originally posted May 19/11
-------------------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 10: IN BRUGES
I lied...here is the journal now, instead of tonight!
And the winner of Destination Contest 3 is...Tony P! Well friends,
since the last contest seemed like a piece of cake, the pictures I
chose this time were meant to be tricky, but with a chance that a keen
observer could guess. I even googled that street sign to make sure it
wasn't only used in the place we are in! Mussels indicated Belgium (I
suppose if I added the frites in the picture, you might have guessed
right away). The swans are swimming on one of the many canals - so I
made sure some of the picture revealed that.
I left out the picture of the belfry, which was a key part in the
Colin Farrell movie, "In Bruges" and an obvious picture of one of the
canals which gives Bruges its status as the "Venice of the North."
B-E-L-G-I-U-M
Jos and I arrived in Belgium around 2:30pmish...our plane had been
delayed 30 mins on the tarmac. Don't know why though, since Jos and I
both passed out on the plane! Anyway, we flew with Ryanair and since
we had chosen priority seating, we got first dibs on seats which is
pretty sweet! Jos has long legs so she was able to get seats with more
leg room.
Ryanair flies to Charleroi airport, the smaller Belgian airport. We
took the shuttle bus (13 euros/each) to Brussels midi train station.
Then we had to find the ticket counter to purchase train tickets for
Bruges. It is not very easy to find the ticket counter. The station is
under some construction, but could definitely use some better signage!
We got on the 15:05 train to Bruges and arrived at 16:02. I followed
the directions given to me by the B&B owners. It took us a bit to get
there and it felt like we were going in a giant circle. We finally
arrived and Patrick greeted us. He said he would have picked us up at
the station if we called. Oh well, we need to walk off all the food
we've been eating! kekeke
The house is beautiful and Patrick served us fresh sangria while he
explained the map. He also recommended a few things and told us he is
a retired chef. I read this on the site and all the reviews about the
superawesome breakfast here. Could Jos and I really resist this
opportunity? Good location, great breakfast, comfortable beds at 64
euros....heck yeah!!
We wandered around Bruges taking pics and getting lost. We salivated,
looking through windows of closed chocolate shops. Jos and I now are
using English, French and German to go around...fun times with our bad
pronunciation...oh well! We ate a 15 euro dinner (each). Jos had
mussels and frites with jupiler to drink. I had broccoli and cheese
soup, steak and ice cream with a waffle wedge. So delicious! We went
for another drink. I had a vuvel and Jos had a tripel karmeleit.
Headed back to the B&B and had a nice sleep.
'til the next journal!
-Sam
Thursday, August 11, 2011
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 9: BARCELONA
originally posted May 17/11
---------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 9: BARCELONA
SITGES
Good on Jos for convincing me to skip the day tour to Sitges (the
beach town) and Montserrat as it was way too expensive. After talking
to Liz at our B&B, we went ourselves. The ticket only cost 6 euros
each round trip. It didn't take long to get there at all. On our way
to the beach the shops called to us. We really liked them because they
differed from the name brand stores in downtown Barcelona. In La
Rambla, H&M stores were situated quite close to each other - perhaps
to share stock?! We found that a bit odd, but it seems to work there.
We spent a pretty penny in one store alone, due to the originality of
the designs.
All the while, we calculated how long we would stay, as we were
contemplating heading to La Rambla again to get a few extra things
before heading to our dinner reservation. We finally got the beach
after all the shopping distractions.
-JOS NEEDS A STOMACH PUMP-
Is there a doctor on the beach? Jos needs one! She almost did not
survive her meal! We went to a restaurant called El Mascaron and
selected the menu of the day. The waiter was very nice and when he
learned we were from Canada, he asked if we spoke French. We said a
little and for the rest of our lunch, he spoke to us in French.
kekeke...using different languages here.
We both had the same appetizer - 3 grilled prawns and 4 grilled razor
clams each. It wasn't anywhere close to the superdelicious ones we had
yesterday but it was still good. For lunch I chose the grilled cod
topped with baked cheese and scalloped potatoes underneath with a
grilled tomato on the side. It was SUPERDELISH...the fish was boneless
and I didn't even have to cut it with a knife. It wasn't fishy at all!
Jos..oh Jos...she chose the seafood platter - a dozen mussels, a
dozen baby clams, 2 oceanic shrimp with claws, two pieces of baked
fish, another razor clam and a whole grilled squid. Jos' eyes almost
popped out, as did mine. That is a SUPERHUGE meal. She had also
ordered a 1/2 litre of wine on her own, so she had a tummy-full. Poor
Jos. Hahaha. We all know what a fighter she is, so she was determined
to finish it all. Even the waiter was shaking his head as he saw her
struggle to empty her plate.
When we originally got there, only two more people were there. Then
more started coming. Although the couple next to us ordered the
seafood platter, they had gotten lighter appetizers like grilled
vegetables, that looked quite good and a stew. I had to help Jos a bit
by drinking some of her wine. I told her that she would be full, drunk
and burnt on the beach. LOL. We just kept laughing, until my sides
were hurting. Finally she finished her food and then I told her there
was still dessert, but she didn't believe me b/c it wasn't on the
menu.
I was right. We both had the baked apple with vanilla ice-cream and
caramel syrup. It was SUPERYUMMY! I was just the right amount full,
while Jos looked like she was going to go into an actual food coma
hahaha.
B IS FOR BEACHES & THE SUNNY TIME WARP
Sitges has 17 sand beaches and its economy is based on tourism. It is
a very gay-friendly town influenced by a famous gay councilman who was
very involved with the development of the gay tourism industry.
(credits to wiki for this).
Jos and I went straight to the beach after eating. We skipped a few
and settled down. Jos wanted to tan for 1h 30mins. I thought she meant
each side and I told her she was crazy. She meant total amount. I'm
not really one for hitting the beach that often at home or even on
vacation. I can see the danger of beaches in Spain. The sun is so hot,
but the wind is so cool from the waves. The waves are also really
loud, so you can relax with the sound of ocean overpowering your
senses. A 30 minute tan seems like it has sucked the hours from you.
We were literally tanning for 30 mins on each side and Jos got so
dark! I don't tan like Jos so I'm still relatively lighter than
her...but wow...the beach is dangerous! Its no wonder that almost
everyone I saw there was sunburn!! Even though sunburns turn into nice
suntans, it hurts later and its not healthy! We walked along the water
trying to find seashells for Chris and then trekked back to the train
station. Note: their trains are regularly late...at least since we've
been here...lucky we weren't in a hurry!
In the end, we opted not to go last minute shopping an pack for
tomorrow. Liz made our dinner reservation and chatted with us. We
drank another bottle of Cava and then headed out to dinner.
LA LUBINA
We both had the most freshly made bread since we've been on this trip
with a bottle of Cava. Our appetizers were the same: grilled asparagus
with a red pepper sauce and lightly breaded calamari.
Jos had grilled monk fish and some kind of Spanish sauce and for
desert, the coconut pudding which was like the creme caramel with
coconut crust. I had the steak which was literally grilled to
perfection (no joke) and french fries with a roasted red pepper. We
both savoured our last meal in Barcelona.
To end the trip to Spain, I wrote someone a postcard. To sum up our
eating experience (just for fun)...voila (I don't know what the
Spanish version of that is...)
GREETINGS FROM BARCELONA
We are here, you are there..we ate too much but we don't care!!
Josie really tried to shop, and now we cannot cannot stop!
We've been eating our way through Spain, in the sun and in the rain.
Paella, gambas, mussels, clam...we want more, we don't give a da--.
Foodies, foodies, more more more, cava, wine, pour pour pour.
Eat until our tummies ache...paella at home is fake, so fake.
I guarantee we'll dream of food, the things we ate were all so good!
(SUPERAWESOME, in fact)
Tomorrow on to the next destination!!! We are curious as to where you
think we will end up next...pls let us know :P If you guess right, we
can't confirm, but pls make sure to submit it via email once we post
the picture clues~
- Sam & Jos
P.S. Are you still reading these, beyond the contests? I know ya'll
are busy so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't have the time. Pt 6
was especially long. See youuuu in the next one...
