I have been out and about in Barcelona pretty much since I got here. Out of the hotel in the morning and returning maybe for a quick change of clothes for dinner or maybe not. Finding myself being more of a tourist here. The first couple of meals here had me wondering what all the hype was about about Catalonian cuisine. But I am now way back on track. Not that I didn't have a few good things in those first couple of meals, but I have hit the mother lode recently. Had a great lunch in Sitges yesterday at a restaurant recommended by my friend and client Steve Wood, a Spanish wine fan, from a blog that I have referenced for a few of my other great meals, this meal was about paella. Seafood paella! I should mention that I was staring at the sea as at ate my seafood paella, and I should also mention that it was spectacular. Perfectly cooked rice, full of flavor and fresh seafood. A great salad, some croquettes and some mussels rounded out the meal as well as a little cava!
Sitges is a perfect little seaside village about 45 minutes by train south of Barcelona. A perfect day trip for many and I took a chance on it also. A cool and very cloudy day ended up providing me with some of my favorite images from the whole trip. Three of them are posted below. Spent the day walking around, enjoying the town and taking some pictures. Caught the train back in time for a late dinner.
Through Steve's recommended blog, and confirmation from the New York Times, we decided to hit a touch more upscale tapas bar called Tapas C24. Upscale only in food, it was a hoot to wait, watch and then eat. Packed till we left at about 11:30, this place provided the best food yet. Fresh fried sardines were great, the potatas bravas were amazing, the McFoie slider, hum, yeah that was great, a salad that was okay, and the best bite of the night was a mozzarella, jambon and truffle grilled sandwich. OMFG!!! Three more please...
We ended up sitting next to a gal from Boston and her Barcelonian boyfriend and got a great rec for lunch today. After dinner, and having watch from across the bar these two drunk guys hit on these two Scandanvian woman that we met while waiting, we got a drink with the two woman and had a great time at another place down the road and away from the obnoxious guys.
Today was my chance to finally hit the la Boccaria market. A marked change from the markets I saw in Vietnam, this one was clean and very easy to breath in. The seafood area was, well, very fresh and easy to breath in. We got a bite to eat at a tapas place in the market call El Quin. After we finally secured a seat, we had a delicious meal of roasted razor clams, shrimp in a ajuillo sauce, potatas bravas and fresh anchovies in vinegar. Awesome lunch. Spent the rest of the day walking the narrow walking streets of Barcelona. Headed to dinner soon. More tapas...
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
It's A Small World After All
Adjusting to life in Barcelona has been easy. I must say that a nice glass of wine and a small plate of olives and cheese is a good thing. Flying here made me think about how big this world is. And at the same time, how small it is. Leaving Saigon and flying over Cambodia, just out side of Pakistan and all the conflict past and present in both of those countries. Then over tigers and vegetarians while flying over India and up the Persian Gulf to Qatar. Leaving Qatar took me over the middle east, Turkey, Greece and Italy before landing in Barcelona. All the history of all those countries and yet I can fly over them all in a matter of hours. It made me wonder what was happening in daily life in each one of them. What do their markets look like. I guess a few more trips are in order.
First, I just walked around the city. Awesome! What a cool place. Soaking it all in not really taking that many pictures. Had dinner at a restaurant that was a mix of Catalonian, Cajun and, ready for this? Vietnamese. The history of this place is a weird story but the short of it is a teacher from Spain, teaching architecture at Tulane in New Orleans met a Vietnamese student there, who later became a chef. They kept in touch and when the professor moved back to Spain they opened this place called Me, Vietnamese for mother. Pretty good, green papaya salad rocked, fish croquettes were great. Steak was okay and the swordfish was good.
Today just brought being a tourist. Went to the Sagrada Familia church by Gaudi. Holy cow! What a place. I wasn't that psyched to go but I was soooo glad I waited in that line and saw it. Pictures do not do it justice. Then off to a late, for Americans, 2pm lunch of some tapas and wine down some back alley. Then hit up the Picasso Museum. Pretty cool also. Lots of his early work and a lot of history I didn't know about him. Did a little window shopping just wandering back to the hotel. It's 8:45 pm here and off to the Barcelona Jazz Festival and then a late, or normal here, dinner.
Maybe some pics tomorrow... Adios!
First, I just walked around the city. Awesome! What a cool place. Soaking it all in not really taking that many pictures. Had dinner at a restaurant that was a mix of Catalonian, Cajun and, ready for this? Vietnamese. The history of this place is a weird story but the short of it is a teacher from Spain, teaching architecture at Tulane in New Orleans met a Vietnamese student there, who later became a chef. They kept in touch and when the professor moved back to Spain they opened this place called Me, Vietnamese for mother. Pretty good, green papaya salad rocked, fish croquettes were great. Steak was okay and the swordfish was good.
Today just brought being a tourist. Went to the Sagrada Familia church by Gaudi. Holy cow! What a place. I wasn't that psyched to go but I was soooo glad I waited in that line and saw it. Pictures do not do it justice. Then off to a late, for Americans, 2pm lunch of some tapas and wine down some back alley. Then hit up the Picasso Museum. Pretty cool also. Lots of his early work and a lot of history I didn't know about him. Did a little window shopping just wandering back to the hotel. It's 8:45 pm here and off to the Barcelona Jazz Festival and then a late, or normal here, dinner.
