Barcelona random details and thoughts

It's so much easier and faster to write blog posts when time has passed and I don't remember exactly everything we did!

The girls' favorite restaurant by far was Wok... an all you can eat Asian buffet with a wide selection of noodles, dumplings, rice, sushi, fresh meat, seafood and veggies for grilling.  I watched Gabby eat her weight in asparagus one day.  

Wok
Psg. Lluís Companys 19
08003 Barcelona
Phone +34 93 310 6400
Timetable:
Noon: 12:30 h – 16:30 h
Evening: 20:00 h – 24:00 h

Sofia remarked on this trip that she doesn't like visiting big cities as much... you have to worry about pick pockets and learning the transportation system.

Audra said that after we move back to the states she's going to miss going to all these places.  Yeah!!  We've gotten through to one of them!  Audra has also picked up the Swedish habit of saying 'ja ha' 

(= okay) to things.  Very funny. 

Gabby thinks that all these European cities look the same (Rome, Prague, Barcelona).  They are old and boring.  Sigh.  Also, she was not happy with going to dinner at 8pm (early by Spanish standards).  Gabby actually said "we're Swedish, we don't eat dinner that late"!!  Up to this point her mantra has been 'we're American, why do we have to celebrate every Swedish tradition?'!

In the search for the best paella everyone recommended 7 Portes, a Barcelona institution with white tablecloths and professional waiters.  They did not disappoint, we were happy!  It worked to our advantage, not being on Spanish dinner time (10pm), even if we didn't have reservations we could get into any restaurant just after they opened... 7 Portes didn't have any reservations available for another week.

I loved the fact that in the area around Sagrada Familia there were not dozens of vendors selling cheap trinkets and annoying squeaky toys!  

Over the winter I forgot about the problem big European cities have with sewer smells when it's warmer.  The lobby of our apartment building was especially bad.  It is the one thing I am not looking forward to about summer weather. 

Oh no!  Macarons at McDonald's? 

great name for a children's clothing store!

Gordon and I could have spent more time in the Santa Caterina food market but we zipped in and out with the girls to avoid viewing any whole animal parts (heads, tongues, etc), they are picky enough eaters as it is. 

Santa Caterina Mercat:  Av Francesc Cambó, 16, 08003 Barcelona, Spain,  +34 933 19 57 40

fresh spices

big doors!

narrow Old Town/Gothic quarter streets!

my first Spanish omelet!