A Visit to Spain

A trip to Spain was not necessarily planned for this year, but the end of September offered a nine-day escape to Barcelona, one of Spain’s jewel cities on the Mediterranean. I knew I was going to be impressed by the wildly innovative architecture, but this seaside capital of Catalonia blew me away with the greatest collection of Art Nouveau buildings in all of Europe.

The best known buildings are the works by Antoni Gaudi, his greatest being the magnificent Sagrada Familia. As we stepped out of our cab in front of this miraculous structure, our jaws literally dropped. This controversial masterpiece has yet to be completed because of Gaudi’s untimely death in 1926, but with public funds, it remains under construction and is slated for completion by its 100th anniversary in 2026.

Gaudi devoted his life to the construction of Sagrada Familia. There is nothing like it in the world. The towering stone monuments are a shrine to the iconic figures of his Catholic faith. He hoped that it would reach out to Christians the world over as a pilgrimage for worship.

You can view most of Gaudi’s works around Barcelona in one day, but leave plenty of time to trek through his uniquely designed Park Guell. Built high on a hill overlooking the city, it was originally planned as a private residential park for aristocrats, but apparently that didn’t work out so well, and in 1923 it became a public park. The fairy tale-looking buildings resemble something from Hansel and Gretel, and the mosaic winding benches and lizard fountains make strolling through the lush gardens a delightful experience.

We also took in some culture and toured the Museu Picasso, a gallery that clearly confirms the ties that unite Pablo Picasso with the city of Barcelona. He not only finished his academic training here, but the dynamic impact the city had on him was the starting point of his path to modernism. The museum houses more than 3,000 of Picasso’s works and takes up an entire block of townhouses dating back to the 13th century.

It appears that most buildings in Barcelona are architectural wonders. The apartment we rented was in the heart of modernista buildings, known as the Eixample district. I leased the apartment through Destination BCN (www.destinationbcn.com), a hip management company who renovates historical buildings and offers fully stocked contemporary spaces soaked in Spanish sophistication. Each unit looks as though it’s ready to be photographed for a design magazine and yet you feel at home in its comfortable setting.

We could not have found a more convenient location, just steps from La Rambla, the Broadway of Barcelona. On this pedestrian-only boulevard, you become part of a street parade with newsstands, caged bird and flower stalls, tarot readers, musicians, drag queens and mime artists all abuzz down a tree-lined stretch from Placa de Catalunya to the waterfront pier. There are so many shops that you hardly know where to start, but it’s the food we were anxious to experience, and this gastronomic paradise did not disappoint.

Barcelona has one of the liveliest food scenes in Europe right now, with top-rated Michelin chefs, sprawling outdoor markets, and delectable little tapas bars on every corner. We wanted to try it all…the Iberian ham, the squid, the razor clams, the croquettes, the chocolate, the cava, the works.

There is no better place to start than La Boqueria food market, just off La Rambla. You may have seen a Food Network or Travel Channel star walking through this famous market, but until you are physically there, you cannot appreciate the overload your senses experience in this place. Dating back to 1840, this market has more than 300 stalls stocked with eye-popping displays of fresh fish, exotic fruits, cheeses, ham and more ham. Spain is a country where pork is a science within a religion. Deciding between Iberian black-hoofed hams versus Serrano ham can be as confusing and expensive as buying caviar or a fine wine. Shop after shop has hundreds of hams hanging from their rafters like piñatas.

Buried within the market stalls are little kiosk bars where you can dine. Prized by fellow chefs and foodies in the know, El Quim has been one of the most popular for more than 20 years. It’s a favorite for breakfast at the counter; sounds strange, but try the fried eggs topped by a heaping pile of garlicky sautéed chipirones (baby squid). Apparently it’s the breakfast of champions for Spaniards.

Down a block from La Boqueria stands Escriba, one of Barcelona’s oldest and best known chocolate and tea salons, with a shimmering modernista exterior of colorful mosaic tiles, a la Gaudí. My favorite delicacy was fresh mint leaves dipped in delicious dark chocolate.

After you have perused La Rambla, spending a few well-chosen days among the narrow streets of nearby Born, El Raval and Barceloneta neighborhoods will provide you with a crash course in what’s hot now. It’s fun to just get lost down one of the many cobblestone-paved side streets where you will find a mecca of top restaurants, bars and designer shops. I was amazed at the sophistication of Barcelona’s fashion scene. This is a city that attracts the young and hip worldwide.
We also enjoyed walking down to the waterfront pier where cool cafés line the marina, each competing for a chance to serve their version of house-made gazpacho or seafood paella as you sit gazing at the mega yachts and sailboats anchored just yards away.

As for dinner, we had one of the best meals of our life at a small, minimalist-style restaurant called Cinc Sentits (Five Senses). A self-taught Michelin star chef, Jordi Artal creates a tasting menu with incredible complexity and far-from-traditional flavors. His foie gras (thin pastry crust, balsamic-glazed leeks and burnt-sugar shell) or the lamb saddle (hazelnut couscous, licorice and espresso reduction), were among the many superb progressions of dishes—each accompanied with a well-chosen wine.

Between stuffing our faces in the endless supply of eateries and maneuvering through a gridlock of lost tourists, puttering Vespas and honking taxis, we experienced a city like no other. The MTV Europe Music Awards endorsed the city’s position as a global style capital, with hip artists quoted as saying, “I don’t think it gets sexier than this.” An inspired Catalan poet characterized Barcelona as “the great enchantress.” Whether you come to Barcelona for the food, the architecture, the fashion or the culture, I venture to say it will appeal to your senses and is guaranteed to satisfy.