It’s a warm, Wednesday evening in Barcelona so you leave your accommodation for an exploration of the city’s midweek nightlife. After finishing your tapas dinner, you have a stroll around Barri Gotic looking for something to do. Then right in the centre of Carrer de la Boqueria, you stumble upon a sign saying ‘Pub quiz’. In you go and fancy your chances.
The Bar
The Travel Bar is a place designed for travelers around the world to meet and discuss their time both in Barcelona and abroad; and what a place it is! Despite its international theme it still manages to keep its Catalan charm. A typical, cozy bar with a huge array of drinks and a buzzing atmosphere, complete with a lovely courtyard round the back. It features all types of wines, local beers, cocktails and even ciders, which is incredibly rare for the area. As for the food, we serve a range of international cuisine, including burgers and local tapas. The bar staff are outstanding, both attentive and friendly, and they really know their alcohol.
The Quiz
Sit down with a beer and you will be introduced to one of the resident quiz masters. He is simply fantastic, making the experience as much a stand-up comedy set as a quiz. His interplay with the audience is truly remarkable and he conducts the whole night with a sense of grace, fun and utter control. We particularly appreciate how he helps single people team up and have a great time getting to know each other while answering some questions. The quiz is free to enter, with the winning team obtaining the prize of a bottle of Jägermeister. Not only this but in each of the four rounds, there are shots to be won. Needless to say, you will be rather merry by the end of the night, but this all aids the chatting to fellow travelers in the bar.
The Questions
Sometimes you can go to a pub quiz and either be bored by the questions or worse, cringe as the quiz master tries far too hard to be funny with an overly obvious abuse of innuendo. You won’t experience this at the Travel Bar. The questions are genuinely interesting, with a remarkable blend of both humour and intrigue. For example, one Wednesday evening the rounds included Geography and Travel (to be expected from the travel bar), Literature, Music and Film and finally, General Knowledge. In the Literature round it ranged from the almost highbrow “What is Shakespeare’s shortest play?” to the other end of the spectrum, “What is Kim Kardashian’s book of selfies known as?” and “Name all the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood”. This blend continues throughout each round of the quiz and leads to some fascinating answers and lots of laughter.
The quiz happens every Wednesday at 9pm and we simply could not recommend it more. If you find yourself in Barcelona on a Wednesday evening, it’s an absolute must, and best of all, completely free!