Barcelona Part 2

Fresh niscalos mushrooms bought from the farmer's market made for a delicious pasta lunch before heading out.

Hands down the best figs I've ever had were here in Barcelona. So sweet, soft and ripe, you can't eat just one.

View overlooking park from the Las Arena's rooftop.

Placa d'Espanya

Pinotxo, traditional Catalonian tapas bar at the La Boqueria market, is off the hook.

I saw a guy come up to the bar on his way to work, buy a plate of these babies, and slurp them down as a power snack. If I lived close-by that would probably be my daily ritual too!

Fried lamb lollipops.

Fried lamb lollipops with one of Pinotxo's famous dishes, squid with white beans with a balsamic glaze. Sublime!

No meal would be complete without a plate of mini fried green peppers! They're amazingly mild, though occasionally you'll get a fiery zinger.

The staff at Pinotxo are so friendly, they make you feel right at home before you even sit down.

View from the entrance side of Park Guell. The house to the left is an anarchist occupied space. There are lots of these all over the city.

Another World Unesco Heritage treasure and view of Gaudi's work as seen from the top of his pavilion at Park Guell.

The outside of the top of the pavilion as we descend to its underside.

The underside of that famous view.

Much of San Diego's own mosaic tile culture comes from Spain, as Niki de Saint Phalle was hugely inspired by Gaudi's work.

Mario in front of some famous botanically inspired wrought iron fence-work also by Gaudi.

Bohemian entertainers underneath the pavilion put on a magical show.

Kissing the lizard for luck!

Inside one of the houses we saw from the view at the top of the pavilion.

Trekking through another pavilion by Gaudi at Park Guell.

Looks almost neolithic.

The highly tourist-trappy Tibidabo in the distance.

Neighborhood surrounding Park Guell.

Artwork, artwork, everywhere!

Some locals taking it easy on the way to the beach.

Another sign Barcelona was meant to be, Mario finds the perfect peach biking cap to top off his biking ensemble.

Dessert at Quimet and Quimet rounds off the evening perfectly.

It came highly recommended by our vacation rental hosts to visit Sitges, a little beach resort town 40 minutes train ride away from Barcelona. They live here and so do almost all the vacation rental owners tired of the city life. It was well worth the extra effort to get here as the town is a quiet pristine gem of a spot, renowned for its gay resorts and beaches. And we all know a gay hot spot equals good food! Here we stepped into a cool little bistro called Ef&Gi where their 3 course €12 lunch menu rocked our sandals! This is the lentil salad I got as a starter.

The breezy beachy interior of Ef&Gi.

Squid ink risotto with fried squid on top, so filling!

Mario's lamb köfte atop curried potatoes.

Here are those ubiquitous cigallo coffee anise liqueur drinks again. We got cake and ice cream for dessert but were so full we couldn't really finish them.

One of many immaculate alleyways in Sitges.

Beachfront resorts.

The grand beachfront promenade looks luxurious without being overly pretentious.

Really enjoying our stay!

Local grandma spends her retirement days on the beach.

Look what the tide dragged in!

Quiet with a mischievous undertone, this city was a little bit like a beach-side Palm Springs.

Wandering through the streets of Sitges.

The back of a trinkets store looks like a bazaar.

High five!

Children in Sitges rehearse something traditional for a La Merce performance the next day.

Love their little espadrilles. Everybody wears them here, even the men.

Friday! The first day of La Merce. Sweets from the shop on Placa de l'Angel before we head to the Picasso museum in the Gothic Quarter since it's free to the public today. Left is a coconut sugar ball and the right is an egg custard bite. **Update: The little egg custard bite is called Tocinello de Cielo, and here is a recipe for it: http://www.spain-recipes.com/tocinillo-cielo.html

Dover at La Merce. They were apparently huge in Spain during the 90's.

I've never seen so many people in my life!

Saturday, the second day of the La Merce Festival. Mario does a tour of Camp Nou as I go shopping in the afternoon. Looks like I found my favorite cookies at this famous Barcelona bakery--score! Pistachio and vanilla macaroons.

