Trip Report - Barcelona/Med Cruise/Bordeaux & Paris
May 28th, 2004, 06:41 AM
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Trip Report - Barcelona/Med Cruise/Bordeaux & Paris
Hi there! I've posted questions and some advice here in the past but this is my first trip report - so please bear with me (especially my approximation of Spanish street/place names)!
My husband and I (Canadian/mid 30's/foodies/upper-moderate travel budget) have just returned from a two week trip that began with 3 nights in Barcelona, followed by a 5 night Mediterranean cruise (Barcelona - Monaco - Civitavechia (Viterbo & Orvieto) - Livorno (San Gimignano & Castellano de Verrazano) - Barcelona), 3 nights in Bordeaux and 2 nights in Paris.
I'll post about Bordeaux and Paris on the France board. The cruise was with Silverseas aboard the Silverwind and it was heaven! (It was also paid for by my husband's company and not your typical cruise so I don't know if I'll have much practical advice to add about it - but if you have questions I'll be happy to try and answer).
Okay - Barcelona. It was wonderful!!! I would like to thank Maribel for her tremendous file (and offer my sincere condolences on the recent loss of her mother). Thanks also to Kaudrey. Together with research I did on Egullet and Chowhound their advice made for a terrific three days.
Hotels:
- H10 Catalunya Plaza. Nice hotel with a fantastic central location at the top of La Ramblas and the bottom of Passeig de Gracia. 148E per night, with a good buffet breakfast included. Coffee, cold drinks and Cava are also complimentary throughout the day in the lobby area off of the restaurant (though you may have to ask them to refresh this during your stay). There is an internet station in the lobby and we saw many people taking advantage of this amenity. The staff spoke English and were very pleasant, my only complaint was their lack of knowledge about restuarants. Our double room was not large but more than big enough for the two of us and our luggage to fit comfortably. The decor was modern and clean with hardwood floors and a big marble bathroom. I had asked for a room with a view over the Plaza and we were given one with double doors opening on to a little balcony (I think all of the upper floors on the Plaza side have these). It was great to throw open the doors each morning and see the Plaza come to life and having a night-cap (mini-bar was really inexpensive) while watching the fountain at night was fabulous. The Plaza is busy but the street noise was not a problem.
- Grand Marina Hotel near Port Vell. For the last night we stayed here as it was the pre-cruise hotel paid for by my husband's company. I believe the rate was around US$350. The hotel is beautifully airy and modern. The rooms are very large and well decorated in rich browns and neutrals. Staff was excellent and the bar and restaurant were very good but on the expensive side. Location is very good for Port Vell and Barceloneta as well as Barri Gotic and La Ramblas areas, - but anything above Placa Catalunya is a bit out of reach from here.
See next thread under same title for a continuation of this trip report...
My husband and I (Canadian/mid 30's/foodies/upper-moderate travel budget) have just returned from a two week trip that began with 3 nights in Barcelona, followed by a 5 night Mediterranean cruise (Barcelona - Monaco - Civitavechia (Viterbo & Orvieto) - Livorno (San Gimignano & Castellano de Verrazano) - Barcelona), 3 nights in Bordeaux and 2 nights in Paris.
I'll post about Bordeaux and Paris on the France board. The cruise was with Silverseas aboard the Silverwind and it was heaven! (It was also paid for by my husband's company and not your typical cruise so I don't know if I'll have much practical advice to add about it - but if you have questions I'll be happy to try and answer).
Okay - Barcelona. It was wonderful!!! I would like to thank Maribel for her tremendous file (and offer my sincere condolences on the recent loss of her mother). Thanks also to Kaudrey. Together with research I did on Egullet and Chowhound their advice made for a terrific three days.
