My journey to becoming a Google Guide
Nine years ago I left Romania to start a new chapter of my life in Barcelona. I was lucky enough to quickly surround myself by people who already knew the city, so I got spared the painful trial and error any new comer has to go through to find the good spots.
Time passed, friends and family visited, I got to know more and more people and consequently more and more places 
I’m a very creative person, but my work didn’t really allow me to flex my “creativity muscle”. That’s when I started thinking about writing about all these places I’ve been going to and help others make informed choices on where to eat, drink, buy local products, etc.
My first thought was - I’m going to start a blog! Soon I realised that the amount of time and effort required by such a project versus the impact (aka people actually finding it) wasn’t going to favour me. One day, I met a friend for lunch and he was taking photos of everything! It’s for my Google Guides profile - he said. That was it! I had found the perfect place to share my experiences and contribute to other people’s welfare
In search of the equilibrium
I’ve always struggled to stay fit cause I’m such a food lover. The task became even more challenging when I moved to the Foodies’ Paradise aka Barcelona. And if you like to pair your food with wine, like I do, that doubles the challenge. So I came up with a magic formula: pair food not just with wine, but with some hiking or biking too! Barcelona’s the perfect place for this since you can easily drive to Montseny or Costa Brava to spend the day (1h-1h 30 mins drive). Food gains a whole new meaning after you’ve spent the day in nature, climbing to Matagalls or Turó de l’Home or walking along the coast between S’Agaro and Platja d’Aro. So there goes my passion: I love writing about the restaurants I find on my “expeditions” and hope encourages people to leave their cars behind and earn that delicious meal at the end of the road. It’s the most rewarding feeling of all.
When in Barcelona
If you think city-hiking is not really a thing, think again! My favourite places to walk to are La Font del Gat (in Montjuic), Mirablau (in Tibidabo), Base Nautica (in Bogatell) and Quimet d’Horta (in Horta).
Extra points for…
I’m passionate about wines and crockery and I believe it’s these details that can really enhance the experience. I leave you with some of my favourite shots from the two restaurants that really excel in this regard.
