The last blog for this adventure

IWe had a great day yesterday (Monday).  We walked to la Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece.  It took us 1/2 hour to get there and the bonus was walking on the wonderfully wide pedestrian street Sant Joan.  It was so pleasant.  The cars drive in one lane each direction on either side of this, leaving lots of room for walkers, runners, cyclists.  Barcelona also has an Arc de Triomf.  It was built for the 1888 World Fair as the main access gate.

We arrived about 15 minutes before the time on our tickets.  Those who have tickets line up on one side of the basilica while those poor souls who don't have tickets are in a massive line up on the other side.  And groups go in a different gate.  Our time was 10:45 so at precisely that time we were let in.  If you approach the gate before your time you are turned away until the right time.  But once in you do have to line up again to get the audio guide, which turned out to be very worthwhile. Once inside it's really quite ok that you are there with thousands.  It's huge and there is lots of room.  For those who have never been it's really quite breathtaking, astounding and magnificent.  We spent a couple of hours there and thoroughly enjoyed looking up into all the corners, and just imagining Gaudi's creative mind, but all still mathematically correct. The light inside in incredible.  I thought the cathedral in Leon was the best for that, but this is quite different as there are whole walls of colored glass in the most beautiful shades of blues, greens, oranges, reds and yellows. 

This church is still under construction.  The projected completion date is 2026, 100 years since Gaudi died (as a result of a traffic accident). He never meant to finish it in his lifetime as he wanted future generations put their mark on it too. 

There is one pipe organ now but when the church is complete there will be four and choir stalls for 1000 but in what we would call the balcony.  It goes all the way around the nave.

The columns are meant to represent trees growing up strong and branches on top with leaves on them, with light flowing through.  Photos cannot capture the reality of the structure. 

We wandered back to the old town a different way and by the time we got home we had very flat feet!!! For supper we went to the Santa Caterina Market which is just a block or so from our apartment.  It's a large public indoor market.  Closed at 3:30 in the afternoon but a big restaurant at one end is open all evening for dinner from 8-late.  There is a wide range of dishes - not all Spanish.  I chose Mediterran tonight: moussaka and a dish for two of grilled vegetables.  Wendy from the world menu: Yakisoba noodles with prawns and veggies.  We both enjoyed them.  Makes me want to go home and make some moussaka.  

The daily specials were circulating on a reader board in different languages. Pretty cool eh?

We have not felt at all uncomfortable wandering around in the dark here. There are so many people out, locals and tourists, going and coming for dinner or just walking about.  It's very comfortable. Apparently there are areas in town to avoid, night or day, but that is on the other side of Las Ramblas pedestrian street.  

On our last day in Barcelona we stuck pretty close to the old city.  Finally we got into the Barcelona cathedral which is only a couple of blocks from 'home'.  It's important to remember not to wear shorts when you go to visit!!

The very interesting thing about this cathedral is the 13 geese that have been in residence for 500 years, to remember that church's saint.  They have a nice spot in the cloisters and lots of tourists pay attention to them.  We thought they have held their age well!  😀

We did our final browse of El Corte Ingles food floor.  Always a big hit with most tourists in Spain and with us too.  Valor Chocolate - I am only confined by the weight of my suitcase!

Then off for lunch at another recommended spot and this one turned out to be FABULOUS too!  We were just going to get one tapas each and a glass of wine but ended up with 4 tapas 'cause they were sooooo good.  Our recommendee suggested a table outdoors but it was quite hot so we went inside and it was lovely and cool, although packed with lunch-time crowd.  We were lucky to grab a little table right by the bar which was covered in tapas. How to choose??       

We made some great selections (not sure you could go wrong here!) - a crab and shrimp item on a piece of toasted bread and then a ham with goat cheese and honey in a croissant.  That was so good we got another one.  Thanks Doug.

And now we are getting organized for our flight home tomorrow.  We will walk over to the 5:30 am aerobus to the airport.  Flight to Frankfurt then Vancouver and then the hop on to Victoria.  Can hardly believe it's over and we have spent 5 1/2 weeks in France and Spain.  As always we have had a great time.  Thanks for coming along with us!

Barcelona

Barcelona has way too much to see in just the six days we are here.  We have stayed in the old part of the city so far.  We've done a guided walk and then yesterday we went on a "free" walking tour where you tip what you think the walk is worth.  We had a gal who was originally from Poland and has lived in Barcelona for 4 years.  About 20 in the group from all over (USA, England, Ireland, India, and U.S). The company does English speaking and Spanish speaking tours - general tours about Barcelona, photography or art tour, and specialized tours for cooking or flamenco.  We thoroughly enjoyed her 2 1/2 hour walking around the Gothic area of the old town. Lots of good information and took us into lots of small plazas we might not otherwise have found (at least not for a few weeks!!) 

Jana - our walking tour guide. 

Watched these three musicians playing their instruments, two of which were quite foreign to us. Really interesting music.

