BARCELONA TRIP PART 1 | DECEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 28
I think the best thing about our first trip to Barcelona, is definitely the promise to come back. We had such a wonderful city guide, our friend Sergio, who showed us the best “picadas” (Chilean expression for a good and cheap place to eat) around town, some of the jargon to move around and a bit of Catalán to honor Cataluña. [br]
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Taking advantage of my fresh memory and trying to collect the most import aspects of our journey, at glance I have to say that in Barcelona always you can find a good “cafe con leche”(coffee with milk) or a “caña”(glass of tap beer) to fight your thirst. Really nice “tapas” to go along with your drinks, really amazing wines and a friendly face to have a conversation.[br]
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Barcelona also has great and very diverse neighborhood markets, were you can find fresh produce, traditional butchers, charcuterie, amazing cheeses and of course a big selection of fish and shellfish. We were delighted with such variety and we really enjoyed cooking some of these produces at home.[br]
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DECEMBER 22
The first day Sergio invited us to see the Barri Gotic and experience the traditional “tapeo”(appetizers) and to shows us some important city landmarks.
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A big selection of pinchos (appetizers)
A.K. Damm beer
Jamón Serrano, roasted peppers and anchovies pincho.
Pulpo and green peppers pincho
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The second stop that night was at La Cerveteca. A cool place with a very extensive collection of local and European beers.[br]
La Cerveteca[br]
Gignàs 25[br]
Barcelona[br]
T +34 93 315 04 07[br]
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Later that night we stop at Gelaaati di Marco to get some ice cream.[br]
Gelateria Artigianale Italiana[br]
Calle LLibreteria 7[br]
08002 Barcelona[br]
T +34 933 105 045
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Before calling the night we had some tapas and a couple of cañas. An amazing and very intense first day in Barcelona.
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Morcilla
Spanish tortilla
Pulpo and patatas
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DECEMBER 23
The second day we went to the Mercat de Santa Caterina to have some breakfast, the freshest meal coming from the sea. Oysters were our selection along with a glass of cava at Bar Joan.
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Mercat Santa Caterina
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Later we went for a walk at the Parc de la Ciutadella and the Barceloneta neighborhood, to see the Mediterranean sea for the first time.
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Passeig Luis Companys
Parc de la Ciutadella
Parc de la Ciutadella fountain
La Barceloneta Beach with Torre Mapfre, Hotel Arts and Frank Gehry’s Peix d’Or sculpture in the background.
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From the beach we walked to the area where La Sagrada Familia is, to visit our friends Alejandra and Cristian. Considering the time that we had, we decided to visit the interior of the Cathedral on another day and for now just focus on its exterior. At their apartment we enjoyed some “Dulces arabes” and a local beer called Moritz Epidor.[br]
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In the neighborhood we found a small family operated bar that was offering Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, we had to stop and try this before we continue our city journey. Simple and delightful, such an amazing culinary experience.
Jamón Ibérico de Bellota
Later that night we met with Sergio to have some drinks at Bar Rosso with our friend Ximena, who was visiting Barcelona from Paris. It was great reunion after 10 years since we left Chile.
Bar Rosso
We had 5 of those bottles of cava….considering that we where 5 people, we left this place pretty happy… The party continued at Sala Apolo where Sergio’s friend “El Chino” was doing some VJ work that night. More drinks and some dancing with the local kids, that know how to party hard.
Sala Apolo
A classic after hours in Barcelona is “El Bar de los Artistas”… I couldn’t find the address online, but I’m sure if you are around the Sala Apollo and you ask you will find it.
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DECEMBER 24
We started our day….around 1PM going to the “Mercat St. Josep. also know as la Boqueria” to have some lunch.
Back to Sergio’s apartment to get ready for Christmas dinner with friends. Sergio made reservations at the Taxidermista at Plaça Reial. The wine, the service and the food were really good. Definitely a good restaurant to recommend.
