Surviving Lockdown in Barcelona

Barcelona

10 Tips to keep you sane during Barcelona Lockdown 

So whilst bars and restaurants and our usual indulgent spots may be closed for the foreseeable future, here’s some survival tips from some fellow locked down Barcelona strugglers to the next.

 

1. Hike Up To The Bunkers For Sunset
   Need to clear your head and move your body? Probably yes (even if you don’t feel like it). Walk to Bunkers. For whoever doesn’t already know this local gem it’s the perfect sunset spot with panoramic views all over the city. It’s a fair hike but the perfect excuse to tone your butt and drag yourself into shape for summer 2021, when we’re allowed out to play again.
2. Hit Up The Instagram Hotspots
   Make the most of the Insta spots being free, this has never happened in the history of hashtags. Barcelona right now is officially an Influencers dream. Some of the most photographed streets in the world are empty and free for posing the days away. If you’re a travel blogger lusting mournfully over Skyscanner grab your camera and take to the local streets. Ultimate insta destinations such as Casa Battlo, Casa Milo and the Arc de Triomf are now deserted, now’s the time for the money shot.
3. PICNIC – ANYWHERE, EVERYWHERE (currently on hold but anyway)
   So whether you’ve been in Barcelona for a couple of days, weeks or years you’ll be fully aware that people here love to picnic. With restaurants forced into closing their doors again, we have to get more adventurous with our dining locations. Either make your own delicious snacks or keep supporting local businesses with their take-away options. Parc Ciutedella? Parc Guell? Barceloneta? Get adventurous and drag them up Montserrat? Wherever you choose to picnic, the possibilities are endless. Here’s our list of the best picnic spots to head to once we’re given the green light.
4. Street Art
   Barcelona is home to some of the world’s hottest street artists and pandemic or no pandemic, it’s there and free for all to see. On every corner there’s a new abstract piece of art brightening up the street and ready to take your mind off the end of the world as we know it. Take the long walk home through the Gothic Quarter and see an iconic fusion of historical buildings and contemporary art. This is the heart of the street art scene but the chaos and colour is seen all over the city. Poblenou is another up and coming neighbourhood full of confronting street art to keep you inspired. And if you don’t want to go alone, we have an awesome local street art guide who can take you around the best spots.
   
   
5. Pick up Ingredients at La Boqueria + Cook Up A Storm
   We’re so used to grabbing food out in true city lifestyle in one of Barcelona’s thousands of delicious spots, we forget we can cook up a storm in the kitchen ourselves. Head to the famous La Boqueria Market for an authentic experience full of bright colours, delicious smells and the chaos of Catalan life. This is the best spot in the city to stock up on fresh ingredients before taking on the cheffing world. If you need a crash course in cooking get involved in one of our Barcelona cooking classes and learn to take over the kitchen in true Catalan style.
6. Revel In The Online Dating World
   Most of us awkward humans rely on a crammed bar and at least 7 drinks to attempt to seduce a beautiful local. This lockdown life is making it much harder to meet people authentically so dating apps it is. You know how this one works in a normal climate – a 5 minute chat and a meet up for a drink etc etc. REMEMBER We can still date without bars. Take a bottle of wine and head out for a romantic picnic in the park (when we’re allowed to) or sunset drinks at the beach, get creative with your dating. Plus if we get to the point we can’t leave the house again, indulge in some full blown virtual romance and set yourself up for disappointment when the world re-opens. Check our more gritty guide to online dating in one of the best looking cities in the world HERE. 

   

7. Winter Beach Hangouts
   So it may not be the middle of summer, but remember we don’t live in the UK, there’s still enough rays to justify leaving the house. Spain is renowned for its plentiful fun so there’s still time to head down to the beach with a few beers to breathe in some fresh sea air and feel less sorry for ourselves. The water may be verging on a bit chilly now but Barcelona is still the perfect spot for a game of beachfront volleyball, a picnic and a people watch. If you don’t feel like approaching a group of adrenaline pumped strangers App’s such as Meetup are used all the time to organise volleyball games or other beach related fun.
8. Get Planning For 2021
   Rainy Day? Spend it relentlessly planning the sweet escape. If you’ve done everything else above repeatedly for the past six months and are now losing the will to live, why not put your time into thinking about the future? Think how much better thought out your 2021 travel plans are going to be – and how much more you’re going to appreciate them. For sure the travel world might look a little scary and you’re scared of losing more money on plans that might not happen, BUT there’s some killer risk-free travel deals out there ready to be snapped up. We’re also on the verge of launching our ultimate tool the Stoke App which is perfect for making sure you’re in all the right places for the best cultural events of 2021.
9. Get Out Of The City
   So although it’s easy to resign ourselves to mournfully roaming the city streets wishing things would open, we strongly advise leaving the city. We can’t travel abroad but remember we’re in the heart of Catalonia and it has so much more than just Barcelona to offer. There’s the mountains of Montserrat just behind the city, Costa Brava up the coast and Sitges and beyond to the south. So during these blissful days of freedom whilst we are still allowed to leave the house, jump on a train or rent a car and experience what Mother Nature of Catalonia has to offer, whilst the city sleeps.
10. Drink Through The Pain
    If all else fails, wine is still cheap and readily available to drink in the solitude of our own apartments. Think Bridget Jones on New Years Eve – stuck on repeat. We can always just drown our sorrows in wine and self pity this winter and try again when the world reopens next year. If you’ve drunk too much wine and feel the urge to mix up the pity party on a budget, here’s our ultimate Stoke SANGRIA recipe.

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Tagged with: covid, travel plans, Lockdown, Barcelona