Hotels:
- H10 Catalunya Plaza. Nice hotel with a fantastic central location at the top of La Ramblas and the bottom of Passeig de Gracia. 148E per night, with a good buffet breakfast included. Coffee, cold drinks and Cava are also complimentary throughout the day in the lobby area off of the restaurant (though you may have to ask them to refresh this during your stay). There is an internet station in the lobby and we saw many people taking advantage of this amenity. The staff spoke English and were very pleasant, my only complaint was their lack of knowledge about restuarants. Our double room was not large but more than big enough for the two of us and our luggage to fit comfortably. The decor was modern and clean with hardwood floors and a big marble bathroom. I had asked for a room with a view over the Plaza and we were given one with double doors opening on to a little balcony (I think all of the upper floors on the Plaza side have these). It was great to throw open the doors each morning and see the Plaza come to life and having a night-cap (mini-bar was really inexpensive) while watching the fountain at night was fabulous. The Plaza is busy but the street noise was not a problem.
- Grand Marina Hotel near Port Vell. For the last night we stayed here as it was the pre-cruise hotel paid for by my husband's company. I believe the rate was around US$350. The hotel is beautifully airy and modern. The rooms are very large and well decorated in rich browns and neutrals. Staff was excellent and the bar and restaurant were very good but on the expensive side. Location is very good for Port Vell and Barceloneta as well as Barri Gotic and La Ramblas areas, - but anything above Placa Catalunya is a bit out of reach from here.
See next thread under same title for a continuation of this trip report...
May 28th, 2004, 07:55 AM
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Restaurants: We ate at an eclectic combination of fine dining restaurants and simple tapas counters and every place was fantastic (thanks to Maribel. Kaudrey, Egullet and Chowhound).
Lunches/Tapas
- Bar Central (tapas) in the Boqueria market off La Ramblas. We hit the market as soon as we unpacked and sidled up to the counter. The market was closing up (around 4:00pm) and Bar Central was hopping! We ordered sangria and ate grilled octopus; a salad of seafood, avocado, onion and capers; and grilled artichoke. All was fresh and fantastic (I'm going to try an recreate the salad tonight!)
- El Xampanyeta (X is pronounced "sh"
down the street from the Picasso Museum at 22 Carrer Montcada in Barri Gotic. A very casual hole-in-the-wall lively with locals. We grabbed a tiny table and ordered glasses of the house Xampanyeta which as far as I could understand was Catalan style sparkling wine, but it is not Cava! Delicious and refreshing, a bit sweet like Prosecco, and served in coupe de Champagne glasses (the little saucer glasses). Everyone was drinking it and our glasses were refilled every time we drained them! You could also drink beer here. The food was simple, served tapas style and we asked our waiter to select dishes for us. Anchovies in oil, tuna, jamone (ham), Spanish omelette (nothing like Spanish omelette at home!), Catalan bread with fresh tomato, cheese. We tried to leave without dessert and were cajoled into staying for cookies, pastries and sweet wine (like Vin Santo) and were instructed to dip the cookies into the wine - we weren't sorry we stayed! Very inexpensive too.
Dinners
- Alkimia on Carrer de Industria in Eixample (the right side/district) - off the beaten path but worth the walk/taxi. Reservations a must - we had reserved for 8:30 and the place was empty, by 9:00 it was full. Fresh innovative cuisine in a beautiful modern (stark) atmosphere. We ordered a la carte 2 dishes each and there were two amuse bouches which did indeed amuse! (If anyone wants more details on this meal let me know and I will post a more detailed review.) All was superb - service, food, wine list and try as we might (Cava, red and white wine - this was our big dinner out in Barcelona) we couldn't spend more than 200E in total.
