Being Tourists in Our New City

Kevin's parents came to visit at the end of their trip to eastern Europe. This was our first time hosting here and it was a bit exhausting, but also fun to try new places, play some cards, and explore different parts of our new city and surrounding areas.

Thursday, October 24

Kevin's had mandatory training at work, so I welcomed Kevin's parents when they arrived. They got settled in before Kevin got home to join us for lunch. We took them to our favorite Italian panini shop in our neighborhood, Compà, and it didn't disappoint (recommend the spicy salami or meatball). Kevin did some more work and we rested before going to explore Park Güell, a park designed by architect Antoni Gaudí, famous for modernist architecture, mosaics, and beautiful views of the city. It's also only a 7 minute walk from our current apartment! We had all been there before on previous visits to Barcelona, but it was still fun to walk around and enjoy the sights in perfect weather. 

Iconic long mosaic bench at Parc Güell

Kevin had some meetings in the evening, so we hung out, checked out a few grocery stores, and then went out for a late dinner at a local Lebanese restaurant called Bērytī. The portions were small, the food was good, and it was a bit pricey, but we were all satisfied with that late dinner to end the day. 

Friday, October 25

Spent the morning exploring our neighborhood, Vila de Gràcia. We took Kevin's parents to one of our favorite spots, Origo, for cinnamon and cardamom (cardamomo in Spanish) pastries and enjoyed them in Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia. We picked up some coffee from News and Coffee and sat and enjoyed the sunshine and watched school children playing. 

Exploring Vila de Gràcia

Sooner than we knew it, it was time for lunch and we decided on getting Japanese food in the neighborhood. Had a lovely lunch with sushi and an amazing chicken katsu plate at Suguru. It started to drizzle, so before our evening activities, we headed back to the apartment to rest and for Kevin to get some work done.

Today's main event started at 17:00, when we met a small group for a Tapas, Taverns, and Gothic Quarter History Tour led by Devour Tours. Our guide was a historian and former chef, and he provided thorough highlights of Barcelona history and its influence on the food. The Gothic Quarter really is beautiful and it was nice to spend time there and learn more about it. We stopped at three different bodegas, tried traditional Spanish food like butifarra and boquerones, drinks like Vermouth and Cava, and I had some of the best patatas bravas I've ever had in my life! It was a fun experience and I'd definitely recommend it.

The patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy paprika sauce and aioli) I mentioned above were from Bodega la Palma and are on the top right

Saturday, October 26

Had a (too) leisurely breakfast at home before heading to the Barcelona Sants train station for a day trip to Figueres. Kevin and I haven't done train travel yet, and almost underestimated how much time it would take to get to our train platform (I forgot that there's a security line for luggage, etc.). Figueres is the birthplace of Salvador Dalí, a very eccentric surrealist, Spanish artist, and is home to his museum. Kevin's mom was interested in going, so we decided we'd check it out. After miscalculating our time, we made it onto the train with a few minutes to spare and headed to Figueres.

The train ride was smooth and went as quick as 120 km/hr! We arrived in around 1 hour and took off on foot to the museum, ~20 minutes away. The walk from the train station into town was much less charming than the smaller streets of their downtown. There was rain in the forecast and I was glad I decided to bring an umbrella with us, because it started pouring. We sought out shelter in a restaurant where we decided to have an early lunch before our entrance time to the museum. 

We booked train tickets that arrived in Figueres before our entrance time thinking we'd enjoy walking through the city, but the pouring rain literally put a damper on our plans. Kevin's mom decided to go to the Salvador Dalí's Birthplace museum, while Kevin, his Dad, and I walked around and ended up in a coffee shop. 

Rainy downtown Figueres

When it was time for us to go to the museum, I was pretty surprised by the queue. Lots of people were lined up to enter and the low of my museum experience was definitely the crowd (apparently, it's the 3rd most visited art museum in Spain). Nonetheless, the museum was really cool. The building itself is the former Municipal Theater and it underwent renovation led by Dalí, making it unique to say the least. We didn't have a guided tour and the art pieces didn't have much explanation, so we split up and spent time interpreting the art ourselves. I'd never been to a museum dedicated to surrealist art, but I enjoyed it.

Stage Ground Floor

The Persistence of Memory

I enjoyed his use of corn lol

The rain cleared up and we walked back to the train station (with plenty of time to spare this time) to catch our train to Barcelona for dinner. We made reservations at Disbauxa, a Catalan restaurant in our neighborhood we've been wanting to try because it's always packed. When we arrived (at 8... which is early), we were the first people there and got a little nervous, but as the food started to arrive, we realized why this place is always busy. The server made some great recommendations, including my favorite things we tried: Spinach buñuelos, patatas bravas, and a smoked white fish. It was a delicious meal and we were all really happy with it!

Some of the tapas at Disbauxa

We decided to have a little gelato for a night cap and started walking to Plaça de la Virreina when we were startled by loud fireworks and drumming. Unsure of what was going on or whether it was dangerous, we watched from a distance until I was able to ask a very unconcerned looking police officer what was going on. He explained that it was for "El Correfoc" and that this was a festival where teenagers in the neighborhood got to participate. I'll touch on more details about festivals in our neighborhood in a later post, but had to mention it because it was a sight to see! Eventually, we made it to the plaça and enjoyed some gelato before going home and to bed.

El Correfoc de Gràcia

Sunday, October 27

Today, we started the day by having a coffee at our favorite shop, Sitio. We didn't expect to start feeling like "regulars" at any place this soon, but their coffee is pretty unmatched. We got pastries and piñones from Vaveik bakery and took them home as the rain started to fall. After breakfast, we played some Spades at the table and relaxed until lunch time. 

For lunch, Kevin's parents wanted some paella, so we ended up back at Disbauxa. We had their seafood paella, which took about 40 minutes to prepare and came out to the table piping hot! The rice had a nice flavor, but I tend to find seafood dishes to be quite salty, so I think I'd try a more traditional paella next time. Their tapas from the night before impressed me a lot more, but they definitely got an A+ for presentation.

Seafood paella from Disbauxa

In the evening, we had tickets for a flamenco show at Palau de la Música Catalana. Before that, we decided to walk around the gothic quarter and have some churros at a place our food tour guide recommended, Granja Dulcinea. Granja Dulcinea has been around since 1941 and the shop had a lot of charm, but the churros were definitely not the freshest. It still satisfied the dessert craving, though and after we finished up, we went to Palau de la Música Catalana. 

Waiting for the show to start at Palau de la Música Catalana

Beautiful stained glass ceiling; I want to come back here in the daytime

The end of the flamenco show

I had never heard of this place until Kevin's Aunt Betsy told us about it, but I'm so glad that we decided to go to a show there. The building itself is immaculate and designed in a Catalan modernist style with so many ornate details and beautiful stained glass. The colors and all of the different designs were so interesting to look at. The flamenco show was also outstanding. I had only been to a low-key, flamenco performance in a restaurant before, and this experience was totally different. There was so much emphasis on the music and rhythm and seeing in performed in this venue was really memorable. After the show, we headed home and said our goodbyes as the Gaffneys were leaving early the next morning and ended a fun weekend.