LONDON with the Lovely Lara

This weekend, I went to visit Lara in London! It was wonderful to see her in her home and meet her great friends. We had a fairly low-key weekend - I didn't really do anything touristy (unless Ben's Cookies and Sketch count) but we walked around a ton and had a lot of fun. She lives in her Godmother's flat in Knightsbridge, which is an area of London that I did not know well at all but now love. AND while I was there she booked her ticket to Georgian Bay this summer! I had a great weekend and cannot wait to see her again when she (hopefully) comes to Barcelona in May!

 Knightsbridge

 Walking through Hyde Park

 Skippy!

 My one cultural activity

Sitges Carnival

This past weekend, I went to Carnival in Sitges.

Official definition of Carnival: Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life.

Hilary’s definition of Carnival: a festival where you take Halloween to a whole new level and pretend you’re ten years old again … except with a bottle of wine on a beach, a parade of Drag Queens (some of the best in Europe) and an two hour wait for the 40 minute train home at 6am.

As you can tell from the below photo, I had a lot of fun :) 

Lo Siento!

I know I have been terrible at keeping up with this blogging thing. It is just so hard to get around to doing! Not that I have been terribly busy with school or anything, but it seems the more I keep in touch with each of you individually, the less motivation I have to write this because often you have heard it all.

In the past two weeks, I have ...
- Discovered a local tapas bar called Bar Velodromo that my Spanish Art and Culture professor recommended and I am newly in love with
- Gone to Sitges for Carnival (more on that in upcoming post)
- Hiked up Tibidabo mountain to the Tibidabo amusement park, famous for its views of the city
- Been to Can Marti, a famous local restaurant on Tibidabo mountain, for Calcotada. Calcots are an onion/leek type vegetable that are only in season for two months and are famous in Catalonia. They grill them and them dip them in this warm red pepper and hazelnut sauce. Aaaaamazing. Quite a pricey meal as we went to a nice restaurant for this but we also got Cava, pan con tomate (crunchy bread that you squeeze a tomato and rub garlic onto, and then top with olive oil and sea salt), patatas bravas (fried potatoes, essentially), five different types of grilled meats (minus the rabbit, we opted for none), and a cafe con leche (I drink coffee now!). It was truly a feast. There was so much that I am probably forgetting something. I couldn't even make room for dessert!
- Been to a FC Barcelona vs. Atletico game
- Walked around Barcelona lots
- And many other things (some pictures for you below!)

This weekend I am off to London to visit Lara and others. So excited to see her and finally hang out with her in London! I haven't been back since the summer I lived there after I graduated from high school, so I am sure it will be wonderful. After this week, I have tons of visitors lined up and lots of weekends away (Madrid, Valencia, maybe Portugal) and some school deadlines (surprisingly) so things will get quite busy. Also, I must work on that Spanish Bucket List (below) as I am already halfway through my exchange!

Going to the Barcelona vs. Arsenal game tonight. It was a major splurge but I figured Jonathan would kill me if I didn't :)

Muchos amoras,

xx Hilary

 Barcelona vs. Atletico

 View from Tibidabo mountain

 Stumbled upon Can Marti (a famous local restaurant in the mountains that I have been dying to go to)

 Calcotada - they don't look like much, but they are fantastic and quite an ordeal to eat (you get bibs, etc.).

 Hike back down the mountain at sunset

Spain: Bucket List

1.     Go hiking outside of Barcelona

2.     Go to the Picasso Museum

3.     Go to the Museum of Catalan History

4.     Take a Spanish cooking class

5.     Organize a karaoke night

6.     Have a picnic in Park Guell

7.     Go to Montjuic Castle

8.     Go to Sagrada Familia

9.     See all Gaudi

10. Spend the day on a beach outside of Barcelona (Sitges?)

11. Read (and translate) a Spanish newspaper

12. Do yoga in Spain

13. Hike to Montserrat

14. Run along the water

15. Read a book on the history of Spain

16.  Go to Carnival in Sitges

17. Go to Las Fallas in Valencia

18. Have a full conversation with someone in Spanish

19. Go to Mallorca

20. Go to Madrid

21. Go to San Sebastian

22. Go to Sevilla

23. Go to Granada

24. Take a train through the Spanish countryside

25. Cook a full octopus

26. Cook a massive fish for a group of people

27. Go to an FC Barcelona game

28. Perfect making paella

29. Eat mushrooms

30. German Pavillion by Mies Van der Rohe (Martha’s suggestion)

31. Eat calcots

32. Go to Las Fallas

33.  See a Flamenco show & dance Flamenco

34. Go to a bull fight in Madrid

35. Palau de la Musica Catalana

36. Esglesia Santa Maria del Mar

37. Go to Ibiza

38. Have churros with chocolate

39. Go to Salamanca

40. See the Magic Fountain at night

Mrs. Fantastic and Popsicles in BCN

Buenos dias!

