Cooking up a storm.

In Hoi An, Vietnam we as a family had done a cooking class and I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed it. So, while in Barcelona we decided to do another, this time to make the traditional dish Paella. We met at a downtown bar along with about 10 other eager travellers and headed off with our chef to La Boqueria market to buy our produce. 

We had been warned by just about everyone we met about pickpockets in this town so I had only left a folded-up map in my back pocket. The market was crowded and had a real buzz and we were all interested to immerse ourselves with the locals. Great fun. At one point I got shoved in the back by a short young girl with a beanie and as I turned around to protest she just marched off with head down and kept going. I thought no more of it until I needed the map and yep, it had gone! I had been “taken” and didn’t even know. Two woman also bumped into Lee one right after the other, obviously a well rehearsed routine to distract and pilfer. Luckily Lee was penniless.

After we bought our fresh ingredients like prawns, octopus, mussels etc,  we were off to the back of a restaurant for our lesson. Out came a huge paella dish capable of feeding about 25 people and off we went. From woe to go was about 3 very enjoyable hours and we drank Sangria and ate till our tummy’s were full, meeting new friends and all telling our stories. Our girls at one stage hanging out with a table of backpackers entertaining them with tales of our travels.

We even got a compliment about our “very interesting and well-mannered children”

By this time it was way past 10pm so off to the bus station through the still very vibrant Las Ramblas, where Charlotte and Maisy, not accustomed to being out so late in a major town took it all in with the lights all around like little twinkling jewels. 

We should have thrown a coin in a fountain somewhere in Barcelona as we want to return one day for more exploring, eating and entertainment.
 

They really enjoyed the “night scene” but, almost midnight, we stumbled into our little apartment after missing our bus stop and walking back about 3 kilometers in the dark, it was time for bed.

Paul

Barcelona Free Walking Tour

I have to admit that before I came to Spain I knew very little about Barcelona and Spanish history. In fact, everything I know about Barcelona I learnt from spending hours in front of the television watching Manuel on Fawlty Towers when I should have been studying for my HSC. ¿qué

We were staying in an apartment about 20 km south of Barcelona at a town called Castelldefels. Our apartment was between the 5 mile stretch of sandy beach and the Olympic Canal used for Rowing in the 1992 Olympics.

We caught the bus in and of course Paul befriended a fellow traveller in the form of an Israeli man who had lived in Barcelona for the past 4 years. He kindly became our tour guide pointing out the sights from the bus and giving us helpful advice on other places to visit while in Barcelona.

Las Arenas Shopping Centre  was once a famous bullfighting ring

From the bus stop we walked most of the way down Las Ramblas, the buzzing tree lined boulevard that runs from Placa de Catalunya to the Columbus Monument at the city’s waterfront. Finding our way down one of the small alleyways leading off Las Ramblas we found the meeting place for our Free Walking Tour of the city. With an hour to spare we had Spanish omelette and drank sangria in the courtyard behind the bar and soaked in the vibe of the backstreets.

Jamie was our tour guide for the afternoon and hailing all the way from Wellington NZ we had no trouble understanding him but sadly he lacked the authenticity of a true Catalonian.



Placa de Sant Felip Neri is a serene square with a tragic history.

Popular legend attributes the founding of Barcelona to Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, who named the city Barcino after his family in the 3rd century BC.
Barcelona was once part of the Roman Empire and was also occupied by Goths, Moors and Franks.

Ruins of the original Roman wall around the Barri Gotic and  parts of the aqua-duct are still standing and are surrounded by centuries of add-ons.


Many of Antonio Gaudi's unique and beautifully sculptured architecture is found around the city and his first commission of a pair of lampposts stands prominently in the Plaza Real. Later we visited his magnificent Sagrada Familia. Gaudi took over the planning and construction of this giant Basilica in 1882 and today, some 130 years later, it is still under construction and not expected to be completed for at least another 20 years.

Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia (under construction)

Another of Barcelona's great talents, Pablo Picasso, is proudly mentioned and displayed around the city. He came to Barcelona as a young boy to study art. The Picasso Museum holds more than 3000 of his artworks and is a 'must-visit' for one day when I return. 

There is a strong rivalry between Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, and Madrid, the capital of Spain that has been ongoing for many generations. From an outsiders view it seems Madrid is winning on the political front but FC Barcelona holds all the power over Real Madrid in their long running battle on the football field.

The tour probably went on a little too long for two girls but when we got to Placa de Sant Jaume and Jamie told us of the yearly competition to build the highest human pyramid my two climbing monkeys had to have a go themselves.

EssentialLee