After the crazy day yesterday, we decided to head down to the waterfront (we wanted to check out the Picasso museum but it was closed today.) We walked down La Rambla checking out the crazy characters.
When we got to the waterfront we walked along the boardwalk enjoying the water and sea breeze. Then hunger struck by the ocean we though it's about time we check out some Paella. We ordered the "Lazy Man's" fish-only Paella. Lazy Man because all the shellfish were un-shelled. The Paella was AMAZING but rich and filling!!! Very tasty.
We thought we would head to the ocean for some swimming but there was an extra long line to pick up our opera tickets and I thought we would not have enough time.
So we went SHOPPIN'! And I finally got a pair of shoes from Spain! They are grey suede shoes. Awesome! We also picked up some more chocolate!
After shopping we headed back to the hotel to change and get ready for the opera. Carmen was awesome... the lead was not powerful enough in my opinion bit Don José and Micela were breathtakingly amazing! And the sets and costumes were SICK! there was a giant bull and cars that drove, and torches on fire... all I kept thinking was WOW! The set designers actually came out at the curtain call!
Can't believe tomorrow is our last day in Barcelona... what I can't believe more is that the day Anna and I are leaving, Spain's unions are striking for the first time in eight years! The news is reporting that up to 60% of the flights could be canceled! So far both of our flights are okay. Keep you fingers crossed!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Whirlwind Day ending with Fireworks, Part II
After the art museum we headed out on a Gaudí tour. We went straight to La Sagrada Família which is Gaudí's most famous building and he dedicated more than 4 decades of his life to building this beautifully huge church... and it is still not finished. They are expecting to complete it by 2026!
Both sides are so very different... one side is more modern and angular and the other side shows the birth of Christ and is has way more going on... almost drippy candle like.
We then headed to La Pedrera which is an apartment building! It was super pricey to get in so we just took some photos from the outside. It was very interesting and they say there is not one straight line in the whole building (so much for pushing the couch against the wall!)
We then headed down the road to check Casa Batlló. They say Gaudí modeled it out of the patron saint of Catalonia and the roof of the house looks like a dragon and the balconies look like skulls. Very cool! We also checked out a few of the other Modernista buildings down the road.
We met this nice tourist at La Sagrada Família who asked us if we were planning on going to the fireworks. As I mentioned in the previous post, this past weekend was the celebration of the Patron Saint of Barcelona and they have had fireworks Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We headed down to Plaça Espanya and we were surprised to see the number of people, like thousands packed into the square. Up on the monuments, wall to wall people. The fireworks were amazing! We realized we needed to leave before the fireworks were over (in order to grab the subway back without having to fight with the thousands) but we easily watched 30 minutes of fireworks set to music. By the time we got to the subway entrance the fireworks were over... like 40 minutes of fireworks. It was crazy! Hearts, smiles, stars, it was very impressive!
Both sides are so very different... one side is more modern and angular and the other side shows the birth of Christ and is has way more going on... almost drippy candle like.
We then headed to La Pedrera which is an apartment building! It was super pricey to get in so we just took some photos from the outside. It was very interesting and they say there is not one straight line in the whole building (so much for pushing the couch against the wall!)
We then headed down the road to check Casa Batlló. They say Gaudí modeled it out of the patron saint of Catalonia and the roof of the house looks like a dragon and the balconies look like skulls. Very cool! We also checked out a few of the other Modernista buildings down the road.
We met this nice tourist at La Sagrada Família who asked us if we were planning on going to the fireworks. As I mentioned in the previous post, this past weekend was the celebration of the Patron Saint of Barcelona and they have had fireworks Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We headed down to Plaça Espanya and we were surprised to see the number of people, like thousands packed into the square. Up on the monuments, wall to wall people. The fireworks were amazing! We realized we needed to leave before the fireworks were over (in order to grab the subway back without having to fight with the thousands) but we easily watched 30 minutes of fireworks set to music. By the time we got to the subway entrance the fireworks were over... like 40 minutes of fireworks. It was crazy! Hearts, smiles, stars, it was very impressive!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Whirlwind day, ending with Fireworks!
Oh my, we tried to do everything today!!!
We were out the door by 10 am after a not so great breakfast at our hotel (going to be a long one with a breakfast of bread and butter every morning.) Not making it far without a good coffee we stopped at the Starbucks on the corner. Did I mention their "talls" are gigantic here? Serious, I'm calling bigger than a Canadian grande!
Anyways, first thing we were off to the Museo de Xocolate. That's right... the museum of CHOCOLATE! I figured why fight the theme of this vaca! It was an interesting and small museum which explained how chocolate was made and displayed some intricate sculptures made of chocolate. I think the most interesting thing was learning that Barcelona was the entry place for chocolate into Europe. Also the museum ticket was wrapped around a really good chocolate bar!
