Interesting cocktails anyone?

While in Barcelona, we did drink mostly wine and cava.  And that isn't a bad thing.  However we did stumble across this Martini bar that is well worth the trip.  Dry Martini is a fantastic speakeasy like bar in the l'Eixample district of Barcelona.  They have over 60 gins (the best and biggest selection I have ever seen) and over 300 cocktails (not all appear on Menus the bartender told us).  They even have the original gin martini recipe painted on a mirror behind the bar.  (It might surprise you what it really is)  

The service is fantastic and the atmosphere  is elegant yet comfortable.  Ask the bartender to make you a specialty cocktail.  I guarantee it will rival  any "mixologist" drink you have had in New York.  I will warn you however, that the smoke gets really thick after midnight, so if you don't like smoke go early.  Carrer Aribau 162-166

To Cell or not to Cell?

Last year when I went to Italy, I decided that I absolutely didn’t want to be attached to a phone.  I wanted to get away from it all and so I did.  And it was a great decision!  However I didn’t stop to think about needing a phone to contact people while I was there.  I was meeting up with people and they said what is your phone number and I didn't have one, and finding a payphone that works is now, universally impossible.  I had a friend who visited me this fall from Europe and he bought a monthly cell phone when he got here for $30 a month with unlimited texting and U.S calls.  I thought that is a great idea!

This year I have decided to buy a phone when I get there for any local calls to friends or restaurants or anything else I need a phone for.  You can decide to rent through companies like Travel Cell, but they tend to have pricey per minute charges.  Apparently they sell phones at most Tobacco Stores or magazine stands in Europe as well as the airport.  Buy a calling card for any international calls you might need to make while there.  If you are in need of making or getting a lot of international calls then your own cell is probably the best bet.  But be aware that AT&T & T-Mobile are the only 2 companies that are truly compatible with European Phone Technology & calls from your US cell phone can cost you a bundle even with your International package.  I will report back about my experience buying the Italian cell phone after my trip to Italy in September.

The case of the heavy suitcase

So when Skye and I went to Italy, I undoubtedly had the heaviest suitcase on the way back.  I had packed too much.  Then, while I was there,  I had found some plates I loved and got the water pitcher, 2 bowls and 2 small plates.  In addition I had 3 bottles of wine that I simply couldn’t live without, and those are only the heavy things I bought.  My friend Ethan asked me if I had a dead Italian in there when he heaved it into his jeep.  I vowed to pack lighter the next time I went on vacation!

When I went to Barcelona I was determined to pack less and I was dumbfounded when my suitcase was still heavy!  I was miserable while hauling my suitcase up the subway stairs.   It seemed as if we just left the bottom caverns of Hogwarts and we heading to the North tower.  Skye had packed only a travel suitcase (which wasn’t quite big enough for me) but she wasn’t looking as though she had just run a marathon by the time she reached the top.  I was envious.  (Seriously it was like 7 flights!)

The good news is that when I emptied it and went to put it in the closet , I discovered that it was fairly heavy empty.  Why is that good news you ask?  Because A, I felt better knowing that I hadn’t over packed and B, I decided in that moment to go out and research the lightest and best suitcases for my travel needs and I am going to be sharing it all with you.  Tune in the next couple of weeks for all my discoveries.  It just might be worth buying a new suitcase!  I know I am.

P90X resistance bands

yeah, thanks a lot susan.  when your flying internationally, it doesn't look AT ALL suspicious to have these in your carry on.

Resistance bands, P90X and airport security....

In January I had started on P90X.  The 90-day extreme workout videos by Tony Horton.  They are fantastic and will tell you more about them as travel tools later.  So I brought my laptop and my resistance bands to Barcelona with me.  Skye’s suitcase had broken on the way there so she decided it was best not to check it on the way back.  However she had purchased some wine, so there was a dilemma.  I offered to take the wine since I was checking my bag and I gave her my resistance bands.  Well……Barcelona has TIGHT airport security.  Who knew??  By tight, we mean they unpack all your carry on bags, make you turn on all electrical devices and pat you down.  So as we drew closer to the women’s security check, we see the security people opening and closing someone’s umbrella.  They are serious!  She says, “Oh my god.  Your bands are in my suitcase!  (Mind you they are not hers and she has never used them.  Oh and you aren’t supposed to pack anything for anyone else, right?)

