Saturday in Spain

To be honest, we didn't do much today. Nursed hangovers and finally got up around 1 pm. Somewhere in between Nakia went to the local bakery and got croissants and hand squeezed orange juice for everyone. 

Around 3:30 pm, we made our way out of the hotel. We tried to go to Cal Pep again, but they were closing. They are closed Saturday nights and Sunday. Not something we're used to! We ended up ordering an array of tapas at a restaurant in the same plaza. 

After our meal, we tried to go to the Picasso Museum, but there was a long line and closing soon. So we meandered the streets of the Barrio Gothic and headed back to our hotel to rest and nap. 

At midnight, it's Nakia's birthday! We have reservations at a Japanese restaurant and going out dancing. More to follow tomorrow! 

It Rains in Spain

I have officially been in Spain for two weeks! Cannot believe it! Today we switched our hotel from the Melia Barcelona Sky as Nakia's friend Sophia was coming from London. We switched to Arai Apartment Hotels which is in the center of the city in the Barrio Gothic.  

It was a bit of an adventure getting to our hotel. First off, it was raining. Then there was a protest in Plaza Jaume so we couldn't get to our hotel.  Our taxi driver didn't give us very good directions and therefore we wandered in circles, with our luggage, and in the rain. And then a guy tried to sell us pot. Don't worry, we didn't buy any, but it was definitely an aggravating adventure. 

We finally found our hotel and we have a cute suite, balcony, and kitchenette. As our room wasn't ready, we went next door to Palosanto where I had poached eggs with bacon and a glass of their house red. Nakia had a Spanish omelette, croquettes, and bread with tomato. We then shared a chocolate ganache with salt and olive oil that was super tasty and polished it all off with cappuccinos. 

After settling in, the rain had stopped so I decided to try again to see Parc Güell while Nakia rested in the hotel. 

At this point, it was super sunny, so I took the metro to see the Parc. It was easy to get to as we were on the same line and had already been there before. I purchased my entry ticket and walked around in the free area of the park. First I went to the "Monument" which has a view of the city:

Then I walked over to the Aqueducts:

As I still had an hour before my entry, I visited the Museum which is where Gaudí lived with furniture that he had designed. A photo collage below:

In Barcelona, there are 16 Gaudí designed buildings, fountains, lampposts, and etc:

Then my time had come to go into the Monumental Zone of the park. Here are some classic touristy photos:

And then it began to thunder and downpour again! I headed back to the metro and back to the hotel. Nakia and I ventured out to Cal Pep which was recommended by her friend and my guidebook. The reservations were all booked, but we waited an hour for a seat at the bar. The food was so good! Bread with tomato, Spanish omelette, tuna tartare, clams, calamari, and monkfish! Here are a few photos:

This is now Nakia's Facebook profile picture which is a selfie at the bar:

We then met Sophia, Nakia's former colleague who came from London. We spent hours enjoying wine and sangria across the street from our hotel. Despite having just met her, we had amazing conversations before we finally went to bed! I mean, the bar had to tell us to leave because they were closing! 

Dalí

Our plan for today was to go to the Dalí museum in Figueres which is two hours away on the regional rail and one hour on the high speed Ave train. But first, we took the metro to explore La Ramblas, a shopping area and where La Boqueria is - the largest market in Barcelona. There are 40 markets in the city and here's a picture collage of some of the food on display:

We wandered the market buying fruit juice and breads for breakfast and taking in the myriad of food and colors. I stopped by Pinotxo which is where the Peruvian family in Granada recommended as well as my guidebook. I had a plate of chickpeas, supposedly their specialty. Also, as it was the morning, we were still in breakfast mode and not ready for all the seafood tapas which looked appetizing. 

We then made our way to the Sants train station. After a few tries on the kiosk not taking my credit card, we finally got our tickets to Figueres-Vilafant, the high speed train station near the museum. The train ride took less than an hour and after a ten minute taxi ride, we were at the museum called Teatre Museu Gala Salvador Dalí. Dalí designed and lived in it and is the site of an old vacant theater. His tomb is also here in the middle of the museum. Here's a photo collage of the building exterior:

Several of the pieces are coin operated. For instance, this Cadillac begins to rain inside once you put in 1€:

For this one, the picture collapses and opens when you put in 1€:

Here's also a collage where from afar, this picture looks like Abraham Lincoln:

Here's a photo of some random objects:

But after waiting in line, climbing some steps, and looking through a lens, it looks like a face:

Here's a very detailed and very small oil painting that I liked with a fun frame:

After the museum, we were a bit hungry, so we went to a nearby restaurant and had sangrias. I had stuffed tomatoes, while Nakia ordered empanadas and a salad. 