Taxidermista [br]
Plaça Reial, 8[br]
08002 Barcelona[br]
T 93 412 4536[br]
Garlic soup
Artichoke, mushrooms and asparagus risotto.
Foie gras
Coca de Recapte (Flatbread with eggplant, peppers, onions and olives)[br]
The coca is a pastry typically made and consumed in Catalonia, eastern parts of Aragon most of Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andorra and in French Catalonia. The coca is just one way of preparing a dish traditionally made all around the Mediterranean.
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Tuna with soy sauce and red wine reduction.
“Buey” with mashed potatoes. (Braised ox tenderloin)
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DECEMBER 25
We started our day enjoying blue skies and a beautiful sun to come along with a walk around the Barri Gotic and later on the day the Barceloneta, the Estacio de França and the Passeig de Gràcia. Christmas day has to have Movies, so we went to see “Balada triste de trompeta” (The last circus) by Alex de la Iglesia. Very interesting movie that tells a story about a sad clown that goes crazy went he fell in love.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW8lkCik13E[/youtube]
Public water fountain
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Pa Amb Tomaquet (Tomato-rubbed bread) and Spanish tortilla.
Estació de França (Catalan for “France Station”; Estación de Francia in Spanish) is a major railway station in Barcelona.
Casa Batlló by Antoni Gaudi
Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera by Antoni Gaudi.
After a nice walk for Passeig de Gràcia we stopped at the store and a bakery to get fresh baguette and some spinach ravioli to have a nice dinner at home. Good wine, great company, it cannot get better than that.
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DECEMBER 26
We begin this sunny day visiting Placa dels Angels, where the Macba Museum is, later we had breakfast across street from Mercat de Sant Antoni, at a nice cafe that sadly I don’t recall its name. Well if you are around the Mercat, you will find it.
Museu d’Art Contemporari de Barcelona
Lomo embuchado bocadillo
Spanish tortilla bocadillo
La Sagrada Familia Cathedral on the background on this city view from Montjuïc.
Palau Nacional which houses the Museum Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.
The view from the Palau Nacional
Port of Barcelona view from Montjuïc
A great city view on the Teleferic de Montjuïc
Sunset in Barcelona
Columbus Monument, (Monument a Colom in Catalan, also known as the Monumento a Colón and Mirador de Colón in Spanish) is a 60 m (197 ft) tall monument for Christopher Columbus at the lower end of La Rambla, Barcelona, Spain. It was constructed for the Exposición Universal de Barcelona and is located at the site where Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to the Americas. The monument serves as a reminder that Barcelona is where Christopher Columbus reported to Queen Isabella and Ferdinand after Columbus’ most famous trip.
Later on, a simple dinner at an Italian restaurant. Sorry but I did not made a note on the name or address of the place.
Pizza fresca with jámon serrano, parmesan cheese and arugula
3 meats special….ouch
Gambas cocktail
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DECEMBER 27
On Monday we decided to visit Sitges and met Cristian to show us the town. Sitges is a beach town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona (45 minutes on train from Estacio Franca). First thing in the morning we had crepes, chai tea and a cafe con leche.
Dulce de Leche Crepe (Caramel crepe)
Sitges traditional architecture and colors
Alfonso and Cristian
Palau Marycel, Sitges
Mondo Dinner team
Back in Barcelona
A traditional store that sells loose grains by the pound.
Hofmann Pasteleria[br]
C/Flassanders, 44[br]
08003 Barcelona[br]
T 93 268 82 21
Young onions
DECEMBER 28
On Tuesday we rented a car and we drove to Cadaqués, to visit the Salvador Dali House.
Lucky enough we got the best suite of the Hotel Port Lligat. I totally recommend this hotel, it was perfect for our two days trip.
Hotel Port Lligat[br]
Av. Salvador Dali, S/N 17488 Cadaqués[br]
T 972 258 162
The Salvador Dali house museum is such an amazing space. Inspiration a beautiful details are everywhere and we are grateful for this wonderful experience.
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