also wandering down the side streets.

I was entirely fascinated by this little cosmopolitan city, it completely took me by surprise! There were lots of little hidden gems everywhere! I could go on and on but then this blog would be far too long. I would highly recommend visiting this place, it’s especially worth visiting if you’re in Salou, Barcelona or any of the other nearby destinations.

Thanks for reading 😉

Oct 30

My Nightmare in Salou, Spain Part 1:

Comments 6

I went to Salou back in May of this year, it was booked for a relaxing break as I hadn’t been away for a few months. Don’t get me wrong, I had a lovely time but just about anything that could go wrong, went wrong.

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*Disclosure* Please note this is my own personal experience and should not be taken at face value. Click the link above to see the full disclosure page for more info.

I booked my break with Onethebeach.com a month in advance. It was an absolute bargain! £230 for a week! This included a self-catering hotel apartment, flights and transfers, I could not wait to go! However, as the days grew closer I began to look through my documents in more detail and come across a problem. The voucher for my hotel said the reception area closed at 8pm and anyone checking in after this time, must contact the hotel. I tried to contact the hotel but was unable to use my free minutes So, I rang Onthebeach.com explaining the situation. The gentlemen dealing with my call said he will ring the hotel to see what to do and get back to me. When he rang me back he explained the hotel had a sister hotel where I could collect the key which was around a 10-minute walk away. I explained to him I was a solo female traveller, I did not feel safe walking around in an unfamiliar place at 10.30pm. With this, he agreed to change my coach drop off to the sister hotel to collect the key, then I would get a taxi to my booked hotel. Although, this was not what happened!!

Stranded!!

On the day of arrival I was dropped off at around 10.30pm at the Hotel where I’m supposed to collect the keys. I walk around the corner which appears to be the front entrance and guess what? It’s closed and the doors are locked! I couldn’t believe it! I walked around the sides hoping there would be another entrance but, there wasn’t. At this point I’m a little anxious but I’m managing to stay calm because I know it’s not going to help if I panic.

When I return back to the main entrance I notice a guy (Emmanuel) stood there with his suitcase, he looks to be in a similar predicament. I ask him, and he tells me he’s supposed to be staying in this hotel but, doesn’t know how to get in. He said his friend who was meeting him there had booked it online, and he was waiting for him as he didn’t know what to do. At this point were kinda both just stood around unsure what to do, a kind lady comes out and tries to help us but, there’s nothing she can do.

No Internet

I dug out my documents to ring on the beach but, guess what? The line was closed!! I knew there must have been another 24hour line but, it was not on my travel documents. I then decided to search for it online but, guess what?? My internet would not come on!! I felt so stressed out!! After telling Emmanuel he kindly offered to give me his password for his WI-FI, then I was then able to find a number and get through. If it was not for the lovely Emmanuel it would have been a lot more stressful.

After, getting through to On the beach I spoke to a lovely agent. I told her my situation, she was so apologetic really concerned for my welfare. She arranged for me to stay at another hotel which was a 10-minute taxi ride away. She also added a breakfast on for me to compensate for the taxi and the inconvenience. In fact, this lady kept in contact with me until I was where I was supposed to be. She rang me to see if I got to the hotel ok then rang me the next day to see if I got to my original hotel (fantastic customer service).

After getting my documents through email and screen shotting them I left Emmanuel who was now with his friend. Emmanuel was a true gent and kept in contact to see I arrived safely. Both him and his friend went to find another hotel after the realisation they were not going to get in to their apartment.

More Problems

I arrive at The best Cap Salou Hotel and show the gentleman on the reception my screen shots. He begins to speak to me in French, I didn’t speak French and he didn’t speak English. He begins to tell me No! Many times whilst pointing to my phone. No! What do you mean No! I was thinking to myself in a state of panic. Then he points to paper, at this point I realise he wants the paper print for the booking. I show him my original voucher for my other hotel and try to explain I don’t have a paper version for this hotel. He continues to say No and points to paper and tries to explain what he needs from me. By this point I was exhausted, tired, frustrated and I just wanted to cry. But, that wasn’t going to solve the situation was it?

The guy then asks for the email, I then ask him for the Wi-Fi, in which he hands me the password. From here were able to eventually communicate me sending the email to the hotel, so, he was able to print the voucher.

It was a stressful situation, but we got there in the end Haha.

It had gone 12.30am by the time I arrived in my hotel room but, I was grateful for a bed.

You couldn’t write it!