---------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 9: BARCELONA
SITGES
Good on Jos for convincing me to skip the day tour to Sitges (the
beach town) and Montserrat as it was way too expensive. After talking
to Liz at our B&B, we went ourselves. The ticket only cost 6 euros
each round trip. It didn't take long to get there at all. On our way
to the beach the shops called to us. We really liked them because they
differed from the name brand stores in downtown Barcelona. In La
Rambla, H&M stores were situated quite close to each other - perhaps
to share stock?! We found that a bit odd, but it seems to work there.
We spent a pretty penny in one store alone, due to the originality of
the designs.
All the while, we calculated how long we would stay, as we were
contemplating heading to La Rambla again to get a few extra things
before heading to our dinner reservation. We finally got the beach
after all the shopping distractions.
-JOS NEEDS A STOMACH PUMP-
Is there a doctor on the beach? Jos needs one! She almost did not
survive her meal! We went to a restaurant called El Mascaron and
selected the menu of the day. The waiter was very nice and when he
learned we were from Canada, he asked if we spoke French. We said a
little and for the rest of our lunch, he spoke to us in French.
kekeke...using different languages here.
We both had the same appetizer - 3 grilled prawns and 4 grilled razor
clams each. It wasn't anywhere close to the superdelicious ones we had
yesterday but it was still good. For lunch I chose the grilled cod
topped with baked cheese and scalloped potatoes underneath with a
grilled tomato on the side. It was SUPERDELISH...the fish was boneless
and I didn't even have to cut it with a knife. It wasn't fishy at all!
Jos..oh Jos...she chose the seafood platter - a dozen mussels, a
dozen baby clams, 2 oceanic shrimp with claws, two pieces of baked
fish, another razor clam and a whole grilled squid. Jos' eyes almost
popped out, as did mine. That is a SUPERHUGE meal. She had also
ordered a 1/2 litre of wine on her own, so she had a tummy-full. Poor
Jos. Hahaha. We all know what a fighter she is, so she was determined
to finish it all. Even the waiter was shaking his head as he saw her
struggle to empty her plate.
When we originally got there, only two more people were there. Then
more started coming. Although the couple next to us ordered the
seafood platter, they had gotten lighter appetizers like grilled
vegetables, that looked quite good and a stew. I had to help Jos a bit
by drinking some of her wine. I told her that she would be full, drunk
and burnt on the beach. LOL. We just kept laughing, until my sides
were hurting. Finally she finished her food and then I told her there
was still dessert, but she didn't believe me b/c it wasn't on the
menu.
I was right. We both had the baked apple with vanilla ice-cream and
caramel syrup. It was SUPERYUMMY! I was just the right amount full,
while Jos looked like she was going to go into an actual food coma
hahaha.
B IS FOR BEACHES & THE SUNNY TIME WARP
Sitges has 17 sand beaches and its economy is based on tourism. It is
a very gay-friendly town influenced by a famous gay councilman who was
very involved with the development of the gay tourism industry.
(credits to wiki for this).
Jos and I went straight to the beach after eating. We skipped a few
and settled down. Jos wanted to tan for 1h 30mins. I thought she meant
each side and I told her she was crazy. She meant total amount. I'm
not really one for hitting the beach that often at home or even on
vacation. I can see the danger of beaches in Spain. The sun is so hot,
but the wind is so cool from the waves. The waves are also really
loud, so you can relax with the sound of ocean overpowering your
senses. A 30 minute tan seems like it has sucked the hours from you.
We were literally tanning for 30 mins on each side and Jos got so
dark! I don't tan like Jos so I'm still relatively lighter than
her...but wow...the beach is dangerous! Its no wonder that almost
everyone I saw there was sunburn!! Even though sunburns turn into nice
suntans, it hurts later and its not healthy! We walked along the water
trying to find seashells for Chris and then trekked back to the train
station. Note: their trains are regularly late...at least since we've
been here...lucky we weren't in a hurry!
In the end, we opted not to go last minute shopping an pack for
tomorrow. Liz made our dinner reservation and chatted with us. We
drank another bottle of Cava and then headed out to dinner.
LA LUBINA
We both had the most freshly made bread since we've been on this trip
with a bottle of Cava. Our appetizers were the same: grilled asparagus
with a red pepper sauce and lightly breaded calamari.
Jos had grilled monk fish and some kind of Spanish sauce and for
desert, the coconut pudding which was like the creme caramel with
coconut crust. I had the steak which was literally grilled to
perfection (no joke) and french fries with a roasted red pepper. We
both savoured our last meal in Barcelona.
To end the trip to Spain, I wrote someone a postcard. To sum up our
eating experience (just for fun)...voila (I don't know what the
Spanish version of that is...)
GREETINGS FROM BARCELONA
We are here, you are there..we ate too much but we don't care!!
Josie really tried to shop, and now we cannot cannot stop!
We've been eating our way through Spain, in the sun and in the rain.
Paella, gambas, mussels, clam...we want more, we don't give a da--.
Foodies, foodies, more more more, cava, wine, pour pour pour.
Eat until our tummies ache...paella at home is fake, so fake.
I guarantee we'll dream of food, the things we ate were all so good!
(SUPERAWESOME, in fact)
Tomorrow on to the next destination!!! We are curious as to where you
think we will end up next...pls let us know :P If you guess right, we
can't confirm, but pls make sure to submit it via email once we post
the picture clues~
- Sam & Jos
P.S. Are you still reading these, beyond the contests? I know ya'll
are busy so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't have the time. Pt 6
was especially long. See youuuu in the next one...
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 8: BARCELONA
originally posted May 17/11
--------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 8: BARCELONA
THE RAIN IN SPAIN...& SOMETHING ELSE FALLS FROM THE SKY
It only rained once - the Museum night. What I am actually referring
to is THE DROUGHT BEING OVER - Josie's shopping drought has ended.
Let's go in order, shall we?
Today we headed to La Rambla and exited the station right at the
entrance of the St. Josep Mercat (market). We wandered around taking
photos and visually ate the food. We came across a place that had
different seafood displayed. Customers pointed at or asked for
specific seafood and the chef would cook it. The price was a bit steep
but the food was really fresh and too hard for Jos to resist.
Surprise, surprise, Jos was sitting down before I even blinked. She
ordered razor shell clams, oceanic shrimp with claws and mushrooms.
As people walked by they took photos of our food and were waiting for
the opportunity to sit & eat as well. At one point, half the place was
filled with Asians. After eating, what Jos says is the best meal she's
had in Barcelona walked around more. We had just passed the sandwich
shop when something fell from the sky/ceiling and gifted Jos' foot. It
was pigeon poo and Jos was so grossed out. You should have seen her
face. She started hobbling in disgust because she was in flip flops
and the dropping was on her bare skin. We hurried to the washroom to
clean it. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my anti-bacterial wipes so
she had to use hand soap, water and tissue. I couldn't stop laughing
at her...her facial expression was priceless. I think she was laughing
out of frustration and at me laughing at her. LOL...she kept muttering
about how much she hated pigeons.The photos are priceless!
Note: If you need to use the public washroom at the Mercat, you have
to pay 1 euro. If you show your restaurant receipt you get in for
free.
We went back to the street we had passed when we were walking around
La Rambla yesterday. We went in almost every store and we ended up
with quite a handful of bags.
Sam's purchases
2 PAIRS OF FOOT WEAR from SCALA DEI- 1 PAIR OF FLATS - they were cute
and a great price, so why not? 1 PAIR OF SANDALS - How could I leave
Spain without purchasing sandals?
