A Month in Barcelona Trip Report (and blog!)
 

Hey Fodorites -

I'm here with the beginning of a five month journey in Europe - living in different countries for a month at a time. First up is Barcelona, and this is the first installment - getting to our apartment, settling in, first trip to the market, etc. I would copy/paste the text here but with photos its really better to just click on the link, sorry!

http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...barcelona.html

I hope to get comments from all of you - you have always been an invaluable source of info and humor during my trips, and since this is the trip to end all trips, I am really excited to share it with you!

I'm definitely interested in who you rented your apartment from. Was it an agency?

Great stuff! Please continue!

Thanks!

Opaldog - We rented from airbnb.com. I would recommend it more for the budget traveller..which we definitely are on these long trips. It does have some pluses, which is that airbnb holds your money for 24 hours in case the apartment isn't what it's supposed to be, but you pay airbnb a fee. We are renting several apartments on our trip from them, but this is the first one. I only rented apartments with lots of reviews, but I was still a little nervous.

Another post is up....we didn't have a ton of time today to see stuff, but we had a nice walk down Passeig de Gracia, saw the outside of Casa Batllo...I can't wait to see more Gaudi!

http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...-eixample.html

New post - some photos from the Raval area. We had some issues with the apartment today, I will post about that also soon...trying not to let it bother me though!

http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...d-ramblas.html

I promise more sight-seeing post soon, but thought some of you might appreciate this humorous detour....

***
So most of the time I write about the fun tourist-y stuff we do, what we eat, how I cook. But living in a foreign country in an apartment that isn't yours has some not-so-great parts to it also. I hesitated for awhile to blog about any of them, lest it seem like I am complaining about my amazing once in a life time opportunity trip - which I am not - but I decided others who are contemplating a trip like this might want to know about them, and that it seemed only fair to share the bad along with the good.

I knew that there would be challenges on this trip - I knew we'd have problems with the internet that would affect our work, I knew that I would have to modify my cooking plans based on what was in the kitchens, and I knew that I would somehow have to become a less, shall we say, princess and the pea type sleeper. But I didn't know I'd have to face all these challenges, and more, in our first overseas apartment, all at once.

Today I almost lost it. First I tried to do some laundry. The information for this apartment stated that it had a washer/dryer and I figured it might be one of those combo ones. The dryer function is not terribly efficient on those things but it's better than nothing. These washing machines make the craziest noises during the wash cycle - they really do sound like a rocket ship about to take off - and they take over an hour to do the wash. But that's not a big deal. After the clothes were washed I tried hitting every button on the machine in an attempt to make it dry the clothes,but to no avail. At one point it started to wash them again and I frantically hit the stop button and pulled on the door to try to get it open before my clothes started the whole cycle all over again! Finally I pulled open a drawer at the top of the machine I hadn't noticed and found the key to all the unknown Davinci code symbols on the machine. All I had to do was look each word up on Google Translate. Which I did. And still not a single word related to anything having to do with a dryer. All washing words. Argh.

So I got out the drying rack and started to put clothes on it. I fit about three shirts on there and then was holding a pile of wet clothes in my arms wondering what the hell do I do with these?? Our landlord had vaguely pointed to a clothesline outside our back window so I went to check that out. Couldn't get the window open without Sam's help. After we finally got it open we see that the clothesline is covered in dirt and we only have two clothespins. In desperation, I fling our wet clothes onto any semi-flat surface in the apartment I can find - on tops of doors, hanging on handles, on the couch arm, etc. It's a lovely decoration scheme.

Then it was time to cook dinner. It really was a simple meal. Toast some stale bread to make bread crumbs, coat some thin chicken breasts in the bread crumbs, roast the chicken along with some brussel sprouts, and serve with romesco sauce from a jar. But nothing is simple in the "bachelor kitchen," as I have taken to calling it (the owners of our apartment are two young men). Now I must give credit where credit is due, when I had the chutzpah to ask one of the landlords for a blender, he brought me a new hand blender. I have a feeling it was sitting in his apartment and he was like, what am I ever going to do with this? Ditto for the non-new plastic mixing bowl he brought me that I asked for. But there's a limit to what I can ask him. And yet every day I find something new that's missing. Measuring cups? No. Measuring spoons? No. Baking sheet? No. More than two forks? No. Bread knife? No. Sink strainer to catch crumbs? No. However...corkscrew? yes. Bottle opener? yes. Lots of souvenir beer glasses from Hard Rock Cafe? YES!

