Barcelona

I recently met my wife in Barcelona for a weeklong vacation.  I had never been to this wonderful city before, though my wife had been there twice before.  We stayed at a somewhat basic hotel in the old city center, which was located within the original Roman walls almost 2000 years ago.  The location could not have been any better.

There is a great deal of things to do in Barcelona, but our focus was food, and the art and architecture of the local artisans.   Barcelona features great ham and paella.  The hams of this region of Spain are famous, and it is common to have a selection of 20 different types to choose from.  More on ham in the future.  Paella is also famous and varied, with numerous types available at many restaurants.  I had a dark brown dish made with the ink of the local cuttlefish (similar to squid).  On another occasion, we ate the best seafood Paella possible.  I suppose everything could be improved, but at that moment, I would not be able to be convinced of that.

Though tapas are not from Barcelona, the city has embraced them, with many tapas bars throughout the city.  My wife was proud that she found a favorite tapas place of hers, featuring good Serrano ham, bombas and seafood specialties.  The restaurant sign was located down a small street, though very unique.

Barcelona was home to many famous artists and architects.  Most grew up in the area, while others moved to the region from other parts of Spain.  The names in include Picasso, Dali, Miro, Velázquez and Gaudi.  We went to several art museums, including a great one dedicated to Picasso.  Picasso hung out in the early 20^th century at a bar called Quatres Gats in Catalan or Cuatro Gatos in Spanish.  We had to go see what it was about, and drank expensive beer with other tourists.

The city is built on the Mediterranean and at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains, providing great scenery.  I have always thought the combination of water and mountains make the best views.  The hilly terrain of the outskirts of Barcelona caused us to climb significant stairways, and we also discovered a number of outdoor escalators.  I wonder why this isn’t more common.

Our hotel offered us a glass of Cava every day.  Cava is a sparkling wine crafted in this region of Spain.  Cava means cave in Catalan, where the wine is stored for aging.  Restaurants would also offer Cava as a welcome drink.  Interestingly, I have a Christmas tradition at my house where everyone is offered a glass of Cava when they arrive for dinner.  Now the Cava tradition seems more special.

This was not the city of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, where Vicky was trying to find her Catalan identity.  But the Barcelona of artists and wine drinking is real.  The Barceloneta area of the city seems like where the movie may have been filmed, though I need to go back and watch it again.

We had a great time and I was highly impressed with the city.  It is clean, the people are possibly the friendliest in Europe, and the food and wine were fantastic.  In addition to art, the city has the requisite old churches and Roman ruins, which is always a draw for me.  I hope to return some day.