Parade of the Giants is happening as I munch on the macaroons. This is super fun for the whole family as some giants spray the kids with super soakers...

...some giants throw confetti...

...and some just, well, look pretty.

What a beautiful family! Their kids are pretty hideous though.

FC Barcelona at Camp Nou and nosebleed seats!!!

Was tons of fun and so nice and warm, even at night.

Back in the Gothic Quarter on Sunday for some brunch.

Fried fish with lots of garlic and oil.

Traditional spread of croquettes, figs and Iberico ham, and fried peppers.

The figs and ham were topped with chopped hazelnuts, a great topping as the pigs that are used to make the ham are also raised on a diet of hazelnuts.

We wind our way through crowds to get a gander at the human towers at Placa de Sant Jaume.

The heaviest people at the bottom, kids at the very tip top. A crazy feat to witness live.

Kids need to wear helmets due to a fatal fall a few years ago.

These guys are probably having a great time.

We're baaaaack! The interior of the Santa Catarina Market restaurant area.

Back at the Cuines Santa Catarina tapas bar again, we get the ever popular patatas bravas. Spicy fried potatoes with a garlicky aioli sauce and chili pepper sauce.

Freshly fried fish croquettes and those peppers again.

Bacalao with Samfaina, or cod with a local ratatouille type of vegetable ragout. A fresh fish knockout!

Discovered a tasty local treat of coconut shortbread cookie with a caramel center.  **Update: I have since found out these cookies are called alfajores and have become my favorite. The melt-in-your-mouth cookie dough is over one part corn starch, one part flour to achieve the heavenly crumbly delicate texture. Dulce de leche center means this is the dream cookie for caramel lovers like me.

The highly anticipated Correfoc or parade of the dragons did not disappoint! It started off with several bangs...

...and just escalated into a fiery sparkly spectacle like we had never seen in our lives.

Semi-dangerous, these dragons breathe 'fire' practically right into your face! The sparks are actually quite big and people are cautioned to wear non-flammable clothing, face and head protective clothing and eye-wear if possible.

The tourists are clueless but have a ton of fun anyway.

The night is lit up by 'demons' holding lit objects aloft, casting showers of sparkles everywhere.

Things get smokey.

Lasting somewhere around two hours, the parade seemed neverending.

Duck and cover!

We leave the Correfoc parade a little earlier to make our way to the fireworks on the beach.

A magical evening.

After fireworks, we head to the Parc de la Ciutadella to take in some free entertainment they have at various stages set up throughout. This park is huge and we are sorry we didn't get the chance to see it during the day. This robot duo called the Brodas Bros. were pretty awesome! They did two performances within a half an hour and then the next performers came onstage.

After the robots was an illuminated juggling troupe. Check out the video on my YouTube page!

Then came a performance artist who did interpretive dance and theater.

Monday, the last day of the La Merce festival. Mario and I are back at that famous bakery for a little afternoon pick-me-up before another giants parade.

This parade featured some giants representing some of Gaudi's most famous works.

Some familiar faces pop up at the parade.

Lasting about two hours per usual, the parade brings us right into the evening.

On our way to the final fireworks show of La Merce, we make a pit-stop for dinner at a chance encounter bodega called the Two Sisters which I can't find on Google for the life of me.

So tiny with only about ten seats, this place had some unexpectedly amazing sandwiches. Case in point, their Iberico ham with truffle cheese sandwich is toasted to perfection like any good sandwich.

Crisp bread on the outside and melty hammy goodness on the inside.

Taking our place among the masses to catch the fireworks show that signals the end of the La Merce festival.

Ocean of people flowing in.

Proof of a city worth seeing at any cost.

Giddy with anticipation!

Another glorious show lasting more than half an hour.

So sad it's already over!

The Sagrada Familia, enough said.

Is that what my hair looks like from behind?

An otherworldly forest of alabaster trees supporting a ceiling of sunbursts by day, stars by night.

With Gaudi, the magic is in the details.

The Sagrada Familia has over 100 different species of animals depicted on its outside facade. Gotta catch 'em all!

