A Travellerspoint blog

Gaudi, Gastronomy and Getaway

Barcelona, Spain


View Around the World! - Part 4 & Around the World! - Part 3 on Where2FromHere's travel map.

Despite having been in Barcelona on multiple occasions, this 2000-year-old city never fails to captivate us. Antoni Gaudí's modernist influence is evident throughout, while the historic Gothic Quarter preserves medieval charm. We've visited the Sagrada Familia Cathedral countless times, a structure that has been under construction for over a century. Even as it nears completion, it remains the most awe-inspiring sights we've encountered globally.

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Beyond Gaudi, on this visit we had more of a gastronomic visit to Barcelona while enjoying a "getaway" from our Ultimate World Cruise ship. We spent the night in Barcelona at the Marriott Edition. Best of all it was the night Spain won the semi-finals in soccer so the whole town was elated. From the rooftop, we relaxed, viewed the sites of the city and enjoyed Sangria and an incredible red fin tuna sandwich.

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Our dinner featured the iconic Catalan dish "pan con tomate" (bread with tomato) and expertly prepared sea bass. The gastronomic journey continued the following day when we joined friends for lunch at Los Caracoles, "The Snail." This establishment, Barcelona's oldest restaurant operating in the same location since 1835, lived up to its enduring reputation.

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Another site we've visited on every trip to Barcelona is La Boqueria Market. Every food stall is set up to entice the perspective buyers to make a purchase of everything from ham, meat, fish, vegetables, nuts, spices and deserts. Here you can see for yourself:

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We purchased the large bar of Dura Nougat that's loaded with almonds (shown in the bottom photo). Ummm!

So, enough about food already! While our culinary adventures have been memorable, we're now shifting focus to PART FOUR of The World is a Book. We're entering the final segment of our World Cruise: Europe and Beyond. This last leg promises a few more cooking classes and tastings, but it's just a small part of what's to come.

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We're eagerly anticipating the upcoming itinerary, which will take us through various parts of Spain before moving on to France, Portugal, Belgium, and Germany. Our journey will then lead us to England, followed by the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia. We'll explore the Scandinavian countries before heading to the North Atlantic to visit Iceland and Greenland. Our cruise will then visit Canada, Bermuda, and the Bahamas before heading back to the States.

Hope you'll continue along with us as we explore and complete our global adventure.

Posted by Where2FromHere 18:45 Archived in Spain

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