louisatrixie: Spain

Here I am again because I am in the mood to blog (which is not very often heh). wish there was a way to download everything in my memories onto this space but I guess we are not at that technological stage yet. Part two of Barcelona let's go!

(Click here for Barcelona Part 1)

*****

Continuing from the previous post, the last stop for the day was Park Güell.

When in Barcelona, Park Güell is a must-visit. Not only was it designed by Antoni Gaudi, but it also offers a panoramic view of the city.

The two pavilions that frame the entrance house some exhibitions

Seeing the queue to the pavilion, we decided to explore the rest of the park first.

Much love for the mosaic tiles!

Not much to say about the park because the pictures are self-explanatory. First-time visitors should visit the park especially if you wish to check off a list of Gaudi's works! I doubt I will re-visit the park again if I ever return to Barcelona though.

As the sky grew darker we left the Park and ended up at La Ciudadela Hotel AGAIN. We actually tried to explore other food options recommended to us, but we were craving for the paella we had so badly we HAD to go back. We did order Fideuà instead, which is vermicelli instead of rice. Still as yummy but we preferred rice! Also ordered some wine pairings to go with our meal.

The next day was our last day in Barcelona so we continued our best-Paella-in-Barcelona search at a popular & recommended restaurant called Can Majó in the Barcelonata area. We were early and the restaurant hadn't opened yet so we chilled awhile at the beach.

When the restaurant was opened and we were seated we ordered and were served some bread. There were a group of Japanese girls who arrived around the same time as us, so we were thinking okay this restaurant is really popular with tourists!

Homemade Seafood Croquettes!

Ordered coffee and it came with 4 kinds of sugar lol!

And the star of the show - apparently. We felt that it was kinda average? Was pretty disappointed because the bill wasn't cheap.

Unsatisfied from lunch, we decided to head to a place frequented by locals and recommended by Joel's Spanish friend. It was only a short walk away.

The entrance does not even have a signboard, but a small obscure sign hangs inside that reads "Can Paixano". You know you've stumbled upon a gem when you are the only tourists in the crowded restaurant. And even the menu board is all in Spanish! There's no sitting in this bar, everyone stands as they munch on their tapas, and when you are done you throw the rubbish on the floor. It's a pretty unique experience.

As recommended by his friend, he ordered a Rosado for me which was like a rose wine/cocktail thingy. I didn't even know what it was exactly but it was delicious.

So after it started to get abit rowdy inside (due to the cheap booze everyone was tipsy at noon) so we exited the bar and so happened this very drunk fat lady collapsed on the floor outside - you can see the broken wine bottle on the floor! Joel thought it was good timing to take a picture of the tapas he bought with the commotion in the background. After that we went shopping - think Zara, Mango, Stradivarius...all the Spanish brands! No pictures of that but I managed to score some pieces at a cheaper price than Singapore's. And thus I shall end this post with a very epic picture that sums up the last day in Barcelona.

As I move on to update on Italy (finally!) I have to say I absolutely adore Spain, and if I have the chance to return to Europe I would choose to come back, perhaps Madrid the next time. Love the people, the food, and I hope by then I have picked up some Spanish! #2015resolution but till date it is still not happening yet :/ Okay, by the end of the year I hope to have signed up with a language school!! *mental note*

How quickly time flies - we are already towards the end of the first quarter of 2015. And I'm going nowhere with my Europe posts. :/

***

After 5 days in Paris, we took a domestic flight to Barcelona, Spain! Got onto the Aerobus (airport bus) from the airport that brought us to Plaça Catalunya, the city centre, for 10.2 Euros per person for a two-way ride. From there we took the metro to our airbnb. Barcelona was a respite for us because we immediately felt like the place was relatively safer than Paris and the people friendlier. But after leaving Barcelona I realised that the crime rate in this city is actually pretty high, thank God nothing happened to us! In fact, we ranked Barcelona as one of our top favourites after our whole trip.

We dropped our bags at the apartment and after a chat with our lovely airbnb host, we headed to a nearby to a restaurant that he recommended because he claimed they served the best seafood paella in Spain. The restaurant was situated at a hotel called La Ciudadela Hotel.

Poor boy was feeling cold because he didn't layer up! The weather was below 20 deg that day and the wind chill factor made us shiver while waiting for our food. Apparently, you have to pay extra to sit outside! Probably because alfresco dining is popular among the Europeans. We requested to sit inside once there was available seating, because we were cold and thought the food may also get cold faster.

Paella, portion for two! Don't be fooled by this unassuming picture. This was the BOMB. What a way to be welcomed to Spain, because it certainly set the bar so high. Over the next few days this was constantly in our minds, and as we tried other paella that didn't reach the standard of this, we actually found ourselves coming back twice more.