From the chocolate museum we headed to the cathedral where every Sunday they have
traditional Sardana dances. Usually people can participate but there was a competition going on (probably to coincide with the festival, which we discovered was the festival that celebrates the Patron Saint of Barcelona.) I hate to talk badly about other traditional dancing but after two songs we realized that it is really just people lightly and slowly bobbing up and down while holding hands in a circle. It was like watching those Survivor competitions where people stand on a pole... only they edit that for TV. So we self-edited and headed out.
We made our way to the Museu d'Art Contemporari de Barcelona (MACBA) which in the books claim to house art by a few artists we like i.e. Basquait , Calder, etc. Yeah, no such luck on that one... either they didn't have it or we couldn't find it (not sure... there were no maps provided.) The installations they had were interesting but nothing show stopping... I particularly liked this inset table with attached inset chairs.
This day continues and yes, there are fireworks at the end but a whole day of walking has left me ridiculously exhausted... As Anna says I'm not being graded on or paid for this so it can wait until tomorrow...
We were out the door by 10 am after a not so great breakfast at our hotel (going to be a long one with a breakfast of bread and butter every morning.) Not making it far without a good coffee we stopped at the Starbucks on the corner. Did I mention their "talls" are gigantic here? Serious, I'm calling bigger than a Canadian grande!
Anyways, first thing we were off to the Museo de Xocolate. That's right... the museum of CHOCOLATE! I figured why fight the theme of this vaca! It was an interesting and small museum which explained how chocolate was made and displayed some intricate sculptures made of chocolate. I think the most interesting thing was learning that Barcelona was the entry place for chocolate into Europe. Also the museum ticket was wrapped around a really good chocolate bar!
From the chocolate museum we headed to the cathedral where every Sunday they have
traditional Sardana dances. Usually people can participate but there was a competition going on (probably to coincide with the festival, which we discovered was the festival that celebrates the Patron Saint of Barcelona.) I hate to talk badly about other traditional dancing but after two songs we realized that it is really just people lightly and slowly bobbing up and down while holding hands in a circle. It was like watching those Survivor competitions where people stand on a pole... only they edit that for TV. So we self-edited and headed out.
We made our way to the Museu d'Art Contemporari de Barcelona (MACBA) which in the books claim to house art by a few artists we like i.e. Basquait , Calder, etc. Yeah, no such luck on that one... either they didn't have it or we couldn't find it (not sure... there were no maps provided.) The installations they had were interesting but nothing show stopping... I particularly liked this inset table with attached inset chairs.
This day continues and yes, there are fireworks at the end but a whole day of walking has left me ridiculously exhausted... As Anna says I'm not being graded on or paid for this so it can wait until tomorrow...
Barcelona Arrival
Barcelona is PACKED! We ran into someone in the pub (we went to watch FC Barcelona on the TV) who said that there was a festival here in Barcelona that's why there were so many people. I guess that also explains the bands of drummers dressed as fire and as Anna said "I've never seen so many people, I thought New York was crowded but it has nothing on this."
We got to Barcelona around 6pm and checked into our hotel and set out on a self-guided gourmet and chocolate tour. We starting with the main Market which was very neat. We say butchers, fishmongers, fruit vendors, and LOTS of people! We bought some fruit smoothies, Anna had strawberry banana and I had coconut and wild berries (I think... you point at a picture and go with it!)
We then stopped at a few chocolate places... I'm not sure who designed the tour because so of the shops were not so great :( but we did partake in some very yummy chocolate!
When the shopped closed, we headed for some tapas and found this awesome place where we had bread with tomatoes and olive oil, chorizo stuffed squid, green peppers, grilled eggplant and red pepper, mixed olives, fried eggplant with romesco sauce, salt cod fritters, and lots of cava! Next we walked to the Plaça de Catalunya to check out some live jazz part of a festival. We heard Barcelona was playing so found a local pub that was full of FCB fans and watched them win 3 to 1.
A fabulous end to our first day in Barcelona. We are now heading out for Day 2!
Sorry for the lack of photos... I promise a montage tonight with photos from Alhambra and Barcelona!
We got to Barcelona around 6pm and checked into our hotel and set out on a self-guided gourmet and chocolate tour. We starting with the main Market which was very neat. We say butchers, fishmongers, fruit vendors, and LOTS of people! We bought some fruit smoothies, Anna had strawberry banana and I had coconut and wild berries (I think... you point at a picture and go with it!)
We then stopped at a few chocolate places... I'm not sure who designed the tour because so of the shops were not so great :( but we did partake in some very yummy chocolate!
