Barcelona

It's Tanya's 40th birthday and we were all ready for a weekend of pure unadulterated fun in gorgeous Barcelona. The first order of the day was a good hearty breakfast at the airport before the short flight. All the girls were together which only meant that the weekend would be packed with a lot of high jinx and laughter. We checked into our amazing 6 bedroom luxury pad on Avinguda Diagonal and filled the air with squeals of pure delight as we explored every inch of our home away from home. The TOWIE lot would certainly be well jel. Everything in the apartment was white and sparkly and it could easily feature in a glossy home design magazine. The only way to describe it is Wow! Everyone was incredibly impressed and it set the mood for Tanya's fabulous introduction to the naughty forty's. Tanya, Emma, Jubaida, Bianca and I were famished and headed to a nearby restaurant to sample a selection of delicious tapas washed down with a bottle of the local Cava. Then we picked up some snacks and refreshments and went back to the apartment to chill out and get ready for the evenings festivities. Patrizia and Gundula arrived later in the afternoon and after a few glasses of celebratory bubbles we were ready to paint the city in vibrant red. We had reservations at Cal Pep on Placa de les olles, a seemingly tiny establishment on the corner of the square and we were not disappointed. We sat down at the back of the restaurant and the animated waiter arranged for an array of delectable morsels to tantalise our taste buds. We were very satisfied customers but at one point we had to stop the conveyor belt of food arriving at our table. We had an engagement with a dance floor and no one would be able to shimmy whilst being in a food coma. We made our way to Opium night club but instead of rubbing shoulders with the young and restless, we found the nearest sofa on the terrace outside and chilled out with a fruity shisha. It had been a brilliant day and at roughly 2am we called it a night.

We had a lovely little lie in followed by a family style breakfast around the 10 seater dining room table. The table was laid with a vast selection of treats and we tucked in and had a giggle as we dissected the events of the previous day. Once we were all ready to face the world outside, we made our way to Sagrada Familia to witness the current stage of construction the church was in. Looks like we will be coming back in 2026 to view the grand finale of Gaudi's unconventional masterpiece. After our little cultural foray we took a stroll down the historic avenue of La Rambla enjoying the sights of this busy tourist attraction. It was lovely but all we really wanted to do is kick off our shoes, put on some tunes and crack open some bubbly and enjoy our beautiful apartment. We had the best afternoon lounging around and raising our decibel level to compete with life's noises on the street beyond the balcony. Our conversations were interjected with the obligatory shot of tequila with slices of oranges and cinnamon. Delicious! We all stepped up our game and dressed to impress. Patrizia and Gundula even visited the hair salon and returned to the apartment looking absolutely amazing. A short taxi ride away took us to Port Olimpic for dinner at the W, with sweeping views of the marina and waterfront. The restaurant was lovely but there were a few issues with the food. While everyone threw in their two cents worth, Tanya and I sat back in a cava haze watching the saga unfold. We received some complimentary goodies and once dinner was finished we made our way to Carpe Diem to dance the night away in our private VIP section next to the DJ box. The music was amazing and the hours melted away as Sebastian Gamboa effortlessly transported us to the shores of Ibiza to party in Balearic style. At regular intervals, a talented violinist played in unison with his set and it was like listening to a synergy of sound. At 3am we dragged our tired feet home and after a lovely hot cup of manzanilla tea fell into a deep sleep.

Last nights escapades had left us all feeling a little bit worse for wear the next morning. With pounding heads we packed up our belongings and said hasta la vista to our gorgeous apartment. Once outside, with shades firmly blocking our eyes from the brilliant sunshine, we found the nearest cafe for Barcelona's version of a fry up. We all needed some sustenance before the journey home and over coffee and eggs we shared our collective memories of the brilliant two days we had just spent in each others company.