Exploring hidden Barcelona with SEAT Arona

I have a never-ending love for Barcelona. It's amazing architecture, street art, vivid colours and delicious food make my heart beat a little faster. When SEAT got in touch to invite me to explore the city driving their new urban SUV, I couldn't say no. 

You may remember that I have already been to Barcelona earlier this year for the official press launch of SEAT Arona, the new SEAT crossover. This time we came back for a test drive and to attend Primavera Club, a music festival where new artists get discovered to further perform at Primavera Sound in summer next year. 

Taking advantage of the sun rising a little later this time of year we couldn't miss an opportunity to photograph the sunrise. Pictures below were taken from Park Mirador del Poble Sec.

Another amazing place I only discovered during this visit is Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. The hospital was completed in 1930 to become the most important civil building of the Catalan Art Nouveau movement. In 1997, together with the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Hospital was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO for its unique construction and artistic beauty. 

Tibidabo. One more place to add to your list. There's an amusement park and a beautiful church on top of the mountain that were, sadly, still closed when we got there early in the morning. It's not that I need a reason to go back! Just this view was well worth it.

Flax & Kale is a hipster cafe with beautiful interiors and healthy food suitable for almost any dietary requirements. 

Ugot is the cutest little cafe with a curated vintage interior and delicious food. I'll be back for that burrata with grilled peaches!

Street art. Barcelona has a lot of graffiti pretty much everywhere but my favourite spot was La Escocesa - street art around the area served as a perfect backdrop to photograph  the car.

Barcelona has always something new to discover, and with Casa Vicens, the first house Gaudi ever designed, opening to the public this month, I am ready to hop on a plane again soon.  

Exploring Barcelona with the new SEAT Arona

Barcelona is one of my favourite cities in Europe and I am always happy to come back. This time I was invited by SEAT to attend the launch of their new urban SUV SEAT Arona. It was my first time at a press launch of a car and I have to say that I really enjoyed it, being in sunny Barcelona obviously contributed to it a lot.

The event took place at The Italian Pavilion in Montjuic, and we had some time to explore the area too.

Next day we started early to explore Barcelona as SEAT is a car from Barcelona and is inspired by the city's art, architecture, colours and street art. First stop was a 55m wall at Primavera Sound music festival that was created by street artists as a collaboration between SEAT and TheCreativeNet.

It's always a pleasure to visit Barcelona and I'm really happy I had an opportunity to explore more of it's urban culture and street art.

Fun times in PortAventura

Last week I spent a few days in PortAventura, the most visited theme park in Spain. It is a perfect place for a family holiday or for a fun trip with a group of friends. Of course, kids are the ones having the most fun!                                                                                                    

The park consists of a few areas, each dedicated to a different part of the world: Mediterranea, Mexico, China, Polynesia, Far West, SesamoAventura and the newly opened Ferrari Land.

Mediterranea was the area I liked the most as it looks a coastal town in Catalonia with little fishing boats and lots of flowers everywhere.

SesamoAventura is themed to the Sesame Street characters and is aimed at the younger visitors of the park. It's so much fun to watch the little ones taking the rides with their parents or the more fearless ones doing it by themselves.

Polynesia area is the most green and great for having a break with an ice cream in the shadow.

Ferrari Land is a new addition to the park (opened in April 2017) with its main attraction - the highest and fastest roller coaster in Europe! After an overwhelming ride don't miss out Formula One racing simulators and an interactive gallery of Ferrari history.

After all the rainy days I really needed those few days to soak up the sun and enjoy relaxing evenings after days of active fun. Many thanks to PortAventura for having me!

Sant Jordi in Barcelona with Casa Batllo

I've been to Barcelona a few times before but not recently so I was really excited when Casa Batllo invited me to visit for the celebration of Sant Jordi festival. I am a huge fan of Gaudi architecture (if you don't know him - he's the mastermind behind Sagrada Familia and of course Casa Batllo) but when I heard that this amazingly beautiful building will be decorated with roses I was ready to start packing my suitcase straight away!

Why roses you may ask? According to the tradition, the people in Catalonia celebrate the day of their patron saint, Sant Jordi, with couples exchanging gifts: a book for men and a rose for women. Lots of couples follow this tradition so the whole city is filled with flower and book stalls.

Casa Batllo is a remodel of a previously built house, redesigned in the beginning of the twentieth century by Gaudí who found his inspiration in flora and fauna, and created a very unusual look of the facade.

Casa Amatller is a neighbour of Casa Batllo and is often overlooked but it's well worth a visit too! 

Palau de la Musica Catalana is a place I wanted to visit for a very long time. It is a wonderful example of Catalan Art Nouveau, the only concert venue in this style to be listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The pictures speak for themselves - just look at all the gorgeous details!

El Nacional Barcelona is a wonderful experience of its own. The space, that used to be a car park, was transformed into 4 restaurants and 5 bars, all under one roof, offering traditional recipes from the Iberian peninsula.

We stayed in Hotel Alexandra, just a few minutes walk from Casa Batllo.

Of course I couldn't leave Barcelona without having a look at this Instagram famous facade covered with plants and strolling through Gothic quarter.

I've also popped into Hotel Barcelo Raval to enjoy the view from their roof terrace.

Cotton House hotel is another beautiful space with an amazing spiral staircase.

I was a guest of Casa Battlo, all opinions are my own.