After relaxing and eating, we went back for the second part of the museum, Dalí's Jewels. Unbeknownst to us, Dalí had designed jewelry with many of the visuals from his works. The Royal Heart that could pump was amazing. Nakia got a great video of it (check it out on Facebook). Here are a few visuals that you might recognize (my melting clock photo unfortunately came out fuzzy):

Many of the jewels had his original sketches next to them like the one below:

We both enjoyed the museum very much and decided to walk around Figueres. We walked down to the Main Street of La Ramblas and saw a stretched face of Dalí on the ground. Supposedly the town put it there to honor him. When you look at a reflection of the face in a silver pole, the face looks normal. Nakia bought a few hand made bowls and then we got a taxi to return to our train station to head back to Barcelona. 

The train ride was quick and we came back to the hotel to rest. Then we were off to Espai Sucre for dinner - this restaurant only served desserts and was on Anthony Bourdain's show. At first, I got cold feet as I wasn't sure there would be enough sustenance, but every dish was delicious and the wine pairing was well done. Here's a collage of the dishes:

We then walked around to help digest all the food and headed back to the hotel. We were so full from all the sweet and savory dishes!

  

La Sagrada Familia

Today we had 11 am entry tickets to La Sagrada Familia, the Magnus opus of Antoni Gaudi. The cathedral-sized building's construction began in 1882 and is still a work in progress even after Gaudi's death. At this point, the church only has a basilica status as it is not yet the seat of a bishop. 

Gaudi's unique style is evident throughout this relatively modern cathedral in the making. Nakia observed it could be a building in Game of Thrones, because it was so fantastical. Here are some pictures of the facades one of which is the Nativity and the other, the Passion:

He wanted to incorporate nature into the building, so the columns look like trees and parts of the church tried to look organic with branches. Here are some photos including Jesus hanging over the main altar:

Also there are different languages represented. Prayers would be listed in Catalan, Spanish, and English. Here's the Apostles' Creed in Catalan:

I prayed in a chapel area for a bit, but it wasn't all that peaceful as you could hear the drilling and the hammers of the ongoing work. Even the Confessional was funky: 

On one of the bronze doors, the plan is to have the "Our Father" in Catalan and they have different languages saying "Give us our daily bread" which I took a shot of in Korean:

Here's a photo of the organ pipes that glistens from the reflection of the stained glass: 

We went up to the Nativity Tower via an elevator and walked down a spiraling staircase. We explored the heights of the massive church of this architectural genius. You can see the representation of the Bread and Wine close up amidst the construction:

After hitting up the gift shop, we came back to the hotel where I hung out by the pool. Although not super sunny, I was glad it didn't rain today while we were out  walking around. 

After reading by the pool a bit, it started to rain, so I met Nakia back in the room as she was jet lagged and taking a siesta. 

Tonight, we had reservations at 41 Degrees, another Adrià brothers' restaurant. This is supposed to be closest to the elBulli experience of molecular gastronomy with 41 dishes served. We had to make a nonrefundable 50€ deposit each just to secure the reservation two months ago!

The food was so unique that words cannot describe. Entire bites would represent the flavors of a country, such as Mexico, Vietnam, and Peru. Here's a photo collage from Nakia:

Here's another one from Nakia from our cute server making a deconstructed Bloody Mary:

And then two collages from me which includes a photo of the projections in the restaurant which was coordinated with music. Also, a personalized menu signed by our servers:

A once in a lifetime foodie experience!

Barcelona

Another Spanish city conquered! I sound like a moor! I woke up around 6 am to catch my 9 am flight to leave Sevilla and head to Barcelona. I took the airport bus which picks up less than five minutes from my hotel and then it was less than ten minutes to the airport in Sevilla. I grabbed breakfast and took Vueling to travel up to Barcelona. Vueling is a local low cost airline.

