Greetings from beautiful Barcelona.
We have been here for two days and wanted to take a few minutes to send some photos and videos back home. We arrived Tuesday morning and were able to check into our hotel right away. The location is perfect a couple blocks off the most famous street in the city but still quiet. The room is spacious by European standards.
On Tuesday we went to the famous market in Las Ramblas and ate Pinxtos at a small stand highlighted on the cooking channel and our guide. The food was superb and the tiny plate was the perfect portion. We tried to go to the Cathedral, there is a large cathedral surrounded by Roman walls a few blocks from our hotel but there are security guards at the doors to stop anyone sleeveless from entering. Even in a long tasteful summer dress (its also like 87 degrees out) they would not let me in because my shoulders were bare. Apparently God requires sleeves.
We also went down to the beach where we had a few glasses of cava on a terrace by the water. Here in Barcelona it costs 10-20% extra to dine or drink outdoors but it is well worth it. The weather has been lovely. Last night we went to a boutique restaurant that would make any Seattelite smile. All the food and drink was local, organic and purchased directly from the producers. The menu is like a book and includes pictures of each ingredient in each dish. I had rabbit with potatoes and a goat cheese with fig salad, it was quite possibly the greatest figs ever. Sean had duck with peaches and some kind of toasted bread with vegetables (a local favorite). We split a traditional Catalan dessert that is essentially creme brulee. The food was beyond fabulous!
Today, Wednesday we woke up early (especially by Spanish standards) and went to the Segrada Familia which is a HUGE and I mean HUGE church designed by Gaudi. Although it was started in 1893 it is still being worked on to this day and is not expected to be completed for another 30 to 40 years. It is truly unique and it was so beautiful and grand I almost started crying when we first walked in. We filmed several short video clips we can share when we get back. Probably the best part of Barcelona is the architecture just walking down the street is like visiting a museum.
Tomorrow we plan to go to the Picasso museum and possible the Barcelona Aquarium. And on Friday we head off for the French portion of our journey.
Below are three pictures taken at the Segrada Familia. It really is so huge it can not be captured by photo. We did take a short video and if you are interested I can send that along at request.
No comments:
Post a Comment