I realized I had to cook a few things in the oven at the same time but there was only one very small pan that goes in the oven, and as I mentioned, no baking sheets. So I improvised by taking some aluminum foil and making a tray of sorts. I went to put everything in the oven and discovered there is only ONE oven shelf. There is room for more, but they aren't here. So in trying to shove the pan and two fake aluminum "pans" in the oven I managed to burn my forearm. Badly. Nice move, klutz.

Dinner still tasted good though, naturally. And the clothes will dry, eventually.

And tomorrow I will wake up and still be in Barcelona. Ahh...life is good again.

P.S. So I did wake up...and found Sam's pants that had been drying outside covered in bird poop!!! I kid you not. Other people have stuff hanging outside...what is their magic anti-bird poop on clothes secret??? Unbelievable.

And lots of pictures from Parc Guell. I love all the Gaudi stuff so much, can't wait to see more.
http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...ver-gaudy.html

Pinxtos = tapas on a toothpick!

With photos:http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...toothpick.html

When we go out for dinner during the week, it has to be really quick, because it is the equivalent of Sam's "lunch hour" at work on Chicago time. So where better to go than a pintxos bar?

Pintxos are found mostly in the Basque region of Spain, and particularly in San Sebastian (where I hope to visit one day). They are like tapas, but smaller, and always served on bread, with a toothpick in them. Most of the pintxos bars are small, and you eat standing up, and at the end the bartender counts your toothpicks and you pay a set amount per toothpick (in our case, 1.80E). I like the whole idea, so we find one with good reviews relatively nearby, Irati Taverna Basca, and we head out a little before 7.

Turns out that is the perfect time to go, because it is just starting to fill up and we are able to get a standing space at the bar. The friendly woman behind the bar hands us a plate, explains how it works, and then, ever so kindly, tells us what each item is in English. We heard about half of what she said, so we did spend a lot of time staring at the food and trying to decide - is that crab or tuna? Pork or beef? If you can eat everything, you will certainly be in luck here. But we found plenty to eat....hot cod w/red piquillo peppers, tuna w/ salmon and olives, tuna stuffed in red pepper, potato tortilla, mushroom and cheese, mashed cod w/tomato and spices, hot mushrooms, goat cheese, awesome cheese w/quince jam and pine nuts, olives w/peppers and anchovies. The food was not gourmet, nor the best food I've ever had, but still I recommend it.

The cold items are all set out on the counter to grab, and the hot items come out every once in awhile and you have to be quick! We also had inexpensive glasses of house wine. We ate about 12 or 13 of these between the two of us and we were full. These bars are a really fun way to try a lot of different food in an atmosphere that feels very "local" and allows for great people-watching.

sharbear, thanks for your on location reporting. We leave on Friday for our second trip to Barcelona so I appreciate the current news/resto info. Great attitude about the adjustments at your flat and best of luck finding the "magic anti-bird poop on clothes secret."

Mvor - thanks! Good to know folks are reading, especially since I"m bucking etiquette a bit by just posting links sometimes, but there's no other way to show the photos...

I hope you have a great time on your trip!! Lucky you getting to come here twice.

Thanks for report and blog! Nice writing. Makes me want to get back soon! Keep the positive, humorous attitude you obviously have and it'll be an incredible 5 months. uohhhh Hammmm...
If you want to party like a spaniard, one of the funnest late nights to early mornings I ever had was in a place called Luz De Gas (Gaslight).

Two new posts.

