V&A - Good for the eyes

 

Some photos from my trip to the V&A to pick up tickets for the Bowie exhibition. Everything there is good to look at, the exhibits, the shops the staircases... even the plastic bags!

 

I've been to COS

Is COS the most aspirational shop in the world? Prices are (just about) attainable, the decor is basically what your flat would like if you could afford mid-century furniture and all the clothes scream "I can make you look like a Scandinavian architect who plays keyboards in a band to relax at the weekend! BUY ME!"

So when the sales are on, I can go a little  overboard. This is my haul from last week:

- Navy blue dress with star-fold detail

- Black stripe Breton (this is the third colour I have it in)

- Stripe t shirt with a ruffle collar. I didn't buy this for ages because I thought I could make one. Then it went into the sale. HA!

- Gold flag (not bunting) necklace

- Grey twill scarf that I'll be wearing all autumn

Which shops make you want to spend all your money?

The Bars of Barcelona

We have now spent enough time in BCN that we have completely stopped bothering with the tourist attractions so we have more time to trawl the bars.  Here are some of our favourites:

Betty Ford - If there is a better name for a bar than this, I haven't heard it. The street it is on - Carrer de Joaquín Costa - is very studenty and full of other great bars. The area has more of a local feel and is a little bit off the tourist trail. It has amazing burgers in baskets and tiki decor that has had me searching ebay for hula-themed cocktail accessories ever since.



Polaroid - An 80s theme bar with VHS tapes on the wall and free popcorn. They don't seem to have upped their beer prices since the 80s either! Cheap!



Bosc de les Fades - A bar themed like a creepy fairy garden that you have to go past the creepy wax museum to get to. It has a real pond and fountain.


  Sincopa - A friendly gothic quarter bar with an entire paper mache band stuck to the ceiling.


London Bar - Like most bars in Barcelona, Hemmingway apparently once drank here. It looks a bit Disnyland art-nouveau from the outside but it is definitely worth going in. There is usually live music. We caught a genuine jazz flautist playing to a surprisingly respectful Spanish audience.

 

Other bar and venue recommendations:

Bar Sweet - This place doesn't exist on the internet (though there is a gay bar of the same name in BCN) but it is a shady, tucked away outdoor bar in the marina.  Perfect for when it is baking hot and you can't find your way off the marina. This happens to me a lot! Be warned, it is useless in the rain.

Sala Apolo - A gig venue that looks like a revue bar and is home to a million red light bulbs.

Stoke - A friendly expat bar.

Nevermind - A grunge bar that I once saw Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips running away from.

Manchester - A dark and friendly bar that only plays English music. The walls used to be covered in Estrella labels and London tube tickets but someone seems to have cleaned up since last year. Boo!

Today's outfit - The 'back in gloomy London' edition

Coat - Charity Shop, Skirt - Mango, Top - Vero Moda

I got stripes...

We are one day into Primavera. I have been forcing myself to sleep until 12.00 so I can be perky for The Knife's set at 3.20am - wish me luck!

Report from the field

This is brought to you by the magic of shaky wifi in a cake shop, the Blogger app and some photos I took earlier. Let's hope blogger doesn't muck up my aspect ratio and make me look as wide as I am tall!

We are in rainy Barcelona having fun and waiting for Primavera Sound to start. It is currently an unexpected bank holiday so we and many other clueless tourists have sought shelter and sustenance in the only shop that is open. It happens to sell croissants and ice cream. I have been here a while!