We have just come home from the best meal we have had in Spain this year.  That is meal (dinner), not tapas. Saturday night we had some great tapas.  Tonight we went to a restaurant recommended by our Spanish friends Lanzada and Victor who live in Santiago.  Victor told us to go to his favorite restaurant in Barcelona which he thought was close to our apartment.  We went looking for it this afternoon and found it just around the end of our street. Called "Pla de la Garsa" it is really less than 1/2 block away.  Makes us realize how important it is to ask for recommendations.  We have had 2 not-so-good meals at places we picked ourselves and now have added 2 great meals via recommendations. It pays to ask your friends!!!

The two appetizers we picked: the ham croquet was tasty but the dish on the left: Wow!  We could have stopped right there.  Aubergine (eggplant) stuffed with dried tomatoes, mushrooms and some kind of cheese, then coated in crumbs and fried.  In the picture 6 pieces are standing in a row, on a plate, and covered with fried arugula. Delicious beyond imagination!!! Wendy thought we should just order another and stop right there.

But we had already ordered our main course.   We both got a dish called tender beef in Montsant red wine, with mushrooms and little shallots on the side.  It was very good and we both mopped up our bowls with chunks of bread. The waiter nearly had me talked into a dessert but Wendy was giving me the evil eye across the table so I had to say no. I hate to think I might miss something special but often live to regret that decision.

Saturday night we went to a tapas bar recommended in Rick Steves' Barcelona guide book.  It is also just around a corner from our apartment (a different corner).  We went there Friday night but it was full and I do mean full, no standing room left, so made a reservation for Saturday from 7:30-9:30.  After 9 is when all the Spanish people start arriving so it was easy to get in at the earlier time and that suits our North American time frames. 

As you can see it's a popular place.  This was taken as we were leaving at 9:15. 

As you can see I hardly had time to take a picture - it was so nummy.  Top photo is a crispy beef with Foie Gras and a bowl of aubergine chips fried and then sprinkled with lime and honey.  (Who could imagine eggplant could be so interesting!) The next two tapas we ordered were green asparagus and a ham and roast chicken croquet.  I thought the beef was the clear winner while Wendy liked the eggplant the best.

On Sunday morning we went to watch the local folk dancing of the Catalan 'Sardana' in the plaza in front of the cathedral.  It's on every Sunday morning after 11.  There is a small orchestra set up to play the music and lots of Spanish folks, with some tourists thrown in, join hands in a circle to do the dance.  It seems quite sedate at the start but picks up with the tempo of the music. Some groups are more active and accomplished than others.  They all put their bags and packs into the middle of the circle so they are safe, and then they start with the music.  It's not the dancers that are interesting but to look out over the plaza and see many circles dancing in amongst crowds of people.  Quite neat.  This dance is considered by some to be a symbol of unity (and maybe even a  statement of defiance) for the Catalans, who are seeking political separation from Spain. 

First Sunday of the month most of the museums in Barcelona are free so we lucked in.  We headed to the History of Barcelona Museum.  The museum was all about the ancient Roman city called Barcino and the ruins found underneath the old town, within the city walls.  

I am always interested in how they discovered the ruins and how they could identify various rooms and what things were used for.  Subsequent people built on top of the Roman ruins, and we could see how some Christian churches were built on top of Roman structures, and often used the Roman stones in their 'new' buildings. 

Pictures of what we saw do not do it justice so we will leave it at that.  

Monday we have tickets for Basilica de la Sagrada Familia.  The basilica was designed by Antoni Gaudi and is one of the most visited tourist sites in Europe. With tickets we don't have to wait in the long lineups and it was easy to book online today.

Hasta luego,

Marion y Wendy

Au Revoir Montpellier! Hola Barcelona!

Good bye lovely little apartment in Montpellier. Off on the TGV for Barcelona, 3 1/2 hours in first class train car. So comfy and quiet (except for a guy a few rows away snoring) and less than 10€ more than 2nd class for the 2 of us.  

We got ourselves from train station to office of apartment rental people to pick up our keys. We had been forewarned at least 6 times to watch for pick pockets. So I was quite anxious. This is one busy place. Lots of tourists. Maybe everyone we see on the streets is a tourist - hard to tell.  

Apartment is on the 2nd floor which means 3 flights above ground level, very narrow winding staircase.  

Small, but great location - very central. 

Once we got to our apartment and unloaded, sorted our stuff out and headed out again I felt a bit better and ready to explore.  We did a walk-around and stopped at outdoor café for limonade, and later had some tapas for dinner. 

On Friday we set out to follow a walking tour we had. It was supposed to take 1.5 hours, but actually took us more like 3 hours. We wound our way through the narrow old streets of the El Born area of Barcelona.  It was hard to stay on track as there were so many other interesting side streets, filled with bars and shops and museums. 

Church of Santa Maria del Mar - very stripped down Gothic and a very long nave. 

Stopped for an overly chocolate coffee break.  Not only was the croissant filled with chocolate, but ends were also dipped. Muffin was 'dense' chocolate!  Marion needed two coffees to match it all!