First is about the beach area, Barceloneta: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/03/down-by-sea.html

Second is all the eating we did this past weekend: Cerveceria Catalana, Pla restaurant, amazing patatas bravas at Bar Tomas, and chocolate and churros at Granja la Pallaresa: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...d-weekend.html

I highly HIGHLY recommend the Grand Gala Flamenco at the Palau de la Musica Catalana. For more, and pics: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...-catalana.html

sharbear, thanks for the new posts. Just looked at your itinerary and we seem to be traveling to some of the same places including Bologna in May so look forward to seeing what you get up to on your extended stay. We've been to Italy before but never to Bologna so we're excited to see somewhere new and, of course, tasting the amazing pasta.

If you return to Cerveceria Catalana you must try the fried artichokes - they are incredible. I was dubious at first because they were so thin and thought they couldn't taste like artichoke but I was wrong, so wrong. Looking forward to reading more soon.

Mvor - so funny that you wrote about the artichokes, because we saw them at a nearby table and my husband wanted to order them, but I thought we were ordering way too much food already (and we had some other fried stuff), so we didn't get them....he got to say I told you so when I showed him what you wrote! Ah well, we will have to return.

I've been to Italy, but never Bologna - can't wait!!

Sharbear,
just read your post about Parc Guell & saw your gorgeous photos. When we were there, we could not find the escalators!!! First we were having lunch in Gracia, then we decided to walk to Parc Guell from there, thinking it was close. My daughter was studying in Barcelona at the time & thought she knew how to get there. Well, she didn't. And we didn't have a map with us. So we walked a roundabout way, steadily uphill, huffing & puffing, but could not find the escalators. (I think we should have gone straight when we took a right . . .) We entered the park through a side entrance, saw the mosaic benches & the interesting columns, but we NEVER saw the famous Lizard!! I was so disappointed. My daughter returned to Parc Guell before she left Barcelona, & she saw the lizard, & she told me we were very close!! Oh well. Such is life! But I do agree, Parc Guell is beautiful!

We ate twice at Cerveceria Catalana (our favorite restaurant). Will you be travling outside of Barcelona?

Kwoo - oh no! You were right above the lizard. But I admit, I did not know we were "supposed" to see a lizard, so I guess we just got lucky. And if it makes you feel any better, we got lost when we left the park.....

I do hope to go to Girona this weekend, and perhaps see some more of Costa Brava. I'm waiting to hear back from a tour company (spanish trails)..it's a lot of money but it makes it easier, or else we will do it on our own.

And I should add we had a similar disappointment too...we walked all the way from the Parc Guell to the "magic fountain" - a really roundabout route that took forever - we got there at 7 and waited and waited, and finally found out from a guy running the cafe that it's only on fri and sat nights right now! Even though the website says every night. So just a warning to folks...

We rented a car for a 3 day/4night roadtrip, & traveled up the Costa Brava. We spent one night in Cadaques (one of our favorite spots) & then 2 nights in Girona. We also spent a day driving through the Pyrenees. In Costa Brava, we stopped at Tossa de Mar, S'Agaro, & Calallela Palafrugell. In the Pyrenees, we made stops in Besalu, ripoll, Rupit & Vic. My husband did all the driving; we had a GPS & didn't have any problems. You will love Girona & Costa Brava.

I wish we had time to do a road trip like that - my husband works during the week so we only have the weekends, hence why we may do the guided trip so we can cram a lot into one day, which normally isn't the way I like to travel.

And, I meant to say, we chose to take one long weekend trip (and for him to take days off) to go to Marrakech, Morocco. Now I wonder if we should have just done a trip here in Spain, but I've always wanted to see Morocco.

Sharbear,

Have you thought about buying some of the kitchen stuff you want? You might wait until you get to Paris and see if you have more of what you need there, but it is a pretty good bet that if you are renting in Bologna, your kitchen won't be well equipped. You'd be surprised how little space a large plastic bowl takes up in a suitcase (you can fill it with socks). Same with a blender. Don't buy good knives, unless you are checking luggage from place to place or taking trains.

Also, if you haven't already, figure out how to use the shortest setting on your washing machine. Even if it says "Delicato", it will be enough to get your clothes clean. Again, investing in a bigger or second indoor drying rack eventually comes to less than a dollar per day. I'm usually able to hang a full load of laundry onto an Italian indoor drying rack.

