Barcelona ~ Catalonia’s bustling capital, with no straight lines and a sincere love for food!
February 2019
Well hello there …
I don’t think Barcelona is a city that needs a very detailed introduction…
MasterCard released in September 2018 a “Global Destination city index”, based on the visitors figures of 2017. Bangkok was in the lead, followed by London & Paris. Barcelona ended on the 17th place with just over 9 million international visitors a year.
I am not the type of person who quickly travels back to a place I have visited before, even though I had a great time. But for Barcelona I’ve made an exception. During my 1st year at high school I visited Barcelona with 2 fellow students. When I look back on this trip, I would describe it as a “Girls just wanna have fun” trip. 20 Years later, I tried to give another dimension to my visit, in particular … to have more eye for the local architecture and gastronomy.
To start with, 10 surprising facts about Barcelona:
The beaches are artificial
It takes longer to build the Sagrada Familia than the Great Pyramids.
(Date finalization is scheduled for 2026)Barcelona could have been home to the Eiffel Tower.
Barcelona has more than 20- Michelin starred restaurants
Barcelona is among the world’s most bike-friendly cities
Barcelona boasts no less than 9 UNESCO – protected monuments
Las Ramblas is actually a combination of 5 avenues
More than 10 percent of Barcelona is parkland, split between 68 parks.
Forget Valentine’s Day; it’s St. George’s Day here!
Barcelona is a (weed) coffee shop hub for Europe (like Amsterdam), you can smell it clearly when you walk through the streets.
Normally I have the habit to write around fix themes. But for this blog, I decided to write my story around our day to day program. This gives you as a reader a better insight on the distances, what’s easy to combine, etc … Because I have learned that a lot of reading needs to be done to draw up a feasible planning. You should not only take the distances into account, but also the opening days and times etc ... Please consider when you travel on other days, the opening times may be different, so it’s best to check it at forehand!
DAY 1 – SATURDAY: Gaudi’s Houses, The Cathedral, El Beso and shopping
We arrived around noon at the airport and decided to hold a taxi to bring us to our first hotel, Casa Mathilda. If you’re looking for a less expensive option you can take the Aerobus, the bus has stops at: Pl. Catalunya, Sepúlveda-Urgell, Pl. Espanya, Gran Vía-Urgell and Pl. Universitat. So probably you will still have to walk a few blocks, depending where your hotel is located. We also looked for “Uber” but couldn’t find one. Apparently they stopped their services end January 2019, due to new regulations that stipulate that a taxi can only pick up a passenger 15 minutes after it has been ordered. The legal restriction was introduced after protests and strikes by regular taxi drivers. We paid € 35 for a regular taxi, and it took us 25 minutes to get to our hotel.
Once arrived by Casa Mathilda we took a very charming old elevator to the 2nd floor. We were welcomed by a friendly but rather reservedly lady. Our room was like I expected; decorated with colorful tiles, bright, contemporary and with high windows opening to a beautiful Spanish patio. We’ve paid around €150 excluding breakfast (supplement € 9) for 1 night.
Once we were installed we were ready to explore the city. Casa Mathilda is located close to Casa Mila (La Pedrera), so that’s where we started off. We just took some pictures from the outside and did not visit the inside.
Before lunch we walked along the “Rambla de Catalunya”, one of the most beautiful shopping streets of Barcelona, the “Passeig de Gracia”, the most expensive street, “Casa Battlo”, unfortunately completely under construction for renovation and Plaça de Catalunya. For lunch I planned to go to “Flax & Kale - the first Healthy Flexitarian Restaurant in Barcelona. All the dishes are designed not only to maximize the organoleptic pleasure, but also considering their nutritional value 80% of their offer is plant-based and the remaining 20% are recipes that contain oily fish.” They have 3 venues in Barcelona; we visited the one at “Carrer del Tallers”. The queue was pretty long when we arrived; people were putting their names on a waitlist every 5 seconds. It’s a big restaurant and it was obvious that they are used to handle crowds. So after 15 minutes waiting we were seated and ordered a nice Buddha bowl with tuna and salmon and an energy boost juice. The food was already served after a few minutes and tasted as good as it looked. For the bowl, a big plate, we paid around € 15; the energy drink was more or less € 5. If you can handle the crowds, I would certainly recommend this place.
After our lunch break we walked to the “Cathedral de Barcelona” and the original piece of art “El Beso, de Joan Fontcuberta”. The piece consists of an 8 x 3.8 m photomosaic of a giant kiss made up of 4000 small-format photographs printed onto tiles. Afterwards we did some shopping in the busiest shopping street of Barcelona, “Avinguda del Portal de L’Angel”.
