¡Hola! Barcelona Day 4

¡Hola!

So let’s continue on with my little culinary journey through Spain. Day 4 was my last day in Barcelona, and, as predicted, was filled with food, and food, and more food. The day started off with thundering rain. Our plan for the day was to visit Gaudi’s ever-so-famous Sagrada Familia early in the morning to avoid the lg line. So before we embark into the rain, we decided that nothing could prepare us for the long day better than a proper breakfast buffet. So our first meal was at Cafe Moovida at Hotel Omm.

While the selection was not the largest we’d ever seen. We were extremely happy with every single dish we had. The dishes were thoughtfully selected, beautifully presented, and cautiously prepared to our liking. We could not have asked for a better start of the day.

There’s a station for cereals, yogurt, fruit juices, and cava (yay!) The fruits were fresh and delightful. Their red fruits tea was a nice change, and of course I was happy with the unlimited bubbly. However, the only thing that I found a little odd was the ewe’s yogurt. The unique smell was a little strong for me. Next was the long war that was lined with a couple of selection of pastries. The croissant in particular was so buttery and scrumptious. My dad particularly enjoyed the cold cuts and the cheese selection. We also ordered an egg dish each, each prepared just as we liked it. So needless to say that we left happy and ready for today’s adventure.

We then ventured to the Sagrada Familia, the unfinished cathedral by Gaudi. Luckily the rain also washed away some tourists; we only had to line up for 10 minutes. The church was absolutely breathtaking, but what I sound the most astounding was Gaudi’s use of nature as a source of inspiration and how he interpreted natural forms into architectural structure in his unique style. I would love to see the world through his eyes once.

Our next stop was the Museu de la Xocolata (Chocolate Museum.) We walked pass this great little gem on our first day there, and I insisted on coming back. Although the museum was more of a small exhibition, it housed a nice little chocolate cafe selling anything chocolate and a collection of chocolate art. The pieces were SO amazingly realistic. I couldn’t believe my eyes that they were made out of chocolate. My favorite one had to be a scene from the movie Up, even Dug, the dog with the cone of shame, was in it! Awww..

72287_815494754815_432555_44702324_7113173_n — chocolate ticket

71879_815494934455_432555_44702329_2307485_n — Can you believe that this is chocolate?

next we wandered around the small alleys in the area. This side of Barcelona reminded me of Sienna, Italy, which I liked much more than the touristy La Rambla. I’m a big fan of small boutiques selling unique things. Before we knew it lunch time arrived. So we decided to eat at the next place that seemed busy with locals. We then came across Euskal Etxea, a pintxo restaurant – a neat little way of eating where it’s similar to a tapas buffet 9sorry for my lack of better explanation.) Each dish is a small open-faced sandwiches with various toppings from cream cheese and salami to tuna to blueberry cheesecake which are secured together by a toothpick. You pick the ones that you like and keep the toothpicks, at the end they count the number and you pay accordingly (1.80€ for a pintxo.) Simple enough, right? The pintxos were delicious and we really enjoyed this fun and simple concept.

We spent the rest of the day shopping, although it took much longer than expected because most shops were closed during the siesta. Sadly, dinner was not so impressive. We were so tired and cold that we could not be bothered to venture out to find a restaurant and wound up eating at one of the touristy spots. Despite the long line, the promising menu, and the good location. The food was not memorable, especially when we decided to be all touristy and order a paella. However, we recovered from this culinary hiccup when we stumbled upon a tiny churros place owned by an old lady. Everything is fried fresh in front of you and roll in sugar before your eyes. No chocolate, no cinnamon, just plain sugary fried dough goodness. SO SO YUMMILICIOUS! Sadly, I do not remember the address of the place. Sorry, guys! But if you were to come across a tiny churro place with a grumpy-looking old lady, be sure to stop by!