Trips from Barcelona: Diving in Ibiza

Diving isn’t generally on the list of activities when you go to Ibiza but for as little as 30 euros, The Sea Horse Sub-Aqua Center at Playa Ports des Torrent can take you to the Cala d’Hort Marine natural reserve to enjoy some of the best diving in the Mediterranean Sea. I went diving there a few weeks ago and loved it and found crew there to be very kind and helpful so its one place I'd recommend for diving in Spain.

With up to 35 meters of visibility, the water is some of the clearest around the island. You can swim around caves & colourful canyons looking for morays and conger eels while admiring the beautiful sponges and coral. Courses for as little as 55 euros are also on offer so if you fancy doing something else than sitting around drinking margaritas, go pay them a visit. http://www.seahorsedivingibiza.com/ +34 971 346 438

For flights to Ibiza from Barcelona try Clickair and for Ibiza diving accommodation including Ibiza Town accommodation you can try Holiday Velvet.

Ham Tasting in Barcelona

When is comes to ham, the Spanish really know their stuff. There’s no better way to learn more about this speciality than to go and visit one of Maria Jose Gil’s ham tasting sessions in Barcelona. Born into a family of butchers she first started running these sessions 6 years ago and from originally 1 every three months, she now organises two a week in private venues across the city.

To learn more about Bellota or Jabugo ham, you can learn her secrets while enjoying some of the best ham on offer while washing it down with a glass of or two. Prices depend on the size of your group but for more information you can email silver@silvercatering.com

Irish Pubs Barcelona

The Irish pubs are a well known bars over the world. Also in Barcelona there are over 20 of these bars. Each one with its own style and concept, but all Irish pubs have something in common: the screening of sporting events and British and imported beers.

Playing an important social role, both in the urban areas and the workers' zones of Ireland and GB, the public houses can be traced back to medieval times. They were, afterwards, transplanted to America, when and where , the largest immigrant communities settled down. The Irish Pubs nowadays has become a meeting point for the English speaking people, foreigners and tourists from all origins.

In many of the Irish Pubs there is live music, but mostly only from Monday until Friday, the Flann O'Brien Irish Pub therefore offers live music on Friday and Saturdays from 11.30 PM
Because there are so many of the Irish pubs in Barcelona it is hard to say which one is the best. You can find more information on the Michael Collins Irish pub in Barcelona and Flaherty´´s Irish Bar for a list of their live gigs. Learn more about holiday rentals in the Eixample, Barcelona area.

Spanish delicacy

Spain is known for it’s climate, beaches culture and the great cities. But there is more. The Spanish kitchen has some famous dishes. For example the tapas, paella, gazpacho and of course the Spanish wines. And where can you better eat this delicacy than in Spain it self.

A typically Spanish tapas dish, a little less known by foreigners, is the patatas bravas. In fact fried potaoes with a spicy sauce. In the beginning only eaten by students and factory workers, but nowadays it is a tapas eaten by all Spaniards.

For only a few euros you can buy the patatas bravas in local tapas bars, but in the more famous restaurants, like the Artz Hotel in Barcelona, you pay up to 16 euros. A recipe for the patatas bravas can be found at www.spain-recipes.com/patatas-bravas.html. Many UK tourists find staying in an area such as Alicante can be ideal for visiting Spain and trying out Spanish food, with numerous budget flights available with airlines including Easyjet and Ryanair.

Contributor: Symon Oevering