Barcelona April/May 2014

We didn't post about our trip to Barcelona and the Basque country during or after our trip there in late April and early May, 2014, so will try to do a brief overview now.  Brief is difficult with all the fabulous architecture and food we enjoyed during the trip...

The Cathedral or Dom of Mainz, Germany.

Curiously, our trip began with a trip to Mainz in Germany!  Our flight to Barcelona went through Frankfurt, where we had a several-hour layover.  Joan discovered online a suggestion to visit nearby Mainz by train, a short trip from the Frankfurt airport.

Easter candy and confections and the historic city of Mainz reflected in a shop window.

 It was Good Friday, so most of the town was closed, but we found a coffee shop open, visited the handsome Dom and strolled along the pedestrian-only streets of the Altstadt or old city, and visiting Gutenbergplatz with locals enjoying the fresh air and charming Easter window displays before we headed back to the airport and our flight to Barcelona.

Nighttime view from Leo's apartment up to the Norman Foster Torre de Collserola.

Sunrise behind Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

We have to thank Leo, our house exchange host, who lent us his beautiful and very well located modern apartment in Barcelona for ten days.  Just off the Av. Diagonal and near the Maria Christina metro stop, it was convenient for us to catch busses or subway trains too get us wherever we wanted to go in Barcelona.  Plus, as it was the first tall building in the neighborhood, we enjoyed fabulous views in all directions, but especially the sunrises over the towers of Sagrada Familia every morning.











We had several delicious meals in Barcelona, starting with a lunch at Cuines de Santa Catarina, a restaurant at the Mercat de Santa Catarina, a centrally located market with a colorful undulating roof.

Santa Catarina Market in Barcelona.

The casual restaurant Cuines de Santa Catarian, which features fresh market produce.

Sausage and white beans at the Cuines de Santa Catarian restaurant.

Other great meals were at the famous fish restaurant, Els Pescador, where we enjoyed a plate of Iberian ham, along with lots of fish, of course! 

Dane even found a craft beer bar one afternoon.  We had to laugh to see a beer from a charming little town we've visited, Marshall, Michigan, second from the top.

We enjoyed an evening for the Barcelona Tapas Tour, but were sorry we scheduled it so early in our stay, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but because we hadn't yet gotten our bearings, we never knew exactly where Kaye Pineda, our personable guide took us.  We were stuffed after the several-hour walk with stops at several shops, enotecas and an old bodega frequented bylocals where we tried vermut or vermouth.

Of course we took advantage of the great museums in Barcelona, including the Joan Miro Foundation.

Dane posing with a Miro sculpture at the Joan Miro Foundation museum.

The Picasso Museum and the Museu Nacional d'Arte de Catalunya were two of our favorite destinations.

The lovely cascade fountains leading up the to Museu Nacional d'Arte de Catalunya. 

Beautifully displayed and lit art at the Museu National d'Arte de Catalunya. 

Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (1852-1926)

Nearby was the Pavillion Mies Van Der Rohe designed for the Germans for the 1929 Exposition.

Barcelona Pavilion designed for Germany for the Barcelona International Exhibition in 1929.

Sagrada Familia basilica, Barcelona

Of course we spent an entire day exploring Sagrada Familia, the basilica Antonio Gaudi designed, which is still under construction.  Joan visited the church in the 1960s, and was amazed to see the wonderful progress.  Here's some of our favorite overall and detail pictures.

Sculpture over one of the entrances to Sagrada Familia bascilica.

Beautiful stained glass flooded the interior of Sagrada Familia with light.

The Gaudi-designed columns of Sagrada Familia look like sycamore tree trunks.

An older entrance to Sagrada Familia with detailed sculptures.

There were so many Gaudi sites to visit in Barcelona!  The Palau de la Musica was another favorite.

Beautiful balcony in the main auditorium of the Palau de la Musica, Barcelona

Stained glass ceiling in the Palau de la Musica, Barcelona.

