Barcelona for the Win

Barcelona at night.

After our 4 day wine-drinking bender in Bordeaux, it was time to bid France adieu and head for Spain. It was a quick flight on Vueling airlines From Bordeaux to Barcelona- an hour or so. We grabbed a cab and were in the city centre in no time.  Our hotel, the Catalonia Port, was in a great location, central to the Barri Gòtic, el born, and, of course, the port.  We were also really close to the legendary ramblas.  After settling in, we decided to go for a walk up these famous streets.  And we hated it! So tacky and touristy... it was like the worst parts of Times Square, but with more pickpockets and costlier food.  Yes, there is a cool, if jam-packed, food market, but the rest of it is just so terrible.  Since we were both so underwhelmed, we didn't walk the whole way, but went back to our hotel to get ready for a late dinner.

By then, I was dreading spending more time in this city.  If that was the highlight, I might as well just grab my Kindle and go sit by the pool.

An aside- I can't believe that Rick Steves, who has never steered me wrong, highly recommended this tourist trap. Seriously, the world's favourite travel geek has been a godsend on previous trips.  He turned me on to rue cler in Paris, and the Cinque Terre in Italy.  His advice on how to cross a street in traffic-mad Naples was invaluable (huddle behind a local and follow him or her).  I'd probably still be trying to get across the street if it weren't for that trick.  So when I picked up Pocket Barcelona and saw that the only "3 star" site in the city was las ramblas, we headed right over.  I can only assume that Rick, a passionate supporter of marijuana law reform, must have been high when he wrote that part of the book.  But I digress...

Room at the Catalonia Port Hotel

Thankfully, things improved right away.  We had an amazing dinner at Sensi, then spent the next 3 days discovering how awesome Barcelona really is.  The Barri Gòtic, (gothic quarter) was my favourite part, as I can't get enough of narrow streets and ancient architecture.  El Born is getting great too.  The passeig de gracia, in the Eixample, was positively Parisian.

Inside La Sagrada Familia

Our street, career ample, a block from the port, steps to las ramblas, and at the juncture of el born and barri gòtic.

Santa Caterina Market in the El Born. Beautiful inside, and filled with amazing food and drinks!

As we only had 3 days, we did the obvious things, like tour La Sagrada Familia and la Pedrera, Antoni Gaudí's most famous monuments. We took a bus tour up to Montjuïc and saw the city and port from the cablecars; we went to the Picasso museum.  My favourite thing, though, was just walking the city. Well, walking the city and stopping every half hour for tapas, cava, and whatever else looked delicious.

4 Cats, a Picasso hangout

Tapas 24

Churros and chocolate.  Oh yeah.

How can I not love a city that builds its world around potatoes and ham? We ate patatas bravas and jamón Ibérico at every opportunity, and I still could have had more. I didn't see a leafy green vegetable until our last evening, when I specifically ordered something healthy as a side, to go with my ham and potatoes.  It's all about balance, people.

Melt in your mouth jamón Ibérico

We even discovered ham and cheese flavoured Ruffles, which were ridiculously good. I think we consumed 3 bags in 3 days, despite eating out each day as well.  We even took a bag with us for the journey home, but they were demolished while we waited in Frankfurt for our connecting flight.

Ruffles York'eso chips.  Ham and cheese.  So good!

So, yes, Barcelona turned out to be a real treat.  I'd love to go back, but I should probably wait until my cholesterol and sodium levels get back to normal.