Barçelona

Ever since I was about six or seven, I always wanted to go to Barcelona. It wasn’t because I wanted to “strut like I mean it” per the Cheetah Girls 2. In all honesty I wanted to see all of the Picasso paintings and, since I figured that I wouldn’t like French food, Barcelona was the only option.

Fast-forward over a decade later and I have been able to achieve my dreams of stuffing myself with paella and soaking in *all* the Cubism, Surrealism, and Art Nouveau my heart desires.

Before I delve into my recommendations, here are some fast facts:

1. Barcelona is located in Catalunya (Catalonia in Castellano). You can expect all of the signs to be written in the order of Catalan, Castellano, then English or just Catalan and English. As a Spanish-speaker, however, I didn’t have difficulties getting around.
2. The majority of Barcelona’s architecture was mostly constructed at the turn of the 20th century. The oldest buildings can be found in Barri Gotico, or the Gothic Quarter, located by the coastline
3. If you want to strike up a conversation with a stranger, regardless of your language capabilities, you might want to mention the city’s two football (soccer) clubs: FC Barcelona (commonly abbreviated Barça) and Espanyol.
4. Gaudí, Gaudí, Gaudí. The architectural mastermind behind La Sagrada Família, Park Güell, and many other monuments throughout the city. If you don’t like Art Nouveau, get over it.

Places to go:

In my opinion, all of these are within walking distance of downtown Barcelona (an hour to an hour and a half). Then again, I like to walk. A lot (I like to get in around 10 miles per day of walking on vacation). With that, to make the most of your time in Barcelona, you might want to use a hop-on/hop-off bus tour as your main form of transportation because you’ll get great views of the city from the top of the double-decker and valuable information via the audio sets.

FYI: I went during the off season. However, you should definitely book tickets ahead of time for La Sagrada Família and Park Güell if you plan to visit Barcelona. In addition, most places are closed on Mondays and close early on Sundays.

Street Walks:

• Las Ramblas: Although it’s the biggest tourist trap in the city, you should definitely go because you can find the main shopping center, Plaça Catalunya at the top of the area and it leads you directly to the coastline. Some places I would recommend eating here are Cerveceria Baveria (I think it’s a famous place. There was a picture of Tori Spelling in there from the 1990s when she was relevant) and El Trobador (because it has good food *AND* free wifi).
• Passeig de Gracia: Considered the city’s Champs Elyseess, there are plenty of designer stores that will help you max out your credit card. More importantly, it is home to two of Gaudí’s famed architecture pieces: Casa Battló and Casa Milla. If you aren’t much of an architecture fan/nerd, you can probably pass-up spending $$$ on tickets to enter and just view both establishments from the outside at night. I specify seeing them at *nighttime* because they are well-lit with *superprettycolors* that make them even more photo-worthy.
• Barri Gotico: You’ll find it on any tourist map of the city. It is the oldest part of the city. It’s easy to find much better and cheaper places to eat here than Las Ramblas.
• The Waterfront: Obviously a must see since Barcelona is a coastal city. Here, you’ll be able to see: a statue dedicated to everyone’s favorite genocidaire, Christopher Columbus; Mont Juïc; take a funicular to Mont Juïc; and find some nice places to hang out along the beach.
• The Plaças: Most major cities have beautiful plazas that are open to the public. In Barcelona, you should take advantage of this by going on a walking tour of its “plaças”. Guided tours are available, but its sufficient to just get a map and mark out a few places. One of the main plaças you should visit is Plaça de Catalunya because of the nighttime water show and your ability to check out some designers based out of Barcelona: Desigual and Custo Barcelona. *warning* , if you don’t like bold prints and bright colors, these aren’t the places for you.
• Park Güell: Gaudí’s crowning glory is a must-see. It’s a bit out of the way so you can either take a hike, use a hop-on/hop-off tour, or take a taxi to get there. It costs money to see the center, so if you aren’t *that* interested in Gaudí’s work, you should at least walk on the hill to get some of the best views of Barcelona. WARNING: be sure to book your tickets in advance to see the center of Park Güel because only a certain number of people are let in per day.
• Mont Juïc: I’ve mentioned this place a few times for a reason. The views of the city are unbeatable. Do yourself a favor and go here.

Be sure to take a picture with the lions at the base of Christopher Columbus’s statue on the waterfront

Museums:

• Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya: 1,000 years of Catalunyan art housed in Palau Nacional. Offers great views of Barcelona and is located on Mont Juïc (literal translation: Jewish Mountain. No quality bagels, lox, or shakshouka in sight though) which houses various gardens and a variety of other museums. CLOSED ON MONDAYS
• Museu Picasso: Although he was born in the Southern Spanish city of Málaga, Barcelona houses most of his early works. The museum also houses a variety of other works. CLOSED ON MONDAYS
• MACBA: Museu d’Arti Contemporani de Barcelona: the theme of the museum is some objects of desire, some objects of necessity, some objects that escape notice, divided by a force majeur= somethings. This museum only has one permanent exhibit that is about the myth of peace in Europe. The rest features artists from Spain, Latin America, the Arab World, etc. If you don’t like Modern Art or political commentary in art, however, you might want to skip it. OPEN ON MONDAYS
• Museu de la Xocolata: Who doesn’t like chocolate? If you are #done with other museums, its raining outside, or need a date idea, this is a prime location. First of all, your ticket is actually a piece of chocolate. Secondly, you can read about the history of chocolate and see pieces of artwork made of it. Thirdly, you can SEE chocolate being made. Finally, at the end of your tour, you can DRINK chocolate! Fun fact: Barcelona was the first place in Spain to import the cacao bean from the Americas. OPEN ON MONDAYS

 

Me actually drinking melted chocolate at Museu de la Xocolata

Churches, Basilicas, Cathedrals, etc:

• La Sagrada Familia: If you go to Barcelona and don’t see this, then why did you come to Barcelona? It is the most visited place in Catalunya and the rest of Spain as well. And, of course, it was designed by Gaudí. Outside the Passion façade entrance, you can see a small school that Gaudí built for children of the construction workers and enter the basilica’s museum at a nearby entrance.
• Barcelona Cathedral: Located in the Gothic Quarter, it is a bit difficult to find but worth the walk. It is one of the best representations of gothic architecture in Barcelona and you can get rid of your Catholic guilt here in a traditional confessional. WARNING: since it is a religious institution (and much less touristy than Sagrada) all sexes must cover up their shoulders and wear clothing long enough to cover the knees.

Day trips:

There are a variety of places in Catalunya you can travel to via Barcelona. However, my top pick is Montserrat. Directly translated as “serrated mountain” it is a place for liquor aficionados, nature, art, history, and lovers of religious artifacts.

• Liquor aficionados can enjoy locally made wine and liquors traditionally made by monks of the region. Doesn’t get any better than that, right? You can do a liquor tasting that involves taking four shots of different liquors that are made from local plants and other products. My personal favorite from tasting all of them is Crema Catalana because it tastes like the dessert that is indigenous to the region.
• For nature lovers: The base of the mountain has a circumference of 25 km. There is also a finicular that goes to the top of the mountain if you prefer to start your hike from there. Hiking trails that face westward offer the best unobstructed views of the Mediterranean Sea.
• Art lovers will appreciate the architecture of Monsterrat’s cathedral and the Museu de Montserrat, which houses artifacts from the Middle East, local painters’ works, and some of Dalí and Picasso’s paintings and early sketches.
• History nerd/lovers/preferred term should know that Francisco Franco and his army used this mountain as a base during the Spanish Civil War. In addition, Montserrat has been home to the preservation of Catalunyan language and architecture for centuries.
• Those interested in religion must visit the Basilica of Montserrat. It features one of the few Black Madonnas around the world. If you are interested in making a pilgrimage, you can stay at the monastery’s rooms for 5 Euros for a couple of nights.

One of the most beautiful and inspiring things I found in Montserrat was a local Catalunyan dessert: cheese and honey. I know. It sounds gross. However, the cheese is very mild (it’s more like cooked milk with the consistency of ricotta cheese) and the honey is *to die for*

Cheese and honey dessert featuring beautiful Montserrat and the Mediterranean Sea on the horizon.

If you made it this far, CONGRATULATIONS! This concludes my first Spain post. Be sure to look out for my posts about Sevilla, Granada, Madrid, and Toledo!

 

 

 

Frugality in the Frigid

Don’t go Broke, Go Skiing!

As a little girl I fondly remember the afternoons when my family would sit in the trunk of our car and top off a long day of skiing with canisters of my mom’s homemade hot chocolate, complete with red sprinkles and whip cream stored in a mini cooler. Only with retrospect do I understand the slightly less sentimental motivation behind this tradition. Food and beverages at ski resorts are expensive and my parents were wisely incentivizing my brothers and me to hold out for our money-saving afternoon hot chocolate. 

Family Ski Weekend in Tahoe, California (I’m the wee one on the right)

Skiing is an expensive hobby, but if you’re like my Colorado family it is considered a necessary lifestyle investment.Because the resorts are so isolated, they can monopolize prices in these high altitude communities meaning that its difficult for tourists to find substitutes for fries that cost $7.50 ( I wish I was joking, but I saw this price last weekend).  While it may be difficult to cut down the costs of transportations, lift tickets and gear, here’s the advice of one economics major on how to keep the food budget low while hitting the slopes! 

