I was here not too long ago so I’d likely skip many must-do’s like the Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, Casa Mila, Park Güell, Palau de Musica Catalana, Ciutadella Parque, even the Barceloneta. But I need a repeat of La Boqueria and the many dining spots around here. They say food is an integral part of one’s travels but I’m beginning to think u travel for the food. 🤣 Especially Spanish food! From desayunos to almuerzos and unforgettable dinners, España ranks up there in my book. From cafe cortado to churros con chocolate, from paellas to fideuas, from ham to jamones and many more.
From Barcelona Cathedral to Santa Maria Del Pi and Del Mar, we’ve had our hours of prayers in these majestic Iglesias. All within walking distance from our hotel in Barrio Gotic, the birthplace of Joan Miro. Just off the corner, there was Antic Tapas de Ferran where we had our first Catalan almuerzo of pulpo, paella, gambas, anchoas, and my favorite pimientos de padron! Completed the day with postres (desserts) of crema catalan y gelato in Plaça Reial where people watching is par for the course. Que sabroso!
While we took eating real seriously, we paid equally serious attention to Catalan art and made it to Fundacio Joan Miro, Moco Museum and Picasso Museum. Fundacio Miro is a half hour Bus 55 ride from Plaça Catalonia to Montjuic Hill. The 2 museos in El Born is just a short walking distance from our Barrio Gotic crib. Did my souvenir shopping in the museos’ tiendas. That walk also meant passing this superb tortilla place called El Xampanyet recommended by our friend D. It has been around for nearly a century — since 1929. It’s a hole in the wall but long lines are the norm. We found a corner table near the tiny kitchen manned by a huge stocky Catalan who moved and cooked the tortillas so briskly it’s almost a spectacle. I also enjoyed a good tinto de verano here. Still good as it feels summery here than autumn-ish. Yes, at 24C!
We’d be returning to Barcelona after our Mediterranean cruise so we’re not exactly in a rush to hit the Catalan attractions here. But the nearby Santa Maria del Pi has an ongoing exhibit — some art installations depicting “Childhood in Exile” and dwelt on sad and broken feelings of isolation and sufferings. Too heavy and I must say depressing. Before long, we stepped out of the Iglesia and walked towards Plaça Reial in search of an oyster place.
Well, the oyster place wasn’t exactly what we dreamed of. I mean the oysters were good (you can’t mess with fresh oysters, anyway) but everything else is meh — fish soup, fideuas, berenjenas (eggplant) and sea bream . Can’t win them all but the service in Quinze Nits likewise sucks. Not ever will we head back. And this serves as a good lesson — the Plaça Reial is right next to our hotel so it was no sweat walking easily to find a place for some seafood stew and oysters. But it’s a square for the tourists in the Barrio Gotic area who are too lazy (like me us that night) to search for dining spots with good reviews. One hard lesson.
So on our last day in Barcelona before boarding our boat for the Mediterranean cruise, we dined in Asador de Aranda. An absolutely special lunch of lechal (suckling lamb) and hake carpaccio. Soooo good. I completely ignored the ribeye steak and totally enjoyed my lamb lunch. Hits a spot, for sure. Our Barcelona (Part 1) adventure ended on the right note despite some mishaps. And we hope to fully enjoy the second episode after our cruise.
