Trip to Barcelona, Spain - 23rd to 28th June 2005

Less than a week after returning from Valencia, I went to Barcelona, for a long-arranged weekend away. I had been there once before, but that was at the end of a long bout of travelling around Europe, so I didn't fully appreciate it. I remembered it as a great city, but one that I just didn't have the energy and enthusiasm for when I was there last.

The good memories I had before were more than justified, and I think Barcelona shot up during this trip to be one of my very favourite European cities, probably even beating Paris. The fact that you have everything there, a great city, the beach, the mountains, makes it a complete playground, and a place of great enjoyment.

A tour of the Nou Camp went down well, as did many nighttime strolls through the Barri Gothic, stopping off for beers and tapas on the way - there aren't many better ways to spend a 25-degree evening than that. A very good few nights, and a perfect way to ignore Glastonbury going on back in the UK (you either have to go there, or try to ignore it completely)- although I did see the horrendous floods on TV!!