Adios Spain, we will see you again!

Hola,

It was bittersweet leaving Barcelona Tuesday Morning...I could have easily stayed another few days, weeks, and if money and green card were no consideration, a year! It truly is one of the most captivating cities I have ever visited. It has many qualities that great cities like Paris, Rome, London, San Francisco have to offer, but it also has beautiful mediterranean weather, sunny beaches, traditional yet easy-going, happy people, and as I've mentioned many times before, some of the most rustic, delicious food I've ever tasted...

Our last official tourist attraction was Park Guell, another Gaudi work, which is by no means amazing when compared to his other stuff, but offered a beautiful view of the city, and some of the best "street musicians" I've ever heard...We regreted not taking a picnic, since the park is massive and quite a hike, with loads of pretty, shaded spots to take a break. After nearly dying of dehydration and claustrophobia (never go on the weekend), we headed back to our safe, lovely neighborhood...We took it pretty easy the last day, purchased a couple bottles of vino to take back as souveniers, and tasted some wines at La Vinya del Senyor, most notably a 2004 Muga Gran Reserva Rioja!

The thing I will miss most about Spain (well besides the food, drink, art, architecture, beach, weather, and charming, windy streets) is the slower pace of life that people enjoy there...The Spanish seem to place more importance on relaxation, eating, socializing, and being with family and friends as opposed to work, work, work, eat, sleep, work, a familiar lifestyle for must of us in the states...Anyway, I think I belong in Barcelona...but for the time being, San Francisco ain't so shabby! It's pretty comforting to come home to a beautiful city like SF, and besides, I missed the little dog dearly....

Thanks for reading...See you next time in Morocco? or Greece, or perhaps another part of Spain!...we'll see....here are some random photos of Barcelona:

Our favorite local hangout and the perfect paella...

Hola,

Although I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the touristy stuff we have done throughout the week, the highlights for me have been wandering around aimlessly, taking photos of cool architecture, and finding off the beaten path restaurants and bars. "La Plata" is the perfect example of a local hangout, nestled in between the Gothic Quarter, the Born, and the waterfront. The tiny bar is nearly overflowing with locals who are chatting, smoking, enjoying beers or the house wine(s), and plates of fried fish. The lack of menus, prices, and the overall crowd may seem a bit intimidating to tourists, but we had to see what it was all about...The head barman and server was loud, raspy, and a bit aggressive, yet not in an offsetting way...He simply wanted to be efficient, and have time to chat with his regular customers. After ordering a plate full of fried little fish, a tomato and olive salad and some catalan toast, we began to understand what it was all about...It was Sunday around noon and the bar seemed to fill up with husbands and wives, families including underage daughter and very elderly grandfather, along with singles and even one little dog (with owner!)...Eating in this country is so much more about flavor and enjoyment rather than filling up. Fast food is not about the biggest and the greasiest burger and fries, but rather includes dishes like tomato and olive salad, fried fish, crispy potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and aioli, sauteed peppers, grilled sardines etc...And eating in Spain is nearly always a social event, and many times occurs standing at a bar with friends or coworkers, enjoying a beer and sharing some tapas before you head back to work (or siesta!) Anyway, I wish La Plata or someplace like it existed in San Francisco, where one can casually grab a quick an delicious snack, a little cup of vino, chat with friends and acquaintances, and be back the next day for more! It seems that there is such a division between bar and restaurant in America. One either sits in a very civilized manner at a restaurant or cafe to eat and perhaps have a glass or two of wine, or on the contrary, drinks almost always too much beer or mixed drinks at a bar...They rarely every go hand in hand, and if so, the food usually pays a price in quality...

After "La Plata" and some more wandering around, we met Paul, our writer/actor friend from London, whom we had met the night before at our neighborhood wine bar. We headed towards "Can Ramonet", a restaurant towards the water which I had read about in my timeout Barcelona guide. It apparently was also off the beaten track, looked a bit rustic, and therefore usually avoided by tourists. A bit aged from the outside, the entrance of the restaurant offered a view of loads of fresh oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp and sardines on ice...We were hopeful, as we had been in search for paella since we got here. Paul was all about sharing food as well, and after much contemplation, we settled on ember roasted eggplant, red pepper and onion salad, gambas al ajillo (shrimp cooked with garlic and olive oil), baby squid with beans, and the house special paella. The dishes began to overwhelm our table, and the waitress accidentally and fortunately mistook our squid and beans for fried baby squid...It was the best fried food I have ever tasted, dusted only in flour and salt, and probably fried in light olive oil...We were all in heaven at this point...Finally, the enormous paella was presented in a very large pan, dotted with langostine, mussels, rabbit and pork along with english shelling peas. It was such a beautiful sight to see, and tasted even better than it looked. The rice was so incredible, with a meaty, garlicky and slightly saffron-spiced flavor to it. We all agreed we had hit a goldmine in terms of food in Barcelona. Daniel and I loved the meal so much that we found ourselves back again the next day for a late lunch of another plate of fried fish, jamon Iberico, patatas bravas (fried potato with aioli and spicy tomato sauce), and boquerones. Along with a Mugo Blanc from Rioja, it might be the best lunch I have ever had...."Can Ramonet" is my new favorite restaurant, and a must stop for foodies heading to Barcelona...