Mum, Dad and I have had an amazing weekend in Barcelona - I was very sad to say goodbye to Dad this morning, but luckily Mum is staying until Thursday!

Mum arrived on Friday around 1pm and we went straight to a beachside restaurant recommended by her hotel (Hotel des Arts) called CDLC. It was an Asian-Spanish fusion and had wonderful sushi - my first in Barcelona so now the bar is set. We may or may not have order three (small) bottles of champagne, and we definitely did not go get massages at the hotel spa afterwards instead of walking around Barcelona. That first night, we stayed at the hotel and went to the famous restaurant here called Enoteca - it has a Michelin star and was pretty unbelievable. Lana - reminded me of the time when we were 18 and accidentally went to a Michelin star restaurant with no prices on the menu ... haha I have pushed the memory of that bill out of my mind forever.

 Beachside lunch at CDLC

The next morning we walked along the beach to the W Hotel. It is nice on the inside and a very cool, young place but unfortunately it is an eyesore on the Barcelona coast and hated by most of the locals. Apparently it is illegal to build on the beach - the Hotel des Arts (where Mum and Dad stayed) was an exception as it was built for the Olympics in 1992, but the W Hotel got around the laws by claiming that they are not actually on the beach, but on the port. 

When Dad arrived, we went to a famous restaurant called Tapas 24. The chef, Carles Abellan, is like the Mark McEwan of Barcelona. The restaurant was a lively, upbeat place and had fantastic tapas. We then walked around Las Ramblas and down to La Boqueria, one of Europe's largest outdoor markets, and picked up a bunch of flavoured chocolate almonds and dried fruit. Yum.

Tapas 24 - sitting at the bar.

We also went to Parc Guell and did a bike tour of the city to see a bunch of Gaudi building, street lamps, etc. and Sagrada Familia. Apparently the inside is finally finished (as the Pope was here in November) and is quite beautiful - must go inside soon! On our way home, we accidentally found ourselves amidst a parade ... something to do with night lights and mythical characters. Almost like a halloween parade but with people breathing fire down the streets etc. and lots of loud music. While this was happening because it was a holiday/Saint day (which are monthly) and they always have a celebration of some sort on these days, I have learned that Barcelonans have festivals for everything and always find a reason to celebrate.

Mum with the street musicians - of course, she just jumped in there.

Other restaurants I went to with Mum and Dad include Botafumeiro (delicious, fresh seafood, traditional Catalan recipes, fairly plain, live music), Ciudad Condal (local treasure, tapas, so busy that Mum had to sweet-talk a group of people for their table), and Merendero De La Mari. The last place was probably my favourite - it is right by the port and thus known for its seafood, particularly the 'Fisherman's Paella' (which we all got). That was definitely the best paella I have had to date, although Mum and Dad said Mrs. Throop's paella is just as good!

 Walking our bikes through the Gothic Quarter

Nighttime in Barcelona

Today, Mum and I are going to walk around the El Born area and explore art galleries, shops and cafes. I am so excited as this area is a bunch of little streets and alleyways that are so beautiful and romantic - the old part of town! It is quite cool and a place that you can never get tired of because you apparently never learn your way around the Gothic Quarter or Born - it is like a maze!

Miss you all tons and hope to hear from you soon,

xx Hilary

PS - Mrs. Fantastic is what the staff at the hotel have nicknamed Mum. She now insists I call her that.
PPS - Happy Valentines Day!

Fun facts about Barcelona:

- Gustave Eiffel actually built the Eiffel Tower for Barcelona but when he showed the plans to the city, they hated it. He then took it to Paris.