In Barcelona, I took the A1 bus into the city, because it leaves from Terminal 1. A2 leaves from Terminal 2. Both bring you straight into the center of the city for less than 6€ and drops you off at various metro stops. I would have taken the metro to my hotel, but as Nakia was waiting and it required a few transfers and learning the system, I just hopped into a cab. We met at the hotel and hung out in the lobby as our room wasn't ready yet.

When are room was ready, we took a siesta and left our hotel around 5 pm. We decided to head to the Parc Güell where Gaudi had incorporated his architecture into the park. It was a bit of an adventure to find the park and the exact place where Gaudi had added his designs. Also, all the literature I had said it was free, but upon arriving we learned now everything requires a ticket as they limit how many people can enter each of the areas.

We couldn't stay long as we had reservations at a high-end tapas restaurant called Tickets. It took two months to get reservations and is owned by the Adrià brothers, the prior owners of elBulli, a 3 Michelin star restaurant north of Barcelona which is now closed. elBulli was repeatedly considered the best restaurant in the world. The food was delicious and we were in foodie heaven. We had an excellent bottle of Rioja and ordered various dishes including: "pizza", two types of poached olives, bread with tomato, ham, oysters with ponzu sauce and salmon roe, manchego cheese balls with hazelnut and caviar, and razor clams with tomato and caviar. A photo collage below:



As we were still hungry, we ordered avocado cannolis and octopus with kimchi purée. For dessert, we had poached strawberries with juniper cream and Toblerone-inspired mousse with gold. Here's a photo collage below along with a selfie with Nakia with our pinchers:



Afterwards, we took the metro back to our hotel and explored the lounges and pool. We ended the night with watching "Pitch Perfect" dubbed in Spanish, with Catalan subtitles. At least the music was all in English as everyone knows I love acappella!

Alcazar-ed Out

In Ireland and the United Kingdom, I was castle-d out. In Bali, I was temple-d out. In Peru, I was ruin-ed out. In southern Spain, I'm officially Alcazar-ed out. The agenda for today was to see the third and last Alcazar of my trip, having seen one in each of the Andalusian cities: Córdoba, Granada, and now Sevilla.

After a long breakfast and sitting on my balcony at my hotel, I ventured out to the nearby Plaza de España which is adjacent to the Parque de María Luisa. This massive building was the place of the Ibero-American Exposition in 1929 and also the setting of several scenes from the recent Star Wars movies.

There was a lovely fountain, bridges, and tiles that incorporated the mudéjar style. True to Spain, as in the name, there were tiles representing each of the different provinces / regions of Spain. I took a photo for an Italian couple and they returned the favor here and also an homage to Madrid:



After leaving the park, I walked by the University which is housed in an old tobacco factory and made my way to the Real Alcazar. This royal palace converted from an Islamic fortress and has similar qualities as the Alhambra. Supposedly pieces that were made at the Alhambra were brought here. Here's a photo of the front part of the Palacio de Don Pedro:



The ceilings, tiles, and details were incredible. Similar to the Alhambra, the arches, patterns, and detail was incredible. Here's a photo of various ceilings:


I overheard a tour guide mention the Medina Azahara, and here's a photo of various arches, including the horseshoe arch when in 3's represents power of the Caliph:



Also, the gardens were quite lovely with its fountains and hedges. Here's the Mercury Pool that's next to the Garden of the Dances:



Underneath, there was the Baños de Doña Marí de Padilla, where supposedly they swam and tried to escape the heat:

 

I left the Alcazar and wandered over to Barrio de Santa Cruz, the old Jewish neighborhood. I wandered in and out of shops and through the narrow streets. I secretly really want an apron that looks like a flamenco dress and was tempted to buy one. But I'm sure it won't come in handy as I hardly wear aprons even when I get a rare chance to cook! I also hope that my godchildren's parents appreciate I didn't buy the flamenco clappers called castanets.

In the Barrio de Santa Cruz, I stumbled upon the Murillo Gardens. Supposedly it was originally a part of the Royal Alcazar gardens, but they gave this section to the city people. I sat here and enjoyed the people watching and the fountain.

I chatted with fellow tourists. My Spanish has been getting me into trouble. I haven't practiced in awhile and stopped classes about two years ago. When I went to Argentina, it was great because I was still taking classes and I had to really use it in Patagonia. By the end of the trip I was thinking in Spanish! Here, I think people have such low expectations about my ability to speak any Spanish, they are really surprised. But I can only say a few things really well and the other parts are improvised and riddled with mistakes (even though Jamie says I'm understandable). However, people get initially impressed and excited, they start launching into what feels like a mile a minute and then I'm lost. Managing low expectations is hard, but I'm trying!

