Memory jogging

This is me nearing the end of a 9km 'sightjog' through the streets of Barcelona. That guy next to me is the reason why. His name is Arnd Krüger and besides being a very fit and very friendly chap, he is the brains and brawn behind an ingenious little company called Sightjogging. Offering to take you on eight different runs of upto 15km around the city sights, Sightjogging also offers a refreshing alternative to dull sight slogging with the crowds. You'll notice from the picture that it's just the two of us. That was pretty much how it was for the entire run. Apart from Jody taking the photos, the places normally overrun with people – La Rambla, El Call and Port Vell – were completely deserted. Why? It was 7am. It was a great chance to take in some of Arnd's many historical anecdotes and uncover a side of the city you rarely see. My breathless account will feature in the May/June issue in of the Ryanair inflight magazine. (ryanairmag.com)

Trial by tapas

"Hi Owain, How are you down there in VLC? Fancy finding a needle in a haystack for CNN Traveller magazine? Let me know. Ta!" Well, the editor may as well have said that. What he actually said was nearer to this: "Get over to Madrid, sniff out six of the best tapas joints and file copy as soon as you can. I don't care if there are greasy prints on it." Now finding six of the best 'anythings' is always going to be a tricky job. My six best might not even make it into your twenty best, for example, but it's normally a fairly subjective decision. Not a massive problem, but there is the problem of finding six of the best tapas bars in a city that's heaving with them. So where do you start? Having a fairly sound knowledge of Madrid from previous visits I decided to narrow it down to the best in the barrio (neighbourhood). In La Latina, for example, you head straight to Cava Baja for the best selection of tapas bars in a row. I chose a Basque one, Taberna Txakolí, as it stood out in the crowd of Madrileños. So my 'best tapas bars' piece became a collection of tapas bars with the best angles. An old man's bar turned gastro tapas bar near Real Madrid's hallowed stadium (Iciar), a Michelin-star chef turning his hand to ensalada rusa at Sula and a place that's been famous for salsa drenched patatas bravas since 1963 (Docamar). But then again, if my best isn't good enough for you, it's probably best to start pounding the streets of Madrid for yourself. (cnntravellermagazine.com)

Finding Miss Platnum

Every once in a while you find a true star in the making. Romanian-born, Berlin-based Miss Platnum is one of them. Funny, funky and full of soul, she made me a convert to her infectious brand of Balkan Pop after one interview for the April-May issue of WizzIt magazine. A little bit hip-hop, a little bit gypsy horns and violins –with lyrics about fried chicken wings and forced marriages thrown in for good measure– Miss Platnum's 'sound' is not one I would usually be drawn to. But that soon changed. I had her MySpace page on loop while I transcribed the interview and I was singing tracks like "Give Me The Food" and "Come Marry Me" for the rest of the week. Admittedly, the lyrics lose some of their wicked irony coming out of my gob but I suppose I was just enjoying some refreshing lyrics in my ear and on my tongue. Makes a big change from all those faux soul divas who warble on sincerely about love, hurt and bling tings, I tell thee. Miss Platnum says: sing your heart out about something you really love and have a laugh while you do it. I say: you go girl! (myspace.com/missplatnum)