2 JACKETS - 1 BLACK JACKET from NEW YORKER, 1 LEATHER JACKET from Berksha
3 HATS from FAM - I am in love with them! 1 is a blue '20s style hat,
1 is a blue, handkerchief-like hat and the other is...I'm not sure how
to describe it....but it's brown and black
1 JACKET for Josie from Berksha for her late birthday gift
3 CANVAS BAGS from Berksha
Jos' purchases
2 PAIRS OF SANDALS from SCALA DEI
1 VEST from NEW YORKER
1 SWEATER from NEW YORKER
2 HATS from SHANA
2 HATS from FAM
1 HANDBAG for Sam from MISAKO
4 CANVAS BAGS from Berksha
Joint purchase
1 SUPERAWESOME HAT for someone
Before dinner, Jos used my anti-bacterial wipes on her foot and then
washed it in the washroom ahaha. Liz from the B&B brought out the Cava
and we toasted with our fellow Canadians staying there. Liz is
English, so we talked about the royal wedding and other topics. She
had also booked our dinner reservation which also gave us
complimentary glasses of Cava.
DINNER~
Dinner was delish...Jos had a gazpacho type soup (cold tomato soup)
and I had a salad with corn, chicken, capers and tomatoes. We both had
beef steak with bacon wrapped potatoes and a grilled tomatoes. Dessert
was a raspberry cheesecake for Jos and I had the chocolate brownie.
--------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 8: BARCELONA
THE RAIN IN SPAIN...& SOMETHING ELSE FALLS FROM THE SKY
It only rained once - the Museum night. What I am actually referring
to is THE DROUGHT BEING OVER - Josie's shopping drought has ended.
Let's go in order, shall we?
Today we headed to La Rambla and exited the station right at the
entrance of the St. Josep Mercat (market). We wandered around taking
photos and visually ate the food. We came across a place that had
different seafood displayed. Customers pointed at or asked for
specific seafood and the chef would cook it. The price was a bit steep
but the food was really fresh and too hard for Jos to resist.
Surprise, surprise, Jos was sitting down before I even blinked. She
ordered razor shell clams, oceanic shrimp with claws and mushrooms.
As people walked by they took photos of our food and were waiting for
the opportunity to sit & eat as well. At one point, half the place was
filled with Asians. After eating, what Jos says is the best meal she's
had in Barcelona walked around more. We had just passed the sandwich
shop when something fell from the sky/ceiling and gifted Jos' foot. It
was pigeon poo and Jos was so grossed out. You should have seen her
face. She started hobbling in disgust because she was in flip flops
and the dropping was on her bare skin. We hurried to the washroom to
clean it. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my anti-bacterial wipes so
she had to use hand soap, water and tissue. I couldn't stop laughing
at her...her facial expression was priceless. I think she was laughing
out of frustration and at me laughing at her. LOL...she kept muttering
about how much she hated pigeons.The photos are priceless!
Note: If you need to use the public washroom at the Mercat, you have
to pay 1 euro. If you show your restaurant receipt you get in for
free.
We went back to the street we had passed when we were walking around
La Rambla yesterday. We went in almost every store and we ended up
with quite a handful of bags.
Sam's purchases
2 PAIRS OF FOOT WEAR from SCALA DEI- 1 PAIR OF FLATS - they were cute
and a great price, so why not? 1 PAIR OF SANDALS - How could I leave
Spain without purchasing sandals?
2 JACKETS - 1 BLACK JACKET from NEW YORKER, 1 LEATHER JACKET from Berksha
3 HATS from FAM - I am in love with them! 1 is a blue '20s style hat,
1 is a blue, handkerchief-like hat and the other is...I'm not sure how
to describe it....but it's brown and black
1 JACKET for Josie from Berksha for her late birthday gift
3 CANVAS BAGS from Berksha
Jos' purchases
2 PAIRS OF SANDALS from SCALA DEI
1 VEST from NEW YORKER
1 SWEATER from NEW YORKER
2 HATS from SHANA
2 HATS from FAM
1 HANDBAG for Sam from MISAKO
4 CANVAS BAGS from Berksha
Joint purchase
1 SUPERAWESOME HAT for someone
Before dinner, Jos used my anti-bacterial wipes on her foot and then
washed it in the washroom ahaha. Liz from the B&B brought out the Cava
and we toasted with our fellow Canadians staying there. Liz is
English, so we talked about the royal wedding and other topics. She
had also booked our dinner reservation which also gave us
complimentary glasses of Cava.
DINNER~
Dinner was delish...Jos had a gazpacho type soup (cold tomato soup)
and I had a salad with corn, chicken, capers and tomatoes. We both had
beef steak with bacon wrapped potatoes and a grilled tomatoes. Dessert
was a raspberry cheesecake for Jos and I had the chocolate brownie.
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 7: BARCELONA
originally posted May 17/11
---------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 7: BARCELONA
A FEW NOTES:
Ahhh the things I think of when I'm not actually writing the
journals...I always forget to mention these....
While I have somewhat attempted to learn Spanish before I came here
and learn each day, Jos chooses to talk in English like they
understand. LOL. I tease her about it all the time. She says she does
it on purpose to "assess their English". Its quite hilarious actually!
One thing I find funny is that she'll try to communicate using English
and hand gestures. After waiting a bit, I will go and use the same
English and they understand hahahaha...if that doesn't work, I use my
broken Spanish. Some of what I learned:
Plantas = floors/levels (as in buildings)...has nothing to do with plants
Tacquilla = ticket office
Lavabos = washroom
Entrada = entrance
Salida = exit
acensor = elevator
escalera = escalator
-Casa Batlló-
I would have to say that out of the Gaudi apartments, this would be my
favourite. And to think, I told Jos I might skip it!! It was fatigue
talking...I must have been out of my mind! Again, pls take a look at
the online photos...Gaudi is hard to describe. He is just so
brilliant. The theme of this apartment was water. Why are all the
brilliant, innovative guys unavailable? LOL. The terrace was amazing!
I just can't say enough about Gaudi...but at the same time, I can't
put it into words....
-PISCOLABIS-
As we walked to La Rambla, we started to get hungry. We ate Piscolabis
restaurant's patio (which was on an island in the middle of the
street, while the actual restaurant was on the sidewalk/street). They
specialized in tapas and had some funky things on the menu including a
Hello Kitty rigatoni pasta and a Winnie-the-Pooh something or other.
The interior of the restaurant was quite nice. Very impressive, in
fact. Though I did see a hobo exit the men's washroom and he didn't
look like a customer...I really shouldn't make judgements.
We ordered:
- beer
- deep fried brie covered in black sesame seeds
- small fried fish
- mini hamburger with foie gras
- seafood pasta
-LA RAMBLA-
Jos wanted to La Rumble with the guys making the squeaking, annoying
ducky noises...who were quite creepy as they followed people and
quacked at them. We really made sure to watch our purses, as this
tourist area is notorious for pickpockets. There were guys gambling
and likely ripping people off by asking their friends to help with the
trick. Because it was a Sunday, most of the shops were closed, so we
did a heck of a lot of walking here. We would come back tomorrow to do
some shopping. We did buy some jewelry from the Chachka tents
hehehehe. We walked until the end of La Rambla and crossed over to
Port Vell.
-PORT VELL BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN & MAREMAGNUM MALL-
We reached Port Vell's bridge and I was actually pretty nervous. There
were too many people on there!! I thought it was going to collapse!
Jos and I walked through it and took another route, only to end up at
the cement abruptly disappearing. We had to backtrack to get on the
scary bridge. ACK! We were both trying to scramble across. We
thankfully made it alright and discovered that the mall was open. Jos
was going to attempt to break the non-shopping streak. Other than
jewelry and museum gift shop shopping, she hasn't bought much.
We went into almost all the stores and Jos' money stayed in her
pocket. I got thirsty and went for a pina colada while Jos had a San
Miguel. We left empty handed. Jos walked toward the imax theatre and
beyond towards the Gothic City. I was tired so I told her I would head
back to the B&B and meet her there. We waited for a bit, soaking the
rays and thinking about what to do. As she probably suspected, I was
just tired and once I got over it, I stayed with her and we explored.
