We arrived by bus after along trip from Valencia.
Our hotel was wonderful and right in the middle of all the action...or at least close enough to take the bus with no problems.
The first thing we did was head down to the Gothic Quarter ( the old ancient Roman town and cathedral) and wander around on a bit of an orientation tour.
Chef showed us many tapas places. The streets wandered like a crazy maze, all cobblestone with narrow sidewalks. Ocassionally you´d catch a view of the cathedral looming over the rooftops.
Eventually we split up and I went with the girls in our group to a small restaurant (Italian food). I know, I know but sometimes you just crave something other than ham and marinated sardines.
It was actually great. I had some fantastic Gnochi.
We had a blast, talking and laughing at each other but we were all tired from the long trip and went back to the hotel after.
The next day we started with a walking tour of the old Gothic quarter and the Ramblas(a famous walkway lined with outdoor shops and markets). We were led by a guide named Lola. We wandered through alleyways, stopping to duck into old mansions to see how they lived in the past. Lola showed us all those things I would never have understood. At one point we walked into the courtyard and a set of circular steps led up to a stone palace door. Apparently this was were Columbus came, with his retinue of "Indians" and gold plunder, to an audience with the King and Queen of Spain after discovering the new world.
Just down the lane we saw the history museum. Lola bent down, pointing to a window in the cellar, to show us the unearthed Roman city that the town was built over. You could tour the underground ruins and I promised myself I would.
Eventually we joined the milling crowd on the Ramblas. It is a wide cobblestone pedestrain boulevard, with traffic wizzing by on both sides, divided into several areas such as flowers, pets etc. We saw the Boqueria market, where we would cook later on that night. Chef gave us some free time and we packed into a small cafe and ordered bocadillos(sandwiches) and drinks.
After our tour we took the bus out to Parque Guell. The park started as a housing project back around the turn of the century. Señor Guell was a wealthy patron of the famous achitect Antoní Gaudí. They had made grand plans for a beautiful community, with a central park and plaza, and an open air market. Originally they shot for 60 homes(Gaudí did not want to design the homes, just the public areas) but they only ended up with three. So they abandoned the project. Later it was turned into a public park.
Gaudí´s architecture is based on his love for nature. He never had any straight lines. His buildings, and the furniture and wrought iron that he also designed, have flowing and dramatic lines. It was a little much for the people of his time..but it sure is beautiful now.
After the park we went to see Gaudí´s final work, the incredible Sagrada Familia cathedral. It was something I had looked foward to for a long time. By the time we arrived the church was packed with tourists. Our tour guide had told us that Gaudí had died while construction had only been underway for a short while. He was hit by a tram-apparently he looked so grubby from working that people thought he was a bum- nobody recognized him as the famous architect and he died in a paupers hospital. The completion depended on donated funds (the pope authorized the building but would not fund it) so construction continued only when enough money could be found. Supposedly next year they would be finished with the roof.
We entered the Cathedral through the Nativity facade (the only one Gaudí actually did himself). It is pretty incredible. The interior resembles huge 5 or 6 story high palm trees. When it is finished light will filter through the leaves on the ceiling. There is beautiful stained glass. Describing it seems impossible. It was everything I expected. The only down side was that a huge portion of the inside was covered in scaffolding, and the noise from the construction was bad. Think if I come back in 20 years it will be finished?
Then we took a brief tour up to the top of Mont Juic...Where the olympic stadium is. The views were breathtaking and we wandered around, eating lemon ices and taking pictures.
After Gaudí we had free time. Then we all gathered at La Boquería Market. We met Chef Juan, who runs a small cooking school at the top of the market. He walked us around, showing us all the unusual local ingredients, and talking in excited Spanish.
We stowed our stuff upstairs in the kitchen/theatre and Chef Encabo split us into 3 person teams, giving us each 30 Euros to shop in the market.
We ran around like we were on a quiz show. My meager Spanish skills were put to the test in a very noisy and challenging place. Have to say I did pretty well!
Everyone piled back into the small kitchen and Chef Juan demonstrated a few classic dishes. After that we all got to use the local ingredients to make our own dinner.
What chaos...
It turned out wonderful. We had to wear long pants and closed toed shoes. I ruined my khakis earlier in the day(sat down on a big thing of pidgeon stuff) so I had to wear my nice pants and dress shoes. Man did my feet hurt by the time we started cooking. But once we started I almost forgot my feet. We had a blast.
Our team made a salad with Frisee, honey glazed pears, sliced baguette with melted local sheeps milk cheese and toasted walnuts. Everyones meal turned out fantastic.
It was really late but we all left happy and satisfied. Its always nice to get your hands into things.
PS. While in Barcelona we also went to the Chocolate Museum and visited Oriol Balaguer a well known pastry chef who specializes in unusual flavors(like olive oil, pop rocks and corn nuts) in his truffles and beautiful presentation. Here are some pics.
PPS. I have a confession to make..We had one full day off in Barcelona...I went to Plaza Catalunya and there I saw a Hard Rock Cafe...Boy was that Cheeseburger and iced tea good!
3 comments:
Great pictures and commentary. Keep up the good work!
Hey Leslie! Just came across your blog and it's looking great! I'm glad you're having so much fun and learning so much on our trip.
--Sarah from CC-CS (we met in Sevilla *wink*)
Hey Leslie, wish I could have tasted what y'all cooked. Thanks for sharing all the interesting things you are seeing!
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