Barcelona, Day 8: Chillin'

Takin' a day off and restin' my dawgs, since Barcelona rolls up the sidewalks on Sunday anyway. This seemed like a good day to take a little break. We had a time change here in Europe last night, so I lost any hour anyway, and didn't sleep well for some reason. I think the last cafe de leche caught up with me. Went for more tapas at a little local place around the corner called Moon, which serves cava & sangria. The sangria looked great, and they made champagne sangria too, but you need a couple of people to scarf down a pitcher, since you can't get it by the class. One disadvantage to traveling alone: nobody to split stuff with. Blissfully, I got a whole plate of those yummy olives, this time stuffed with anchovies, along with chorizo and grilled mushrooms, bread, and local beer (which Cerveceria Catalana didn't have, despite its name, unless it was only on tap at the bar). Great dinner. But it was 10 by the time I had the last cafe de leche of the night. Shoulda had a mojito instead; they looked great.

So I got a late start today, not until 1, then walked a block west instead, away from Las Ramblas, to check out the location of the restaurant I made reservations at for Tuesday night, Cinc Sentits. I've been staying away, for the most part, from guidebook restaurants, but this one looks pretty spiffy. (Jen & Sean, there's foam!) Wound up at a little place on c. Enric Granados called Origens 99.9% (this post about it is a little too eco-organic-PC for my taste; there's something to be said for traditional slow food too), which was "99.9% Catalan" food, from around the region. Had a slab of toasted bread, a rough peasant pate and grilled tomatoes, which I didn't figure out until later you're supposed to rub over the bread and sprinkle with olive oil. Duh!  The pate was rich and wonderful, and the restaurant deserves a better write-up. They've got an entire catalog and philosophy going on, and sell wines and Catalan foodstuffs too. Might go back and do a bit more exploring of the menu. Here's the little square right near the university where I had brunch and caught a bit of a chill.

I wish it had been a little warmer. The square was really pleasant to sit in, full of young families and kids with soccer balls, skateboards, scooters, and roller blades, and dogs. Lots of dogs around, though not much dog shit, which is nice. And I just spotted my first imperious cat today too, on the way back to the hotel, sunning himself on the lawn and ignoring me. Spring is starting up here, with leaflets on the trees and the wisteria starting to come out, but it was pretty nippy today, with the wind. I think I'll come back in April next time, when it's just a little warmer. This sitting outside for hours thing could get really addictive.

Tomorrow, off to the maritime museum and Santa Maria del Mar, and possibly some paella.

Comments

[Kristin]

We went to Barcelona in late May 2003, and the temperatures were glorious. We did seem to get rained on every day, though, especially the day we went up to Parc Guell, which tempered my experience of the place a bit.

And ya know, there's a lot to be said for just chillin' when you're visiting Europe. I went to Paris four times in 2003-04 and didn't hit the Louvre once (I did go my first time, back in '91). But sometimes you just want to curl up in a cafe with a book rather than feel obligated to visit a temple of high culture just because you happen to be in the vicinity for the week. And some of the most delightful days I have had on the road have occurred as a result of just wanting to hang out and read in some cozy spot of no particular touristic appeal. 'Cause sightseeing is work, and it's supposed to be a vacation!

[Lee Kottner]

You are so right, Kristin. Sightseeing is hard work, especially when you've got a limited amount of time in which to do it. Last time I was in Europe, I had 8 weeks, which gives one a lot of loafing time. But I know I'm never going to see everything I want to see in Barcelona in 2 weeks, so I'm trying not to guilt myself into doing the "If it's Tuesday it must be Belgium" tour. I like to just sort of settle into a place and get a feel for it, rather than hit all the tourist high spots anyway (and you've seen what luck I've had with the Modernist landmarks on this trip). I love cafes, and wandering around and taking pictures of things nobody else would take pictures of, and looking for little stores and gardens and squares off the beaten track, and discovering new food, and eating where the locals do, and I love history, which makes for a quirky kind of sightseeing anyway. And besides, I went on vacation to relax.

So maybe late April or early may next time. Was Barcelona swamped with tourists when you went?

[Kristin]

It didn't seem swamped when we visited. Though as I recall, it was the end-of-May bank holiday weekend in the UK, meaning that Luton airport in London was quite busy. Barcelona felt pleasantly busy, I recall, but it wasn't anywhere close to being ridiculous like Venice on a summer weekend, for example.