Montjuïc and Poble Sec...

Summer in this city tends to gravitate around the beach, but one of my favourite ways to get out of the heat and escape to somewhere a bit more peaceful is to take a walk up Montjuïc, which is the hill that you see to the left of the city as you stand on the beach looking up, or to your right as you look down from Tibidabo.

I spent a few hours there this morning, recovering from the partying of last night in Poble Sec, of which more later.

I like to say hello to a few of the local ladies each time I visit.

Today the cicadas were in full song but apart from that, it was wonderfully quiet and peaceful (well, there was a bit of music from Piknic Electronik later, but that sounded pretty good so it was OK).

The park has museums, art galleries and the Olympic Stadium, and still manages to fit in a fort, numerous gardens and a cemetery. The history of this place is fascinating and I love that I keep learning more about it all the time.

We needed to blow away the cobwebs after a fun night previously in the adjacent barri of Poble Sec for their Festa Major. The streets were full of people and music and much fun was had, but some clean living was called for today.

You can also find some more pictures from last night on my Instagram account @yvonnesedition, if you'd like to see what the evil looking cat was up to check the ones that are tagged #correfoc. 

By the way, if you do find yourself in Poble Sec do yourself a big favour and head to the Spice Cafe to try their cakes. They are beyond delicious, and they aren't paying me to say that. I'm burning through my coffee loyalty cards at a disturbing rate as I just can't stay away from there. They've recently added bagels with various fillings to the menu as well, in case you don't like cake (weird, but I hear that this affliction exists).