During La Merce each year they do a different light show over the facade of the Sagrada Familia. The church metamorphoses into a melting, glowing, fiery art piece. Go to my YouTube page to check it out!

Another one of Gaudi's upside down models for a future building.

The day after the festival end, we spend the day shopping and went to dinner at Gelonch, another 'Ferran Adria disciple opens a praiseworthy restaurant' story.

Our splurge tasting menu consisted of 16 little dishes. Pictured here on the right hand foreground is a black onion cake with sweet onion foam and fried onion. The cracker looking thing on the left foreground is a prawn crisp.

Left: Oyster leaf, apple gel, and sweet ginger. Tasted exactly like a freshly shucked oyster when you chewed everything up in your mouth. Right: Rose-lychee buttons. Delicious lychee gel atop candied rose petals.

Mojito paper was like eating a thin rice cracker with mojito flavoring.

Carrot nitro "popcorn." Cold puffs of carrot juice that melted in your mouth on contact.

Duck "mini-burrito" with foie gras, savory and delicious!

Surprisingly rich from the flavor bombs of floating strips of ham, this shitake broth with spider crab ravioli and Iberian ham hit the spot.

Grilled red prawn with pisco, cabbage and hibiscus.

Everything was phenomenal, but this is my first favorite dish of the evening: Black turnip with veal marrow, egg yolk and black truffle. The combination was just an umami explosion!

24 hour sous vide Iberian pork pancetta and grilled octopus with baked garlic sauce and honey vinaigrette and beech smoke.

My second favorite dish of the evening: Beetroot gnocchi, veal sweetbreads, codfish tripe, padrón pepper cream and carrot, passion fruit drops.

"Secreto ibérico" 36 hour sous vide with sassafras root and seasonal mushrooms

Assorted cheese course with banana - honey cream, coffee crumble, caramelized endive leaves and baked aubergine sorbée.

Guacamole dessert consists of avocado - pistachio ice cream, lemon custard, tomato tile and coriander crumble.

Toasted wheat ice cream, milk foam, orange fruit grains nitro frozen so they melt in your mouth. The progression of dishes was well thought out with all the palate cleansers and surprises at the beginning, and dishes progressing from light to heavier and finally back to light with the last dessert. It was an enchanting experience and afterward the chef came out himself to make sure we enjoyed everything. We can only agree with other reviewers and say this place deserves its own Michelin star.

After the hum of the La Merce festival died out, Mario and I spent the remaining days haunting our favorite eating spots to soak it all in one last time before we had to leave on Thursday. Back at Pinotxo, we order their other famous dish, the chickpeas. Stir fried with bits of Catalonian sausage, the taste is pure comfort food.

Braised rabbit with mushrooms.

Grilled fresh prawns caught that day, with just a dash of rock salt grated on top.

Not quite cheesecake, not quite flan, this caramel dessert made us swoon. Of course, no meal is complete without another cigallo to round it off.

Wedding guests at Montjuic.

At the Fundació Joan Miró museum, we delved into the world of one of Spain's art geniuses.

A sculpture fountain using liquid mercury instead of water.

A piece by another artist with Miró's artwork projected onto it.

In the sculpture garden of the Fundació Joan Miró.

Craving a change of pace, we head to Kibuka, one of only a handful of decent sushi places in Barcelona. Here we have a great roll we ordered twice because it was so tasty: eel roll with grilled banana.

My beloved spider crab roll that I haven't had since moving to Hannover.

Last day before heading back home!

Text from Barcelona Part 1:

It wasn't a slow burn, a romance that took time to manifest itself. Barcelona was, for my husband and me at least, love at first sight. From her bustling city center to her teeming beaches, the city is a powerhouse of sensory entertainment, generating spectacular sights, sounds and tastes faster than our two-week-vacation-wired brains could process. We've never witnessed a city more vibrant and alive. During our belated honeymoon stay, we strove to get in a new experience per day and discovered a new side of Barcelona in her restaurants, on the streets, at the beach, and with her people that made us realize this: we couldn't get enough.