- Cal Pep, 8 Placa de Olles in Barri Gotic. This was a highlight of our trip to Barcelona. We knew that it gets very crowded and you cannot reserve. It opens for dinner at 8:00 but we didn't arrive until 9:00'ish and were prepared to wait. And wait we did! We lined up inside and caught the eye of one of the busy counter waiters to order a bottle of house Cava (it turned out to be only 11E), he kept it cold behind the counter and refilled our glasses as we waited in line, which made the hour plus wait much more pleasant! Very busy place and watching the food served to those sitting at the long counter was entertaining and appetizing. When we were seated at teh counter we told the waiter we wanted the specialities of the house and we were served plate after plate of some of the most delicious food we've ever had!! Baby squid, razor clams, shrimp (fried crisp and whole - you took off the head and ate them shell and all - amazing!), lightly battered and fried peppers and artichokes. With this we ordered the house white, which everyone seemed to be drinking (when we got the bill we were amazed to see it was only 4E for the bottle!) For dessert they served us 4 little shot glasses filled with different flavoured 'foams' - Catalan cream, lemon, coffee and caramel - fabulous!
Sights will be next...
Lunches/Tapas
- Bar Central (tapas) in the Boqueria market off La Ramblas. We hit the market as soon as we unpacked and sidled up to the counter. The market was closing up (around 4:00pm) and Bar Central was hopping! We ordered sangria and ate grilled octopus; a salad of seafood, avocado, onion and capers; and grilled artichoke. All was fresh and fantastic (I'm going to try an recreate the salad tonight!)
- El Xampanyeta (X is pronounced "sh"
down the street from the Picasso Museum at 22 Carrer Montcada in Barri Gotic. A very casual hole-in-the-wall lively with locals. We grabbed a tiny table and ordered glasses of the house Xampanyeta which as far as I could understand was Catalan style sparkling wine, but it is not Cava! Delicious and refreshing, a bit sweet like Prosecco, and served in coupe de Champagne glasses (the little saucer glasses). Everyone was drinking it and our glasses were refilled every time we drained them! You could also drink beer here. The food was simple, served tapas style and we asked our waiter to select dishes for us. Anchovies in oil, tuna, jamone (ham), Spanish omelette (nothing like Spanish omelette at home!), Catalan bread with fresh tomato, cheese. We tried to leave without dessert and were cajoled into staying for cookies, pastries and sweet wine (like Vin Santo) and were instructed to dip the cookies into the wine - we weren't sorry we stayed! Very inexpensive too.Dinners
- Alkimia on Carrer de Industria in Eixample (the right side/district) - off the beaten path but worth the walk/taxi. Reservations a must - we had reserved for 8:30 and the place was empty, by 9:00 it was full. Fresh innovative cuisine in a beautiful modern (stark) atmosphere. We ordered a la carte 2 dishes each and there were two amuse bouches which did indeed amuse! (If anyone wants more details on this meal let me know and I will post a more detailed review.) All was superb - service, food, wine list and try as we might (Cava, red and white wine - this was our big dinner out in Barcelona) we couldn't spend more than 200E in total.
- Cal Pep, 8 Placa de Olles in Barri Gotic. This was a highlight of our trip to Barcelona. We knew that it gets very crowded and you cannot reserve. It opens for dinner at 8:00 but we didn't arrive until 9:00'ish and were prepared to wait. And wait we did! We lined up inside and caught the eye of one of the busy counter waiters to order a bottle of house Cava (it turned out to be only 11E), he kept it cold behind the counter and refilled our glasses as we waited in line, which made the hour plus wait much more pleasant! Very busy place and watching the food served to those sitting at the long counter was entertaining and appetizing. When we were seated at teh counter we told the waiter we wanted the specialities of the house and we were served plate after plate of some of the most delicious food we've ever had!! Baby squid, razor clams, shrimp (fried crisp and whole - you took off the head and ate them shell and all - amazing!), lightly battered and fried peppers and artichokes. With this we ordered the house white, which everyone seemed to be drinking (when we got the bill we were amazed to see it was only 4E for the bottle!) For dessert they served us 4 little shot glasses filled with different flavoured 'foams' - Catalan cream, lemon, coffee and caramel - fabulous!
Sights will be next...
May 28th, 2004, 09:39 AM
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kireland,
I am looking forward to the Bordeaux portion of your trip report as I will be heading there in a few weeks. From your previous posting, it appears that I will be visiting some of the same wineries (Lynch-Bages, Palmer) and restaurant (Lion D'Or).