The next day I arrive at my original hotel The Salou Pacific and guess what? The lady informs me there open 24hours!! I went through all that stress for absolutely nothing!!

I have no idea which hotel the guy from Onthebeach.com rang but, it certainly wasn’t this one!

I had a lovely time in Salou for the next few days but, I ran in to more problems. If your interested what happens next, look out for the next blog.

Thank you so much for reading 🙂

Oct 25

Panic moment of a rookie solo traveller

Comments 3

Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written anything on here. I try to write at least once a week however, I’ve been travelling during the last week so my schedule has been a little disrupted.

Anyway in my last post I mentioned how there was a little panic moment on the day of leaving Calella. It may not seem as much as a big deal to some but, believe me when your a rookie solo traveller in a foreign country, something small can seem so much bigger.

Moment of being woken up

It’s the day of leaving to travel back home and I’m suddenly woken by the sound of the hotel phone. I answer the phone, it’s reception telling me my bus is waiting outside. I had to ask the gentleman to repeat himself because I was thinking I misheard him. He repeats himself, this time I’m in a state of panic!! I’ve not had a shower, I’m not packed properly and I’m freaking out. I ask the gentleman to ask the driver to wait, and I was coming, in which he said he would. I quickly started to get dressed and pack up all my things and leave the hotel room.

I left the safe key!

I get to the hotel reception and try to check out. The receptionist doesn’t allow me to check out because I’ve not returned the safe key. I try to apologise and tell him the key is in the room in the door of the safe, I’m not bothered about getting my deposit back and I just need to get my shuttle bus.

The thing is my shuttle bus is not directly outside as the street is too narrow for the bus to wait. The bus is actually on the main road which is about a two-minute walk away.

The gentle man doesn’t understand me and begins to speak to me in Spanish But, I don’t understand him either. I figured he was telling me I had to go back to get the safe key. I did this But, it only made me panic more in case the bus left me.

Eventually I returned the safe key and was able to check out and leave.

The bus left me!

I ran down the street, got to the main road, there was no bus to be seen! If I thought I was in a panic before well, that was nothing compared to now!! I was shaking like a leaf and didn’t know what to do!

Now here’s the thing. My flight was at 9.15am, I was told my pick up was at 6am and i would be the last person to be collected. So, I’ve missed my pick up time, the airport is at least an hour away, I’ve only got 40 euros in cash which will not cut the taxi and will need to find a cash point. I was thinking an hour in a taxi! Wow! it’s going to be so expensive!

In my head I was going to miss my flight! I was beyond the feeling of anxiousness in fact, I’m pretty sure this was a moment of anxiety.

Although it was my fault, I still rang the transfer number hoping they could help me. I dial the number several times and I’m either cut off or it’s the wrong number! I take a few deep breaths and try once more and bingo! I get through! While explaining to lady what had happened, she starts to apologise to me and says she doesn’t know what happened and why the driver come to get me earlier. What!! I couldn’t believe it! Here’s me thinking it’s all my fault! Not only that, I’d been in that much of a panic I didn’t even think to check my phone for the time!! Haha

The lady tells me she’s going to contact the driver to see what happened. When she rang me back she told me the driver decided to collect me first but, when I wasn’t ready decided to collect the other travellers at different hotels Wait for it………He had already collected the others then forgot all about me! Luckily he wasn’t too far out and was able to come and collect me. Ahhhhh fewwww!!

Lesson learnt

Now I learnt a valuable lesson here! My mistake was I panicked. If I hadn’t of panicked I would have thought to check the time and spared myself from all that stress!

Advice: Things can go wrong whilst travelling, the best thing to do is stay calm. Staying calm will help you to be able to deal with the situation better, panicking is not going to help you. Panicking adds to the situation and does nothing but makes matters worse.

This is definitely what helped me in the end. As I calmed down and took a few deep breaths I was able to dial the transfer number correctly. It hadn’t been working as I had been dialling the number incorrectly due to my state of mind.

One Last Thing

It was probably a blessing it happened this way because I actually forgot to set my alarm clock!! I can’t even begin to imagine how that would have gone! Haha

Thanks for reading I really appreciate all the support from each and every one of you 🙂

Be sure to follow to read my next blog on my Solo Trip to Salou x

Oct 07

Calella, Spain #2

Comments 3

It’s Day 6, yesterday I spent the day in Barcelona. Today I plan to have a walk around Calella and see what it has to offer.

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It’s around 13.30 in the afternoon by the time I head outside. It’s not the most pleasant day, it’s raining and quite miserable out however, it’s not going to alter my plans. I’ve seen glimpses of the area on the way to the beach or to the train station but that’s about it.

