the highway we drove from Andorra to Barcelona with scenic mountain backdraft.
Our drive to Barcelona. Unlike the drive to Andorra that was somehow adventurous yet terrifying, our drive to Barcelona is calmer. Yes, we have switchbacks too, and sometimes we don’t know if we are ascending or descending, but I knew for a fact that we were going down since I felt that gravitational pull from the way the car was moving. The road to Barcelona from Andorra was scenic- filled with mountains, pasturelands and small villages. Driving the highway we saw what resembled to be the Italian dolomites. We stopped briefly at a rest area and took some photo and just enjoyed the beauty of the countryside. Then off again. 3 hours later, we met the hustle and bustle of the city of Barcelona.
Truly a Five Star. We arrived at the Cotton House Hotel and attempted to check in right then but our room was not ready so we decided to just leave our luggages and explored the city. We didn’t go far, then we went back and tried checking in again. By this time, we had our room ready. Man oh man… Bob really knows how to splurge to get the best room! Booked at a 5-star autograph collection series, our hotel was at the heart of Barcelona; central to all the “must sees” we tried to see- all within the walking distance. The reception… the bar… and the hotel room and its amenities, just fabulous! We were very pleased.
Top: The interior of our hotel room;
Bottom: L-R Our sumptuous paella #3 and #4 at Restaurante 7 Portes; and the vibrant Plaza Palau
When done unpacking and refreshing, we hit the town again. First stop- Barcelona Cathedral. Located at the gothic quarter of Barcelona, this church is built between the 13th to 15th century. Among the churches we saw this trip, this I would say is the grandest in terms of religious artifacts. I would say, similar to the Cathedral we saw in Santiago, Chile. They are old and intricate, and overly satisfying visually. The climb to the rooftop was an added bonus. We got the view of the city, and the different architectures-old and new- that were thriving to this vibrant place.
When we finished exploring the catherdral, we continued to walk outside the city discovering paseos/alleys. They are quite similar to the old city of Montpellier; though different in architectural aesthetics, they resembled some similarities. I was enjoying it. Then we headed towards the marina in search of the Restaurante 7 Portes. When we were at the hotel upon check in, we asked the concierge and they recommended a few best places to eat paella and we chose this one. This did not disappoint- we savored a nice vegetarian (for Bob) and Black Paella (for me) with cold Catalonian white wine. That was quite a dinner from a topnotch place on a busy night. We were lucky to get a table with no reservation.😉
Left: The facade of the Barcelona Cathedral from a nearby street;
Top R: La Monumental Bull Arena
Bottom R: Casa Mila, a Gaudi masterpiece;
After we had a filling meal, we continued walking through the alleys looking for the Cathedral by the Sea. Bob and I are avid Netflix viewers, and one of the series we’ve seen was “La Catedral Del Mar” which was set in Barcelona and a real, non-fictional church. Its story was heartbreaking yet hopeful. We made sure that, at least we see this church whenever we get to Barcelona; we almost didn’t as it was almost 5PM by the time we got in, and the staff started to turn off lights, barricading the altar, and telling people in Catalan that they were closing the premise. It was brief, but glad we were able to see its inside.
Then we walked again through the paseos until we tumbled into Plaza Palau where lively music from the restaurant in all four corners were playing. Like the Grand Place in Brussels, there were tables and chairs around the central square set up for people who would like to dine. We attempted multiple times to get a seat and enjoy a drink or two of Spanish cervezas hoping to enjoy people watching but were denied. Dinner only they said🤣. So we settled a nice drink in the hotel bar instead. Then we called it a night and went back to our room.
Left: The facade of the La Cathedral Del Mar;
Top R: another Gaudi’s design- Casa Batlló.
Bottom R: The Spanish Arc d’ Triomphe in Barcelona
We must have slept so good. When we woke up, it was past nine. We got ready and we headed to the nearby La Monumental Bull Arena. I have only seen bull fights on screens, Bob had seen a real one with Bernard in Neems back in the 90s. There was so much to take in as we walk into the empty arena. Sitting on one of the seats, I can’t help but wonder how it was inside in its hey day with obviously loud crowds and the toros/bulls fighting. We walked through the entirety of the arena. We saw the areas where matadors sought safety during the fights, the premium seats for the elites, and the seats for common people who still would watch the show. Then we walk behind the main arena and also saw the place where the bulls were kept, fed and bred. As for matadors, the small kitchenette, their locker rooms, and a small chapel- perhaps to say their last prayers?
The last bullfight in this ring was seen in 2011. After a local law passed banning all bullfights in Catalonia including Barcelona. This place is kept to preserve and for visitors to see the once prominent game of bullfighting as part of the Catalan’s rich culture.
When we finished wandering the arena, we headed to nearby Carrer de Sardenya, the street closer to Sagrada Familia. We took the opportunity to eat some food since we didn’t have breakfast. Our tour of the basilica was slotted not until the next couple of hours. I had some Cold Mussels and Bob had Strawberry Shortcake and Apple Pie. This place maybe a hole on the wall, but I kid you not, the food was as good as we had last night.
Top L-R: The main entrance of SAgrda Familia; The altar and the massive pillars/columns;
Bottom L-R: the ceiling/canopy of the basilica; Bob and I trying to be corky while heading down the spiral staircase;
The Basilica of Sagrada Familia. And then it’s time for the most awaited tour. Before we entered the basilica, Bob and I went around the entire premise- the front, the sides, and the back to get a full scale of how big the church was. It occupies an entire block to simply describe it. One thing that I noticed by doing that was there were so much religious artifacts found outside. From the walls to the ceilings and steeples. Sculptures of the saints, the nativity, angels and gargoyles- some old and some new; it’s like a charcuterie of all things religious.