Intricate tile work in the Palau de la Musica, Barcelona.

We also visited  Casa Mila or La Pedrera, the fabulous apartment building Gaudi designed, with it's great rooftop and chimneys.

Undulating rooftop of La Pedrera apartment building by Gaudi in Barcelona.

Chimney pots of La Pedrera in Barcelona.

We enjoyed the special exhibit in the former servants quarters under the roof, which explained the design of the building.

Exhibition space in the attic of La Pedrera, Barcelona.

Of course we also had to visit Parc Guell, which we didn't do very well.  We found the bus to take us there, but didn't realize we needed timed tickets to visit the Parc.

Parc Guell in Barcelona

Luckily, there were areas we could visit without a ticket, so we had a small taste of the fabulous park, including a visit to Gaudi's home in the park.

A detail from Casa Gaudi in Parc Guell.

But we learned a lesson, and in future, booked our tickets in advance for all the sights we wanted to see; we were fortunate that we could use Leo's computer and printer to print out our tickets.  After visitng the Parc Guell, we wanted to see Palau Guell, the home Gaudi designed for Guell, which also featured fabulous chimneys.

Chimneypots of Palau Guell, Barcelona.

Gaudi's darkly Gothic Palau Guell in Barcelona.  No wonder Sra. Guell didn't much like it!

Joan listening to the audio guide tour of the Palau Guell in Barcelona.  The carriage entrance and main stairs.

View from the balcony to the central room of the Palau Guell in Barcelona.

Strolling on Las Ramblas, the "Umbrella Building" caught our eye.

The "Umbrella Building" on Las Ramblas, Barcelona.

 Of course we had to visit the famous market just off Las Ramblas, the central boulevard of Barcelona,  La Boqueria.

Easter breads for sale at La Boqueria market in Barcelona.

Easter eggs for sale in La Boqueria market, Barcelona

Colorful food stall at La Boqueria market just off Las Ramblas in Barcelona.

We had more great meals, including one at what we thought would be a touristy spot, El Quatre Gats, but it turned out to be a great experience as we watched many local families celebrate the festival of St. George, or La diada de Sant Jordi, Catalonia's patron saint.

Lovely old sign of Le Quatre Gats or the 4 Cats.

April 23 is a special holiday in Barcelona and we were lucky to have scheduled our stay then.  The day of the rose and the book, when men give their women roses, and women reciprocate with gifts of books.  A huge percentage of the books sold in Spain are sold in Catalonia on April 23 each year!

We saw this flag flying everywhere in Barcelona.

Bakeries in Barcelona featured this bread, Pa de Sant Jordi

 We enjoyed the colorful Catalan flags flying everywhere in support of independence, and the bakery windows featuring Pa de Sant Jordi,  which looks like the Catalan flag.  Here's a link to a recipe.

Children had a school holiday and were busy buying books from the stalls which lined every major street in Barcelona.

We stumbled on the Barcelona Athenaeum, and were delighted to discover in honor of Sant Jordi day, it was open to the public.  As members of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, we particularly appreciated being able to visit this spectacular private library.

Fabulous interior of the Barcelona Athenaeum.

Another building only open on Sant Jordi day was the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona's main government building, is open to the public.  We were lucky enough to get in line in time to be able to tour the magnificent building, and Joan finally got a rose.

Interior of the Palau de la Generalitat.

St George or San Jordi, with a display of red roses in the Palau de la Generalitat.

Joan with her rose at the Palau de la Generalitat on the one day a year it is open to the public.

 Another day we visited the Hotel de Espana where we enjoyed lunch and a terrific tour of the historic building.

Quenelles and ceviche for lunch at the Hotel de Espana

Lobby of the Hotel de Espana

We enjoyed walking around the historic center of Barcelona, and found at the Born Market there was a museum display of the Roman city discovered under the market.

We had to visit Poble Nou, the oldest cemetery in Barcelona.

Poble Nou cemetery in Barcelona.

