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.