And ended with a delicious vermouth on the stunning rooftop bar of the trendy “Cotton House” hotel.
Time to head back to the hotel for a refreshing shower. At 20h00 we took a taxi to “Mala Hierba”, just outside the city center (30min). I had read nice reviews about this place, and although I had difficulties to get a clear image of this place at forehand, my expectations were positive. The reception was very warm and friendly, and they did their utmost to help us in English. The interior was traditional cozy and we were surrounded only by locals. We had the choice between a menu of
€ 60 and eating “à la carte”. We decided to order some tapas to start, with followed by a main-course and perhaps desert. To start with we had “pan con tomate”, grilled calamari’s, oysters and their version of “patatas bravas”. The main-course was a step in the dark, as we did not fully understand the Spanish suggestions menu. We were served a kind of marrow pipe on a smoked block of wood, with a topping of raw red meat. Out of the box, but tasty! As desert we ordered a nice lemon pie and received an extra tiramisu for free. We paid € 110 in total including aperitif, a bottle of wine and coffee. We left the place with a smile; briefly I would call it local, original and pure.
DAY 2 – SUNDAY: Sagrada Familia, Sant Pau Recinte Modernista and Park Guëll
After a goodnight sleep, we had breakfast at Casa Mathilda. The offer was limited, but outside of mineral water, most was on hand: cereals, fruit, yoghurt, bread, cheese, ham, jam, etc …
As we decided to picknick that day, we passed by “Praktik Bakery”, where they incorporate a bakery inside a hotel, and bought 2 sandwiches with Spanish ham. Praktik Hotels is a dynamic chain of designer hotels at an affordable price. They have 5 hotels in Barcelona and 1 in Madrid. We also considered staying there, so if you plan a trip I would certainly take a look on their website. I heard some good comments from friends.
We booked in advance “skip the line” tickets with an audio-guide (€ 25 pp) for the Sagrada Familia to avoid long queues. According to my estimation, the majority of visitors do this. You can enter maximum 15 minutes before the indicated time on your ticket and the time of your visit is not limited. We entered at 11h00 and needed more or less 1,5 hour for the audio guided tour, plus some time to take some pictures. Yes there is no doubt about it, the exterior appeals to everyone’s imagination and the inside is stunningly beautiful. The colorful stained-glass windows, the beautifully decorated ceilings, definitely a must see.
After this visit we walked up North to, Sant Pau Recinte Modernista. It’s an easy walk of 15 to 20 minutes via a nice boulevard, Avenida de Gaudi, with plenty of benches and several restaurants/bars to catch up with a cappuccino, like we did. Sant Pau Recinte Modernista former known as Hospital de la Santa crau i Santa Pau, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s an art nouveau site and one of the foremost works of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the leading architect of Catalan Modernisme, Gaudí’s professor at Barcelona’s School of Architecture. It was a fully functioning hospital until June 2009, when the new hospital opened next to it. After renovation it opened as a museum in 2014. We booked an audio guide and paid € 17 pp entrance fee. The ticket is valid the whole day, so without a time lock. Please note that on Sunday the site closes at 14u30. We needed 1h30 – 2h to visit the place. The view from the garden on the surrounding pavilions, the underground tunnels and the infirmary, have left a lasting impression on me. I am surprised that so few people know this site, certainly because it’s located pretty close to Sagrada Familia. This is the largest Art Nouveau complex in the world, in my opinion undervalued. For me the revelation of our journey! From the same architect you can visit another UNESCO site, namely “el Palau de la Musica Catalana”. (We passed by on Tuesday morning, but all tours are guided and take at least 1h, and we didn’t had the time anymore, so I only took a few pictures of the entrance)
We booked tickets for 15h00 in the afternoon, to visit Park Guëll. We had enough time to go on foot, but to be honest I was a bit suspicious because I had read everywhere that it is a steep climb and most of the people advise to do it by taxi or bus. We decided to take up the challenge. The street from the Hospital goes up steeply, but when we turned left it was flat again. A few minutes later I saw an escalator on the other side of the street, followed by a second one. We decided to take those as this would probably save us a lot of climbing. We walked further westward up to a park, once we crossed this, we saw a large stream of tourists and realized that we were close by. One more steep staircase and we arrived at the entrance of the park. It took us about 30 to 45 minutes, but in retrospect it was not that bad! And yes I would do it again… When we entered the parc, we walked in direction of the Nature Square. At the time of our visit the left part was closed due to restoration works of the rainwater drainage system and the waterproofing of the ceiling. So we could only admire half of the undulating bench covered with tile-shard mosaic, the other part was covered by plastic. But the views from the terrace stay great and iconic. To enter the Monumental core of the parc, we paid € 8,5 pp. The salamander, half-way the dragon stairway, covered with decorative tile-shard mosaic has become the most popular image of the park. Due to the crowds (even in February) we stayed maximum 1 hour.
