La Pedrera con Cervecería Catalana

FINALLY! After 3 months of begging my friends to come with me, I finally got to see La Pedrera, Another building designed by Gaudi, La Pedrera, also known as Casa Mila, has one of the most interesting and strange rooftops designs in Barcelona. The building it located down the street from my apartment on Passeig de Gracia and admission grants you access to a tour of the inside of the building as well as the beautiful rooftop. The inside of the building was meant to serve as residential housing apartments and is built around a giant courtyard in the center. My favorite part of the structure however, is the strange architecture located on the rooftop. I had seen it every day as I walked to and from school, but finally seeing the structure up close and personal was well worth the wait.  It’s definitely not your average rooftop, and it’s almost hard to explain, so here are some pictures of the rooftops unique design:

After exploring La Pedrera, we took a walk down the street to a popular tapas restaurant that was highly recommended: Cerveceria Catalana. Knowing that the restaurant does not take reservations, we tried to go at an off time to avoid any lines. However, regardless of our strategic planning, the place was still packed! After a 40 minute wait, we were finally seated and ready to eat. To start, we ordered a pitcher of delicious white sangria and two orders of Greek salad. Next, we got a round of patatas bravas and fried calamari and finished it off with their speciality dish, Huevos cabreados, my favorite dish by far! The dish is made up of small crispy-fried potatoes with a spicy red sauce and covered with fried egg whites. High definitely recommend and can’t wait to come back and try them again!

 

Montserrat/Wine Touring

Another weekend in Barcelona, another new day of exploring and site seeing. Taking another break from traveling around Europe, my friends and I decided to book a tour that included a tour of the Montserrat monastery and after, a wine tasting at a nearby vineyard.

After 45 minutes of driving, we arrived at the scenic mountain of Montserrat. Located at the top of the Catalan pre-Coastal Range, Monserrat offered some amazing, mountainous views filled with trees and nature. The mountain is also home to the Benedictine abbey,  Santa Maria, which houses the sanctuary of the Virgin of Montserrat. According to our tour guide, legend has it that the monastery could not move the statue of the Virgin for religious reasons and instead, had to build around it. We walked around the top of the mountain and also took a look inside of the monastery, where we witnessed services being held within it’s tall, beautiful walls.

After a tour of Monserrat, we drove back down the mountain to a wine vineyard close by for a tour and wine tasting. The vineyard had a beautiful view of Monserrat in the background and it was a great, sunny day to walk around and explore. The grapes had just been taken off of it’s vines, but we could see the rows of land on which the fruit s grown. After a tour of the outside, we were taken inside to the building where the wine is made and then stored in barrels. We were then seated at a table where we were given some authentic Spanish tapas and tastes of different ages of wines. Our tour guide taught us how to differentiate wine based on taste, smell, and appearance and we noted the differences between 3 different ages of red wine. I am not usually a red wine girl, but this experience made me appreciate the work and effort that goes into making it. I also enjoyed the wine more because I could appreciate the taste of the high quality wine, as opposed to the cheap 1 Euro wine we buy at our local Supermerkat 😉 All in all, it was a perfect day filled with sun, friends, and amazing views. I am very happy to share this experience with some of my best friends and I can easily put this day down as one of our best day trips so far!

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A Cultural Day: Sagrada Familia & Parc Guell

My weekend of culture didn’t just end in the city of Tossa Del Mar. On a beautiful sunny day back in Barcelona, I took my parents to two of the most famous Gaudi creations: La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell.

I had been waiting for my family to be in Spain to finally visit the cathedral of Sagrada Famalia, as it is one of the most well-known architectural spots in Spain that everyone always recommends to tourists. Turns out, la Sagrada Familia is located on Carrer de Mallorca just 10 blocks down the street from my apartment – who knew! Seeing la Sagrada Familia from the outside for the first time is breathtaking. The tall, beautiful building reaches to a height of 170 meters and is way taller than any of the buildings that surround it. The inside of the cathedral is also just as amazing – rainbows of stained glass lines each window with large cubic colums lining the interior. I really enjoyed how the glass windows lit up the interior of the cathedral with beautiful, vivacious colors. Here a few pictures that capture the experience:

Next, I took my family to Parc Guell, another famous Guadi creation. I had already visted Parc Guell, but it was still just as enjoyable the second time around and a great experience to take the family there. Parc Guell is known as one of the largest architectural works in Europe and can be described as a garden complex filled with Gaudi architectural elements. Originally intended to be a housing site, the park was converted into a beautiful garden. At the top of main terrace of the park gives tourists the perfect view of all of Barcelona, extending all the way to the sea. There’s no better way to describe the beauty of the park and the sites than surround it than by showing some snapshots from my family’s visit:

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Tossa De Mar

With my family in town, we decided to rent a car for the day and take a drive to the suburbs outside of Barcelona. This was my first time outside of the city, and a great opportunity to see a different side of Spain. After about an hour in the car, we made our way 100 kilometres out of Barcelona and into the city of Tossa De Mar. Located on the Costa Brava, Tossa De Mar is one of the oldest cities in Spain, whose presence appearance dates back to the 14th Century. The city still has the city’s entire original perimeter lined with stone walls and towers that separate the Old Town from the New Town. The Old Town consists of narrow, cobblestoned streets while the New Town reveals more modern homes and streets. We spent the first half of our day exploring the seaside and eating at a delicious restaraunt along the beach, where we enjoyed some traditional Spanish paella along with some vino rose.

At the edge of the Tossa Beach lies a castle/fortress known as “Vila Vella”. Declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument, Vila Vella is a beautiful medieval fortified village open for tourists to climb and explore. My family and I spent hours walking around the fortress and looking over at the beautiful sights overlooking the ocean. From the top of the fortress, you can see the divide between the Old and New City and the differences between the architecture and layout. The fortress was magnificent, and the ocean was an amazing shade of blue. The fortress is unlike anything I have seen so far in Barcelona, and the city of Tossa De Mar is one I will definitely never forget. Before I leave Spain, I would love to come back here one day with my friends and enjoy a relaxing day on the beach.

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