Hope you will visit Vic as a daytrip while you are in Barcelona if you are interested in Catalonian culture. Don't miss the museum there.

Thanks zeppole (love the name)! We might buy some stuff, although our landlord here did bring us a mixing bowl and a hand blender. I also bought some aluminum baking tins, and plastic silverware, so we are making out ok at the moment.

As for the laundry, we definitely need another indoor rack. I hung some of our sheets on the outdoor rack out the window, and a bird pooped on them again!! But I look around, and everyone has stuff hanging out the window, and no one else has bird poop on their stuff. I give up.

Parc de Montjuic and Parc de la Ciutadella: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...iutadella.html

I am enjoying this so much. We will be in Barc in the fall and I can't wait. Thank you so much. Continue to enjoy your stay. CJ

Thanks CJ!

Just read your post & saw your lovely photos of Parc La Ciutedella. It wasn't on my radar screen either when we were in Barcelona; my daughter, who was studying there at the time, brought us to the parc to see the La Cascada Fountain & we just loved it so much. I wish we had more time to spend there. The fountain is amazing!!! It is definitely one of our favorite parts of Barcelona.

We also took the cable car to the top of Montjuic & went inside the fort. We didn't have time to visit the museums. Reading your blog brings back warm memories of our trip.

Kwoo - I realize now that I read your trip report to prepare, and I loved it! I didn't make the connection until I clicked on your name - so thank you for the help. And for reminding me of the name of the fountain...did it actually have flowing water when you saw it?

La Sagrada Familia was as amazing as I thought it would be! http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...a-familia.html

Another food post with lots of restaurant suggestions: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...n-part-ii.html

A break from the usual for a post on what things cost here: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...na-budget.html

Hi sharbear,
I remember there was water in the pool, but I don't think there was flowing water.

On another note, I just finished reading your Paris blog from May 2011. We are planning a first-time trip to Paris this summer, so I have a few questions. Do you remember what time you woke up on the day you went to Versailles, and what time did you arrive at Versailles? Was the Paris Museum Pass worth it? If so, how many museums do you need to visit to make it worthwhile? I posted these questions on the France forum, too.
Thanks.

HI Kwoo - Ok let me think. I know it was the earliest we woke up on our trip, I think we were up around 7 am, but I can't remember exactly what time we got to Versailles...by 10 maybe? I remember thinking it was good timing bc we seemed to beat some of the crowds. I'm sorry I don't remember more exactly. I do remember that we got on the wrong train though, so you might want to read up on that a bit more than we did...
The museum pass was worth it for us I think, especially because it allowed us to skip lines (although not at the Musee d'Orsay). I did all the calculations back then on how many you needed to see to make it worth it but now I don't remember..my husband, who pays more attention to those things, remembers it as a good deal. And there was more we could have done that we didn't do...

Pictures of Casa Batllo: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/03/casa-batllo.html
A must-see in my opinion!

(And sorry for replying about France on here, meant to do that on the Paris thread..my bad folks!)

Pictures look awesome! I have booked a tour of Casa Mila (the only option available) with ContextTours for my upcoming trip in May. Did you happen to see this place yet? Is the experience very different from Casa Batllo?

One other question was about the Flamenco show. I am contemplating booking tickets after your glowing review. Is there a dress code (similar to an Opera)?

Thanks in advance sharbear84!

Anandnesan, if you can, plan on seeing both Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. They are very different from each other; we liked Casa Batllo better, but the rooftop of Casa Mila is amazing. We bought audioguides; didn't need a guided tour.

Thanks Kwoo! Out guided tour is titled 'Gaudi In Context' and I just went back and read the description again. It clearly states that we will be visiting both the Casas (although the billing statement indicated just Casa Mila). I am glad I checked.

I assume the tours go inside right? Because that's definitely important! Also the audioguides are generaly very good..not that uou shouldnt go on a toir just seconding kwoo.
We dressed nicely for the flamenco..but we saw all types of dress so not as fancy as opera.