Month: November 2018

VEGGIE RESTAURANTS AND BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS: Barcelona and Andorra

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We started our trip exploring Sant Antoni, which was on this list of 50 cool neighbourhoods. We had a yummy lunch at Santoni, a vegan place with lots of options for meals and snacks (lunch for two for €14).

Nearby is Fabrica Moritz, the flagship bar of a local brewery, where you can try different beers in an impressive setting (a tasting set of 4 beers for €8)

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  • El Bosc de Les Fades is an old favourite, so we went there as usual (drinks for 3€).
  • Rasoterra is a veggie place serving a delicious tasting menu with plenty of local ingredients. Ideal for a special meal (dinner for two including drinks and tip for €100).
  • Cat Bar: another old favourite in the Gothic neighbourhood, this vegan bar serves yummy burgers and craft beer (lunch for two including drinks and tip for €30).
  • Alive: a cool vegan restaurant very close to our hotel, serving delicious pasta dishes (dinner for two including drinks and tip for €32).
  • Stay: we stayed at Aparthotel Atenea, which is a good self-catering option near Sants Station.

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ANDORRA:

We went to Andorra on a day trip from Barcelona. Andorra is mostly famous for skiing, but we took the bus to Andorra la Vella to check it out instead.

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There isn’t that much to do, so a few hours exploring is plenty of time. The town is pretty and picturesque, and the mountains provide a beautiful backdrop.

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  • Veggie’s World: the only veggie place in Andorra serves a great selection of local dishes (lunch for two including drinks, tip and dessert for €45).
  • Go: buses from Barcelona leave from Sants Station and take 3h each way. Tickets can be bought in advance here.

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BUS HOPPING AROUND KOSOVO, ALBANIA AND MACEDONIA: How to do it

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ITINERARY PLANNING:

We visited Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania over eight days, meaning that we only had one or two days in each place. This was enough to see the highlights, but it also meant lots of travelling around.

TRANSPORT:

It’s tricky to find information about buses online, but TripAdvisor forums had the best information.

Bus tickets can’t be booked in advance online, but we had no problem getting them on the day. Distances are short, but trips often take longer than expected because of the hilly terrain. Drivers can be mavericks – overtaking dangerously on a turn is commonplace.

Taxis are also available and not super expensive, although we didn’t use them.

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MONEY:

Everything was significantly cheaper than in the UK – even in popular places you never pay more than 10€ for a meal including drinks.

Kosovo uses the Euro, Macedonia has the Denar and Albania uses the Lek. Lek and Denars can only be exchanged in the country, but we had no issues with that.

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FOOD:

We did some research in advance, but it was easy enough to find veggie options and ask for vegan versions by removing some ingredients. Most people speak English enough to understand simple instructions like ‘no cheese’.

Yummy salads are available everywhere, as are pizzas. Portions are always generous. Fruit and veg are usually very fresh and delicious – as is the local wine.

Drinks aren’t always listed on the menu, but most places will serve the usual drinks (including plenty of coffee options).

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