-GOTHIC CITY-
Is it nerdy that every time I see the words Gothic City, I think of
Gotham City? Anyway Jos and I ended up wandering around the area. This
is where the Picasso Museum was as well. We slipped in and out of the
smaller streets, surprised to see that some of the shops were open.
Jos came across a man singing opera, but I was more focused on the man
sitting outside of the church which actually turned out to be a
statue. He looked alive...so I was bit taken aback.
-ART INSTALLATION-
As we explored, we came across an art installation. It was quite
amusing. The idea was to have people write their "sins"/"secrets" on
pieces of fabric and then hang/pin/staple them to the the strings and
pole. On Wednesday, the plan was to "cleanse" the sins away. I
couldn't understand a lot of the Spanish ones, but the English ones
were very entertaining, for example...I LISTEN TO ABBA...hahaha. I
took photos of some of them, so I hope you enjoy reading them as much
as I did. Jos and I added to the installation as well.
-FAMILY LOST, FAMILY FOUND?-
Dad told us we could trace our roots back to Valencia where our family
(on his side) is from. We didn't get to meet any of them, but we did
find part of our family. I'll have to write a caption for the picture
when it is uploaded. You'll see what I mean when you see the photos.
-CHURROS & PROTESTS-
Oh churros...why are you so good? I purchased some at a store along
with some chocolate. We ate churros as we walked towards the Catedral.
We also witnessed a giant protest against the government. Bringing up
the end of the parade were the drummers. There were a few women in
there which I was happy to see. The egg remnants on the bank machine
door reminded me of the G20. Still, it is good to see that people are
voicing their opinions and concerns.
As eating good food is never far from our minds, Jos and I discussed
where we should eat and ended up at Balbao Berria.
-PINTXOS-
If you don't know what pintxos are, you better learn before going to
Barcelona! Pintxos, are baguette-like pieces of bread topped with
various delicious combinations of food. We went to a place called
Bilbao Berria which specializes in pintxos and tapas, situated right
by the Catedral. At this place, each piece of food has a skewer stick
in it. After you finish each one you put the stick in the metal
container and at the end, the waiter counts all the sticks and you pay
by stick. Each one costs 1,65.
what i ate
1. chicken, zucchini and tomato on a stick
2. asparagus wrapped in iberian ham
3. bread topped with roasted red pepper stuffed with cod
4. bread topped with egg salad, cheese and red & black caviar
5. bread topped with green peppers, tuna, brie, caramelized onion and
red peppers
6. two fried chicken wings on a stick
7. strawberry and pineapple wrapped in iberian ham
8. bread topped with lettuce, crab salad, white asparagus and caviar
9. bread topped with mash potatoes and a prawn
10. panacotta
11.rice pudding with waffle
what jos ate
1. chorizo on a stick
2. bread topped with lettuce, crab salad, white asparagus and caviar
3. teriyaki chicken on a stick with sauce
4. asparagus wrapped in iberian ham
5. grilled sacallops and shrimp on a stick
6. bread topped with raw salmon with shaved egg
7. bread topped with mash potatoes and a prawn
8. rice pudding with waffle
and yes, if you are wondering, we probably did and still are gaining
weight. [dear co-workers, pls do not mistake me for a new
employee...it's me...Sam...I just ate too much on vacation!]
Buenos noches~
Sam & Jos
---------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 7: BARCELONA
A FEW NOTES:
Ahhh the things I think of when I'm not actually writing the
journals...I always forget to mention these....
While I have somewhat attempted to learn Spanish before I came here
and learn each day, Jos chooses to talk in English like they
understand. LOL. I tease her about it all the time. She says she does
it on purpose to "assess their English". Its quite hilarious actually!
One thing I find funny is that she'll try to communicate using English
and hand gestures. After waiting a bit, I will go and use the same
English and they understand hahahaha...if that doesn't work, I use my
broken Spanish. Some of what I learned:
Plantas = floors/levels (as in buildings)...has nothing to do with plants
Tacquilla = ticket office
Lavabos = washroom
Entrada = entrance
Salida = exit
acensor = elevator
escalera = escalator
-Casa Batlló-
I would have to say that out of the Gaudi apartments, this would be my
favourite. And to think, I told Jos I might skip it!! It was fatigue
talking...I must have been out of my mind! Again, pls take a look at
the online photos...Gaudi is hard to describe. He is just so
brilliant. The theme of this apartment was water. Why are all the
brilliant, innovative guys unavailable? LOL. The terrace was amazing!
I just can't say enough about Gaudi...but at the same time, I can't
put it into words....
-PISCOLABIS-
As we walked to La Rambla, we started to get hungry. We ate Piscolabis
restaurant's patio (which was on an island in the middle of the
street, while the actual restaurant was on the sidewalk/street). They
specialized in tapas and had some funky things on the menu including a
Hello Kitty rigatoni pasta and a Winnie-the-Pooh something or other.
The interior of the restaurant was quite nice. Very impressive, in
fact. Though I did see a hobo exit the men's washroom and he didn't
look like a customer...I really shouldn't make judgements.
We ordered:
- beer
- deep fried brie covered in black sesame seeds
- small fried fish
- mini hamburger with foie gras
- seafood pasta
-LA RAMBLA-
Jos wanted to La Rumble with the guys making the squeaking, annoying
ducky noises...who were quite creepy as they followed people and
quacked at them. We really made sure to watch our purses, as this
tourist area is notorious for pickpockets. There were guys gambling
and likely ripping people off by asking their friends to help with the
trick. Because it was a Sunday, most of the shops were closed, so we
did a heck of a lot of walking here. We would come back tomorrow to do
some shopping. We did buy some jewelry from the Chachka tents
hehehehe. We walked until the end of La Rambla and crossed over to
Port Vell.
-PORT VELL BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN & MAREMAGNUM MALL-
We reached Port Vell's bridge and I was actually pretty nervous. There
were too many people on there!! I thought it was going to collapse!
Jos and I walked through it and took another route, only to end up at
the cement abruptly disappearing. We had to backtrack to get on the
scary bridge. ACK! We were both trying to scramble across. We
thankfully made it alright and discovered that the mall was open. Jos
was going to attempt to break the non-shopping streak. Other than
jewelry and museum gift shop shopping, she hasn't bought much.
We went into almost all the stores and Jos' money stayed in her
pocket. I got thirsty and went for a pina colada while Jos had a San
Miguel. We left empty handed. Jos walked toward the imax theatre and
beyond towards the Gothic City. I was tired so I told her I would head
back to the B&B and meet her there. We waited for a bit, soaking the
rays and thinking about what to do. As she probably suspected, I was
just tired and once I got over it, I stayed with her and we explored.
-GOTHIC CITY-
Is it nerdy that every time I see the words Gothic City, I think of
Gotham City? Anyway Jos and I ended up wandering around the area. This
is where the Picasso Museum was as well. We slipped in and out of the
smaller streets, surprised to see that some of the shops were open.
Jos came across a man singing opera, but I was more focused on the man
sitting outside of the church which actually turned out to be a
statue. He looked alive...so I was bit taken aback.
-ART INSTALLATION-
As we explored, we came across an art installation. It was quite
amusing. The idea was to have people write their "sins"/"secrets" on
pieces of fabric and then hang/pin/staple them to the the strings and
pole. On Wednesday, the plan was to "cleanse" the sins away. I
couldn't understand a lot of the Spanish ones, but the English ones
were very entertaining, for example...I LISTEN TO ABBA...hahaha. I
took photos of some of them, so I hope you enjoy reading them as much
as I did. Jos and I added to the installation as well.
-FAMILY LOST, FAMILY FOUND?-
Dad told us we could trace our roots back to Valencia where our family
(on his side) is from. We didn't get to meet any of them, but we did
find part of our family. I'll have to write a caption for the picture
when it is uploaded. You'll see what I mean when you see the photos.
-CHURROS & PROTESTS-
Oh churros...why are you so good? I purchased some at a store along
with some chocolate. We ate churros as we walked towards the Catedral.