Gothic architecture, mas tapas, and making friends...

Hola,

Time is flying here in Barcelona, as we've tried to balance the sightseeing, with some more leisurely and spontaneous activities ie: strolling haphazardly through the windy, patchwork of streets, eating snacks here and there, enjoying some sangria on the beautiful beach etc. Anyway, though the majority of this trip seems to revolve around food and drink, we have seen some amazing art and architecture, some on purpose, and some randomly stumbled upon while exploring our surroundings. 

 While heading towards Gaudi's masterpiece "La Sagrada Familia", we ran into some awesome architecture (first 2 photos above)...Almost every corner you turn, there is a beautifully ornate lamp post, archway or gothic church, along with charming apartments with balconies, ancient looking doors, and beautiful apartment facades. When we finally reached "La Sagrada Familia", we took about 10 minutes just to stare in awe, as it is massive in structure, and unbelievable in vision. We had to go inside, which was also a breathtaking view of moderniste, or organic-style architecture, colorful mosaic everywhere you turn, and a ceiling that rivals the Sistine Chapel.

On our way back from Sagrada, we passed another Gaudi work: Casa Batllo (directly above). Though it was also a very intriguing structure, we decided against waiting in an hour long line to peek inside. Besides, we were getting hungry..."La Bodegueta"  provided a delicious snack of patatas bravas (potatoes fried in olive oil with spicy tomato sauce and aioli), goat cheese in olive oil, marinated olives, and tomato con tuna...The more we eat (and it's been quite a lot), the more I recognize that Spanish food is about simplicity, fresh ingredients, very good olive oil, and quick preparation, and did I mention very good olive oil? Food here just tastes fresher and brighter, and even the fried stuff doesn't leave you 

feeling sluggishly full. Anyway, I especially loved the goat cheese here, as it was super earthy and tangy with again, delicious spanish olive oil...The potatoes were also quite tasty, and although it seems to Americans like a breakfast dish, it is served as a tapas dish throughout the day and night. 

Back in our neighborhood, we decided to read a little at our favorite little wine bar "La Vinya del Senyor", in front of the beautiful Santa Maria del Mar Church. We didn't get a page of our books read, as like always at this bar, we made friends with 2 other travelers (who had bonded earlier by being the only 2 guys in their hotel bar secretly watching the Royal Wedding). A bottle of Cava and Rioja later, we bid farewell to (Rowan) who was headed back to South Africa, and made plans to meet Paul, a very proper and funny British writer and actor for drinks and dinner the next evening...More to come about that adventure!

Breakfast of champions indeed...

Hola,

today we woke up earlier than usual to try for the second time to get a seat at "Pinotxo", a longstanding uber popular tapas bar in the famous La Boqueria market. After waiting and hovering over the tiny, 10 seat bar with a couple of delicious espressos, we finally got a spot. This time, we were prepared to be served whatever was cooking, but as they were already running out of some things, they gave us a few options. We chose chickpeas with onion, currants, herbs and some sort of carne (later found out it was blood sausage), fried baby lamb riblets, and pork sausage with catalan (tomato-rubbed) toast. Along with a glass of Torello reserva cava, it was quite a delicious and gluttonous breakfast. I'm not one to order anything involving blood sausage, but the chickpeas were very tasty,  a bit earthy, and had a nice salty and sweet contrast.  The fried lamb was also great, a little reminiscent of chicken nuggets, but with fresh, good quality meat as opposed to the mystery meat that's in McDonald's chicken mcnuggets. Finally, the sausage was probably unnecessary since I was stuffed after the lamb, but it was awesome, and went delicious alongside the best catalan toast we've tried so far!

Me encanta Barcelona (Continued)

Hola again,

....to continue with the last post, after our cava and pintxos at "La Vinya del Senyor", we explored our neighborhood, El Born. Less touristy than many neighborhoods in Barcelona such as Las Ramblas and Barceloneta, El Born offers an interesting mix of the old and the new. The neighborhood is a small grid of charming, age old, narrow alleyways stacked high with those quintessential European apartments, in which windows are slightly ajar, overlooking small patios and clothes drying in the breeze. Gothic architecture abounds, and is best represented by the gorgeous "Santa Maria del Mar." Nestled side by side with these artifacts are modern, fairly high-end shops and galleries, along with a plethora of restaurants, pintxos bars and specialty grocery shops.

