JULY 1, 2016

Barcelona Days and Nights

PHOTO JOURNAL

What better excuse to visit a city than a creative festival that is sure to pull out all the stops? OFFF Barcelona 2016 did just that. And Barcelona's sunshine, beachfront and delicious food helped to make this weekend a very welcomed one. I've rounded up a few of my favorite places in case you're heading that way; the next edition of OFFF will take place in April, if you're interested.

We had heard so much about recently-opened hotel Casa Bonay (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 700), a creative playground of sorts that delivers cool, classy, creative vibes with a quirky Catalonian edge, and boasts a passion for showcasing local independent talent, including an outpost of Barcelona's favorite coffee junkies, Satan's Coffee Corner (originally at Carrer de l'Arc de Sant Ramon del Call, 11). The paper installation of various leaf forms in a Mediterranean pallet that decorated the hall was designed by Atelier who also created the OFFF 2016 open titles, we later found out.

We spent our days alternating between the conference (enjoying most talks outdoors thanks to the streaming system they had set up) and hitting up a few sights on our list; we stayed in the Sagrada Familia district (our Airbnb was perfect for the three of us) and tried coffees at Wer-Haus (Carrer d'Aragó, 287) and Onna Coffee (Carrer de Santa Teresa, 1), and brunch at Granja Petitbo (Passeig de Sant Joan, 82). We also spent some time soaking up some sun at the Ciutadella Park and clocked some hours at Barceloneta Beach. 

 

We spent one morning indulging in Australian-inspired brunch favorites at Federal Café Gotic (Passatge de la Pau, 11) and loved the relaxed vibe. In the evenings we tried local tapas at the infamous Bar del Pla (Carrer Montcada, 2) - it really is as good as they say, we had such a fun time - and Tantarantana (Carrer Tantarantana, 24). One evening we even trekked up to Park Güell to watch the sunset. But there's so much more to discover in Barcelona, I know I'll be back someday. Check out #barcelonawithmae on Instagram for more photos from my short trip.