Explore the possibilities.

Never be afraid to choose a road that nobody chooses.

Challenge new boundaries

Nobody knows what lies beyond.

There is always something new every day.

Pay attention to little details in your life and appreciate them.

Share the knowledge.

It is always fun to talk to someone who knows the subject as well as you do.

Be excited, and remember the excitement.

Never say you're too old to do something.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Spain - Foodie Time in Barcelona

One of the happiest moments when I travel is to savour the local cuisines. The best place to satisfy my curiosity and my stomach is the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria at La Rambla, one of the main streets at the heart of Barcelona.




It's a large indoor food market, ranging from raw ingredients to freshly prepared foods. I must warn you not to read this post when you are hungry or dieting. I'm writing this post around midnight and my tummy gets a bit rumbly as I selected the pictures for this post. Such a bad timing!






The foods look fantastic. And they are as delicious as you think they are. Sausages, burritos, pastries, fried seafood, tapas... they have everything a foodie would love to try.
















Up for something spicy and exotic? This is the right place to go.






If you are the type who want to try a little bit of everything, try finding this sausage shop near the entrance. For 1 euro, you can try all sorts of local sausages.



Then if you know which one you like the most, you can purchase them individually.



One last place I'd recommend you from the market is this tapas restaurant located somewhere in the middle of the market.


You'll be served with the typical Catalonian pa amb tomàquet (bread with tomato and olive oil) as a started. They're really tasty!



We tried the pincho de tortilla or the Spanish tortilla, made of potatoes and eggs. Although I'm not a big fan of potatoes, I really loved it.



The navajas (razor clam) was especially delicious. It's definitely a must-try when you're there.



The grilled squids are scrumptious as well. The sauce is similar to the one they used in the razor clams, which is to say... AWESOME.



Lastly, we also tried butiffara, a traditional Catalonian pork sausage. It's very juicy, very tender and flavourful. Ahh, the fats... it's just so good you can't say no to the artery-clogging substance in that.


From 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), I'd give a 9.5 for satisfaction. If I ever go back to Barcelona, I'll definitely come back to visit this market! :)

Spain - Casa Batlló, Barcelona

Ever seen a building with a weird rooftop like this?



Well, if you haven't, you should try to visit Casa Batlló. It's better to buy the tickets online in advance, but if you have a smart phone, you could also buy it online on site. Even if you don't have internet access via data plan, don't worry: they provide you with free WiFi close to the entrance. And the purpose is to let you purchase the tickets online and avoid the queue. Pretty nice, huh?



It's nice to travel as students because you get discounts to enter a lot of attractions in Barcelona. Now I kind of wish I don't have to graduate so soon haha :)

Typicial of Gaudi's creation, the interior design is thoroughly unique. For example, look at the ceiling lights and the fireplace.

Ceiling lights

Fireplace


And also, this spiraling ceiling:



As if the center of the ceiling was sucked in a whirlpool.

The windows, the pillars, the walls... they are incredible. Pretty much every part of the interior is a wonder.










Oh, and this ceiling is especially weird.



I don't think anyone knows exactly what it is except the designer himself. Some say it's a ripple of water, some theorize that those big bumps are actually... butts.

(image taken from here)


We spent about two hours to explore the building because there are quite some flight of stairs to climb.









As usual, don't miss the rooftop of Gaudi's masterpiece because it holds the best deal: the dragon's back up close.



I don't know a lot about art and architecture, but the visit brought me lots of fun, especially when you use a little bit of imagination when you look at some of the things you find there. For example, this door:


kind of looks like a surprised face, no?

(image from here)


Anyways, I think it's really worth the entrance fee I paid. It was a really beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, brilliant work. Astonishing!