After nearly losing ourselves in the patchwork of alleyways, we decided to get a small snack before dinner. "Bilbao Berria" is a classic Catalan pintxos bar, offering a long bar filled with platters of delicious morsels attached to slices of bread with toothpicks. Prices and menus are virtually non-existant, and the pintxos are not labeled, making it little mysterious at times. Nonetheless, we quickly observed how the system worked: take a plate, fill it with whatever your heart desires, find a seat and a server will come to offer you a beverage. After you've eaten, the server will count your toothpicks and present you with a bill; simple and a little brilliant! There was a wide variety of options, some a little scarily reminiscent of 80s party food, and others so appealing, it's easy to fill your plate to the brim. We settled on jamon with a quail egg and padron pepper, red peppers stuffed with tuna salad, boquerone with minced peppers, and raw white fish (again a mystery) with tomato and olive tapenade. Oh, and a little skewer of olive, pickled pepper, anchovy and quail egg. They were all pretty tasty, in particular the red pepper stuffed with tuna!

           
I love the small bite concept of eating; less commitment, and more flavor...It also allowed us to continue our night of gluttony without feeling too guilty.





Next, we headed to Cal Pep, which I had read good things about in the Time Out Barcelona guide. After waiting about 15 minutes, we squeezed into the tightly packed bar and again, no menu in sight. A friendly waiter asked us if there was anything we would not eat. We replied "no", and shortly after were presented with baby clams in a steamy, frothy, garlicky broth with bits of jamon, a generous portion of little fried fish, pan-fried padron peppers and a platter of jamon iberico. We commented that the waiter had read our minds, because that is exactly what we would have ordered had we been presented with a menu!

The food was rustic and simple but so satisfying, and went perfectly with a bottle of Sumarroca Rosat from the Penedes. In particular, the Jamon Iberico was too good to be true, perhaps the best ham I have ever had, and was especially tasty when eaten with a slightly hot, blistered padron pepper on a piece of crusty bread! Looking back at the experience, it does seem a bit sketchy to let a stranger decide what you're having for dinner, especially in a foreign country. Regardless, I am so glad we did, and we've already decided to

return to Cal Pep at least once before we leave! 

Me encanta Barcelona!

Hola,

Barcelona is amazing! Life almost revolves around eating, drinking, and socializing, be it espresso with pastries in the morning, a long leisurley lunch with friends in the early afternoon, some pintxos (the catalan version of tapas) served with a beer or cup of vino around 3 or 4, and a late but generous dinner around 10...The streets are dotted with cervecerias, outdoor cafes, wine bars and specialty grocery stores overflowing with cured meats, local cheeses, olives, and tins of various preserved peppers, anchovies, mussels etc.

After settling into our hotel "Banys Orientals", which happens to be in a very cool neighborhood called El Born, we set out to explore our surroundings. We didn't get but a couple blocks from our hotel when we stumbled upon a very quaint little wine bar called "La Vinya del Senyor" with outdoor seating overlooking the beautiful church "Santa Maria del Mar." Two glasses of cava later, we had made some friends from Wales and sampled our first Catalan pintxos: anchovies wrapped around olives and pan con tomato (bread slathered with olive oil and tomato pulp, sprinkled with sea salt). Everything was delicious, the ambiance unbeatable, and it took much self control not to spend the rest of the afternoon basking in the sun and sampling everything else on the menu!

Intermission: Daniel says we have to go to dinner now....Didn't we just eat? Oh well, more to come later!

Mas tapas por favor!

Hola,

Dismal weather (ie 2 days of rain and clouds) plus Easter Sunday has slightly hindered our mission to eat delicious food and explore our surroundings. Today we were determined to make up for this delay as we headed to downtown Torrevieja, a coastal town with some very old Moorish-style architecture  interspersed with modern shops, apartments, tourist-ridden promenade cafes and street vendors...As we strolled through the promenade alongside the water, the sun finally popped into view, and it felt like a sign to stop for a glass of vino blanco and some snacks!

We settled into an outdoor table at "Casino" (pictured above), a longstanding cafe where the inside, window-lined seats are reserved solely for Spanish men. After a quick peek inside to check out the tapas on display, we decided on tortilla espanola, albondigas, gambas al ajillo, sepia al la plancha, and jamon serrano (again, this shows some restraint as there were over 50 items on the menu)! The gambas al ajillo (or shrimp poached in olive oil and garlic) were sublime, something I would love to eat on a daily basis, and the flavored oil with a bit of chile made the perfect dip for crusty bread. The sepia (or cuttlefish) prepared on the grill was more intriguing than it was tasty. Tough and rubbery in texture, we pushed it aside to focus on other things, ie: the massive amount of thickly sliced jamon serrano, served with salty marcona almonds! The freshly sliced jamon was quite delicious, super salty with a melt-in-your-mouth quality that is not found in jamon sold in grocery stores in the states. Muy bueno! The Albondigas (or meatballs in tomato sauce) were an afterthought, and a little too reminiscent of canned chef boyardee spaghetti and meatballs that I remember eating as a small child. Finally, the tortilla espanola (kinda frittata like) was very tasty, prepared with sweet onion and english peas. I told Daniel we should take before and after photos, although it is too late now...Pure gluttony, and we also had dinner to look forward too!