We also witnessed a giant protest against the government. Bringing up
the end of the parade were the drummers. There were a few women in
there which I was happy to see. The egg remnants on the bank machine
door reminded me of the G20. Still, it is good to see that people are
voicing their opinions and concerns.
As eating good food is never far from our minds, Jos and I discussed
where we should eat and ended up at Balbao Berria.
-PINTXOS-
If you don't know what pintxos are, you better learn before going to
Barcelona! Pintxos, are baguette-like pieces of bread topped with
various delicious combinations of food. We went to a place called
Bilbao Berria which specializes in pintxos and tapas, situated right
by the Catedral. At this place, each piece of food has a skewer stick
in it. After you finish each one you put the stick in the metal
container and at the end, the waiter counts all the sticks and you pay
by stick. Each one costs 1,65.
what i ate
1. chicken, zucchini and tomato on a stick
2. asparagus wrapped in iberian ham
3. bread topped with roasted red pepper stuffed with cod
4. bread topped with egg salad, cheese and red & black caviar
5. bread topped with green peppers, tuna, brie, caramelized onion and
red peppers
6. two fried chicken wings on a stick
7. strawberry and pineapple wrapped in iberian ham
8. bread topped with lettuce, crab salad, white asparagus and caviar
9. bread topped with mash potatoes and a prawn
10. panacotta
11.rice pudding with waffle
what jos ate
1. chorizo on a stick
2. bread topped with lettuce, crab salad, white asparagus and caviar
3. teriyaki chicken on a stick with sauce
4. asparagus wrapped in iberian ham
5. grilled sacallops and shrimp on a stick
6. bread topped with raw salmon with shaved egg
7. bread topped with mash potatoes and a prawn
8. rice pudding with waffle
and yes, if you are wondering, we probably did and still are gaining
weight. [dear co-workers, pls do not mistake me for a new
employee...it's me...Sam...I just ate too much on vacation!]
Buenos noches~
Sam & Jos
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 6: BARCELONA
originally posted May 17/11
---------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 6: BARCELONA
EPIC ENTRY WARNING! WE DID A LOT!!
OOOPS...& DROPPING PANTS
I spelt Kaola's name wrong...my bad! I also forgot to mention that the
day we went back to the Magic Fountain, we were approaching the area
when all of a sudden something fell from the sky. It was some dude's
shorts. Guess he was hanging the laundry or something and the wind
blew it away. They almost hit this dad who was pushing his kid in a
stroller...so random! Also forgot to mention that we arrived in
Valencia to a man playing the accordian and arrived in Barcelona to a
guy performing on his guitar with a mic on the train.
SAGRADA FAMILIA
If Jos and I could describe Sagrada Famillia we would say "blown
away". It is really interesting how one person could think of these
intricate designs and then produce them on such a huge scale. We
really love Gaudi's work and after seeing it all, he is even more so
our favourite architect. Sagrada Familia is the Roman Catholic church
that began construction in 1882, and Gaudi began working on it in
1883. To this day, it is still under construction. There have been
guesses as to when it will finish and they range from 8 - 20 years.
For 17 euros, Jos and I got entrance to Sagrada Familia, the lift to
the top and entrance to the Gaudi Museum (which were his former living
quarters).
Sagrada Familia is a church best described through photos, so when I
finally post them on my facebook and upload on shutterfly, you should
take a look. I am happy to say that when I move onto the next world I
will have been able to say that I have seen Sagrada Familia. I have
seen many cathedrals on my travels and in terms of originality, this
blows the other ones out of the water. It has been under construction
for such a long time and though the interior has been completed, the
exterior still has a way to go. When the entire structure is
completed, I will definitely try to come back to see it in its
entirety. I'm crossing seeing Gaudi's work off of my 30 @ 30 list.
A TASTE OF VIETNAM?
Jos and I have been really sticking to the local Spanish food as much
as we can, but we're Asian, so sometimes the food calls to us. When
Jos' camera battery died, we decided to go back to the B&B to charge
it up and run a few errands. We remember Tony mentioning something
about a Vietnamese restaurant, so when we walked by it, we decided to
eat there. I must confess although we have tried our best to document
all the food we have eaten, we sometimes forget to take pictures
because we are hungry. We ate an appetizer platter that consisted of
fried shrimp rolls, dumplings and wontons wrapped in lettuce. Then we
had marinated pork and grilled gambas (grilled shrimp). It is always
strange to go to another country and eat at Asian restaurants where
people speak the country's language instead of their background
language. Anyway, it was a good meal.
LA PEDRERA and A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
Background & external description: La Pedrera (Casa Mila) has been
declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an apartment that Gaudi
constructed between 1905-1910 and officially completed in 1912. The
upstairs terrace is the highlight of the building which features
different stone sculptures reflecting Gaudi's distinct style infused
with his religious beliefs. The windows' exterior decorations look
like kelp.
Jos and I got into the line which was surprisingly not as long as
expected, however, Jos noticed that people were leaving the line.
There was a staff member talking to them and Jos and I went over to
find out what was going on. She learned that tonight was actually La
Nit Dels Museus (Museum Night). It was an event that apparently
happens one night a month, where 48 museums open their doors to the
public and their international visitors. Jos and I were ecstatic, as
we read the program (only in Catalunian) to see a few of the museums
we were interested in visiting. We were going to save a pretty penny,
as long as we were patient enough to wait in line!
We aimed to visit Museu Picasso, Museu de la Xocolata (Chocolate
Museum) and La Pedrera. In the meantime, we would visit Parc Guell,
which was another Gaudi work, as well as the Gaudi Museum.
PARC GUELL & CASA MUSEUM GAUDI
My experience visiting Parc Guell & Casa Museum Gaudi has reminded me
yet again of the dedication and power of the tourist spirit. It seems
as though many of the world's most beautiful sights and structures are
hidden in out of the way, remote locations. Many of them require
determination as one must trek through forests, mountains, large steep
hills etc. Well Parc Guell is one of those large steep hill treks, not
as bad as the steepest mountain climb I had to do in order to visit a
Buddhist shrine in Chuncheon in South Korea, but it was a long walk
nonetheless. Of course with such treks, there are the smart business
minds that figure out that there will always be the "willing to pay
the money to take a shortcut" people and I did for a second,
contemplate it LOL.
Anyway, when we reached Parc Guell, I briefly thought of the game,
Candyland. It doesn't exactly look like it, but it has that whimsical
feel to it. It was inspired by the English garden city movement. They
are cave-like tunnels, ceiling art, and intricate surprises all over
the park. Jos and I also wanted to get into the Picasso Museum line
relatively early as we assumed lots of people would be attending, so
we kept mindful of the time. There was a quite hilarious part where I
tried to get Jos to do a jumping photo in the cave area and I couldn't
get her face in focus. 20 something odd attempts later, still no
success. Oh well! There were many rock climbing enthusiasts who tried
to climb around the caves and such to take unique and exciting
pictures. Which reminds me that I have to take up rock climbing at
some point...
It took us a bit to get to the actual Museum due to the lack of
signage. It was a quaint house and it was nice to see Gaudi's living
quarters. There was a crucifix that looked similar to the one hanging
in Sagrada Familia, but it wasn't as noticeable so I wonder if many
people see the connection. We would have liked to explore more, but we
needed to leave asap to get into the Picasso line.
PICASSO MUSEUM
The Picasso line was SUPERLOOOONGGG! We had an intoxicating couple in
front of us...probably honeymooners. I don't mean to seem cynical but
the girl kept posing for photos and her partner was doing her photo
shoot. The camera was flashing so much I felt like I wouldn't have
been surprised if the battery would have ran out once they got into
the museum itself! LOL. Anyway, we surprisingly didn't wait that long
- perhaps 25mins. Along with Picasso's exhibit, was a comic exhibit
which displayed political comics and illustrations of WWII and
revolution. A prominent image was the woman holding her crying child.
NO XOCOLATA...
When we left the museum it was raining. We purchased umbrellas as we
walked. I had wanted to visit the Chocolate Museum, but when we
arrived there, the line-up was superlong. We had to go back to La
Pedrera and since the entrance for Museum Xocolata was only 3 euros we
decided to go another day.