Maybe some pics tomorrow... Adios!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Final Day In Vietnam Pretty Close To Perfect
Last night took us to a great noodle shop here in Duong Dong. So good in fact, that we asked about coming back today to photograph them making noodles. Finally, I get to shoot a real noodle maker. Dumpling making in Hoi An was okay, but this was looking picture perfect. We needed to be back at 4 in the afternoon. Done! I wasn't missing this.
That meant that Zoom and I were heading out early to get up to the north shore of the island. In all we put about 80km on the bike and I bet 75 of them were on pot hole laden dry dirt roads with wood bridges that had planks missing and no side rails. Just by riding I haven't been that dirty in a long time. Add the heat and humidity and I'm sure I was lookin' good! Followed the coast hugging road through the small town of Cua Can, home of the scary wooden bridge, and then on up the coast to Ganh Dau. Stopped for coffee in this cool one horse town and met the woman who owned the shop. She sat with us and of course Zoom and her hit it off. Next thing I know Zoom, this woman, her husband and I are headed down some sidewalk/trash chute through a bunch of lean to's, to look at a lot for sale for Zoom. The lot didn't pass the test and if Zoom would have thought it did, I was going to have to put an end to that one.
Next thing I know we are at the bottom of the hill in a home/restaurant that was owned by the couples parents, to check on their 7 month old son. Well the back of this place had a huge window and a table overlooking the water. In fact the house hung out over the water. Well, while looking out to the fishing boats, we noticed the next door neighbor was dumping out two or three 50, yes, 50 quart pots of steamed crabs onto his dock to cool. Can you see where this is going? Yes, an early lunch of fresh caught and just steamed crab. Just throw your shells out the window. Beer and rice completed the perfect, unexpected lunch. Oh yeah, only 180,000 dong, or about $9. Nice!
Great ride back. We were advised to go back the way we came because of construction on the mountain roads. They don't construct roads here like the US. Let's just leave it at that. Even Zoom, who rides her motorbike everywhere, vacations and all, was scared of the one bridge. I have some video of other bikes going across that that I will figure out how to post once I get back to St. Louis.
So after a coffee back in town, we headed to Van Ky's. A Chinese noodle shop that is considered the best noodles on the island, according to a few random locals. We arrived with a 9 kilogram well of flour on the back table and 40 duck eggs get mixed in. Some salt, some water and some secret water. We are off and running. This is a picture perfect back kitchen in a real Vietnamese restaurant catering to locals only. As the only foreigner, I was a bit of a novelty the night before. Anyway, with a lot of help from nieces and nephews, the noodles get kneaded, rolled and cut into three different shapes. Long flat noodles, long round noodles and 3"ish squares for wontons, homemade wontons. Loved shooting here! Loved it!!!! A few, very quick pics are below.
Not sure what tomorrow morning will bring photo wise, if anything. We checkout at 1pm for a 2:30pm flight that will take me to Saigon, where I will have to say goodbye to Zoom :-(, and then to Qatar, change planes and on to Barcelona. Hello Catalonia! Hello Jenny!
That meant that Zoom and I were heading out early to get up to the north shore of the island. In all we put about 80km on the bike and I bet 75 of them were on pot hole laden dry dirt roads with wood bridges that had planks missing and no side rails. Just by riding I haven't been that dirty in a long time. Add the heat and humidity and I'm sure I was lookin' good! Followed the coast hugging road through the small town of Cua Can, home of the scary wooden bridge, and then on up the coast to Ganh Dau. Stopped for coffee in this cool one horse town and met the woman who owned the shop. She sat with us and of course Zoom and her hit it off. Next thing I know Zoom, this woman, her husband and I are headed down some sidewalk/trash chute through a bunch of lean to's, to look at a lot for sale for Zoom. The lot didn't pass the test and if Zoom would have thought it did, I was going to have to put an end to that one.
Next thing I know we are at the bottom of the hill in a home/restaurant that was owned by the couples parents, to check on their 7 month old son. Well the back of this place had a huge window and a table overlooking the water. In fact the house hung out over the water. Well, while looking out to the fishing boats, we noticed the next door neighbor was dumping out two or three 50, yes, 50 quart pots of steamed crabs onto his dock to cool. Can you see where this is going? Yes, an early lunch of fresh caught and just steamed crab. Just throw your shells out the window. Beer and rice completed the perfect, unexpected lunch. Oh yeah, only 180,000 dong, or about $9. Nice!
Great ride back. We were advised to go back the way we came because of construction on the mountain roads. They don't construct roads here like the US. Let's just leave it at that. Even Zoom, who rides her motorbike everywhere, vacations and all, was scared of the one bridge. I have some video of other bikes going across that that I will figure out how to post once I get back to St. Louis.
So after a coffee back in town, we headed to Van Ky's. A Chinese noodle shop that is considered the best noodles on the island, according to a few random locals. We arrived with a 9 kilogram well of flour on the back table and 40 duck eggs get mixed in. Some salt, some water and some secret water. We are off and running. This is a picture perfect back kitchen in a real Vietnamese restaurant catering to locals only. As the only foreigner, I was a bit of a novelty the night before. Anyway, with a lot of help from nieces and nephews, the noodles get kneaded, rolled and cut into three different shapes. Long flat noodles, long round noodles and 3"ish squares for wontons, homemade wontons. Loved shooting here! Loved it!!!! A few, very quick pics are below.
Not sure what tomorrow morning will bring photo wise, if anything. We checkout at 1pm for a 2:30pm flight that will take me to Saigon, where I will have to say goodbye to Zoom :-(, and then to Qatar, change planes and on to Barcelona. Hello Catalonia! Hello Jenny!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
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