I can't wait to read it.
MF
I am looking forward to the Bordeaux portion of your trip report as I will be heading there in a few weeks. From your previous posting, it appears that I will be visiting some of the same wineries (Lynch-Bages, Palmer) and restaurant (Lion D'Or).
I can't wait to read it.
MF
May 28th, 2004, 11:01 AM
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MF - We didn't end up at Lion D'Ors - though we did pass by and it looked great. Instead we ate at Saint Julien and it was wonderful. We did indeed visit Lynch Bages and Palmer, and also Pichon Longueville - three in the Medoc region was definitely enough (and if I had to rank them based on tours, I'd put Pichon Longueville at the top, then Palmer then Lynch Bages). Bordeaux was beautiful - I will try to post a more detailed report on the France page on Monday. If you have any specific questions though, feel free to post here and I'll get back to you.
Sante!
Sante!
May 28th, 2004, 11:49 AM
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This last installment of our Barcelona trip report will detail the major sights we saw. We had almost three full days and felt this was a decent amount of time to get a good taste of the city. we didn't get to Montjuic and would like to the next time we visit.
We did almost all of our exploring on foot and found Placa Catalunya a very central place to set out from.
Boqueria Market - we visited this on our first day and spent an half hour or so walking around marvelling at the stalls of fresh diverse fruits, vegetables, meaths, seafood and cheeses, The selection was unbelievable! We purchased a few slices of Jamon Iberico and Jamon Serrano to do a taste test - both were excellent, though I though the Iberico a bit more refined. We also bought some aged Manchego cheese and some crostades to enjoy with it back at our room. Looking around the market definitely gets your mouth watering and after tapas at Bar Centrale (see above) we picked up a little tray of wild baby strawberries - whihc I've never seen before and they were delicious!
Passeig de Gracia - we took a leisurely stroll down this street from Avenue Diagonal down to Placa Catalunya. Very nice, loved the broad tree lined avenues. Many nice shops and of course Gaudi's drop dead gorgeous Casa Battlo (my favourite) and Casa Milo.
Dali Museum - very nice surprise. We were walking by and my husband thought we should go in on a whim. I had no idea how diverse an artist Dali was and really enjoyed his bronze sculptures and whimsical use of colour. It is a small museum and the proprietor fashions himself after Dali!
Picasso Museum - this is a beautiful space and again I was blown away by the many different styles and mediums Picasso worked in. The museum does a good job of instructing you about Picasso's life and times with storyboards and photos.
Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's unfinished cathedral. We took the metro here, which was very easy and efficient. The cathedral is spectacular, even if you've seen pictures you won't beleive it in real life. I would describe it as surreal. I loved the use of colour and mosaics and found it very unusual and uplifiting. We rented an audio tour guide and would recommend this. We also waited a half hour to take the elevator up and walked the rest of the way to the top - amazing views and unique perspectives within the cathedral. If you do go up and you are at all afraid of heights I would recommend taking the elevator back down rather than the narrow winding staircase - I'm not at all afraid of heights but the open centre of the spiral had me scared going down!
More sights in the next post....
We did almost all of our exploring on foot and found Placa Catalunya a very central place to set out from.
Boqueria Market - we visited this on our first day and spent an half hour or so walking around marvelling at the stalls of fresh diverse fruits, vegetables, meaths, seafood and cheeses, The selection was unbelievable! We purchased a few slices of Jamon Iberico and Jamon Serrano to do a taste test - both were excellent, though I though the Iberico a bit more refined. We also bought some aged Manchego cheese and some crostades to enjoy with it back at our room. Looking around the market definitely gets your mouth watering and after tapas at Bar Centrale (see above) we picked up a little tray of wild baby strawberries - whihc I've never seen before and they were delicious!
Passeig de Gracia - we took a leisurely stroll down this street from Avenue Diagonal down to Placa Catalunya. Very nice, loved the broad tree lined avenues. Many nice shops and of course Gaudi's drop dead gorgeous Casa Battlo (my favourite) and Casa Milo.