As mentioned in my last blog I’m staying at the Hotel Neptuno, it’s right on the heart of Calella and only 50metres from the centre so, as soon as you step out your pretty much surrounded by shops, cafe’s, restaurants etc. It’s quite busy, I spent a short while walking Round the shops browsing although, most of the shops were tacky souvenir shops. There are a few high street shops as well as traditional Catalan food shops so, there are many opportunities to try some good traditional food.

As I walk further in to the old town the crowds seem to get less and less but, still I grow bored with the main streets and start to wonder down the side streets, admiring the apartments and the old feel of the town. I soon come to a small museum that catches my eye in a quiet side street.

Museu-Arxiu Municipal de calella Josep M. Codina i Bague

My entry ticket was €2, there is a combined ticket €3.50 which also gives you entrance to the lighthouse and refuge.

Inside is full of ceramics, tiles, archaeological materials, old machinery, clothes, art, Iberian and roman remains, and an old pharmacy. The museum was bigger than first imagined, spread over the ground floor, first floor and second floor, with numerous rooms to enter which keeps the curiosity going. There’s also a pretty garden with benches for people to sit, on better days than today of course. The museum really gives you an insight to the history and traditions of the municipality, it’s definitely worth the €2 and got me out of the rain for an hour or so, as I refused to buy an umbrella.

From here I venture through more side streets and through the residential areas, making my way more towards the sea end near the Sardana monument on Passeig Manuel Puigvert. The shopping streets run parallel to the sea so, as your walking through you get glimpses of the sea.

The Sardana Monument on Passeig Manuel puigvert

I learnt this was where the locals celebrate all their festivals. Many of the festivals are around June to September around the times when there are fewer tourists. One of the biggest and oldest festival is the Aplec de la Sardana. It takes place on the first Sunday in June and a big traditional dance takes place in a circle. The monument shows people holding hands taking part in the circle dance. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of this to display.

Other festivals include The Calella and Alt Maresme Fair, which includes craft shows, traditions and customs of the region. Then there’s the Oktoberfest which lasts almost all of October. This includes visitors from all over the globe, music bands and beer from the Bavarian culture.

Now, I don’t know where the time went but, it was all of a sudden almost 6pm! I made my way back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner.

I’m all freshened up and ready to go down to the restaurant. I’m the second one of the solo travellers to arrive, the German gentleman is already seated and gives me a wave. After getting my food I go to join him at the solo traveller table. Seriously! We actually had a table! We all didn’t speak the same language but, we greeted each other and always sat together.

The Solo Traveller Table

On my third day at the morning buffet, I noticed a lady sat by herself. The tables were rather large so, I sit on her table but at the other end. Moments later another lady arrives, and a few others appear one after the other. They all seem to know each other as they greet each other and have small conversations on what their doing for the day. Then I discovered they actually didn’t know each other as some only said hi and that was it. This was when I realised we were all solo travellers I thought it was really cool. From this day I became a member of the table 😂

On this table I met Joanna who was also from the UK. On this night after my busy day walking around Calella Joanna comes quite late, we always talked so much so, I stuck around for longer. Afterwards we decided to go for a drink at the Hotel bar, it was a really lovely ending to the day.

You see travelling alone doesn’t always mean you have to be alone all the time. There has been many occasions when people say they couldn’t imagine, not being able to speak to people for a week. Well, this is the proof in the pudding, it does not have to be that way.

Day 7 Not going to lie I literally do nothing on this day. Its another rainy day and I don’t feel like getting drenched through like yesterday. My day consisted of using the Hotel gym, chilling out watching Netflix then around 4pm I’m a little bored so go to the hotel bar to watch the football and chat with the Hotel staff. It was just a nice chilled out day as I had to be up at 5am in the morning to catch my plane.

This trip was a fantastic trip without as much worry as the first solo trip. However, there was a little moment of panic on the day of leaving. I don’t want to make this blog too long so, I will tell you about this in the next one.

Thanks for reading 😁

Sep 24

Calella, Spain #1

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Calella is a seaside city situated on the Costa del Maresme in Catalonia Spain and is just 50km north of Barcelona.

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It’s a place that is accommodating to all ages and families with young children in particular, as there are a number of lively facilities nearby. PortAventura is nearby and only a short bus ride away plus a free bus ride to water world is also available. It’s also a place that has a lot of history and culture to be discovered. The lighthouse of Calella is one of its main attractions where you are able to get amazing views over the Mediterranean sea. Calella also has three main beautiful beaches where a number of water sports take place.