For those who don’t know, Sagrada Familia is known for being the largest basilica in the world that up to date, is under construction- continuously being built since the 1800s. Evidently, you can see it from almost every corner of the city. While we were walking and while we were at the roof of the Cathedral of Barcelona, its pompous appearance is visible everywhere.
When we got inside, It was massive. The ceiling was so high- but I immediately noticed that the basilica has minimal design. Couple of things I learned from the audio I was listening to: 1. the large display of artifacts outside was intentional- so people are enticed to go inside and pray and could focus on with less visual distractions 2. Gaudi (the architect that designed this basilica) intended to have the place of worship resembles the forest. The tall massive pillars of the church are similar to the mightiest trees we see in the deepest part of the woods. They branched out and form canopies through the ceiling- like the trees that protect you from the elements. You will notice this when you’re immersed inside. It was a unique and interesting vision. But personally, not what I expected of how it would be.
Our tour continued to one of the towers. The elevator lead us to a spiral stairs of one of the steeples; there were multiple stops that allowed us to see the city. Looking outside of the basilica gave us a different perspective of the city as compared to when we were at the rooftop of the cathedral.. In one of the platforms we stopped, we saw from the horizon there was a storm looming not far from us. Dark grey clouds that blanketed the city’s buildings. Of course my camera was ready😂! Quite a scenery to experience.
It started raining by the time we were heading down. As it poured, we continued our tour inside- witnessing some 3D presentations and future rehabilitations and projects for the church. With no end in sight, Bob and I decided to walk and braved the rain with a brief stop to the souvenir shop to buy an umbrella for Bob (I have one)- the rain will not ruin our trip. We headed to two of the famous houses that Gauldi also designed.- The Casa Mila and Casa Batlló. From the outside we noticed how crowded it was for both the houses (which were a block apart)- so we didn’t bother going in- besides, we didn’t have advanced reservations. 😂
Top: The Seafood Paella; Myself sautéing the ingredients;
Bottom L-R: Beet and Watermelon Gazpacho; Bob mixing the ingredients with the help of the lady from South Dakota;
It was too early for dinner but too late for a big lunch so we decided to have another tapas. We had some Fish Fritto and Calamari partnered with red and white sangria. Light meal after the crazy long walk from the rain. After that we went back to our hotel and recharged since the rain seemed to be not stopping. Around 8PM we decided to eat at a nearby La Panella Restaurant- another one of the medium upscale place. I ordered for my Tomato and Mozzarella Cheese Salad along with Steak while Bob had Fish. Of course we savored them with a glass of local draft beer. Another excellent dinner I should say.
Making our own Spanish Paella. The following day we woke up again around 9AM. We retraced our steps close to the cathedral since our cooking class was towards that area. Yes, we signed up for a cooking lesson and we are going to learn how to cook Paella🙂. Since we got early, we explored more of the alleys. Then it was almost eleven so we decided to head back and waited until our class started.
There were about twelve people in the class from different parts of the world but predominantly from the United States. After our individual introductions, we got to work. We peeled vegetables, cut them, and on to the actual nit and grits of cooking. Actually, there were more than a paella that we made that day. This class thought us how to make Beet and Watermelon Gazpacho, Tortilla de Patatas (Potato Omellete), Paella de Marisco (Seafood Paella), and Catalan Creme. I will admit and I am biased, all were delicious and mouth-watering. It was a fun-filled five hours learning to make Spanish dishes. Truly a great experience.
Bob and Jun are our names… Food is our game 🤣.
Since we were stuffed from all the food we cooked, we decided to go to Mercat de la Boqueria to buy my saffron. This is the key ingredient in making Spanish Paella and very expensive in the US. I paid 30Euro for a small bottle. From here we took a cab to go to Park Güell. Thinking that this park needs no reservation to enter, it was late when we realized that the tickets were sold out for the day. Ho hum… no park this time😢. The only consolation we got was- the park was located uphill, and we have the view of the sea from the street we were walking. We just decided to go back to our hotel and rest for a bit. Around seven when we walked again and tumbled upon the Arc de Triomf of Barcelona. Simple, not grand like the ones in Paris or Montpellier. It has a different material too- red brick. This must be nice at night when the entire promenade is lit up.
The weather was pretty much the same as yesterday; overcast then rain and wet. While walking around, we decided to have a light dinner at Mescat- a tapas restaurant. What supposedly light meal (since we had so much to eat on our cooking class) ended up big and heavy😂. Fish Fritto, Grilled Padrano Pepper, Eggplant, Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad, and Callos were the dishes we savoured on our last night. By the time we left the restaurant were packed and people were on the queue waiting to be seated. Since it was still raining, we just headed back to our hotel, continued packing and ultimately watched a television show. This was our last night in Barcelona.
Epilogue:
Our flight back home was met with many challenges. It started with driving in a bicycle lane in Barcelona… Heading to the wrong terminal which took us forever to get back to the right one… Returning the car which were flagged because of the tiny chip on the windshield that we never knew of… The last leg of our flight (Miami to Orlando) being cancelled and had us ended up renting a car with ridiculous rental fee. But despite all that, Bob and I got home safely with so much gratitude that our trip went well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained Bob said. ❤️
Sagrada Familia as seen at the rooftop of the Barcelona Cathedral.