I am one of those people who laughs when I am nervous…….I am now laughing.  I go to my assigned person and try to keep a straight face which requires me not looking at Skye.  I finish and go to wait for her and by this point they have gotten to the resistance bands.  There are now 4 people using them, trying to figure out if they are lethal weapons or for exercise or both.   I am of course laughing so hard that the 2 security guards at the end of the line are wondering what is wrong with me.  I walked away several times, thinking, “I can stop laughing” and then would walk back over to see what was going on and it would immediately start me in on another fit of laughter.  I can see Skye struggling to show them how these things work and 4 people, who speak no English, trying to decide the fate of my bands and my friend.  I think I am about to pee my pants I am laughing so hard.  I actually heard myself snort.  And I am having this moment all to myself, so you can imagine what this looked liked to the passersby as well as the security people.  Skye did a brilliant job and she and the bands made it home safely!  So the moral of this story is:  if you decide to take the P90X with you on vacation, make sure the bands are checked in a bag.  However, it was totally worth it for the story.  One of the funniest airport moments I have ever experienced.

Some Top Restaurant Picks for Barcelona

Many restaurants are closed Sunday and Monday.  So you will need to make sure you visit your top choices Tuesday – Saturday (unless they are among the few open on Sunday & Monday).  Also, most restaurants don’t open before 7pm, so going to the Markets and getting some cured meats and cheeses along with a bottle of wine is a great to do, especially if you have rented an apt.  It really submerges you into the local culture.  I wish we had markets like this here in the states, but being able to experience them for a week was a real treat.

Here are a few of my MUST GO TO  tapas bars from our last trip:

Inopia - Carrer Tamarit 104 - This is a must on your list of tapas bars to have dinner at.  They are closed Sunday and Monday, as are many of the best restaurants, so make sure you put this on your list to go Tues – Saturday.  The service is great and the food is fantastic.  Some of our favorite tapas included the Tuna, octopus, smoked sardine salad & smoked salmon with yogurt and honey.   They open at 7.  Get there by 7:30 to get a seat, otherwise there is a good chance you will have to wait in line.  Mario Batali said about Inopia on his website www.spainontheroadagain.com:  "Best Tapas Ever", and he was not wrong.

 

Before going to Inopia stop at Bahia Porto Mar Restaurante Sabor do Brasil on Ave del Paral-lel 127-129.  They have the best Sangria I have ever had.  It is 2 blocks away from Inopia and worth the trip if you like Sangria.

Paco Meralgo – Another must on Tapas bars.  This was one of my favorites on this trip.  We went twice and would have gone back a third time.  You must ask for the raw tuna steak, it is amazing.  Other things on my favorite list included Shaved artichokes, Fillet with garlic (fried), Octopus with caramelized onion, steak tartar and salmon.  Their wine list is fantastic and the service is great.  I enjoyed sitting at the bar.  You are close to everything and you get to see a lot of what others are getting.  This gets 5 stars in my book! 

Cerveceria Catalan – this tapas bar is open on Sunday and Monday.  Save this for one of those 2 nights.  The servers at the table were not as helpful with suggestions as the woman at the bar so here are a few of ours:  Get the selection of tapas, Veal Filet Bruschetta, Bacon, cheese & dates, Salmon bruschetta, and the grilled prawns.  We had a bottle of the Camins de Priorat 2007.  We had it first at Inopia and found that it became out favorite wine of the week.  It was good and not too expensive.

La Champagneria - When you go here you must order cava.  Then you can have food.  It's a local hangout near the beach where you are sure to have a fantastic time!  Calle Reina Christina

Palau de la Musica Catalana

This gem located in the heart of Las Ramblas should be a must see on your list.  The music hall is known for it’s beautiful ornate stained glass ceiling and mosaic work throughout the building.

You can only see the inside by going on a guided tour.  They sell out quickly so you should buy your ticket in advance (a day or 2 before is plenty).  The last tour is at 3:30 daily.  Try to see what is playing on their website and see a show there.  Apparently the lighting and acoustics are quite dazzling.  I wish we had thought to find out in advance what was playing.  After having seen it on the tour during the day, I was very disappointed to have missed seeing a performance at night.  They have everything from flamenco to opera and classical music concerts.  They even have pop concerts there as well.  www.palaumusica.org

La Boqueria Markets, Las Ramblas

La Boqueria Markets (FYI:  All Markets and most grocery stores are closed on Sundays.  Many of the grocery stores will close at 3pm on Saturday)

Do not miss La Boqueria Market in Las Ramblas.  It is filled with everything from amazing meats & cheeses to the freshest fish and fruit and chocolate/candy stalls.  If you have rented an apt in Barcelona and are planning on doing some cooking (or snacking before heading out to one of the fantastic tapas restaurants) this is the place to go.  You should definitely try one of the fresh juices at the juice stalls.  I had fresh coconut juice and it was amazing.   The Markets are generally open till 3 or 4 pm, but many of the stalls close around 2 (especially the fish stalls) so go early if you are planning to get food for dinner.  It is like having the largest farmers market you can imagine open all day!  I was in heaven.