This probably had a lot to do with the fact that we booked our vacation with the intent of taking in the La Merce festival, the biggest celebration Barcelona offered that happened once a year in the middle of September. Having lived in San Diego and Los Angeles, I thought I'd experienced all there was to experience when it came to top notch entertainment and festivals, but this event was revelry on a whole new level. We had a good week from the 13th of September to the 20th to investigate everything on our own before the big festival capped off our stay. La Merce was four days of non-stop all-day free concerts, performances of all kinds, parades, and activities lasting from the 21st to the 24th. The entire city transformed into the biggest playground ever and you only had to look at the mind bogglingly extensive events list on their official website to know you were in trouble. Each event was set against the backdrop of some of the most gorgeous locations within the city. Should we go see the fire breathers at Montjuic or see the human pyramids at the Place de Sant Jaume? The evening parade of the dragons with fireworks through Via Laietana or the moonlit fireworks on the beach? These were the sort of happy quandaries we encountered and with preplanned itineraries from the night before in hand, we traversed her streets wide-eyed like children reborn. As far as we knew, we were witnessing Barcelona at its zenith.

A global socialite who endured many a makeover at the turn of the century, Barcelona remains fashionably dressed in Gaudi, Miró, and Picasso, the créme de la créme creative brand names of the time that continue to woo a new generation sick of fluffy coffee shop artwork and looking to witness true talent. This made Barcelona one of the more moderately expensive places to visit, especially if you stick around the Passeig de Gràcia area or add up your entrance fees to Gaudi's achievements. We were, however, most impressed by all the things you could do cheaply or for free. The parks, for example, are all free and there are no less than 68 of them, 12 of them historical and more like outdoor museums. I was half expecting to have to pay to see Park Guell, it also being one of Gaudi's great works, but it was a pleasant surprise to arrive at the entrance and find that you were welcome to wander around within the labyrinth as long as you like--albeit the park was chock full of tourists. The beautiful beaches were of course a given freebie, but one we didn't count on were the farmers markets, open 6 days a week usually until 2-3p and sometimes longer, closed Sundays, and located in each neighborhood. We lost ourselves several times just looking at some of the most perfect figs or specimens of local seafood we'd ever seen, and all of it very affordable by European Euro standards. Most of these markets also had the best tapas in town frequented by locals and tourists alike and we found ourselves scheduling our lunches around our market visits. Another unexpected free attraction was the Magic Fountain located at Montjuic that put on free half hour shows to prerecorded classical, opera, and modern music every Thursday to Sunday from 9-11pm. You got the sense that the city wanted to provide its community with beautiful surroundings they could be proud of and enjoy in their everyday lives. It was good to be Catalonian.

With that being said, we have to say that Barcelona is not considered by the locals to be a part of Spain. Only after reading Orwell's 'Homage to Catalonia' and doing a little research on our own did we learn why we were corrected upon arrival by the owners of our vacation rental that Barcelona is not Spain. The locals were not Spanish, they were Catalonian. I'm not going to go into details about the history, you have Wikipedia for that, but I do have to say that after learning of the struggles the city and surrounding areas endured we felt as if we better understood the underlying anarchist vibe she possessed. As we climbed atop a three and a half meter high concrete flagpole block at Montjuic with a handful of other tourists and locals to see the grand final fireworks display of the La Merce festival, we were overcome with the emotion of a people still coming to terms with their past and seeking independence. Near the end of the show, after an already impressive pyrotechnics exertion behind the dancing Magic Fountain set to classical and modern ballads, Freddie Mercury's eternally ethereal voice suddenly ebbed over the ocean of people who had gathered before the palatial grounds of the Palau National in front of us. The fireworks had stopped and a reverent hum could be heard. Unbeknownst to all but the locals as a cue it seemed, the song 'Barcelona' by Queen washed over us as the ocean slowly began lighting up with waves of sparklers so vast as to appear like a glowing landscape of organic glowing sea life. It was a dialogue between city and citizens meant to applaud, stir, and galvanize its people, embodying a longing that was ever present:

 

 Barcelona! It was the first time that we met

Barcelona! How can I forget

The moment that you stepped into the room you took my breath away

...

And if God is willing, we will meet again someday

We could only gaze out over the field of stars and hope.