The last thirty days seemed to fly by and I am now back in Tampa. Looking back on my trip there are five parts of Barcelona that I will miss; the big city environment where there are so many choices of sights to see and experience, the great food, walking aimlessly through the streets. The architecture and culture were two of my favorites, as well as the rooftop bars, which provided interesting views of the city.
If you have been reading my travel blog you will have realized that this is the fabulous view of Barcelona during my stay in the city. One of the sights that I have enjoyed every morning after waking up and looking out my window, contemplating my adventure for the day, and glancing over the city at night before going off to bed.
Here are two pictures that I took of Barcelona at night and during the day.
(A yacht sitting in the Barcelona Marina at night)
(A typical street in Barcelona I encountered during all my walking & exploring)
Being a city planner for 40 years, I love seeing the architecture in other cities and countries, and Barcelona architecture did not disappoint.
At Park Guell, there's a space called the Hypostyle Room, a huge space with tall Roman/Greek columns. It was fun walking around and watching how the space changes. There are ceramic domes in the ceiling that catch the light. And there are a few ceramic discs that hang down.
While the architecture and sights on the ground were interesting, seeing the city from the view of a Rooftop bar was so much more intriguing. I explored several during my stay.
This view is from The Eclipse Cocktail Bar at the W Hotel, although it is not really on a rooftop, it is a really nice view, and I can even see my apartment from here.
As you may have also observed, exploring different foods is also a favorite hobby of mine, here and back at home. So I wanted to share a few more culinary experiences from my trip.
The Cam Cullerestes is the oldest restaurant in Barcelona and has been opened since 1786.
The walls of the dining room are covered in paintings depicting scenes of early 20th century bourgeois like in Barcelona, and photos of some of the restaurants most notable patrons.
I tried the Iberian ham, which was incredible. It was sliced really thin, was so fresh and had a sweet flavor to it.
Followed by roasted zucchini, peppers and onions with goat cheese. The peppers are sweet and give the dish a sweet, tangy flavor,
Then I had the paella as my main dish, made with a combination of meat, seafood and fish, which was like going to paella heaven!
The signature drink in Barcelona is absinthe, a liquor with a strong flavor of black licorice. It has a high alcohol content and rumored to have psychedelic properties. Thus, artists and bohemians drank it incessantly. I went to have cocktails at Bar Marsellas to try one.
But I had to learn the technique to drink it. Place the sugar cube on a fork, balance it over the glass and then let a few drops of water fall onto the sugar cube so that it dissolves into the glass.
This allows you to regulate the amount of sugar and dilution. A few of these and and I may be seeing things that aren't there as well! Below is the successful dilution.
Finally, while I was here I had a chance to experience Easter in Spain. I decided to go to eat dinner at Restaurant Casa Ramonet, but I hadn't thought of making a reservation. Since I didn't have one, they offered me a seat at the wine barrel (the "this is where we put people with no reservation" seat).
I had anchovies, cheese and for the main course cuttlefish and meatballs.
One of the things that I've noticed about Catalan cooking is the blending of foods that we wouldn't normally think about, but comes out great.
Goodbye Barcelona -- I will miss the sights, food, architecture and views from a rooftop bar.
I may have to come back one day.
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