I then made my way back through Barrio de Santa Cruz to Bodega Santa Cruz which the Peruvian American family from Granada had also recommended. I walked by it earlier, so I knew exactly where it was. I had a tinto verano and my first dish was the Lomo Al Pedro Ximenez. I didn't know what to expect as I just usually ask for the house speciality and the bartender said it was this. But it ended up being beef with potatoes and carrots in a brown sauce. I think mine was the last one as they wiped it from the menu board after I ordered. I then had tuna in tomato sauce and a meatball montadito. Like Bar Casa Eme, they use chalk to remember everyone's tab, but here they throw tip into a basketball net over the bar.

After eating, I walked and window-shopped some more. I passed by the Cathedral and the Iglesia Sagrario and the line to see La Macarena was twice as long as yesterday!I guess word got out. I literally tried to just walk around without my map and get lost with a brownie ice cream cone. The warm weather and sunshine of Sevilla will be hard to leave.

I made my way to Casa de la Memoria where I had bought a ticket for a flamenco show yesterday. Tickets were sold out for last night so I bought one for tonight. One of the interesting things I've read about flamenco is how soulful it is that they don't typically teach young kids. Unlike other forms of dance and sport, people try to start young to take advantage of the strength and agility of the youth. But in the flamenco tradition, you have to have duende or soul and a young person wouldn't have seen or experienced enough in life to know the feeling. So they said most don't really hit their prime until they're in their 30s and practice well into their 50s. I guess that's true about being in your prime!

The performance was considered very pure. There are three expressions of flamenco: song, guitar, and dance. It was fantastic, but they wouldn't let us take photos until the very end. The expressions were intense and soulful which you can't really tell here:



Afterwards, I walked back to my hotel, grabbed my stuff, and headed to the #28 bus. I had a reservation at an Ibis near the airport as my flight to Barcelona is so early!

In Barcelona, Nakia will join me for six nights. I don't think I've ever stayed in one place so long on vacation, but I'm psyched! I suspect my posts may be less detailed as I'll have company, but hopefully they'll have more adventures? Who knows, I mean you can all imagine what doesn't go into the blog... ;-)

Sevilla

I woke up and had breakfast at my hotel, Mélia Sevilla which was excellent. I wanted to plan out my day by the pool (as I hadn't prepared that much), but the deck wasn't getting enough sunshine. Consequently, I actually sunbathed on my hotel balcony that was drenched with sun. Although it's only like 65 degrees, the Spanish sun is very strong.

I decided that I wanted to grab food at Bar Yerba which was recommended by the Peruvian family. I researched that I could take the #1 bus that picks up from my hotel and drops me off in the neighborhood, called La Macarena. After walking a few blocks, I found the adorable tapas bar. I decided to go now as it's closed on Sunday evenings and all day Monday, so this was my one chance.

I had several tinto veranos and asked for the best tapas. The waiter brought me a grilled tuna with razor clams in a beet sauce along with complementary potato tapas:



Afterwards, I walked down to the Plaza de la Encarnación, known for its shopping, but more recently the Metropol Parasol which has been nicknamed the "Flying Waffle". It covers old dead space and is a divisive topic. The analogy used in my guidebook is a modern day Eiffel Tower. Here's a photo of one part of it which is held up by five pillars:



I then walked down to the Cathedral which is the largest gothic cathedral in the world and third overall. When they decided to build it, they supposedly said "let's construct a church so large, future generations will think we were mad." It opened at 2:30 pm on Sunday and the line to get in was very long. Here's a photo of the entrance and a copy of the weathervane that sits on top of the Giralda:



On my way in, I observed they didn't let a girl in who was wearing a tank top that was split in the front so you can see her midriff. Yeah missy, you can't wear that here! If I know I'm going to a church, I always bring something to cover my shoulders and no shorts! Although they don't specify in the instructions, your midriff is NOT okay in European churches...

