A DAY IN GRANOLLERS

Wondering if we should go away for the weekend, Chris and I were checking out hotels online when we found an amazing deal on a four star hotel, including spa.  We didn’t have to think long; let’s go! Two days later we packed our bags and hopped on the train to Granollers, only a 30 minute ride away, for a fun weekend of relaxing, strolling around and seeing what this little city is all about.

HOTEL CIUTAT DE GRANOLLERS

We checked in an hour too early (no problem!) at Hotel Ciutat de Granollers and were pretty amazed by the classy look and the open views. Not bad at all! We had a decent little room, nice and clean, with a big bathroom (and a bath tub!) and a very large, comfortable bed (unlike the usual tiny I-am-too-tall-for-this Spanish beds). And how I love crisp white linens… And really fast wifi! Approved!

However, the “spa” was a big fail. We didn’t have high expectations; we just felt like hanging around in a bubble bath, no need for anything fancy. After looking for the spa for a long time, we found out the spa was actually just a  tub and a little sauna, hiding in a corner at the end of the changing rooms. Which meant the entire “spa” was gender-separated… Not exactly what you’re expecting if you plan a nice spa day together. We also found out the men’s spa facilities were different from the women’s (which explains why I didn’t recognize anything from the website’s pictures), which, again, is very strange if you ask me.  Don’t get me wrong, we had a lovely stay and it was totally worth the money (at least with the 50% discount we got), and it might be just right if you are alone (or a gay couple). At least I enjoyed the bath tub (oh god I really want one at home) and a lovely breakfast which was included in the price as well.

DURING THE DAY: GRANOLLERS SIGHTS

La Porxada

We were lucky with a bright, sunny day, as we were checking out this little town. Granollers isn’t famous for any well-known sights (quite hard to compete with the city of Gaudi right around the corner) but there is definitely enough to see during a stroll around town.

One of the city’s sights is La Porxada, a historical monument right in the center dating back to the 16^th century. It used to serve as a cover for the farmer’s market. When we arrived, on a Saturday, I was pleasantly surprised to find a second-hand market underneath.

Second-hand market at La Porxada. We saw some interesting stuff here (oddest find: a penis-shaped cd rack!), but didn’t buy anything (not even the cd rack).  

It really is a beautiful square, with the city hall as another eye-catcher. It must be a great place to drink a few beers here in summer. The plaça was practically empty at this time of day, during siesta; everything was pretty much closed from 1pm to 5, but it was perfect to discover the beautiful architecture in the city without anyone walking in our way.

L'Ajuntament de Granollers.

Sunny days…

I love how people cram the smallest balconies and windows with colorful plants and flowers.

Right around the corner, there is another stunning piece of architecture: the Sant Esteve Church of Granollers, dating back to the 16th century.

Sant Esteve de Granollers

Not much later we stumbled upon an actual piece of Catalan street art, portraying de Xics of Granollers; every town (or even neighborhood in Barcelona) has its own castellers, human tower “builders”. 

Quite impressive Catalan street art!

Walking through town, we found a lot of pretty buildings, some Art Nouveau here and there; I really did not expect to find this much to see in Granollers!

Casa Miquel Blanxart i Estapé

Antic Hospital Sant Domènec, 14th century.

I’ve heard good things about this restaurant, Cala Sila. It seemed like a very popular place, with people standing in line outside.

AT NIGHT: DINNER AT FONDA EUROPA

At night, we walked around to find a place to eat. Without having made reservations before, it turned out to be quite difficult, even though we were only 2 people! But it looked like all the good places were packed. We heard La Gamba was good and the menu looked interesting, unfortunately it was completely full. We continued to look for something else and after waiting inside for half an hour, we scored a table in what seemed to be the fanciest place in town: Fonda Europa, a super classy restaurant with actual waiters in suits with bow tie (!). We ended up having an amazing time; the food was so ridiculously good! I started with Banderilles del Born, Born-style skewers – one type with salmon, feta and olive and the other with olive, pimiento and anchovy. So simple, but so, so good. I’d like to make this at home once but I have no clue where to find olives, feta, salmon and anchovy that taste so amazingly good! Chris had  Llangonissa del Pla de Llerona, which was basically just thin slices of a fuet-like sausage. But again – this was so good! I am not a meat lover at all but this just tasted (I keep repeating I know) SO good, especially with a glass of red wine. These were literally the cheapest first courses on the menu (3 and 4 euros) but it’s some of the best tapas I have ever had.

As a main course, I was hesitating because everything looked so good, but in the end I went for the safest choice, Paella Parellada, a Catalan type of paella with meat and fish. Again, really good, and also very filling. Chris took the Xai del Montseny a les dotze cabeces d'all, Lamb with 12 garlic cloves. He loved it: a big piece of good quality meat (it was a bit too “meaty” for me, haha). 

After these two courses and two glasses of wine, we were too full for desert so I think we ended the night with the usual carajillo con Baileys. We had an excellent night in this super fancy looking restaurant and still, I don’t know how, we only ended up paying around 26 euros per person. What’s also nice about this place is that even though it looks very classy and expensive, there’s a lively and laidback atmosphere and everybody just dresses casually. Unbelievable value for money and a 100% approved!

A GREAT WEEKEND GETAWAY

“Why don’t we do this every month!?” was our conclusion after this little trip to Granollers. Staying in a four star hotel, walking around in a pretty little town and dining like kings… without spending too much (an extra bonus for cheapos like us). I really enjoyed it and it just reminded me more of how amazing it is to live in this area, with all these other possibilities for weekend getaways (Cadaqués, Begur, Tarragona, Vic….). Next time we might rent a car and go a little further. Can’t wait!