The first tidbit of advice I can offer is to follow in my mother’s footsteps: pack food in advance. I know that a $13 slice of pizza is enticing but your wallet will thank you later if you simply make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or subsist off of granola bars for a few hours (many resorts also give out free promotional granola bars). There are two approaches to this. First you can simple shove one or two small food items in your jacket pocket. Remember that you must pack stuff that won’t impale you if you take a tumble. Alternatively you can pack a full spread  to cart around in a light, waterproof backpack. I favor the second option. Often you can even find day lockers to stash your bag in (cheap or free) if you familiarize yourself with the condos at the base of the mountain. Be cautious however, because even walking into one of the ski loges/cafeterias to eat your pre-packed lunch can be dangerous. The scent of chili, burgers and every other comforting food ushering you in from below freezing temperatures will tempt you. You start out with just adding a bowl of soup… and then a Gatorade… and then a brownie (because you’ve worked so hard) but this is one slippery slope you don’t want to try and strattle. Consider compromising to buying ONE warm beverage, although even powdered hot coco runs you about $5 at most resorts. 

So maybe you’ve made it through the day a savvy slope master, wallet unbroken and consider a quick dinner before hoping on the highway to brave mountain traffic. You are still wrong. You deserve a warm fulfilling meal to replenish your calories but don’t settle for the base resorts over priced stuff. Resist the temptation and go to your car, get those ski boots off and then…

1. Go to the local grocery store: It may seem like all ski towns are nothing but tourist traps and 5 star restaurants but this is a myth. Normal blue collar employees live up there too, so do a quick internet search for a nearby Safeway where you can get something from the prepared foods section. Better yet, stop in to stock up on car ride snacks so you can munch your way down the mountain and beat traffic.
2. Follow the bums: My father may be an accomplished adult but when we are skiing his true colors shine through and his battered backpack and efficiency with the chairlift revealing his youth spent as a ski instructor in Colorado and Switzerland. This kind of local, if they can be sniffed out, will lead you to the best local joints. Ask people on the chairlift where they are from and if they are local get their recommendations. In Breckenridge, we frequent a discrete gem called Soupzon. This one counter soup bar has delicious, local made soup that defrosts your toes and doesn’t break your pocket book. It is also conveniently located next to one of the regions finest recreational marijuana dispenses but that’s an entirely different matter. 
3. Go to a weird mountain town: If you do want to splurge on a meal, I suggest maximizing your tourist experience as well. Select a small mountain town on your route home and find out if they have any restaurants. Boulderites have a tradition in stoping at Beau Jo’s Pizza in Idaho Springs  before descending the foothills. Although I almost stabbed my brother with a fork once in the hungry anticipation for my pizza, there is nothing better than finally relaxing with craft brews and soulcrushingly decadent pizza in this minor’s town.

 

A Pizza My Heart

 

I usually adamantly say that I have never fallen in love, but I was reflecting the other day and I know that simply isn’t true The truth is I am deeply and passionately (and probably unhealthily) in love with pizza. The fact of the matter is that pizza shares a large place in my heart and a large part of my life. I love pizza and if I ever love another person as much, they should feel blessed.

 

Love teaches you a lot, and my love for pizza is no exception. I’ve learned some important lessons though pizza.

 

1. I’ve learned to be versatile.

There’s toppings and styles and cheeses and crusts and sauces and every new way to make pizza. My go to pizza style is good old fashioned Hawaiian pizza with plenty of ham and perfectly juicy chunks of pineapple. But often there is a lack of pineapple at most pizzeria’s so I’m forced to choose another option. But luckily because it’s pizza, it’s always delicious, and I’ve never been afraid of change

 

2. I can love despite flaw.

Basically, I hate cheese I hate it in pretty much all its forms (except mozzarella sticks), and I know that makes me extremely strange, but I have hated cheese for as long I can remember. As most know, cheese is an integral part of pizza. And while I can remove the cheese from the pizza, I know it is better when whole. I can love pizza for its flaws of high fat, lots of calories, and the cheese.

 

3. There is good in the bad

There is a lot of terrible pizza out there. Domino’s, Little Caesar’s, Papa John’s, basically all of DC’s pizza. But even with all these bad pizza options, in the world, it’s still fine, because you’re still eating pizza so that’s something to celebrate.

 

4. You are beautiful even if you aren’t whole. Every piece of you is beautiful as the rest.

Look at a pie of pizza. Now look at a pie of pizza with a slice missing. It’s still just as beautiful. That slice that is gone (probably because I took it) is just as beautiful because it represents all the goodness of pizza. It tastes and smells just as delicious as the others. While one slice may have a bit more topping on it or may be a little bigger, it is still as wonderful as the next.

 

5. You can love, but you should in moderation.

I love pizza I really do. But that doesn’t mean I should love all eight slices of it in the same sitting. I shouldn’t love pizza every night of the week. My doctor and waistline may not support that. But when I do choose moderation instead of obsession, it makes every time I do love pizza that much better.

 

6. Love should make you feel good.

I know I love pizza and I know every time I eat pizza I feel good. And that’s true love right there.

 

So I know, I talk about pizza incessantly. But I thought I would give you a greater insight into the impact pizza has made on my life. It will be a following trend as I continue to set out for the best slice of my life. And I encourage you to as well. Go out and find the best slice of your life.

On December 30, 2015June 13, 2016 By marstonmcIn Food: The Most Important Thing For College Students, Pursuit of HappBRInessLeave a comment