by loshani,

soundtrack as i write this: can’t fight this feeling – reo speedwagon

set scene: 22nd april 2025 in barcelona

last chronological post in case you want to catchup: it’s pronounced “bar-the-lona”

but first, coffee. we made our way to orval studio today to enjoy a delicious iced coffee. the perks of traveling in the middle of the month and being their during a regular work week is that the streets are empty, the usual tourist spots are waiting for some eyes to see them and you get to enjoy the mornings to yourself as though you lived there. orval studio was a cozy, artistic, creator-esque cafe a stone’s throw away from parc de la cituadella.

in case you didn’t know, i love a good cardamom bun – so naturally i’ve got my top 3 spots in barcelona for you to enjoy in case you ever want to feed into my – “anything sweet-aholic” tendancies.

we popped into the museum of catalonian history – because i felt it was time to balance out all the tapas and beach time with some culture and context. the building was a building – the last standing one from the old barcelona port.

the museu – as the name suggests was a deep dive into the history of the region. i went in thinking i’d be in and out in half an hour, and somehow ended up reading about medieval trade routes like my life depended on it.

let me fill you in, since i was confused prior to my little “get cultured or get cancelled” moment:

barcelona is the capital city of catalunya, which is one of spain’s 17 autonomous regions. basically, catalunya is like the cool cousin who’s part of the family but insists on doing things her own way — her own language, flag, traditions, and a very strong sense of identity.

1. they have their own language. catalan – closer to french and italian than spanish.
2. catalunya has serious independence energy. they’ve been proudly distinct for centuries and even had their own medieval parliament in the 1200s. that sense of “we’re different and we know it” is woven into everything — from their festivals to their food to how they talk about history.
3. pa amb tomàquet (bread with tomato) — simple and honestly elite. it’s just toasted bread rubbed with garlic and fresh tomato, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt. every catalan household does it, and you’ll find it on every menu in barcelona.
4. barcino – barcelona used to be called barcino in roman times with parts of those roman walls still tucked under the city.

🍷 the food was 8.5/10 – a great spot for a lunch in the city or date night. i wasn’t blown away by the dishes, they were delicious. the dessert we had … i’ll try not to butcher the name for any spanish readers but in simple terms, it was a fried dough, topped with a fried cheese, drenched in a delicious syrup. i inhaled that.

☀️ the atmosphere & service was a 7/10 – we had to wait quite a bit despite having a reservation and felt like the service was rushed and kind of forgetful. not to mention the elephant in the title, i was in fact dressed in wine when the waiter knocked over my own glass of wine onto my lap. it happens and i wasn’t fussed because thankfully, moi was wearing black pants so it wouldn’t show once dried up but i was sort of disappointed by the lack of seriousness the waiter had over the matter. i’m not sure if my expectations are high coming from a city where hospitality is always a 11/10 but i was also kind of taken aback when he proceeded to rub my lap down without permission. excuse me sir, it might be the culture, nothing against the place but it just made a dent on the experience.

on our stroll post lunch we started to notice a lot of rose vendors. and by a lot, i mean a lot – one on every corner, student vendors, retired vendors, men carrying bouquets on their way home from work. it was one of those weird moments where you think you’ve stumbled upon some sort of flash mob where everyone knows the part they have to play and you’re just standing awkwardly in the middle of it all. after a debate on whether we should ask a local, we decided to rely on our trusty, english speaking friend instead, chatgpt.

secrets and more barcelona fun revealed on the next one, bye for now.

by loshani