I dreaded and longed for this day. I dreaded it because it was my last 5 days in Europe before going back home. I longed for this day because it was a dream to see Barcelona in the flesh. My mixed emotions aside, Barcelona did not fail to amaze me.
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| Barceloneta |
The train ride from Madrid to Barcelona went on without a hitch. I was a bit discombobulated when I arrived at the train station in Barcelona but I managed to arrive at my hotel before exhaustion took over me. One of the many things I noticed as the train was disembarking was there was graffiti all over (reminded me so much of Cadorna in Milan and the Termini in Rome). The Atocha Station in Madrid was much cleaner by comparison. It was not a complete turn off, though because everyone that was working at the station was friendly and accommodating. I also realized as I was trying to get directions to my hotel that the locals speak Catalan (not Spanish). Thankfully, I managed with whatever elementary Spanish I had at my disposal 🙂
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| La Boqueria |
The first thing that I did when I arrived in Las Ramblas was look for Mercat de la Boqueria. La Boqueria is a food market that boasts all things edible. Fresh fruits, seafood, candies, and other culinary goodness can be seen, bought, and eaten here. I walked around a bit more hoping to find a place to eat. I ended up taking a seat at Kiosk Universal. After a quick browse at the menu and the seafood they have in front of me, I decided to order grilled razor clams with salsa verde and a glass of beer. Mamma mia! These long tube-like mollusks were so good, briny, and oceanic. Mediterranean water is not only good for your hair but tasted so good, too! With a basket full of bread, I soaked up every inch and morsel of my razor clams. The beer was a perfect accompaniment to my perfect meal. After Kiosk Universal, I bought a cup of freshly squeezed mango and orange juice from one of the produce stalls inside La Boqueria. It was pure Vitamin C in a cup. I also bought a small flat of Jamon Iberico (for a light snack) from this Jamon store just outside the gate.
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| Grilled razor clams |
Because I was so overwhelmed by my razor clams, it was only until after my meal that I realized that it was warm in Barcelona. I didn’t need my winter jacket at all. After what seemed like hours of eating and grazing at La Boqueria, it was time to hit Las Ramblas and witness the chaos of tourists and street performers. I merely used Las Ramblas as my starting point and would venture right or left whenever I would see something interesting. It was just too busy and crowded for me, not to mention the pickpockets lurking on Las Ramblas. I seriously don’t understand the fascination with people posing as statues even with their elaborate costumes. Plenty of tourists made the mistake of getting their picture taken with these performers and had to pay them afterwards.
Have I mentioned that I ate and drank a LOT here in Spain? Looking back, there was never a moment when I didn’t think of “I wonder if that tastes good?” or “What should I eat next?”. I always had food with me! For those who know me, that’s not a surprise 🙂 I was just beside myself that I didn’t write down some of the names of all the restaurants I went to except for Taller de Tapas and Kiosk Universal. I ate at Taller de Tapas twice. Although it’s a small chain, they didn’t lose touch in serving well thought out food and drinks. Anyway, I ordered langoustines (scampi in Italian, is a type of lobster, not shrimp or prawn), patates braves (roasted or fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce or aoili), chorizo and jabugo (a type of Spanish ham from Jabugo in Huelva, Spain) croquettes, Kate’s hamburger (I was missing American food and couldn’t resist this juicy hybrid burger) and a few pints of beer. Of course, when in Spain, it would be a travesty not to order Galician paella de mariscos. I ordered a small pan all to myself from this small restaurant close to the cathedral. The spice from the chorizo, the smell and taste of saffron (perfumey, burnt flower), sea water, and all the other accoutrements will satiate anyone’s hunger and replace it with a hankering for more 🙂
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| El Born |
You have to realize that tapas is everywhere in Barcelona. It was a matter of trying to find the least touristy and most authentic that posed a huge challenge when scouting for my next meal. I found La Ribera, L’Eixample, and El Born to have the most authentic and localcentic tapas bars. Forget eating anywhere along Las Ramblas. Trust me on that.
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| Best Damm beer ever! |
Be prepared to drink here, as well. Order sangria, a glass (or glasses, depending on your inclination) of Rioja (wines from La Rioja – it comes in Tinto, Blanco and Rosado – Red, White and Rose, accordingly), Cava (sparkling from from Catalunia), Sherry (Amontillado is the most common variety) or beer (Estrella Damm is the best).
For desserts, I went to Pasteleria Escriba everyday for my breakfast and dessert needs. They take the art of cake and dessert making to the next level with their inventive window displays and personalized cakes. Custards, croissants, mantecados, turron, you name it, they make it. Speaking of turron or Spanish nougat, they are almond and honey candies that can be found in specialty shops around Spain. I bought my turron de jijona, turron de alicante and crema de yema from Casa Colomina in the Barri Gotic. They come in bricks so take notice of the weight before buying them. My family loved the turron and yema. Their yema is not like what I was used to in the Philippines but they were good (and super expensive – 1 euro a pop).
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| Parc Guell |
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| Santa Maria Del Mar |
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| Parc Guell |
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| Parc Guell |
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| La catedral |
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| La Sagrada Familia |
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| Casa Battlo |
For the architecture aficionados, Barcelona is teeming with gothic, art nouveau, Romanesque, and modernist structures. Antoni Gaudi’s genius can be seen all over Barcelona. The lampposts, churches, buildings, and art structures in Barcelona are all worth checking out. I especially enjoyed visiting the churches because, unlike in Madrid, they were all open from sun up to sun down. The most fetching of all churches in Barcelona is La Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi. Amazing, inside and out. Santa Maria del Pi (Barri Gotic), Santa Maria del Mar (El Born) and Catedral de Barcelona (Barri Gotic) were all great examples of the Gothic Catalan architecture. I had the pleasure of hearing mass at the Santa Maria del Mar.
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| Interior of La Sagrada Familia |
Let’s discuss shopping–I didn’t go crazy here with shopping because of the following reasons: (1) Zara and Mango are everywhere, I didn’t feel the need to buy something there that I can buy here, (2) I can’t afford Loewe and (3) I only wanted to buy shoes. For about 2 years now, I have been obsessing over Pretty Ballerina flats. I love my Lanvin flats and I still want a pair of Repettos but I fell in love with Pretty Ballerinas when I saw them at Adora in Manila. I just have to have a pair. So I researched and found out that Corte Ingles (Spain’s Nordstrom) on Placa Catalunya carried the shoes. I hightailed over to Corte Ingles on my first day and bought a pair of red ballet flats with a big rosette. So pretty!! I have only worn it twice. It’s too precious to wear everyday. Then, I bought three pairs of espadrilles from La Manual Alpargatera. They are sturdy, cheap and fashionable. I bought 2 pairs from Casa Hernanz in Madrid and I wear them all the time. Each pair cost less than $10. If you happen to go to Madrid or Barcelona, you must buy a pair (or 3) of espadrilles. Forget Toms and even Saludos. Casa Hernanz and La Manual make them better.
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| Barceloneta |
My well spent 9 days in Spain was a perfect send off for me. Someone asked which city I liked more. Honestly, Madrid and Barcelona are two vastly unique cities that gave me some of the most memorable experiences of my life. I can say that Madrid is a more livable city than Barcelona. There was more of a sense of community in Madrid. Barcelona is beautiful, busy, and a bastion of tourism for Spain. It is more diverse than Madrid but both cities contribute so much in history and arts that it would be unfair to choose which one is better than the other. It would be unjust and a disservice to Barcelona and Madrid.