Dali Museum - very nice surprise. We were walking by and my husband thought we should go in on a whim. I had no idea how diverse an artist Dali was and really enjoyed his bronze sculptures and whimsical use of colour. It is a small museum and the proprietor fashions himself after Dali!
Picasso Museum - this is a beautiful space and again I was blown away by the many different styles and mediums Picasso worked in. The museum does a good job of instructing you about Picasso's life and times with storyboards and photos.
Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's unfinished cathedral. We took the metro here, which was very easy and efficient. The cathedral is spectacular, even if you've seen pictures you won't beleive it in real life. I would describe it as surreal. I loved the use of colour and mosaics and found it very unusual and uplifiting. We rented an audio tour guide and would recommend this. We also waited a half hour to take the elevator up and walked the rest of the way to the top - amazing views and unique perspectives within the cathedral. If you do go up and you are at all afraid of heights I would recommend taking the elevator back down rather than the narrow winding staircase - I'm not at all afraid of heights but the open centre of the spiral had me scared going down!
More sights in the next post....
May 28th, 2004, 12:28 PM
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Wow - I really tend to go on, don't I?! I thought this trip report would be easy, but once you get into it you find there is a lot to say - hope I'm not boring you!
Sights cont'd...
La Ramblas - we found ourselves on this street pretty well everyday. The middle pedestrian walk is quite nice and there is lots to see - the bird and flower markets, street buskers, beautiful architecture. Off of the steet we visited Placa Reial a beautiful square, with stately palms and a fountain that is tremendously romantic in the evening when the street lights come on.
Barceloneta - a great neighbourhood south-east of the main tourist areas. You can walk there from the bottom of La Ramblas via Port Vell, which is a nice Marina, or you can take the cable car from the front of the Grand Marina hotel, which gives you great views (I beleive this also goes up Montjuic). It is an area of town where people actually live so it is alive with locals - playing dominos, soccer, fishing off the pier, sunbathing...and it has a string of great beaches where you can just step off the boardwalk and sit at a bar right on the sand (there are a number of them) and watch the world go by - definitely a highlight of our trip and we only spent a few hours there. If you keep walking you will reach the casino on the waterfront - it has a great big copper sculpture out front that looks like a fish and further on is the Olympic Village.
Food/wine shopping - the area near Santa Maria del Mar is very nice. Just down the street from the Picasso Museum and El Xamapanmyeta is a street called Sombreres which has a great Epicerie called Gispert's, in a historical building where they roast their own nuts. It's a great place to buy paprika (pimenton) - both hot and sweet, turron (a yummy almond nougat candy), and saffron to bring home. Nearby is a fabulous chocolate shop called Xacao (maybe on Montcada), and a wonderful wine shop called Vila Viniteca (on Carrer Agullers) with a very friendly and helpful proprietor.
I think that's it - If you have any questions, let me know.
Adios amigos!
Sights cont'd...
La Ramblas - we found ourselves on this street pretty well everyday. The middle pedestrian walk is quite nice and there is lots to see - the bird and flower markets, street buskers, beautiful architecture. Off of the steet we visited Placa Reial a beautiful square, with stately palms and a fountain that is tremendously romantic in the evening when the street lights come on.
Barceloneta - a great neighbourhood south-east of the main tourist areas. You can walk there from the bottom of La Ramblas via Port Vell, which is a nice Marina, or you can take the cable car from the front of the Grand Marina hotel, which gives you great views (I beleive this also goes up Montjuic). It is an area of town where people actually live so it is alive with locals - playing dominos, soccer, fishing off the pier, sunbathing...and it has a string of great beaches where you can just step off the boardwalk and sit at a bar right on the sand (there are a number of them) and watch the world go by - definitely a highlight of our trip and we only spent a few hours there. If you keep walking you will reach the casino on the waterfront - it has a great big copper sculpture out front that looks like a fish and further on is the Olympic Village.