When the shopped closed, we headed for some tapas and found this awesome place where we had bread with tomatoes and olive oil, chorizo stuffed squid, green peppers, grilled eggplant and red pepper, mixed olives, fried eggplant with romesco sauce, salt cod fritters, and lots of cava! Next we walked to the Plaça de Catalunya to check out some live jazz part of a festival. We heard Barcelona was playing so found a local pub that was full of FCB fans and watched them win 3 to 1.
A fabulous end to our first day in Barcelona. We are now heading out for Day 2!
Sorry for the lack of photos... I promise a montage tonight with photos from Alhambra and Barcelona!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Adventures in Alhambra
We booked our Alhambra tickets in advance and even then there was limited choices. When we booked we wanted the morning slot of 8:30 am to 2 pm. Within that time slot we had a choice of 8:30, 9:00 and 1:30 for a palace visit. Way back then before the pain of the early morning rise, we went with 9:00.
Considering how hot it was yesterday and the loads of people in line at Alhambra we made an excellent decision!
We decided to walk to Alhambra (where most people seemed to take the Alhambra bus) which was a glorious walk where we got some great pictures of the outside of Alhambra (without a ton of tourists in the background.)
Alhambra was a Moorish fortress until the Catholics triumphed against the Muslims and drove them out of Spain.
The Palacios Nazaries is quite beautiful with beautiful enclosed gardens. Every wall is covered with decorative patterns. They had this beautiful stalactite architecture coming from some of the ceilings. In the Grand Hall of the Ambassadors the Moorish King, Boabdil signed the terms of surrender and left for Africa. In that same year, 1492, Christopher Columbus asked King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (in this same room) for the money to discover America.
The Alcazaba (old fort) within Alhambra afforded us some amazing views of Alhambra.
Better late than never... here are a few pics!
One thing that never ceases to amaze me when I travel is how I come to appreciate some of the traditions that other countries have. For example, siesta time: from 2pm to 5pm the majority of the shops (except those targeting tourists) close. At first this is frustrating but I have grown to enjoy this forced rest time. I mean sure we could have continued to tour around but a rest period is awesome! Next we grabbed some eats: we ate at this awesome smoothie and sandwich place (Greens and Berries) where the waiter asked me what Pavo was in English (I had a turkey sandwich) and he looked at me odd laughed a little and pointed to the table behind us and said "but those people are from Turkey" and walked away. Anyways, Anna and I stopped and hung out in the hotel enjoying our siesta.
We then set out on a self-guided walking tour from the guide book, seeing where there was once a silk market (now a cheap tourist crap market), the smaller chapel, and the large cathedral. The cathedral was built on top of a mosque that was torn down after the Reconquista and is devoted to Mary. We skipped the cathedral and visited just the chapel which was beautiful and the final resting place for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The chapel had a chest rumored to be the one Queen Isabella filled with jewels to fund Columbus' travels.
In the evening we went out in search of a grocery store which we found in the basement of a department store (a total throw back to Japan for us.) We filled up on cheese, meats (for me), bread, gaspacho and many other things that do not need to be heated up.
On the way back we passed through a market selling candy (like as far as the eye could see), nuts, fruit, and a sugary bread purchased in a pizza box. It was really great to see all the families out buying food and candy for their kids. It was like visiting a real community. And yes, I stopped for candy! It was good candy too!
We are now off for our last leg, to Barcelona! Looks like rain :( but I hold out hope for sunny days!
Considering how hot it was yesterday and the loads of people in line at Alhambra we made an excellent decision!
We decided to walk to Alhambra (where most people seemed to take the Alhambra bus) which was a glorious walk where we got some great pictures of the outside of Alhambra (without a ton of tourists in the background.)
Alhambra was a Moorish fortress until the Catholics triumphed against the Muslims and drove them out of Spain.
The Palacios Nazaries is quite beautiful with beautiful enclosed gardens. Every wall is covered with decorative patterns. They had this beautiful stalactite architecture coming from some of the ceilings. In the Grand Hall of the Ambassadors the Moorish King, Boabdil signed the terms of surrender and left for Africa. In that same year, 1492, Christopher Columbus asked King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (in this same room) for the money to discover America.
The Alcazaba (old fort) within Alhambra afforded us some amazing views of Alhambra.
Better late than never... here are a few pics!
One thing that never ceases to amaze me when I travel is how I come to appreciate some of the traditions that other countries have. For example, siesta time: from 2pm to 5pm the majority of the shops (except those targeting tourists) close. At first this is frustrating but I have grown to enjoy this forced rest time. I mean sure we could have continued to tour around but a rest period is awesome! Next we grabbed some eats: we ate at this awesome smoothie and sandwich place (Greens and Berries) where the waiter asked me what Pavo was in English (I had a turkey sandwich) and he looked at me odd laughed a little and pointed to the table behind us and said "but those people are from Turkey" and walked away. Anyways, Anna and I stopped and hung out in the hotel enjoying our siesta.