We hold a taxi to pick-up our luggage in Casa Mathilda and to drop us off at the Pulitzer Hotel, our 2nd residence of this trip. Pulitzer is located close to Plaza de Catalunya, so very central! We dropped our luggage, admired the turquoise tiled bathroom and took the elevator to the rooftop, hoping that the “Vermouth bar” would still be open. The lady at the bar informed us that they would close within 10 minutes, at 17h00, but that she was willing to pour us 1 glass. In the meantime the DJ was finishing his glass and gathering his stuff. I can imagine that during the summer, this is a popular spot for the hipsters in town. We decided to move downstairs to the inviting lobby bar. I ordered my first sangria… it was divine! I decided I earned a relaxing bath, before leaving for diner.
Tonight we reserved at “Casa Lolea”. On several websites it’s described as the place that serves the best sangria in town and delicious food. On TripAdvisor they earned 4,5/5 and the certificate of excellence in 2016 & 2018. I agree that it’s a very cute place, with nice tableware, young vibrant waitresses that can express themselves fluently in English. But for me the food and certainly the sangria were very mediocre. Maybe I am too harsh, but the word “tourist trap” did cross my mind. Opinions differ, that is obvious as it was crowded and they had to disappoint plenty of people who did not make reservations. It was affordable though; we paid € 70 in total for 4 glasses of sangria, a bottle of water, and 8 tapas.
To end a day with height and low points, I suggested taking a taxi to “Poblenou” to visit the yearly “Llum BCN light festival”. It soon became clear that I had formed a somewhat too romantic image in my mind, of beautiful illuminated buildings. “This festival is conceived as a great laboratory for outdoor experimentation. It shows the work of artists, designers and architects from around the world who are exploring the possibilities offered by new techniques such as dynamic lighting, interactive environments, large-scale projection, etc … “For me and my boyfriend it was too abstract, figurative, creative in a way that’s too difficult for me to fathom! So I took a few pictures, and decided to call it a night and to return to the hotel.
DAY 3 – MONDAY: La Rambla, Gothic Quarter, El Born, Cycle along the coast (Barceloneta), Park de la Ciutadella.
Rise and shine … our last full day ahead. We enjoyed a good night sleep in our comfortable room and went for breakfast in the Green House restaurant. I am really a fan of the interior, bright, a lot of plants, wooden tables, all different coloured and sized chairs. The breakfast offer was a little bit more comprehensive than the offer of Casa Mathilda; different juices, yoghurt, cereals and granola, several types of bread, ham, cheese and jam. You have the choice between a scrambled, fried or poached egg, and for the sweet tooth 2 kinds of cake and mini pastries.
In the morning we decided to pass by “La Rambla” to visit “La Boqueria”, a well-known fresh market. With breakfast still a hot ball in our stomachs... I was not really hungry and planning to buy something, but I did want to watch the scene and take some pictures. It’s very busy and mostly visited by tourists. Barcelona has about 10 other fresh markets, some of which are mainly visited by locals.
We walked via the Gothic Quarter, to El Born. El Born is called the trendiest and popular quarter of Barcelona. And I agree on this one. It’s an artistic and eclectic neighbourhood, hosting old-school Bodegas and trendy wine shops, local designer’s boutiques, the Picasso Museum and lots of good tapas restaurants. On Monday, and certainly at noon, when we were there a lot of shops and the “Mercat del Born” were closed, so the neighbourhood was a bit deserted, but we still had the chance to snoop around in some nice boutiques.
Around noon we planned to rent a bike, to ride along the coast and to grab a bite somewhere close to the beach. I had read good comments about “Green Bikes”, but unfortunately when we arrived at the Carrer Ample 53, we discovered this location has been closed. Luckily we passed by another bike store, half an hour ago and decided to find our way back to “Un Menys Biciclets”, in Carrer de l’Esparteria. Instead of a green bike it became a red one. We paid € 10 / bike for 4 hours.
