chongl

A few months ago, there were some extremely cheap fares to Europe, which isn't all that uncommon. What was out of the ordinary was that these flights originated from the west coast, and were valid for not just LAX, but my home base of SAN. For just over $400 a person round trip, we decided to book for the end of February, which allowed us to burn some AA credit we had laying around as well. I'll be the first to admit that Spain wasn't really at the top of my list for places to visit. After recently completing our trip to Vienna, we had our sights set on southern Italy and Greece for the summer, and Spain was likely behind Prague, Budapest, and even re-visits to some previously seen cities. With the one week getaway behind us, I couldn't be more glad that we bit the bullet and had a chance to experience ever so briefly the lovely culture, people, and food, of España.


We started off in the Airspace Lounge





A soup and sandwich for breakfast



Followed by a snack



And some plane spotting





The flight to DFW was short and uneventful. Once we got off, we took the Sky Link or whatever they call it to Concourse D and the Centurion Lounge.







After checking in at the front desk, we grabbed some food knowing the in air catering was going to suck. Too bad the massages were all booked







I grabbed a few more plates afterwards and made myself some nachos with the chicken and tortilla chips that were laying around. 10 minutes prior to boarding, we walked towards our D-gate and congregated with our fellow gate-lice. Gotta act like and blend in when flying economy right?

That wing flex



IFE



Some others still getting situated



Flight path



The disgusting "meal" if you can even call it that. It was supposed to be orange chicken and was largely inedible. It was way worse than any lean cuisine I have ever had...



And then this block of cheese which was reminiscent of a Nabisco crackers n' cheez derivative...better left untouched other than the photo op



Getting closer



Once we landed in MAD, we grabbed our luggage and re-checked it to BCN. We took the rest of the time looking through duty free and walking a bit of the terminal before departing.





Some more plane spotting



Slightly over an hour later, we landed in BCN and took a cab to the hotel





Time for some real food just down the street



Yeah, give it to me, boss







Tapas time! Starting with some fried cuttlefish



Beef tenderloin with bread



Sliced Iberico ham



And finally, an assorted tapas plate with some more of the same, but also some padron peppers, clams, shrimp, and croquettes



All in all, the food was delicious and very pleasing to our stomachs. By this time it was late afternoon and we didn't have much of a desire to do lots of walking, so back to the hotel it was!

Next up, more tapas and our first full day in Barcelona

andy2016

Heading to Spain in a couple of months. Keep those tapas shots coming!

LANDJ999

Padron peppers! Brings back fond memories, ate a bushel of them

roadwarrier

^^^

chongl

With some afternoon rest, our stomachs were soon growling again, so what better way to satiate an appetite than more tapas?! We chose a place further away from the hotel, but based on the similarity in layout and offerings of the menu, it was likely owned by the same people as the establishment we went to in the afternoon.

Passing Casa Batlló on the way



When we arrived, there was a wait so we opted for the outdoor seating. Interestingly, there are separate lists for the two areas. The people watching opportunities and shorter wait time on the patio sealed the deal for us.



Starting with some smoked salmon



Followed by fried anchovies with padron peppers and papas bravas which are fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce and garlic aioli in this case



Finishing off with some mushrooms and asparagus



More Gaudí architecture on the way back at La Pedrera



And a random building we passed



The next morning, we had breakfast downstairs in the hotel. The selection was pretty decent, and the quality of the items better than I had anticipated. I especially enjoyed the chorizo and cured meat selection











Afterwards, we decided to wander the city towards Sagrada Familia



The church has been under construction for over 100 years. Supposedly it will be finished in the next few years











Afterwards, we decided to take a hop on the metro to the Gothic quarter



I had plans on what to see, but as I popped out of the station, I saw a sign for these ancient Roman ruins. I didn't expect so many fascinating artifacts of history in this area



















Nothing short of amazing relics juxtaposed with modern "art"



Just around the corner was the Cathedral of Barcelona













A girl dressed with flowers



Bubbles



Some guys hanging out



A door



An archway



An interesting structure that looked like metal wire, but with the thickness of a fence pole



By this time, we got hungry again and wandered toward the coast where I had looked up a place with good paella





We showed up at 1:00 PM when they opened and didn't have a reservation...luckily we were still seated immediately.





