Billed to me as a party city, I didn’t expect the most striking thing about Barcelona to be the rich and audacious architecture. It’s the kind of city that has you walking into lampposts as you wander agape at the jumbled layers of original styles, most obviously the unique organic lines of Gaudi.

So how I found myself, 2 hours in, sipping a pint of lager and watching football in an Irish pub, I’m not sure. For the second half, I left my American friends to this particular European experience, and went to take in las Ramblas’ and the Barri Gotic’s trendy shopping-and-café culture, solo. We arranged to meet at Barceloneta for a late lunch after the game.

At Barceloneta’s beach promenade, we selected a restaurant right on the harbour wall, because of its ostentatious display of seafood. I was looking for great paella, and rumour had it this was the place to find it. Unable to resist something in those wonderful giant pans, we compromised on a single paella with absolutely everything. A tantalising 45 minutes later, the behemoth was presented, wheeled out on a trolley and bigger than our table-top.

We dug into the gargantuan dish, with no need for negotiations over the generous helpings of spicy chicken breast and juicy monster crevettes. The traditional Valencian paella we had chosen came with mussels, clams, scallops, calamari, octopus… everything oversized and unbelievably fresh. The rice was warm and peppery with saffron and paprika; the perfect complement to the simple garnacha we’d been working on during our wait.

An hour and a few pounds later, we just about mustered the energy to flop into the gondola to the Olympic village. The sea was blue, the sky was bright and the crevettes had settled, ready for a walk and some great views of the city.

Barcelona is much more than a party city; it’s a place for indulgence in all your favourite pleasures – great food, stunning architecture, hip nightlife (apart from the Irish bars), fun shopping, beautiful weather and a confident sense of history. And the Sagrada Familia has to be seen to be believed – it’s quite a privilege to see the last great cathedral in progress.

If you haven’t been to Barça, book it today!