And we took a day trip by train to nearby Montserrat to visit the 12th Century Benedictine monastery tucked in a scenic crevice.  Unfortunately because of the Easter holiday the famous boy's choir was not singing that afternoon.

Visitors to the Santa Maria de Montserrat Monastery.

Pilgrims lighting candles at Santa Maria de Montserrat.

But we had a good taste of churches, including the  cathedral in the main square, where we enjoyed seeing the Sardana dancers one Sunday morning.

Dancing the Sardana in front of the Barcelona Cathedral

Interior of the Cathedral of Barcelona.

One day we visited Poble Espanyol, a village displaying 117 buildings in all the different styles of architecture in Spanish villages.  Yes, touristy, but quite a good way to get a feeling for the charming villages of Spain.

Charming lanes of the Poble Espanyol. 

Sometimes we just enjoyed wandering around the medievil neighborhood of Barcelona called the Barri Gotic.

Plaza in the Barri Gotic near the Barcelona Cathedral.

Historic Storefront in Barcelona.

We spent some time at the waterfront, visiting the Maritime Museum and exploring La Barcelonetta neighborhood, the historic seaport of Barcelona.

Arc de Triomf built for the 1888 World Fair held in Barcelona

Customs House at the harbor of Barcelona

The harbor of Bacelona with Mont Juic in the background.

Another day we stumbled into a fabulous Japanese influenced restaurant.

A change of pace-Japeanese-inspired food in Barcelona.  Delicious!

A few final Gaudi-designed buildings we only saw from the outside; we have to save something for another visit!

Finally our 10 days at Leo's comfortable apartment came to an end.  We rented a car and began a 5-night road trip inspired by the Fodor's article Food Lover's Road Trip from Barcelona to Basque Country.  Thank heavens we added a GPS unit to our rental, and sprung for the extra insurance!

The Cathedral in Girona, Spain.

Our first stop was the charming town of Girona, where we toured churches and strolled the ancient ramparts. The Cathedral, we learned, has the second-widest nave of any Gothic church in world after St. Peter's Basilica!

Cathedral in Girona, with a second-widest nave of any Gothic church in the world.

From there we drove along the Mediterranean and across the southern end of the Pyrenees mountains into France, where we found Carcassonne, the medieval walled village that "out-Disney's Disney."

Carcassonne, France from afar.  A wonderland, "restored" by Victorian architect Viollet le Duc

We stayed at the Hotel de la Cite located within the walled city, and not for the first time were thankful for the GPS which got us directly to the hotel parking lot outside the walls, where we were met by a little jitney which took us and our luggage to the hotel.

Entrance to Hotel de la Cite in Carcassonne, France.

We had a fabulous dinner at La Barbicane, their one-starred Michelin restaurant,

 but most enjoyed our preprandial cocktails in the bar, where we visited with the charming bartender.

Formerly an Orient Express hotel, the Hotel de la Cite has much charm, especially the bar.

After dinner we walked again through the town, relishing the fact that all the bus groups had gone away, and we had the romantic town to ourselves.

The next morning, after another stroll through the quiet village before the tourists descended, we drove through Toulouse and across the northern end of the Pyrenees back into Spain, this time the Basque Country.

We checked into Villa Soro, a boutique hotel, in San Sebastian, then walked to the center of the city where we enjoyed the charming atmosphere of the historic center.

In the evening we met our guide for a Pinxtos (Basque tapas) tour operated by San Sebastian Food.  Fabulous food, wines and fun.

Pouring Txakoli sparkling white wine from on high. 

More fabulous pinxtos during our walking tour of San Sebastian's best pinxtos bars:

Needless to say we didn't have dinner that evening.  Note the toothpicks.  You keep your toothpicks and when you're ready to leave, the bartender counts the toothpicks to know how much to charge you.

Salt-roasted green peppers pinxtos in San Sebastian.