One of the first highlights is the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Some question if it's really his remains, but these remains whomever they may be, were brought to Sevilla in 1898:



I then walked into the Sacristy of the Chalices to see a Goya painting of St. Theresa, and then the Main Sacristy which housed a beautiful painting of the Immaculada by Murillo under the dome:



The main altarpiece is under renovation, but I think you can tell how massive and ornate it is. It has over 1,000 carved biblical figures:



The Royal Chapel was closed, but I did find the Chapel of Saint Anthony where a famous Murillo painting, "Vision of Saint Anthony" hangs. A cutout of Saint Anthony had been stolen and returned in 1875 after a New York art dealer bought it and returned it to the Spanish Consulate. When I took a photo with my camera, held down the button to focus, and an initial flash starts, I could see two light blue laser beams across the whole chapel in front of the painting. At least I think it was... Here's the painting with some lights:



The second part of the Cathedral is the Giralda, a minaret tower that was part of the original mosque that the Cathedral was built on top of. There are 34 ramps to get to the top where you can see sweeping views of the city. This has been converted to a bell tower and has a weathervane at the top called "El Giraldillo" which represents faith and is a symbol of Sevilla. Here's a collage of the view (you may be able to see the famous bull ring), the bells, and the actual tower:



As I left the courtyard of orange trees, I was struck by the fact large groups of people were leaving the Iglesias del Sagrario just next door and there was a massive line outside. I had originally gotten confused this was the Cathedral line earlier today. Through my limited Spanish skills, I learned it was the 50th anniversary or Jubilee of the canonical coronation of La Macarena, the holiest effigy of Mary in Sevilla translated as the Virgin of Hope of Macarena or also called La Esperanza. It's interesting that this 17th century statue has glass tears and five emerald brooches given to her by a famous bullfighter. Here's more information that explains Sevilla's adoration for La Macarena:

http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/a026rpMacarena.htm

Interesting fact, even during the Spanish Civil War she was buried in a coffin and protected by the Brotherhood of La Macarena who are sworn to protect her. This statue is usually in the Basilica of Macarena and once a year in December, they bring her down so Sevillanos can kiss her hand. Since it's the 50th anniversary, they had an 11 hour procession to this church and will be available for a day for folks to kiss her hand. Then it will go to another church and then back to the Basilica. I now realized her platform used to carry her was inside the Cathedral and I was confused why so many people were around it, but wasn't on the guide map.

Many of the cities in Spain are very religious and there are clearly a lot of churches, but Semana Santa, or Holy Week in Sevilla and other cities in Andalusia are supposed to be one of the biggest celebrations in the world. As I didn't have anything on the agenda except explore, I decided to join the other Sevillanos and partake. I stood in line for about two hours and kissed her hand. Here's a photo of the experience including me with all the Sevillanos in line and a selfie with a green pin from the Brotherhood of La Macarena:



Afterwards, I celebrated this experience with a mango sorbet and made my way in and out of shops. As I was walking, I stumbled upon a holy parade. A lady told me it was for the Cruces de Mayo, the Cross of May, yet the interweb tells me it's usually in the beginning of the month. I felt lucky to watch a local Sevilla parade as during Holy Week, they are supposed to be inspiring. You can see in the photo collage there were lots of people in front of and behind the cross and a school band that followed. Furthermore, I learned these processions are not very technical and "leaders" tell the bearers which direction to move. You can perhaps see the holes on the sides and the people talking through them and the feet / sneakers of the young folks underneath:



I finally made my way up to Puerta del Osario where Bar Casa Eme was located which was recommended by the Peruvian family I met in Granada. The bites were super tasty! Should have known as they were people waiting before it opened and they continuously ordered tapas, snails, and beers. The barkeeper keeps track of all the orders by chalking up the counter. Coincidentally, the bar was covered with photos of La Macarena.

I asked him to bring whatever he thought was best. I had a sirloin with whiskey on a montadito (tapas bread), montadito de gambas (prawns), and shrimp in garlic. The sirloin with whiskey was so good, I had two! The salt that was in these dishes was crunchy, but not overdone. Peruvian family suggestion for the win! Also, when I asked the owner where my check was because I wanted to see the chalk, he said it was in his head and smiled. I ate and bopped in this tiny bar to what I like to call and remember it as, Spanish Abba. Here's a photo collage of the experience:



A block away was the #1 bus stop so I took it back to my hotel. Had a drink at the bar to end a surprising day in Sevilla!