- the beach in Barcelona (about 7km) is entirely man-made for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona

- Madrid is building the super fast train (that goes from Paris-London) underneath Sagrada Familia (the famous Gaudi church here that has been under construction for almost 100 years). Madrid claims that their engineer said this is the fastest way and that it must go under this focal point of the city. Since they are not even sure if Sagrada Familia will even be able to be complete due to the weight of the planned 18 towers (they are currently only four), this train makes the likelihood of the church being successfully completed even riskier. Needless to say, Barcelonans hate Madrid.

- Barcelona is known to be one of the most well-planned cities. Apparently it is one of the most common case studies in the world of urban planning.

- Barcelona kind of looks like it has a layer of smog across the whole city (when you are 22 floors up, like in this hotel) but it is actually pollen from trees that were planted hundreds of years ago all around the city. Many people are protesting to remove these trees as they cause allergy problems at certain times of year.

- Catalonia is to Spain what Quebec is to Canada. Enough said? (Barcelona is in Catalonia)

The above are courtesy of our bike tour guide, David, who actually has a blog about Barcelona (www.pulsobcn.com) which is pretty sweet.

"The Blind Leading the Blind"

Mum and I are having a great time laughing at each other's clumsiness. In only a few hours, we:

- have tripped over everything

- cannot find our way around the hotel, or back to the hotel

- we went up and down the elevator trying to find the spa

- went to the spa and found ourselves in the men's change room accidentally

So much fun. Cannot wait for Dad to join tomorrow!

xx Hilary

PS - Lauren asked me to tell you how to comment ... I think you can just by pressing the pencil button at the bottom? I know it is all in Spanish but I don't know how the page appears for you ... translate.google.com has been my savour this trip.

CDLC - Gwyneth Paltrow recommended. Awesome.

Kobe Beef burger ... really Spanish.

Three hour lunch with wonderful champagne!

The beach ... and it is winter here.

View from Mum's hotel room - you can see Sagrada Familia if you look carefully!

Food Revelations in Barcelona

1.     Peanut butter is practically non-existent in Spain. I went two weeks without it when I first arrived here (the horror), but finally hunted it down in a random supermarket after some serious investigation.

2.     Spanish people love their baked goods.

3.     Supermarkets are around but pale in comparison to ours in terms of quality. To get good food, you have to go to one of many markets around the city, bakeries, and places that specialize in meat/cheese (or just ham – yes, they have that).

4.     Spanish people are obsessed with cured ham. While I love it, after four months I may have to take a small break from this.

5.     Even the cheapest sandwich sold at a convenient store is made on baguette. And it is next to impossible to find ham AND cheese on a sandwich – one or the other. Or a Spanish omelette sandwich (potato omelette).

6.     Spanish people eat everything on this baguette – lasagna, fish, omelettes, potatoes, etc.

7.     They hardly have breakfast. Just a croissant and café con leche (coffee with milk).

8.     Lunch really is around 3pm and dinner really is around 10pm.

9.     Good paella is harder to find in Barcelona, as this is characteristic of the south.

10. Candy stores and Nutella are everywhere.

11. The meat/fish at any market includes pig hooves, brains, whole rabbit (with or without fur), massive whole fish, chicken without the feathers removed, and some other unidentifiable meat/fish that I am not sure I want the translation for.

12. Mushrooms aren’t half-bad.

13. My new favorite sandwich addition is olive oil (with good quality cheese on baguette … oh my).

14. There is no such thing as whole wheat in Spain. They laugh, and say (in Spanish): “my dear, you’re in Spain!”

15. The variety of food is (perhaps obviously) not the same as in Toronto. It is a lot harder to find good food that isn’t Catalan, Spanish or Italian. Please send some sushi in the mail.

16. Apparently only tourists order Sangria. I am still not past that stage.

17. There is a whole new world of restaurants that have come to my attention with Mum and Dad here.

18. Barcelonans have a season for donuts, or banyols – it is now. I didn’t know donuts had such healthy, seasonal ingredients? (Yes, they have them in bakeries every other month of the year … but now they are cinnamon/orange flavoured).

19. Waiters in Barcelona never rush you to leave – it is actually very hard to get your bill. They expect you to linger like the Spanish do and have a 2-3 hour lunch.

20. Lunch pretty much always includes dessert, wine, and café con leche, as these are included in the daily menu (ie. the best deal, usually 10 euros and the freshest food).