The next day, we gave Dane a day off from driving, and took a bus to Bilbao, where we spent the day visiting the Guggenheim Bilbao museum.  (The weirdest thing was the perky young Mormon  missionary who started up a conversation with us by saying "Gosh, what are you doing going to Bilbao?"  Duh, to see the world-famous museum and fabulous town.

Well, we spent almost the entire day first visiting the museum, then walking around the outside so Mr. Wells could take pictures from every conceivable angle.  The exhibits of the museum were only mildly interesting (they built a wing of the museum around the massive Richard Serra's massive steel sculptures!)  Herewith a few of Dane's best shots:

Interior view of the Guggenheim Bilbao.

Louise Nevelson's spider on the riverside promenade of the Guggenheim Bilbao

Jeff Koons' "Tulips" outside the Guggenheim Bilbao

We enjoyed walking through the city of Bilbao from the bus station to the Museum, where we saw many restored old buildings and towering new buildings illustrating the "Bilbao effect" of the new museum.  It was a charming town and we wished we had planned to spend more time there.

Jeff Koons' "Puppy" in front of the Guggenheim Bilbao with a modern skyscraper in the background.

One of the highlights was our lunch at the museum's one-starred Michelin restaurant called Nerua.  The "baby's tears" peas or guisante lágrima were memorable.

Appetizers at Nerua included guisante lagrima with foam, top right.  Heavenly!

Two Michelin-starred meals in a day!  That evening, we had reservations at Restaurante Arzak, just up the street from our elegant hotel Villa Soro in San Sebastian.

We lost track of the "courses", but there were about six amuse bouche including one served on top of a crumpled aluminum can and an equal number of dessert treats afterwards.

Amuse bouche at Arzak restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain

We've long since forgotten the price, but still remember the fabulous presentation; one dish was served over an iPad set to look a flaming image!

Monkfish (top) with sea buckthorn and Lamb with "plastered" Jerusalem artichoke over an iPad "flame"

A savvy thing they did was give us a printed copy of the menu choices we had made as a souvenir.

Looking down into the Rioja region of Spain from the top of the mountain.

Our final day in Spain was a long drive from San Sebastian to  El Ciego in the Rioja wine region.  It was a winding road over the mountains, and once again we were grateful for the GPS navigation.

Our destination was the Hotel Marques de Riscal, another confection designed by Frank Gehry.

The little stone and red-tiled roofed town has had a mini Bilbao effect with visitors now coming to explore it while they stay at the notable hotel.

We enjoyed the Marquis de Riscal rose wine with our lunch.

After a relaxing afternoon enjoying some of the signature Marques de Riscal wines and light lunch on the outdoor patio, we were treated to a tour of the winery and of course Dane had to take many many more pictures of the beautiful setting.

Dane with this trusty camera enjoying the views of the Hotel Marques de Riscal.

On the winery tour at the Marquis de Riscal winery.

The swirling titanium roof of the Hotel Marques de Riscal, El Ciego, Spain

And yes, there was one more Michelin-starred restaurant we had to try, the hotel restaurant!
Another memorable meal, which was topped by a dessert that was served in a caviar tin but was delicious chocolate!

Dane at the  beautiful Marquis de Riscal  Restaurant.

Not caviar, but dessert!

Delicious little bites as treats after our meal at Restaurant Marquis de Riscal.

What a wonderful finale to our visit to Spain.  The only scary part was when we tried to set the GPS for our early-morning departure for the Barcelona airport, a 5-hour drive that I hadn't carefully calculated when I made our plans.  We got up at 3 am to start, and our GPS wouldn't connect to a satellite.  Considering we were way out in the country without a map, we didn't know how we would find the airport in time to make our 10 am flight.  The kindly night clerk gave us directions to the major highway and we started off with trepidation.  Wonderously, by the time we were a few hundred yards away from the hotel's swirling titanium roof, the GPS connected.  Were we relieved!

Entrance to the Hotel Marques de Riscal, in El Ciego, Spain.