We ordered a shrimp starter and paella. Maybe I was expecting too much, but I wasn't too crazy about either.





I'll pick up the rest of our first full day in Spain in the next post

offerendum

Very detailed and nice pictures! Looking Forward to the next post.

nequine

Great report so far.

Love the photos too especially the angle you've taken some of them from!

JohnRain

Beautiful shots as always, chongl... ^
Looking forward to the rest, especially the PH Mallorca installment.

chongl

Will do!

We ate quite a lot of them too. The slight bitterness coupled with a taste similar to a green pepper made them a great snack

Lots more food pics coming, roadwarrier

Thank you, offerendum

Thanks, nequine. If you're into photography, you should really check out ALL of DanielW's reports

Kind words from a premier trip reporter like you, JohnRain. PH Mallorca was my last hurrah for Hyatt diamond, so I burned a DSU for it right before the end of February. We had much more fun in Mallorca than planned. Originally it was destined to be the place for us to relax/recharge, but that went out the window quickly once we saw what sights inhabited the island.

chongl

After lunch, we walked around the marina a little bit before heading towards the Arc de Triomf. Spotted this nicely modded Fiat 500 along the way, and I don't even like the Fiat 500



Further along, we can across an old town square of sorts





A tree



And some more historical architecture. The wall building had what looked to be '1806' carved into it





Rather than arriving at the Arc, we took a detour to Basilica of Saint Mary of the Pine



It was only a 5 minute detour, so we were back on track in no time



"Graffity sucks like deepthroat" - Barcelona City Council. Sorry, but I wouldn't know



Passing by the Picasso museum



Through a park



And another monument...



And there it is!



The Arc is very nice, but nothing close to the scale or grandness of the one in Paris. However, I kept ribbing my wife, who was born in Paris, that this version blew away the French one my miles . What was nice was the presence of a park with lots of benches and places to to lay around for people watching. We ended up staying for roughly an hour doing just that



Some sort of roller skate/skateboard hybrid



Afterwards, it was back to the hotel for a few hours before tapas for dinner





More papas bravas



Artichoke with ham and truffle...delicious!



And dessert



The following day, we re-visit the Gothic quarter and see Park Guell for our last full day in Barcelona. Oh, and of course, more tapas!

zip10001

great TR and pictures chongl!
It seems that we follow eachother'steps: I visited Vienna right before Christmas, and will be visiting friends in Barcelona in June.

chongl

The next day, it was back to exploring the Gothic quarter. Little did we know, we had just missed some 2000 year old Roman column ruins that were hidden in a tucked away area the previous days. After stumbling across mention of them online, it quickly became a priority to see the historical remains.

Walking towards the Gothic quarter



Some familiar buildings from days prior



And tucked away in a small corner, hidden from view













Simply amazing





Looking towards the exit



And up at the sky...



We spent roughly 45 minutes here, and then continued our wandering.



Lots of intricate details in this building





Coffered ceiling



Saint George's door







Upon exiting the other side of the building, we found ourselves in Plaça del Rei. The steps are the supposed area where the king and queen greeted Christopher Colombus upon his arrival home from his first voyage







With stomachs growling, what was for lunch? Tapas, of course! Some cold beers to start



Sardines in vingear



The same mushrooms and asparagus



Some string potatoes (similar to papas bravas) with broken egg



More smoked salmon



Thanks, Obama



Heading back to the hotel, we stopped by Haagen Dazs for some dessert





In the afternoon, we took the metro towards Park Guell, where it was a small hike to get to the park itself...lots of stairs on the route we took!





Inside the park



Inside the paid zone



















And the area that shows up in many Barcelona photos



Some columns



Metro back to the hotel



Dinner was more tapas. Sorry if you're getting tired of all the food shots





Tenderloin with foie gras



Cod with tomato



Shrimp skewer



Razor clams



Flan for dessert



And a flower to end the night



The flight to Mallorca and Park Hyatt is up next on the itinerary

chongl

Awesome! Where are you headed after BCN? I have a few destinations I am planning for this summer, but haven't gotten to booking yet.

mitellic

Great report!

What's with the place mats though? Did you go to restaurants that were part of the same chain three times in a row?

offerendum

a very nice trip