Barcelona

 

In Barcelona we were warmly greeted by…Incredibly enough…Monisha’s childhood friend Cheyenne! She’s been studying Spanish in Barcelona for the past couple of weeks, and we got to spend the weekend with her! She and her roommates, Ryan and Ayell, graciously let us stay in their apartment, and Cheyenne even let us sleep in her bed :)

Since we missed out on the big market in Valencia, we made sure to head to the largest market in Barcelona. This market had everything: bustling crowds, fresh fish of all sorts, strange meat delicacies (we didn’t see any bull’s testicles, but they were definitely there, and Monisha remembers seeing them at this market during when she and Adrienne went years ago), prepared food, drinks, and even a couple small tapas bars.  We stopped by one of the tapas bars for a sort of breakfasty-lunchy type meal; meals in Spain are at strange times. Our server was a very nice older man who smiled at everyone. Several times tourists came by to take pictures of the bar and he always gave them a huge toothy grin and a thumbs up.  We shared a meat dish and some bread, and Monisha had a cappuccino.

The market also had lots of juice & smoothie stands selling many different flavors. Some stands had over 100 varieties available. We decided to try the mango coconut, and were not at all disappointed. The stands at the front of the market were selling smoothies for €1.50 which seemed very cheap to us.  That is, until we found a stand in the back corner that sold them for €1! We bought a blackberry coconut smoothie from them :). A few hours later we came back yet again with Cheyenne for our third smoothie of the day, kiwi coconut.

 

Of course, in Barcelona we had to go see La Sagrada Familia. Nolan has been wanting to see it for years, and has definitely been looking forward to this visit.  As he exited the subway station nearest to the famous cathedral, he almost cried from joy. The cathedral is RIGHT THERE standing tall above you in all it’s intricate Gaudí glory.  This place is amazing.  We mentioned earlier in our blog that all cathedrals look mostly the same, with one exception. La Sagrada Familia is the exception.  Our statement was proven wrong by Brian, but the sentiment about La Sagrada Familia stands true. This cathedral is unlike anything else we’ve seen. 

As you enter the cathedral, you’re greeted by a huge vaulted ceiling supported by tall, branching columns.  It’s almost impossible not to look up and stare for a minute.  Gaudí drew a lot of inspiration from nature, and you can see that clearly throughout the cathedral.  Instead of typical monster-like gargoyles, his gargoyles are real creatures like lizards.  A number of spires on the outside are topped with different types of fruits and vegetables.  And the entire structural design of the cathedral gives the impression of being in a forest; the columns themselves are modeled very intentionally after trees, and the ceiling feels like a forest canopy.  The high walls are covered in multi-colored, geometric stained glass patterns.  Gaudí designed the church to look different at different times of day, so one side of the basilica has blue and green glass, while the other is covered in reds, oranges, and yellows. We were told that visiting around 6 o’clock was one of the best times, due to the angle of sunlight through the windows. We started our visit at 5:30pm and were treated to wonderful warm light flowing through the red-orange-yellow side of the cathedral.  For Nolan, this building easily lived up to years of hype, and he felt quite emotional walking through the basilica. It’s amazing to think that the cathedral isn’t even finished. We will definitely be making another trip here sometime after 2026.

  

After spending a long time admiring the cathedral, we continued the visit downstairs where they have lots of information about Gaudí’s process and have some of his models, drawings, designs, etc.  We were amazed at how mathematical he was! His work is filled with parabolic columns, hyperbolic surfaces, and other mathematical shapes, all of which he admired in nature.

We spent a lot of time with Cheyenne while we were there, which was wonderful. We were lucky to get there on a day she didn’t have class (it was Día de España), and then have Friday evening / night and all of Saturday together as well.  She and her roommates took us to the beach, where we watched crabs each eating their own little cracker, admired a pretty funky building in the distance (though we have no idea what it is), and enjoyed people watching; one beer bellied man had danced with no shame, hips and all, sometimes stumbling a little, but not quite losing his balance completely.

 

The two of us were pretty in sync, feeling a pang of homesickness for a couple of days.  This hit Monisha before Barcelona, partially just due to missing everyone back at home.  Seeing Cheyenne itself alleviated a bit of that.  But we think part of it is just going so many places and seeing so many things every day.  We spent an entire morning in Barcelona just reading, first in a square and then moving to Ciutadella park.  The park was beautiful. We discovered parks are especially hard to capture in pictures, especially when there’s not something that stands out. What’s special is the feel, the greenery surrounding you, the breeze, the atmosphere, how you experience it in that moment.

 

Right outside the park was this crazy art piece that we were both quite fond of for some reason:

Near the park we walked through a random building that happened to be filled with ancient ruins! We don't know anything more about it, but it was pretty cool to just stumble upon. (Much more of this to come in Rome ;) )

That afternoon we walked around the Gothic area for awhile with Cheyenne. The streets and atmosphere in the area are really enjoyable to experience. Getting lost in the Gothic quarter is one of the 'things to do' in Barcelona, and we can now appreciate why. We walked by the Modern Art Museum, and were stunned when Cheyenne informed us that one of the highlighted paintings on exhibition which was shown in a big poster outside was her brother's painting! That was really cool.

  

One night we went out and walked the city with Cheyenne and her roommate Ryan.  We took the stairs up to the roof of a mall, and had a great view over the streets of Barcelona. Then we walked back down, and up a hill to a large art museum we had seen from the roof. There was a man playing an electric piano, and we sat enjoying his music, the lights of the city, and the company of friends. 

As you may have guessed, we have some pretty special meals to talk about and some food pictures to share ;)

Ryan and Ayell are from Israel, and on Friday night the five of us made a traditional Israeli dish: Shakshuka!  It was enjoyable cooking all together, and the food was delicious.

Another night we went out to a place Cheyenne has been to several times and loves because they have incredible Patatas Bravas. We got two orders of the classic, and then two variations: four cheese and jam & cheese. They were all yummy, but the classic, with whatever the heck that sauce is, was far and away the best.

  

Cheyenne joined for lunch at a tapas place that was clearly a local hit.  The waitress was great and recommended an excellent assortment of dishes.  Cheyenne said it was easily some of the best food she’s ever eaten.  We’ve had a lot of amazing food recently…so that’s really hard for us to say at this point.  But it was a gem of a place.

  

  

Cheyenne had been to a restaurant with her family that she wanted the three of us to go to.  This was one of the most enjoyable meals of the Barcelona trip. Amazing food, a great terrace, and just a very pleasant evening with good conversation and great company.  The ricotta stuffed pastas with lemon butter sage sauce earned itself a spot on Monisha’s ‘To Make for Box’ list.

   

  

Oh, and one morning the five of us completed a food adventure that was on Monisha’s Barcelona bucket list from the beginning! Eating churros with hot chocolate :) It’s quite traditional here, and we’ve read that people tend to eat them for breakfast. The hot chocolate is not like our hot chocolate; it’s much thicker, because it’s intended for dipping. Anyway, the experience lived up to Monisha’s hype.