My trip began on an awesome note when I got upgraded to an earlier flight, direct from Istanbul, AND in first class. Thank you Turkish Airlines. I am sure the demotion back to coach will be a bit of a downer, but I did thoroughly enjoy the service, drinks, and spacious seating up in first class. My first day in Barcelona began with a half-day bike tour of the city. I would recommend this as a fun way to get yourself oriented with a city, as well as to give you an idea of some of the sights you want to go back to explore more. I rode a nice cruiser around the Barri Gottic neighborhood, to the cathedral, down to the port, through a beautiful park, and to La Sagrada Familia. I had my first tapas meal for lunch, a concept that I really think should be embraced in the United States. It has been really fun checking out different tapas bars in Barcelona. The word tapa comes from the verb "tapar" which means to cover. It used to be that whenever you ordered a drink at a bar, they would cover it with some kind of small snack..a tapa. This tradition only continues in the southern parts of the country, so I am told. Now it is very common to begin your evening at a tapas bar (think of it like a permanent happy hour) before moving on to your dinner.
On Monday, I was really bummed out when I discovered that my cava winery trip was cancelled. It ended up being a really great day though. I went to the Barcelona cathedral, walked around Barri Gottic, and had an amazing seafood lunch by the sea. I stopped for a sangria on La Rambla, the pedestrian walkway, and even scored a second one for free. Needless to say, I was ready for a siesta once I returned to the hotel. The Barcelona cathedral is really beautiful, filled with altars for different saints. I always enjoy touring cathedrals and churches. They say that is where the best art can be found, followed by private owners, then the museums.
On Tuesday, I went on a crazy long walk up to Montjuic, the old military fortress of the city. I got to see some great views of Barcelona, but didn't make it to most of the sights of Montjuic. Apparently it is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I wasn't wearing appropriate shoes, got a bit lost...again a siesta was needed upon return to the hotel. I did make a stop at La Market de Bouquiera, which is a massive food market off La Rambla. The variety of meats, cheeses, fruits, tapas, and seafood is incredible. A very cool place to walk around. That evening I went on a tapas tour of the city, where I discovered some excellent tapas bars in Barri Gottic.
Wednesday was a big day trip to Montserrat and a cava winery. Montserrat is a mountain that is very important in Catalunya. A black Madonna statue was discovered there centuries ago, and a monastery was built there afterwards. It is a very quiet and peaceful place where the monks live and young boys study music. I got to listen to the Montserrat boys choir in the basillica, one of the oldest boys choirs in the world. Following Montserrat, I finally made it to a cava winery. Cava is similar to champagne, however it cannot be called it because of a French trademark. I went to the largest cava winery in Spain, and it was an incredible compound. The cellars were filled with literally millions of bottles of cava. Somehow I scored a free bottle afterwards, although I am pretty sure I didn't pay for that bonus.
So today was my final day in Barcelona, and I was exhausted after all the sight-seeing. I slept in, had a few coffees, went shopping, had a mani/pedi, and again, took a siesta. Barcelona really lived up to the expectations, and exceeded it as well. I never once took the metro because I was afraid of the pick-pocketers, but it really is a beautiful city to walk around. I loved La Rambla and La Boquiera. If I were to stay here again I would stay in the beautiful Barri Gottic area with it's windy streets and excellent tapas bars. Over the past few days I have drank sangria, white wine, red wine, cava, beer, and even Strongbow on tap today. I have had cafe con leche, macchiato lattes, and even Starbucks (a guilty pleasure). Every meal has been amazing, and I look forward to more culinary treats in Toledo, Seville, and Granada. Tomorrow I take the train to Toledo, where it will be much more quiet, a nice contrast to bustling Barcelona.
I am not going to put up photos here now, since it takes so long to load and format. I have been putting up photos each day on facebook, if you are interested.
