My fellow artists at Arte Bar Barcelona

This blog is just a hobby, I certainly don’t make any money from it. So it’s always nice to be invited on a food tour or to the odd restaurant now and again. But a painting evening, even with wine, I wasn’t sure about at all. And to be frank, I was a little nervous. But I needn’t be. This was without doubt one of the most fun evenings I’ve had in Barcelona. Read the rest of this article…

There’s nothing quite like being out on the open sea. You get a very different perspective of the city from the Med. And thanks to Noah’s Barcelona boat trips that’s exactly what I was able to do.

Three chimneys from the sea

We all met at Barnabier in Port Olímpic and shared a few beers until Noah arrived. We walked around the port to his motor yacht Minerva, where we were given a quick safety briefing during a few moments of seriousness. Then we piled aboard like eager schoolboys and bombarded Noah with questions, mainly about where the fridge for the drinks was and how fast the boat went, all of which Noah handled calmly and professionally. Read the rest of this article…

The slow movement, ironically, continues apace since its roots in the mid-80s and the founding of the Slow Food organisation whose ideals advocate slowing down life’s pace and fighting against the notion that faster is always better.

But what is slow travel?

In writing A Manifesto for Slow Travel in 2009, Nicky Gardner describes it thus:

“Slow travel is about making conscious choices, and not letting the anticipation of arrival undermine the pleasure of the journey. By choosing to travel slowly, we reshape our relationship with place and with the communities through which we pass on our journeys.”

Guillermo and Cristina of Barcelona Slow Travel combine the values of slow food, slow travel and eco-tourism. They pride themselves on providing experiences that align with the principles of authenticity, sustainability and human experiences. And above all, they’re just lovely. Read the rest of this article…

Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria

He doesn’t sound Spanish, he doesn’t even look Spanish, but second-generation Catalan, Joel Serra Bevin certainly knows Spanish food. Papa Serra was his grandfather and after living in New Zealand, Australia, London and New York, Joel has come back to his roots and started his Barcelona Culinary Adventures.

Barcelona cooking classes

His Spanish cooking classes and food market tours in Barcelona are a fantastic introduction to this fascinating cuisine in the city that Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations fame described as “the most exciting place to eat in the Western world”.

The Boqueria Market Tour

Joel was kind enough to invite me along, so I met him, and the rest of the group, at 9am one morning at the entrance to the Boqueria market. Joel furnished us with glasses of cava and explained a bit about the history of the market and how it had developed over the years. I’d never been to the market at such an early hour and it was such a joy to see it a lot less crowded than I’m used to. Read the rest of this article…