SAMOA
When we got to La Pedrera, the line was crazy long. We devised a plan
to find somewhere closeby to eat and watch the line. When it seemed to
be thinning out, we would go across and wait in line. We found a place
called Samoa that had reasonable prices. We staked a spot that had a
view of the long line. We were worried that the terrace would be
closed down due to the rain. I had a Margherita pizza and Jos had the
vegetarian. When we finally saw the end of the line 1h 30mins later,
we both had 1/4 left and asked to take it out. They gave us a medium
sized pizza box to take with us! LOL. They could have just wrapped it
in the tin foil, but I guess it is also advertising for them.
FUNDACIO SUNOL
We were waiting in the line, which we were told could take as long as
1h 30min wait. We were fine with it as long as we could get inside.
While we were waiting, Jos suggested I go into the Fundacio Sunol
which was displaying modern art. I went in and walked through the
exhibit. The first thing I saw was an art piece depicting Mao. Hahaha.
I forgot to mention that there have been quite a few stores emulating
the 1920 women's movement in Asia. Its funny how my East Asian studies
are following me on vacation.
LA PEDRERA
This is yet another example of something I cannot describe in words,
so please take a look at the photos when I send them :) Imagine,
something I can't describe...well, I can, but it will take up a lot of
space and this journal is already quite long, no? I even considered
skipping it and coming back to it a few journals later.
We only had an hour to get through the museum, as we entered at 12am
and 1am is when the museum would close. Jos and I rushed through.
There were a pair of earrings I thought to buy, but didn't realize the
gift shop upstairs didn't have the same things as the one on the
street level where we had to exit. Oh well! There will be other
earrings. I really would have liked to purchase miniature versions of
Gaudi's furniture, but the one they had were bigger than I wanted and
very expensive.
So, in the end, we hit three museums for free, saved a bundle of money
and had a great time. Lucky us! What great timing we had, to be able
to experience this.
I finally finished this journal! Hurrah! There is so much more I could
have said, but then I'd never finish! Pls excuse whatever parts of
this entry do not make sense. I don't have time to look it over~
Until we meet again,
Sam & Jos
---------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 6: BARCELONA
EPIC ENTRY WARNING! WE DID A LOT!!
OOOPS...& DROPPING PANTS
I spelt Kaola's name wrong...my bad! I also forgot to mention that the
day we went back to the Magic Fountain, we were approaching the area
when all of a sudden something fell from the sky. It was some dude's
shorts. Guess he was hanging the laundry or something and the wind
blew it away. They almost hit this dad who was pushing his kid in a
stroller...so random! Also forgot to mention that we arrived in
Valencia to a man playing the accordian and arrived in Barcelona to a
guy performing on his guitar with a mic on the train.
SAGRADA FAMILIA
If Jos and I could describe Sagrada Famillia we would say "blown
away". It is really interesting how one person could think of these
intricate designs and then produce them on such a huge scale. We
really love Gaudi's work and after seeing it all, he is even more so
our favourite architect. Sagrada Familia is the Roman Catholic church
that began construction in 1882, and Gaudi began working on it in
1883. To this day, it is still under construction. There have been
guesses as to when it will finish and they range from 8 - 20 years.
For 17 euros, Jos and I got entrance to Sagrada Familia, the lift to
the top and entrance to the Gaudi Museum (which were his former living
quarters).
Sagrada Familia is a church best described through photos, so when I
finally post them on my facebook and upload on shutterfly, you should
take a look. I am happy to say that when I move onto the next world I
will have been able to say that I have seen Sagrada Familia. I have
seen many cathedrals on my travels and in terms of originality, this
blows the other ones out of the water. It has been under construction
for such a long time and though the interior has been completed, the
exterior still has a way to go. When the entire structure is
completed, I will definitely try to come back to see it in its
entirety. I'm crossing seeing Gaudi's work off of my 30 @ 30 list.
A TASTE OF VIETNAM?
Jos and I have been really sticking to the local Spanish food as much
as we can, but we're Asian, so sometimes the food calls to us. When
Jos' camera battery died, we decided to go back to the B&B to charge
it up and run a few errands. We remember Tony mentioning something
about a Vietnamese restaurant, so when we walked by it, we decided to
eat there. I must confess although we have tried our best to document
all the food we have eaten, we sometimes forget to take pictures
because we are hungry. We ate an appetizer platter that consisted of
fried shrimp rolls, dumplings and wontons wrapped in lettuce. Then we
had marinated pork and grilled gambas (grilled shrimp). It is always
strange to go to another country and eat at Asian restaurants where
people speak the country's language instead of their background
language. Anyway, it was a good meal.
LA PEDRERA and A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
Background & external description: La Pedrera (Casa Mila) has been
declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an apartment that Gaudi
constructed between 1905-1910 and officially completed in 1912. The
upstairs terrace is the highlight of the building which features
different stone sculptures reflecting Gaudi's distinct style infused
with his religious beliefs. The windows' exterior decorations look
like kelp.
Jos and I got into the line which was surprisingly not as long as
expected, however, Jos noticed that people were leaving the line.
There was a staff member talking to them and Jos and I went over to
find out what was going on. She learned that tonight was actually La
Nit Dels Museus (Museum Night). It was an event that apparently
happens one night a month, where 48 museums open their doors to the
public and their international visitors. Jos and I were ecstatic, as
we read the program (only in Catalunian) to see a few of the museums
we were interested in visiting. We were going to save a pretty penny,
as long as we were patient enough to wait in line!
We aimed to visit Museu Picasso, Museu de la Xocolata (Chocolate
Museum) and La Pedrera. In the meantime, we would visit Parc Guell,
which was another Gaudi work, as well as the Gaudi Museum.
PARC GUELL & CASA MUSEUM GAUDI
My experience visiting Parc Guell & Casa Museum Gaudi has reminded me
yet again of the dedication and power of the tourist spirit. It seems
as though many of the world's most beautiful sights and structures are
hidden in out of the way, remote locations. Many of them require
determination as one must trek through forests, mountains, large steep
hills etc. Well Parc Guell is one of those large steep hill treks, not
as bad as the steepest mountain climb I had to do in order to visit a
Buddhist shrine in Chuncheon in South Korea, but it was a long walk
nonetheless. Of course with such treks, there are the smart business
minds that figure out that there will always be the "willing to pay
the money to take a shortcut" people and I did for a second,
contemplate it LOL.
Anyway, when we reached Parc Guell, I briefly thought of the game,
Candyland. It doesn't exactly look like it, but it has that whimsical
feel to it. It was inspired by the English garden city movement. They
are cave-like tunnels, ceiling art, and intricate surprises all over
the park. Jos and I also wanted to get into the Picasso Museum line
relatively early as we assumed lots of people would be attending, so
we kept mindful of the time. There was a quite hilarious part where I
tried to get Jos to do a jumping photo in the cave area and I couldn't
get her face in focus. 20 something odd attempts later, still no
success. Oh well! There were many rock climbing enthusiasts who tried
to climb around the caves and such to take unique and exciting
pictures. Which reminds me that I have to take up rock climbing at
some point...
It took us a bit to get to the actual Museum due to the lack of
signage. It was a quaint house and it was nice to see Gaudi's living
quarters. There was a crucifix that looked similar to the one hanging
in Sagrada Familia, but it wasn't as noticeable so I wonder if many
people see the connection. We would have liked to explore more, but we
needed to leave asap to get into the Picasso line.
PICASSO MUSEUM
The Picasso line was SUPERLOOOONGGG! We had an intoxicating couple in
front of us...probably honeymooners. I don't mean to seem cynical but
the girl kept posing for photos and her partner was doing her photo
shoot. The camera was flashing so much I felt like I wouldn't have
been surprised if the battery would have ran out once they got into
the museum itself! LOL. Anyway, we surprisingly didn't wait that long
- perhaps 25mins. Along with Picasso's exhibit, was a comic exhibit
which displayed political comics and illustrations of WWII and
revolution. A prominent image was the woman holding her crying child.