We then set out on a self-guided walking tour from the guide book, seeing where there was once a silk market (now a cheap tourist crap market), the smaller chapel, and the large cathedral. The cathedral was built on top of a mosque that was torn down after the Reconquista and is devoted to Mary. We skipped the cathedral and visited just the chapel which was beautiful and the final resting place for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The chapel had a chest rumored to be the one Queen Isabella filled with jewels to fund Columbus' travels.
In the evening we went out in search of a grocery store which we found in the basement of a department store (a total throw back to Japan for us.) We filled up on cheese, meats (for me), bread, gaspacho and many other things that do not need to be heated up.
On the way back we passed through a market selling candy (like as far as the eye could see), nuts, fruit, and a sugary bread purchased in a pizza box. It was really great to see all the families out buying food and candy for their kids. It was like visiting a real community. And yes, I stopped for candy! It was good candy too!
We are now off for our last leg, to Barcelona! Looks like rain :( but I hold out hope for sunny days!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Granada - Give him a coin, woman, for there is nothing worse in this life than to be blind in Granada
We've arrived in Granada at what felt like the crack of dawn... better known as 9am. We dumped our luggage at the hotel (no check-in until 2pm) and headed out for shopping.
As luck would have it, there was a chocolate festival in one of the squares. The whole place smelled like fresh chocolate. We tried these tube like chocolate things which tasted like a deconstructed chocolate bar (40% cocoa, raw cane sugar, rice flour and vanilla). The ingredients were together but not totally blended... you could taste the crunch of the raw sugar in the chocolate.
We wandered, going down all the little alleys with shops. There were a few very beautiful cathedrals (from the outside) and squares. All very Moorish. Of course, while shopping I couldn't resist the cutest baby outfit for my soon to be nephew. He will be totally stylin' for sure!
We also found a Thai restaurant! It was so amazing not to have Spanish omelette or crust bread sandwich. Both of which are tasty but an opportunity to have something different could not go by. I had Panang Beef and Anna had Pad Thai (although it had no noodles and was served with rice...) It still was super tasty.
We then headed back to the hotel to check in and relax. Tomorrow we take on on Alhambra fortress, which was the last strong-hold of the Moorish kingdom.
Another early morning... seriously what on earth were we thinking!
As luck would have it, there was a chocolate festival in one of the squares. The whole place smelled like fresh chocolate. We tried these tube like chocolate things which tasted like a deconstructed chocolate bar (40% cocoa, raw cane sugar, rice flour and vanilla). The ingredients were together but not totally blended... you could taste the crunch of the raw sugar in the chocolate.
We wandered, going down all the little alleys with shops. There were a few very beautiful cathedrals (from the outside) and squares. All very Moorish. Of course, while shopping I couldn't resist the cutest baby outfit for my soon to be nephew. He will be totally stylin' for sure!
We also found a Thai restaurant! It was so amazing not to have Spanish omelette or crust bread sandwich. Both of which are tasty but an opportunity to have something different could not go by. I had Panang Beef and Anna had Pad Thai (although it had no noodles and was served with rice...) It still was super tasty.
We then headed back to the hotel to check in and relax. Tomorrow we take on on Alhambra fortress, which was the last strong-hold of the Moorish kingdom.
Another early morning... seriously what on earth were we thinking!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tapas Hopping and Off to Granada
Birthday dinner was crazy awesome. We just decided to have a bit at each place (sometimes a drink, sometimes a tapas and sometimes both!) and basically go place to place!
We had sangria, cervaza, and house wine... all very tasty except this very sweet wine which was a bit too sweet. We enjoyed mixed nuts, shrimp on a stick, garlic shrimp (yup, we smell great this morning), potatoes brava (potatoes with spicy sauce) and believe it or not cheesse sticks (and yes, they had two s's) which were pretty good.
It's sadly time to say goodbye to Madrid. A very beautiful town... that will be missed.
A special shout out to our amazing hotel staff. Very friendly... if you stay in Madrid, stay at the Hotel Europa!
Granada here we come!
We had sangria, cervaza, and house wine... all very tasty except this very sweet wine which was a bit too sweet. We enjoyed mixed nuts, shrimp on a stick, garlic shrimp (yup, we smell great this morning), potatoes brava (potatoes with spicy sauce) and believe it or not cheesse sticks (and yes, they had two s's) which were pretty good.
It's sadly time to say goodbye to Madrid. A very beautiful town... that will be missed.
A special shout out to our amazing hotel staff. Very friendly... if you stay in Madrid, stay at the Hotel Europa!
Granada here we come!
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