Street scenes as we neared the waterfront. Vast parks and - what the Spanish do so well - broad walking avenues - good for whole families, young, old, bikes, strollers, couples - all enjoying the outdoors together. 

After an outdoor lunch we walked up Las Ramblas. This is apparently the boulevard where you are most likely to be pick-pocketed in all of Europe. It was jammed with walkers, market stalls and crowds watching the buskers.  This was one of the more interesting ones. 

When you put money in his dish he would stand up and attack you - wrap his long fingers around your body, but he drew a great crowd and was much busier than others around (a John Lennon, a Geisha girl, a juggler). 

We walked on up to La Boqueria market. This is French markets magnified many times. The French are so much more reserved and proper, but the Spanish are all there for good food drinks and socializing. So many people eating in here, and lots of things we'd never seen before for sale. 

Fruits and veggies

Candy stall

Little flutes of seafood to munch as you walk along. 

Famous Spanish Jamon (ham)

We walked home past the Barcelona Cathedral, always a hive of activity.  Every time we've passed here there has been a musical busker - no matter the time of day! And the crowds are tuned in to them.  

We were going to go in to look around the cathedral yesterday but I had shorts on, just above my knee.  Not allowed on women.  So we will try again when I am wearing long pants.

Abrazos ( Spanish for hugs)

Wendy y Marion

  

Our last meals in Montpellier:

Yes we are indeed writing a food blog with just the odd bit of hiking and tourist stuff in between!!!  So with that line of thought we need to tell you about our last two meals out.  Last week when Susan was here we had had a couple of meals that were not great but all is forgotten with our breakfast out yesterday and lunch today.  

Yesterday we took the tram downtown to buy our train tickets for Barcelona.  The train is TGV so we need a seat reservation.  We went back to B'Cosse to have the Scottish scones with jam and French style clotted cream.  The two fellows who run this Belgium chocolate shop & tea room moved to Montpellier from Belgium a year ago.  One is Belgian and the other from Aberdeen, Scotland.  Therefore their name: B for Belgium and Cosse is from 'Écosse', the French name for Scotland.  Rather clever we thought!  Gavin, the Scot, makes his grandmother's scone recipe every day.  They are delicious and so light.  Wendy decided they were the best she has ever had.  I think that includes mine!!!!  Right now the street they are on is under a massive reconstruction of tram lines so it's been very slow for them during their first year but they are hopeful that after it's all done it will be wonderful.  They do lunch as well as tea and coffee, and a huge choice of Belgian chocolates. 

You can see their shop with red awning and a few hopeful tables just behind the barriers.

Today we walked up to Juvignac (25 min) for lunch at Ducos, following up on a good recommendation.  We were not disappointed.

Marion's starter - Camembert en croute (deep fried) and served with a small scoop of ice cream and a side salad. Yummy!

Wendy's starter - tartare of tomato, also served with ice cream and redish sprouts on top. The tomato mixture included several different kinds of tomatoes (red, green, yellow) in a kind of vinegrette dressing.  Loved it!  It even had a little face looking at me!

We both had the same main course - chicken breast rolled around an olive tapenade and then sliced and sautéed. It was served on a bed of coarse-chopped vegetables in a dark sauce. We never did figure out what the yellow decorative sauce was - but not mustard! In the middle of the veggies was a ball of risotto that was coated and deepfried.  It was fabulous.  All wonderful flavours blending together. 

We went with the Gourmand dessert (not that we needed it, but were intrigued by what would show up!). It was - from right - coffee, then a fresh fruit cup, a little almond cake, some small pink candies and a profiterole with salted caramel ice cream and chocolate sauce!!! Service was impeccable.

After that we just rolled home!  Good thing we were walking (to shake it down a little). Supper tonight will be an apple!!

Off to Barcelona in the morning. Only one week left. 

à la prochaine

Wendy et Marion

Riding the rails.....

We have loved the tram system in Montpellier and would like to make a recommendation for Victoria to get together with its 13 municipalities and have a similar system installed.  It's so easy to get around town.  And the neat thing is that there is a level entry and exit.  This means it's accessible for everyone. Strollers and baby buggies can be pushed right in, no need to unload and carry stroller under one arm, baby in the other and shopping bag in your teeth!  Wheelchairs, and bicycles, dogs and cats.  

Don't even have to get off your bike!

Backing out onto platform.  There are also lots of hand-holds. 

Ticket validating machine. Subscribers can just touch their card to bottom of machine.  No need to even insert it. 

You can buy a card at each stop that allows you one ride for 1,50€ or 10 rides for 10€.  Every time you get on (unless it's within 1 hour of first stamp) you just punch into top of this machine and you are done.  Easy as pie. And rails are surface mounted at ground level so taxis, trucks, cars and bikes can drive smoothly over them. Let's push for it, Victoria!  Dump the naysayers!  And think of the possibilities for a competition to designs the outside of the tram!

Not sure which is my favorite, the blue one or the flower power!

Á plus tard,

Wendy et Marion