NO XOCOLATA...
When we left the museum it was raining. We purchased umbrellas as we
walked. I had wanted to visit the Chocolate Museum, but when we
arrived there, the line-up was superlong. We had to go back to La
Pedrera and since the entrance for Museum Xocolata was only 3 euros we
decided to go another day.
SAMOA
When we got to La Pedrera, the line was crazy long. We devised a plan
to find somewhere closeby to eat and watch the line. When it seemed to
be thinning out, we would go across and wait in line. We found a place
called Samoa that had reasonable prices. We staked a spot that had a
view of the long line. We were worried that the terrace would be
closed down due to the rain. I had a Margherita pizza and Jos had the
vegetarian. When we finally saw the end of the line 1h 30mins later,
we both had 1/4 left and asked to take it out. They gave us a medium
sized pizza box to take with us! LOL. They could have just wrapped it
in the tin foil, but I guess it is also advertising for them.
FUNDACIO SUNOL
We were waiting in the line, which we were told could take as long as
1h 30min wait. We were fine with it as long as we could get inside.
While we were waiting, Jos suggested I go into the Fundacio Sunol
which was displaying modern art. I went in and walked through the
exhibit. The first thing I saw was an art piece depicting Mao. Hahaha.
I forgot to mention that there have been quite a few stores emulating
the 1920 women's movement in Asia. Its funny how my East Asian studies
are following me on vacation.
LA PEDRERA
This is yet another example of something I cannot describe in words,
so please take a look at the photos when I send them :) Imagine,
something I can't describe...well, I can, but it will take up a lot of
space and this journal is already quite long, no? I even considered
skipping it and coming back to it a few journals later.
We only had an hour to get through the museum, as we entered at 12am
and 1am is when the museum would close. Jos and I rushed through.
There were a pair of earrings I thought to buy, but didn't realize the
gift shop upstairs didn't have the same things as the one on the
street level where we had to exit. Oh well! There will be other
earrings. I really would have liked to purchase miniature versions of
Gaudi's furniture, but the one they had were bigger than I wanted and
very expensive.
So, in the end, we hit three museums for free, saved a bundle of money
and had a great time. Lucky us! What great timing we had, to be able
to experience this.
I finally finished this journal! Hurrah! There is so much more I could
have said, but then I'd never finish! Pls excuse whatever parts of
this entry do not make sense. I don't have time to look it over~
Until we meet again,
Sam & Jos
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 5: VALENCIA-BARCELONA
originally posted May 15/11
-----------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 5: VALENCIA-BARCELONA
BREAKFAST HELLOS & GOODBYES
Hello Breakfast! We had a very lovely breakfast. There was so much to
eat we had to survey the table before choosing what we wanted. We
started off with Cava (champagne) again, and had other drink options
such as orange juice, tea, coffee and soy milk. There was a selection
of bread, warm croissants, cheese, meats, fresh fruits (strawberries,
kiwi, pineapple) and a lot more. I had plain yogurt that I mixed with
berry jam, bread with brie and berry jam, bread with cheese and
proscuitto...basically I'm carbo overdosing...the food is just too
good!
Our hosts were so generous and friendly. Matteo offered to mail our
postcards and called us a taxi to take to the station. While I worked
on the 3rd journal, Jos realized that her lock wasn't working. She had
put her passport and wallet inside just to be on the safe side when we
went back to Barcelona. We both tried numerous times with the
combination, but nothing worked. Matteo and his friend tried to help
out without success and then Matteo translated on paper for us, how to
say my lock is broken. Where can I go to cut it..or something along
those lines. When the taxi buzzed up, we said our goodbyes. Matteo and
Koyola were the most friendly hosts we have encountered so far. We
told them that we'd recommend their B&B to our friends.
SHE'S GOT A TICKET TO RIDE...
While we were at the train station, Jos went to get us sandwiches and
drinks for the ride. I took both the luggage and walked around the
station. I picked up a few things, as I didn't want to leave Valencia
without buying anything. Got Jos a pair of earrings as part of her
birthday gift and a scarf. Our train was late and finally we were on
our way. People laughed as we struggled to get our luggage in the
upper compartment above the seating. We were laughing too. Our
luggages aren't heavy (yet) but they are big, so they were quite a
handful.
PATIO BARCELONA
Jos got us to our accomodation very easily. We arrived in the evening.
Our host greeted us and showed us around It is a very nice place and
really has the authentic B&B style to it. Tony told me that he and his
wife opened this B&B in 1992 and it was one of the first ones in
Barcelona. We walked around the neighbourhood and then went back home
to get our stuff. We decided that today we would try to catch the
Magic Fountain show we had missed before and shop at the Arena. Jos
and I got through a few floors and then we had to eat because we were
hungry. Jos suggested we go to the top. There was a wonderful view and
we walked around the circle. We could see Montjuic where the fountain
and the Museum of Catalonian Art from there as well. The food prices
weren't that bad so we chose a scenic view and watched the fountain
show from there. An event was going to at the entrance - I think it
was like a car show. The Magic Fountain's music could be heard from
where we were and the it lit up in numerous colours and danced to the
music.
We had two orders of pasta, wine and panacotta. I love panacotta so I
was very happy to eat it. After that we tried to go to the fountain
but they had blocked it off for that event. BOOOOO. We went home to
get some rest as tomorrow is going to be a full day of museums.
Buenos noches!
-Sam & Jos
-----------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 5: VALENCIA-BARCELONA
BREAKFAST HELLOS & GOODBYES
Hello Breakfast! We had a very lovely breakfast. There was so much to
eat we had to survey the table before choosing what we wanted. We
started off with Cava (champagne) again, and had other drink options
such as orange juice, tea, coffee and soy milk. There was a selection
of bread, warm croissants, cheese, meats, fresh fruits (strawberries,
kiwi, pineapple) and a lot more. I had plain yogurt that I mixed with
berry jam, bread with brie and berry jam, bread with cheese and
proscuitto...basically I'm carbo overdosing...the food is just too
good!
Our hosts were so generous and friendly. Matteo offered to mail our
postcards and called us a taxi to take to the station. While I worked
on the 3rd journal, Jos realized that her lock wasn't working. She had
put her passport and wallet inside just to be on the safe side when we
went back to Barcelona. We both tried numerous times with the
combination, but nothing worked. Matteo and his friend tried to help
out without success and then Matteo translated on paper for us, how to
say my lock is broken. Where can I go to cut it..or something along
those lines. When the taxi buzzed up, we said our goodbyes. Matteo and
Koyola were the most friendly hosts we have encountered so far. We
told them that we'd recommend their B&B to our friends.
SHE'S GOT A TICKET TO RIDE...
While we were at the train station, Jos went to get us sandwiches and
drinks for the ride. I took both the luggage and walked around the
station. I picked up a few things, as I didn't want to leave Valencia
without buying anything. Got Jos a pair of earrings as part of her
birthday gift and a scarf. Our train was late and finally we were on
our way. People laughed as we struggled to get our luggage in the
upper compartment above the seating. We were laughing too. Our
luggages aren't heavy (yet) but they are big, so they were quite a
handful.
PATIO BARCELONA
Jos got us to our accomodation very easily. We arrived in the evening.
Our host greeted us and showed us around It is a very nice place and
really has the authentic B&B style to it. Tony told me that he and his
wife opened this B&B in 1992 and it was one of the first ones in
Barcelona. We walked around the neighbourhood and then went back home
to get our stuff. We decided that today we would try to catch the
Magic Fountain show we had missed before and shop at the Arena. Jos
and I got through a few floors and then we had to eat because we were
hungry. Jos suggested we go to the top. There was a wonderful view and
we walked around the circle. We could see Montjuic where the fountain
and the Museum of Catalonian Art from there as well. The food prices
weren't that bad so we chose a scenic view and watched the fountain
show from there. An event was going to at the entrance - I think it
was like a car show. The Magic Fountain's music could be heard from
where we were and the it lit up in numerous colours and danced to the
music.