Food/wine shopping - the area near Santa Maria del Mar is very nice. Just down the street from the Picasso Museum and El Xamapanmyeta is a street called Sombreres which has a great Epicerie called Gispert's, in a historical building where they roast their own nuts. It's a great place to buy paprika (pimenton) - both hot and sweet, turron (a yummy almond nougat candy), and saffron to bring home. Nearby is a fabulous chocolate shop called Xacao (maybe on Montcada), and a wonderful wine shop called Vila Viniteca (on Carrer Agullers) with a very friendly and helpful proprietor.
I think that's it - If you have any questions, let me know.
Adios amigos!
May 28th, 2004, 03:38 PM
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boring - no way! We will be in Barcelona in late June and every post I read here helps plan the trip. Sounds great and I can't wait to share in these wonderful adventures.
Condolences to Mirabel. Her guide will be with us.
You don't mention the Barri Gotic - was it just not as interesting or you didn't get there?
Thanks so much for the report
Condolences to Mirabel. Her guide will be with us.
You don't mention the Barri Gotic - was it just not as interesting or you didn't get there?
Thanks so much for the report
May 28th, 2004, 04:40 PM
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Thanks for posting your trip report, kireland!
We were just in Barcelona last month, and your report brings back memories and makes me even more eager to go back.
We loved Cal Pep, too! It's one of the places that we never would have discovered without this forum, and what a shame that would have been. My husband says it was the best lunch he's ever had. Nothing fancy-- just good food.
Thanks for sharing your report!
We were just in Barcelona last month, and your report brings back memories and makes me even more eager to go back.
We loved Cal Pep, too! It's one of the places that we never would have discovered without this forum, and what a shame that would have been. My husband says it was the best lunch he's ever had. Nothing fancy-- just good food.
Thanks for sharing your report!
Jun 2nd, 2004, 12:02 PM
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Thanks for the kind words. It was fun to do the trip report and relive all the great moments in Barcelona!
BLM - I didn't specifically mention Barri Gotic as a "sight" but we did indeed stroll through the neighbourhood on a number of occasions. I liked the contrast of major streets and tiny little side alleys (some of which didn't feel the safest at night). We did stop at a few places for a drink, one was the "Pirates of the Caribbean" bar, which was right across from the "Captain Hook" bar - we had to go in for the kitsch factor! We also enjoyed Placa Reial and thought it was beautiful at night.
BLM - I didn't specifically mention Barri Gotic as a "sight" but we did indeed stroll through the neighbourhood on a number of occasions. I liked the contrast of major streets and tiny little side alleys (some of which didn't feel the safest at night). We did stop at a few places for a drink, one was the "Pirates of the Caribbean" bar, which was right across from the "Captain Hook" bar - we had to go in for the kitsch factor! We also enjoyed Placa Reial and thought it was beautiful at night.
Jun 2nd, 2004, 12:32 PM
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kireland - I am glad you had a great trip and that my trip report helped you! Sounds like you had a fabulous time.
Also, please post France on this same thread as well, if you haven't already started it. There isn't a "France" board, it's all "Europe". Selecting France just helps people search, but all the European countries end up in the same list on the left. If you did it separately, I'll find it!
Thanks for writing the report. I relived my trip through reading yours - I can't believe mine was almost 4 months ago already!
Karen
Also, please post France on this same thread as well, if you haven't already started it. There isn't a "France" board, it's all "Europe". Selecting France just helps people search, but all the European countries end up in the same list on the left. If you did it separately, I'll find it!
Thanks for writing the report. I relived my trip through reading yours - I can't believe mine was almost 4 months ago already!
Karen
Jun 3rd, 2004, 06:34 AM
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Karen - By "France board" I meant the France section of the Europe board so it will be easier to find by selecting France from the topic list. I've already starting posting and hope you can find it! (It's titled "Trip Report Barcelona/Med Cruise/Bordeaux & Paris 2".
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