We drove in direction of the beach, to the Passeig Maritim, which is divided in 3 areas: Barceloneta, Bogatell and Mar Bella. The promenade is relatively new and almost 5km long. We drove from Port Vell up to the W Hotel, on the ground-floor level next to the beach, and the upper-level next to the shopping malls, restaurants and bars.
Most of the chiringuitos (beach bars) are closed between October and March. But I found a lovely place for lunch, “Barraca”. This place has magnificent sea views, cosy table wear, a contemporary atmosphere and delicious food. Their speciality is paella (off course), but I am not the biggest fan, so we decided to order some tapa’s instead: calamari, sepia croquettes, mussels, a salad, bread with tomato… and paid € 55 including water and coffee. I really loved this place, and I am curious about their other restaurants, if you have the chance take a look on their website: http://www.tribuwoki.com/restaurante/barraca-barceloneta/
Before returning our bikes, we passed by Arc de Triomf and Park de la Ciutadelle. And arrived well on time, to enjoy another sangria at the lobby bar of the Pulitzer hotel. After a refreshing shower, we were ready for diner at Ten’s tapas.
My hairdresser recommended this place. And Sven Ornelis, a Belgian radio presenter and renowned food blogger, (he has won a travel blog award for the best culinary story of 2018) also spend a page on his blog about this place… Sven lives in the same town as me, but he can call Barcelona his 2nd home. As he owns an apartment here, he travels back and forth as much as possible. He has visited the best restaurants in town, so if you’re looking for more restaurant tips or reviews on popular places like: Tickets (Albert Adria – El Bulli), La Barra de Carles Abellan, Paco Meralgo, Via Veneto (*), So Be (Carles Tejedor), Botafumeiro, Nino Viejo (Albert Adria – El Bulli), Bodega 1900, Pakta (Albert Adria – El Bulli) , etc … certainly visit his website : https://wouldbechef.be/ it’s in Dutch though.
Now my review on Ten’s tapas, owned by culinary superstar Jordi Cruz, who earned his stripes in his 3* restaurant Abac. We decided to go for the “Ten’s tasting menu” offering 10 culinary tapas. We ordered vermouth to start with. When I sipped my glass for the first time, nr 1 was already served, the oyster. While I was tasting and judging the oyster, the waiter took my aperitif away, while my glass was still filled to ¼. No time to be grumpy, because in the meantime nr 2 was served, the cod’s carpaccio, and nr 3 the taco-steak tartar was waiting for us at the table behind. So I decided to eat very slow, to occasionally lay down my cutlery and to look around a bit, to slow things down, otherwise we would be gone after an hour, without fully enjoying. I know, it’s a difference in culture … we Belgians can be real Burgundians and enjoy a long meal, while Spaniards like to pick up the pace. Nr 4 were the patatas bravas Jordi’s way, original and tasty I must say, nr 5 a low temperature egg with carbonara sauce (not my cup of tea), nr 6 the scallop, nr 7 the fried dogfish, nr 8 the veal tataki, nr 9 my FAVOURITE, a Piña colada based desert, nr 10 the Pink Panther and last and unfortunately for me also least, the petit four (did not honour the French version in my honest opinion ). We didn’t order the comparing wines, but ordered 3 or 4 separate glasses each; the white and red wines were very nice. The desert wine a bit disappointing. So the overall experience, looking at the price, was good but not overwhelming. In total we paid €145 for 2.
Good night, sleep tight; don’t let the bedbugs bite …
DAY 4 - tuesday: heading home
I decided not to plan too much today. We slept late, enjoyed our breakfast and went for a short walk. I told my boyfriend that it was a nice trip, but for me we missed out on 1 thing. A real authentic tapas bar with, cheap and traditional tapas, with no bells and whistles! That being said we looked on the website of “The Would be chef”, and decided that “Maitea” could be what I was looking for. So we ordered a taxi, and asked to bring us to “Maitea”, before heading to the airport. We arrived there at 12h40 and told the taxi driver to wait for 30 minutes, with our luggage in his trunk. When we entered “Maitea” I was really enthusiastic, it was all I hoped for. The bartender asked us, how he could help us… unfortunately his words “lunch is served as from 13h00” were a big disappointment. Very sorry, but it is what it is …, we drew off to the airport. So if one of you readers visits “Maitea” in the future, feel free to share your review with me.
This is the end of our trip, let me finish with some wise words of Mr Gaudi himself: “Nothing is art if it does not come from nature”.