I had never heard of the place until searching on Teletext Holidays for a cheap getaway. It came up in the search as one of the cheapest packages at the price of £290, half board for 7days. The price included, flights, hotels, transfers, breakfast and dinner, I had to book it! The holiday was booked for the end of May just before the summer holidays so, was a little cheaper in price.

Day 3 At this point I’ve been here for 3 days but haven’t seen anything of Calella yet. I arrived late on the first night, the second day was spent in Barcelona, and on this day I planned to do nothing but relax on the beach, after a busy day in Barcelona.

So, it’s around 1pm by the time I’m making my way to the beach, it’s just a straight walk ahead from Neptuno Hotel where I’m staying. To be more precise it’s actually only 250metres away from the beach.

On arrival, I’m pleasantly surprised at how empty the beach was, I was expecting it to be a lot busier. But, thinking this, I was thrilled! It meant peace and quiet.

I can imagine this place to be busy in the summer holidays but, it was perfect for me at this time of the year. Being here helped me to relax from my usual busy lifestyle, it gave me time to think with no distractions. In fact, it was almost like time stopped for a short while, allowing me to think of absolutely nothing, whilst being able to appreciate the surroundings.

Bahari Club

I’m a little hungry after a while, there’s a couple of bars along the beach, I go to one called Bahari Club.

The staff were extremely welcoming from the moment I walked through the door. I’m given a menu, I prefer a vegetarian dish but there’s not much choice, so I go for a fish dish which cost almost €9.

The food comes and I couldn’t believe it! Was expecting a big plate of food Although, the plate was big, there was just not much food on it. Ok, so, it’s a la carte menu which I didn’t realise prior to entering. I totally get the concept of a la carte, the dishes are smaller because you can order separate items, rather than part of a set meal. However, I’m not a fan of a la carte, I always find I’m still hungry afterwards. I ordered another dish which was almost €7, and I was still hungry! Don’t get me wrong, the food was delicious but, €16 to still be hungry!! Ha-ha. Are you a fan of a la carte?

Luckily the wine was nice and at reasonable prices too, which helped me to forget I was hungry for a short while. In addition to this, I did receive a complimentary glass of wine with bottled water, after making friends with the bartenders. Would have preferred free food but, never mind I was still very grateful and hungry.

I stayed here until the early evening it was great! Sat outside sipping wine, people watching, watching the waves of the sea and listening to the lovely Spanish music playing in the background.

The bartenders kept coming over to talk to me, think they wanted to keep me company. But, even without that, I felt completely comfortable with my own company. This was the first time I had actually felt completely confident being alone in a bar/restaurant. I’m absolutely fine with being alone traveller however, lack confidence when it come to certain situations like this but, would often push myself to do it. Believing the more it was done, the more confident I would become with it.

It was around 7.30pm by the time I got back to my hotel. On arrival, I take a shower and go to the hotel restaurant for dinner. I’m not there long before returning to my room, watching a film then falling asleep.

Day 4 Its 11am I’m showered, dressed, had my breakfast, my workout at the gym and I’m good to go. I don’t really have that much of a plan today other than to have a wonder around the local area.

No joke! I’m about to walk out the door and it throws it down! So, instead I go back to my room and watch TV for a while.

It’s 3pm and as predicted by the weather forecast it’s turned nice and sunny. At this point its siesta time so, instead I decided to go to the beach again and take a visit to the lighthouse.

This time around I walk right to the end of the beach, well, it’s not the end but, without a boat I can’t go any further.

It was so peaceful and absolutely stunning here. That was until a naked couple appear from the other side of the rocks! I had no idea I was on a nudest beach!! 😂 Didn’t know where to put my face, and they just stroll past me like it was nothing!

Calella Lighthouse

Just above it is the beautiful light house of Calella.

The lighthouse of Calella is one of the main attractions in Calella.

Construction began on the 9th October 1856 and was inaugurated on 15th December 1859. It’s light can be seen from a distance of 35miles and it’s navigation pattern is three short beams and two large every 30 seconds.

The views were breath taking! Right over Calella and over the Mediterranean sea.

Inside the lighthouse is a little museum where you can learn about its heritage and the history of the area.

It was pretty much a chilled relaxed day. Tomorrow I was heading back to Barcelona for my tour and knew it would be a busy day.

The next blog will be the second part of my time here in Calella.

Thanks for reading 😁