 While there you should have an early lunch at Pinotxo (A tapas bar in La Boqueria).  Make sure you try the chickpea dish.   They are some of the tastiest chick peas you will ever have.  The server will order for you, (this is not uncommon in the tapas places) however you can ask for certain types of things.  They are very friendly, though not everyone speaks English.  Our server told us that the best day to go is Tuesday.  He said Monday is a bad day to go.  On Tuesdays the seafood is fresh.   Also arrive by 11:00 or 11:30 to get a seat.  The lunch crowd starts to roll in around 12pm.  It is really small but worth the wait.  We went twice!

For the love of Chocolate!

Ok, so if you are anything like me, you love chocolate.  So how excited was I to find that Barcelona has a MUSEUM OF CHOCOLATE!  That’s right!!  And the first thing you get, as you admittance ticket is….a chocolate bar!

Apparently if I had done some research before I went, instead of just stumbling upon this, I would have discovered that Spain is where chocolate first arrived in Europe and has some of the most fantastic chocolate in the world.  Now we were there the week before Easter so there was a lot of chocolate in the windows, but apparently Spain is a major producer year-round.  I always think Belgium or German, but no, Spain.  So you go in and get to learn a bit about chocolate; the history, the production.  And they have these Amazing chocolate sculptures that even I thought definitely too beautiful to ever eat.

However, you end the tour at the gift shop and you should pick up a few samples.  It’s really good chocolate.  They are linked to the Barcelona Confectionary Guild & Pastry School.  So next you should know my top picks on places to visit to get the best and most interesting chocolate in Barcelona.  Don’t worry, I sampled quite a few.

Xocoa.  (Carrer Petritxol 11-13).  This chocolate boutique is really cool.  It is for the more adventurous chocolates eaters.  The flavors range from lavender & saffron to orange and framboise.   They also do have a great selection of plain chocolate as well.  However you should go out on the edge and try something new!  We have come a long way with food and now we are doing the same with our chocolate.   Their wrappings are really interesting as well.  The owners hired a graphic designer to design all their packaging so that is a work of art in and of itself.  They also have a great selection of dessert wines that they will help you to pair with your delicious chocolate.  And if you want to smell like chocolate or have the smell of chocolate wafting through the air all the time, they have a great selection of candles, soaps and other body products to choose from.

Joid'art Jewelry

So when I go to a foreign country I always like to do a little shopping and have “That Thing” that I got in some far away land that people will stop me on the street and say, “Where did you get that?”  Well in Barcelona I found “That Thing” for me was jewelry.  My favorite store on this trip was Joid’art.  Not only is the jewelry amazing (I get compliments on it every time I wear it – and people do stop me on the street) but they also donate 1% of their annual sales from outlets to development projects which work to improve women’s life conditions around the globe.  

They have several locations including an outlet store on pl. Santa Maria, 7 (which has fantastic discounts).   We found the store closets to the Picasso museum to be our favorite.  The woman who works there is so lovely and so helpful.  She is almost as delightful as the jewelry itself!  The jewelry is made up from 4 designers so everything is really different and there is something for everyone.  Whether it be a gift or someone else or for yourself go to Joid’art.  It is interesting, beautiful and one of a kind.  Go ahead and treat yourself.  You deserve it!

Sunday is for Museums & Gaudi

Sunday is a great day to go to the museums.  As most of the shops are closed, and if you are not there during the summer when the beach would be the obvious choice, plan to go to a museum or 2.   Here are a few suggestions:

The Picasso Museum is in the heart of Las Ramblas and it’s  free to get in on Sundays after 3pm.  Picasso’s early work is quite different than the Picasso that most of us associate with him.  It was more detailed and realistic.  The audio tour is good to get as it will help you understand how different influences changed the face of his work.  However make sure you follow the numbers to each room as it is not clear that they are numbered at the beginning of the tour.

Casa Bastllo is another great museum to do on Sunday.  It is open till 8pm and it is a fairly short tour so you won’t feel overwhelmed by seeing too many museums in one day.  I recommend the audio tour.  It is a little wordy but it does guide you, especially if this is among the first Gaudi museums of your trip.

Spain is known for its Cava and it wine.  Sunday should also include a stop between museums for a glass of Cava and some tapas.

Just up the street from Casa Bastllo is La Pedrera or Casa Mila also by Gaudi.  The name La Pedrera means Stone Quarry.  

Casa Mila got its nickname La Pedrera owning to the way its façade appears to be carved out of the rock.  It is an apartment complex that Gaudi was commission to build between the late 19th and early 20th century.  The tour takes you through one of the apartments that is the museum portion of the building, while the rest of the building is residential.  Again, the audio is really great and will give you a better depth of understanding of Gaudi’s work and life.