The first adventure of the day was to go to a place called Champaneria Bar. This place is located between Barrio Born and Port Vell, right near the beach. Locals and tourists come to this bar to sample typical tappas or bocadillos. But the real reason people go to this bar is to get a free bottle or glass of Cava with the tappas. Cava is the name of a type of Spanish, mostly Catalonia, white or pink sparkling wine. It is produced in varying levels of dryness of the wine which are: brut nature, brut (extra dry), seco (dry), semiseco (medium) and dulce (sweet). I liked the dulce pink Cava the best!
After each of us drank a bottle of Cava and had two bocadillos, bread and cheese, we went to a cafe to get some good coffee. My friend Jenna loves her espresso shot, so we went to her favorite place to get coffee. Spain does not have cappuccinos, they have Cafe con leche, coffee with milk. It is coffee mixed with scalded milk to a 1:1 ratio. I liked it, but still prefer my cappuccinos in Italy. We then went to bar/cafe where you drink outside in a garden. Spain is know to mix beer and fanta, so I had to try it here.
I went back to my hostel in between to rest and get ready for dinner. I thought Italians ate late, like at 830, but Catalan people do not eat dinner till about 930 or 10. I didn't meet up with Jenna until about 9 so I was a bit hungry for dinner. We went to a vegetarian Catalan restaurant and had the worst service I have ever experienced in Europe. They were understaffed and overcrowded with people. We didn't get served our first course until about an hour after we ordered it. We tried to ignore the bad service and enjoy her birthday dinner. Despite the horrible service, the food was pretty good. I got to try my first typical Catalan dish, Pan con Tomate, which is basically brushetta but a Spanish dish. We spent about 3.5 hours at this restaurant, but it was nice to just to hang out and spend time with Jenna and her friends.
I went back to my hostel to get some rest for our adventures the next day. I woke up and Jenna met me at my hostel at around 10am. The day consisted of walking and constant eating. We walked through the areas of Poble Sec, Raval, Gothic area, Borne, Passeig de Gracia, and finally Sagrada Familia. We first stopped at the Gaudi Garden known as Ciutadella Parc. Within the park is the National Library of Catalonia which used to be the hospital where Gaudi, a famous Catalan architect, died in. It was renovated into a library for Catalonian bibliographic production.
Throughout my tour, I got to try some more typical Catalan dishes such as tortilla de patata and patatas bravas. These are both tapas dishes. Patatas bravas are white potatoes fried in oil and served warm with a spicy tomato and mayo sauce. Tortialla de patata is known as a Spanish omlete that consists of egg and fried potatoes. I however got asparagus inside and it was excellent. I ate these dishes as a brunch because lunch was to be eaten as a picnic in a garden.
We walked on Las Ramblas and ended up at Boqueria Mercat, a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is one of the city's most popular tourist landmarks. The market has a very diverse selection of goods such as jamon, fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish etc. Barcelona is positioned on the Iberian Peninsula and therefore is almost entirely surrounded by water. Seafood is one of the main pillars of Barcelona’s cookin. Popular types of seafood include sea bass, monkfish, squid, clams, mussels, langoustines, crayfish, lobster, shrimp, and prawns. I however do not like fish, so I did not try any. The market was indoors which is very different from Italy. It only consisted of food and is open everyday to the public. If I lived in Barcelona, I would go there everyday to buy local fresh produce.
After the market we stopped at a local restaurant to buy pre-made salads and fruit for our picnic lunch. We were going to the Parc de la Ciutadella to have our picnic. The entrance way to the park has the Arc de Triomf of Barcelona. The park is known for its zoo and lake. Also Gaudi has a famous piece inside the park known as the Quadriga de l'Aurora which is on top of the Font de la Cascada. We ate our salads and fruit right by the lake while enjoying the gorgeous blue sky and sun.
We then went to a major avenue in Barcelona, called the Passeig de Gracia, which is known for its shopping and business offices along with several famous pieces of architecture designed by Gaudi. I saw the Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera (Catalan for 'The Quarry') designed by Gaudi.
Jenna loves her dessert and had been talking about this one dessert place that she wanted to go to ever since I arrived. I was already stuffed from all the food I consumed earlier in the day, but she really wanted to go, so I said why not. I forget the name of the restaurant, but it was the best dessert ever! She was not kidding when she said it was her favorite place to get sweets We got a chocolate cake served with pistachio ice cream. It was too die for; I am so glad we went there!
The most important monument in Barcelona is the Sagradda Familia, which is a large Roman Catholic church designed by Gaudi. It is very famous and a huge tourist spot because the church was never completely finished and is supposed to be in 2017. However, I did not care that much to see this church because I feel like all I do in Rome is look at churches, and it kinda bores me. Jenna took me to see the church just so I could say I saw it. I did not go inside, but was content with my visit. Here it is:
I went back to my hostel to meet up with my friends so we could get ready for our Tapas Dinner with Jenna. We went to a tapas restaurant called Bar Canete, which serves very typical Catalan tapas dishes. Jenna and I split four tapas dishes: fried artichoke, a salad, eggs and vegetables, and spinach balls. And of course the whole table got pan con tomate! The food was all so delicious and I enjoyed it even more because I got to drink Cava again!
After our delicious meal, we were ready to explore the night life of Barcelona. We started off going to Chupitos, which is a bar that serves over 500 different shots at 2 euros each. I tried four different shots: Boy Scout, Harry Potter, Green Goblin, and Pop Rocks. Some of these shots were lit on fire and than drank. It was so cool!
Then we went to a bar called Dow Jones which is known as the Alcohol Stock Market. The prices of drinks fluctuate like in the stock market. When the market "crashes" the prices of drinks drop so that is when you should buy a drink. When people are buying drinks however, the prices increase. It is a game that you constantly have to keep looking out for. The market crashed once while we were there and everyone ran to the bar to buy more drinks. Then we went to the clubs of Barcelona which are located on the beach. Music is playing, people are dancing, and there is a beach right outside of the clubs! We were out till about 5am, but it was well worth it! The night scene in Barcelona is crazy!
The next day was my last day to be with Jenna. We met up and had a nice brunch at a cute trendy restaurant. Then we sat in a park talking and reminiscing about how much fun we had with each other this weekend. It was sad to say goodbye, but she comes to Rome next Wednesday!!! I loved Barcelona! Jenna was absolutely amazing, the food was outstanding, and I loved the city. I really hope to go back to Spain and explore other parts of the country!
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