After our very satisfying lunch we headed back to the apartment to pile on more layers and set off exploring the area. We lived near the Arc de Triomf so it was our first stop. Not as majestic as the one in Paris, but still pretty unique and brimming with Spanish influence.

As we walked through the park I was enjoying the vibe here. So chill, and a different type of vibrancy that hung in the air as compared to the other cities we visited. We didn't encounter touts or shady people at all.

Totally digging the balcony railings!

If I remember correctly this was probably somewhere near/at the gothic quarter. Love how the streets are for pedestrians only, and there are even random palm trees sprouting out in between the buildings.

Random bakery with an appetising display!

Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar.

Random market selling vintage trinkets and souvenirs.

Museu de la Catedral.

We managed to cover quite a bit of the city on foot in half a day, and half a day was enough for me to fall in love with this city!

Palau de la Música Catalana was our last stop before heading for dinner, some grocery shopping and back to the apartment. The sun sets pretty late in the summer so at 8pm it was still bright out but we decided to conserve energy for another full day out.

*****

Day two in Barcelona: first stop for the day was Sagrada Família, designed by famed architect Antoni Gaudí. This basilica is one of the most famous in the world, and even though it started being built in the 18th century, up till today, construction is still ongoing. Projected completion is in 2026 so from now till then, the construction cranes are part of the landscape.

We crossed over to the park opposite to get a better view of the entire basilica.

A very beautiful work of Gothic architecture, but it's a pity that we have to wait another decade to see the final product. Anyway, we bought tickets only the day before at the advice of our airbnb host, so all we had to do was flash the reservation confirmation on my phone and we were in. No need to queue! Our ticket price came with audio guides, and I would highly recommend getting them because you would actually understand what you are looking at.

The moment we entered, I swear our jaws dropped open. This is the most breath-taking interior of a church I have ever seen. No picture could do justice to this place.

The ceiling and columns resembled trees and branches. I really felt like I was in a magical concrete forest.

I really also loved the stained-glass windows that gave the whole interior of the church a warm and colorful glow.

We probably spent more than an hour wandering around, mostly looking up at the ceiling. Haha.

Managed a picture, but not a very good one because of the crowd. :/ Nevertheless, Sagrada Família was simply beautiful. It's definitely a must on anyone's bucket list & I would certainly not get sick of returning for future visits!

Impressed by Gaudí's work, we set off with anticipation to visit another of his works.

Casa Batlló, also known as "House of Bones" due to its skeletal and organic qualities.

Just next door is another famous building in Barcelona, designed by another architect - Casa Amatller. These two buildings are situated in a popular fashion district, on an avenue called Passeig de Gràcia, where you can find many popular luxury brand stores.

Much of there to be seen in Barcelona is within walkable distance, and we were fortunate to be there in pretty good weather - sunny yet chilly. Our next stop was La Rambla, a touristy pedestrian street filled with alfresco restaurants, florists & street performers etc. Basically the whole street is very lively and full of activity.

Our main purpose in visiting La Rambla was the Mercat de La Boqueria.

Towards the front end of the market entrance, you will be greeted with rows of fresh produce and sweets/chocolates.

Even ice popsicles in some many different flavors.

Towards the middle and back end you'll find meats and other hot food to go.

Crepe station!

Spanish pastries that caught Joel's eye. I think he bought the curry puff looking thing!

We settled on trying some calamari and fish which was nothing fantastic but did the job of filling our tummies a bit.

Since we are in Spain, might as well try their local delicacies. Bought dry-cured ham, also known as Jamón in Spanish. Took a bite off a piece and proceeded to throw the rest away. We couldn't get used to it's acquired taste! :/

At the end of La Rambla, we came across a 60-meter tall monument called the Colombus Monument.

Further up is Port Vell. Throughout the whole trip so far we didn't encounter any beachy areas so it was refreshing to finally be near the sea. It felt like the European version of Miami except that there weren't bikini babes cos the weather was too chilly.

Palm trees = vacation mood.

Palm trees, blue sky and sea. We took a leisurely stroll along the whole Port and after which we decided to find a place for a tea break!

I constantly pester Joel to let me have coffee everyday! He says it's an addiction and sometimes discourages me from buying. After starting this corporate job, I find myself needing caffeine to function like a normal human.

Crepe!! Just cos I was craving. I don't know why we didn't even have churros at all the whole time we were there. After all churros originated from Spain? Sigh. Reason to go back! ;D

City Hall.

Pleasantly surprised to see a street named after one of my "favorite" authors. "Favorite" because his book 1984 was one of my O' Level Literature texts and thus I developed a love-hate feeling towards it. Subsequently 1984 went on to inspire many other great works including another fav of mine - 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.

Hours of walking through such similar alleyways. But I didn't mind at all.

After some shopping (note the shopping bag Joel is carrying ;P) we headed to Park Güell. Coming out of metro station we had to take a series of escalators up, after which we had to continue uphill on foot.