We had two orders of pasta, wine and panacotta. I love panacotta so I
was very happy to eat it. After that we tried to go to the fountain
but they had blocked it off for that event. BOOOOO. We went home to
get some rest as tomorrow is going to be a full day of museums.
Buenos noches!
-Sam & Jos
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 4: VALENCIA
originally posted May 15/11
---------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 4: VALENCIA
Thanks for the emails. Sorry I can't respond to them all, but I do
read them all.
OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD
Today is another travel day of sorts. We are moving from the Westin to
Valencia Mansion in Old Valencia. Its a good thing Jos booked this
place because we might have missed this part of the city. The map was
a bit confusing and we thought we had seen all of the old city, but we
had not. Matteo and Koyola are the owners of the B&B and are really
nice people. Koyola answered all of our questions and showed us a map,
pointing out all the visit-worthy places. He recommended two
restaurants to us for lunch and dinner. The lunch place was Tapenarie.
After telling him about our food adventures, he also recommended a
restaurant we could eat at for dinner. Their friends were visiting
from out of town and he offered to make a separate reservation for us.
Once we were given the rundown of everything, Jos and I left to
explore. We were also getting hungry so we went in search of the
restaurant which took a while to find.The map was confusing us.
Eventually we found it. The food was SUPERAMAZING! The funny thing
was, that Matteo and Koyola were there too! It was quite funny - it
was like we would be following their food trail. The set menu of
appetizer, entree and dessert was between 10 and 12 euros. Jos ate the
potato fish soup and I had the SUPERAWESOME goat cheese salad with
figs, dried apricots and raisins. For the entree, I had squid grilled
then covered in its own ink (kind of like Filipino squid adobo) and
Jos had duck with rice. For dessert, we had coconut creme caramel (SO
AMAZING). It was like eating a coconut macaroon with creme caramel.
CHACHKAVILLE
We went to the Plaza de la Reina which I dubbed Chachkaville, because
of all the chachka-like stuff (from ceramics, magnets, wooden spoons,
religious art work) people were selling. In the past, I would have
purchased one or two homemade trinkets, but I'd rather buy useful
things. Although the paella magnet looked tempting, I did not purchase
it LOL.
Visited the Catedral de Valencia which apparently houses The Holy
Grail. There are also numerous relics throughout the church including
someone's intact arm and hand...though I can't remember who it
belonged to. The architecture is exquisite and so is the artwork. I
will never understand how artists were able to create art and build
structures and sculptures of such huge scales. Ahhh Cathedrals,
churches...we always take so many pictures because there is so much to
see. Also went to see the Bascilica de Virgin's square which was hop
hop hopping. Passed by the big market, but it was closed. We also
visited La Longa, which is also known as the Silk Exchange which had
very interesting architecture. Jos' shopping drought continues...
Our goal was to get lost in Valencia and that is what we did. LOL.
Thanks to my superawesome sense of direction we went around in circles
a couple of times. It's not my fault there are no parallel streets and
that they all used the same types of material for their houses
hahahaa. We finally got back with 5 minutes to spare to get ready for
dinner. We met Matteo and K with their friends downstairs and headed
to the restaurant. This place is their secret gem kind of restaurant.
Matteo told me that they have never recommended it to any of their
guests and I told him it was probably because we had told K that we
were big foodies and willing to spend the money for good food.
We ordered:
Salad topped with a gigantic portion of Buffalo mozzarella with mandarin oranges
Thinly sliced shrimp with avocado
Tuna tartar with with mango
Thinly sliced beef tartar with parmesan cheese
Chocolate brownie
Nora white wine & Naia white wine
I forgot to mention that Matteo was so helpful. At Tapeneria and at
the dinner restaurant, he came over and translated the menu for us. He
also recommended some dishes for us. We could have muddled through,
but his help was definitely appreciated...not to mention, his
recommendations were great! Jos and I finished dinner before them and
Matteo gave us directions back as we were sure we'd get a bit lost. We
managed to get home safely. I was dead tired as always...this journal
is late because of my fatigue and I still owe you a few more.
Hope all of you are well! If I have forgotten anything, I will try to
add it to the next journal.
-Sam & Jos ^__^
---------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 4: VALENCIA
Thanks for the emails. Sorry I can't respond to them all, but I do
read them all.
OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD
Today is another travel day of sorts. We are moving from the Westin to
Valencia Mansion in Old Valencia. Its a good thing Jos booked this
place because we might have missed this part of the city. The map was
a bit confusing and we thought we had seen all of the old city, but we
had not. Matteo and Koyola are the owners of the B&B and are really
nice people. Koyola answered all of our questions and showed us a map,
pointing out all the visit-worthy places. He recommended two
restaurants to us for lunch and dinner. The lunch place was Tapenarie.
After telling him about our food adventures, he also recommended a
restaurant we could eat at for dinner. Their friends were visiting
from out of town and he offered to make a separate reservation for us.
Once we were given the rundown of everything, Jos and I left to
explore. We were also getting hungry so we went in search of the
restaurant which took a while to find.The map was confusing us.
Eventually we found it. The food was SUPERAMAZING! The funny thing
was, that Matteo and Koyola were there too! It was quite funny - it
was like we would be following their food trail. The set menu of
appetizer, entree and dessert was between 10 and 12 euros. Jos ate the
potato fish soup and I had the SUPERAWESOME goat cheese salad with
figs, dried apricots and raisins. For the entree, I had squid grilled
then covered in its own ink (kind of like Filipino squid adobo) and
Jos had duck with rice. For dessert, we had coconut creme caramel (SO
AMAZING). It was like eating a coconut macaroon with creme caramel.
CHACHKAVILLE
We went to the Plaza de la Reina which I dubbed Chachkaville, because
of all the chachka-like stuff (from ceramics, magnets, wooden spoons,
religious art work) people were selling. In the past, I would have
purchased one or two homemade trinkets, but I'd rather buy useful
things. Although the paella magnet looked tempting, I did not purchase
it LOL.
Visited the Catedral de Valencia which apparently houses The Holy
Grail. There are also numerous relics throughout the church including
someone's intact arm and hand...though I can't remember who it
belonged to. The architecture is exquisite and so is the artwork. I
will never understand how artists were able to create art and build
structures and sculptures of such huge scales. Ahhh Cathedrals,
churches...we always take so many pictures because there is so much to
see. Also went to see the Bascilica de Virgin's square which was hop
hop hopping. Passed by the big market, but it was closed. We also
visited La Longa, which is also known as the Silk Exchange which had
very interesting architecture. Jos' shopping drought continues...
Our goal was to get lost in Valencia and that is what we did. LOL.
Thanks to my superawesome sense of direction we went around in circles
a couple of times. It's not my fault there are no parallel streets and
that they all used the same types of material for their houses
hahahaa. We finally got back with 5 minutes to spare to get ready for
dinner. We met Matteo and K with their friends downstairs and headed
to the restaurant. This place is their secret gem kind of restaurant.
Matteo told me that they have never recommended it to any of their
guests and I told him it was probably because we had told K that we
were big foodies and willing to spend the money for good food.
We ordered:
Salad topped with a gigantic portion of Buffalo mozzarella with mandarin oranges
Thinly sliced shrimp with avocado
Tuna tartar with with mango
Thinly sliced beef tartar with parmesan cheese
Chocolate brownie
Nora white wine & Naia white wine
I forgot to mention that Matteo was so helpful. At Tapeneria and at
the dinner restaurant, he came over and translated the menu for us. He
also recommended some dishes for us. We could have muddled through,
but his help was definitely appreciated...not to mention, his
recommendations were great! Jos and I finished dinner before them and
Matteo gave us directions back as we were sure we'd get a bit lost. We
managed to get home safely. I was dead tired as always...this journal
is late because of my fatigue and I still owe you a few more.
Hope all of you are well! If I have forgotten anything, I will try to
add it to the next journal.
-Sam & Jos ^__^
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