Spanish Memories - #8, 9, and 10

At the halfway point, I've covered mostly the random things in Spain that offered me a link to home.  I then added a few of the regional foods (which will continue), and now will begin with the major sites and events that I experienced while here.

#10 - Hilton Barcelona

The Hilton Barcelona benefits on this list from two things... low expectations and being part of Jessica's and my night at the Camp Nou for El Clasico.  It's not particularly Spanish but the hotel, its bar, its restaurant, and its location really were great during our visit so I wanted to include it (it is clearly overranked but oh well).  To summarize, I've made a list:

- The hotel seems brand new and is extremely modern (which I always like).
- The bar served random candied nuts with our drinks, and the bar tenders gave us a crash course on attending the match at Camp Nou.
- The outdoor restaurant had an innovative, almost Indian take on patatas bravas.  They served 10 cubed potatoes; half in a green spicy sauce and half in red.  It looked like a checkboard on the plate.
- We were given a room on the executive floor with access to snacks and free drinks during the afternoon.  This was critical to our pre-game plans.
- Just a block away from the hotel is an upscale mall that has a cool market in the underground floor worth visiting for the sights and smells.
- The hotel service was incredible.
- We could walk to and from the futbol match in 10-15 minutes.

If you are in Barcelona and need a place to stay, I cannot recommend this Hilton enough (it's the Hilton not as close to the beach but more in the city center).

# 9 - La Sagrada Familia (and all Gaudi works)

La Sagrada Familia is easily the most famous, and popular, tourist site in Barcelona.  It is a mammoth cathedral designed and started by Gaudi, the best and most famous architect here in Catalonia (and one of the best in the world I can only assume).  In addition to this attraction, Gaudi also designed two houses on Passeig de Gracia (Casa Batllo and Casa Pedrera) and Parc Guell, all of which are worth seeing and made in very typical Gaudi fashion.

For me, Sagrada Familia is probably the most impressive man-made tourist attraction I've ever seen (and it inexplicably ranks 9th here, an indictment of my bias towards food and experiences).  The outside, which is still under construction, has massive towers reaching high into the sky, and intricate design work around the entire outer wall.  Without ever stepping foot inside, you can see such detail and creativity that some people don't bother with the paid tour and instead just look from outside the gate.  For me, though, the inside is far, far better.

Stepping into the main area of the church, I was struck by how immense and modern everything was.  The outside looks weathered and ancient; the inside clean and brand-new.  As the picture above shows, there are columns reaching to the ceiling and stained glass all throughout, both of a size that I've never encountered before.  Further, there is a 1000 seat choir area as well as spiral staircases with glass railings in the corners of the cathedral that wrap up to the higher floors.  Just the idea that someone could conceive this design and then carry it out (with help from others of course) is amazing to me.

I have yet to see any set of pictures that do justice to the inside of La Sagrada Familia.  It is truly something that must be seen in-person, and it's worth whatever wait you face when you arrive outside.  Those who see only the outside see a great building; those that go inside EXPERIENCE the architecture and vision of Gaudi.

#8 - Cerveceria Catalana

I've already written about Cerveceria Catalana before, so I'll post that below.  Since that initial visit, I've been back four or five times and enjoyed it just as much with each trip.  I tend to stick with the things I know (croquettes, salmon crudo, jamon, etc.) but always see so many good new tastes that I wish I always had this place at my disposal!

Here is what I wrote...

"The first night in Barcelona, I tried Cerveceria Catalana, a true tapas bar in downtown, with my boss and another co-worker.  We went during what would be happy hour here (people eat dinner around 9:30 PM or so and we went at 7:45 PM) and the place was PACKED.  It had many tables in the back of the restaurant, but the front basically had two sushi-type bars, one on each wall.  In the "display" glass, there were countless different tapas, all of which looked great.  The tapas "bar tenders" would then take orders, either by name or by people pointing and shouting, and it created quite a unique, awesome, and chaotic experience in the restaurant!  With people jam packed inside, I'm not quite sure how the server figured out who ordered and ate what, but they did and everything was fantastic.

All of the items were served on top of a small piece of bread... I believe this style of tapas has a specific name that escapes me though.  We tried the following: ham, salmon crudo (which was AMAZING), sliders, veal, grilled shrimp, and croquettes.  My favorite were the grilled shrimp; they were cooked so perfectly that they remained tender and juicy without seeming to be undercooked.  After trying these shrimp, I feel like I've never had another effort that wasn't slightly overcooked!  Even the burger, which I wasn't too sure would be good, was excellent.  They topped it with very sweet caramelized onions and cheese and in one bite, I was in heaven."

I am sure this place is a "touristy" spot, but that's only because it truly is incredible.  I would say it's the one MUST-GO place in Barcelona to me, if just for the experience of a tapas bar (not to mention the delectable food and reasonable cost).  When I come back to see Barcelona, this will be first on my list!



#11 - Bocadillos
#12 - Octopus with Paprika
#13 - MariscCo
#14 - Bar Londen
#15 - Duck Confit is Everywhere
#16 - McDonalds
#17 - American Fox Television
#18 - The Granollers Bowling Alley
#19 - Scobie's Irish Pub
#20 - Prices Include Tax in Spain