barcelona

Friends and family, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. It's been far too long since my last update and I'm sure all 4 of you frequent readers have been hungry for a little Hein family life update. Patience is a virtue. After once-a-day blogging for an entire month, I convinced myself I had earned a short - albeit unnecessary (let's be honest, what else do I have to do...?) - break from the blogosphere.

As teased at the end of November, Alejandro convinced me to join him on a quick trip to Barcelona while Andy was away for the French Cup. We braved the rain and "Hotel" Coronado ("hotel" because it cost 12 euro per night per person), and enjoyed an awesome little getaway.

We were sure to act as touristy as possible. We powered through day one by visiting Las Ramblas, the Columbus Monument, the Gothic Quarter, the Arc de Triomf, the Parc de la Ciutadella and the Sagrada Familia cathedral.

Day one came to a close after tapas, a rainy walk down Passeig de Gracia, and drinking games. I was lucky enough to be kept up into the wee hours fall asleep with the sweet sounds of Alejandro's alcohol-induced snoring.

Our second day of adventure began with an overpriced but delicious breakfast on Las Ramblas. We had to check out of our hotel that morning, which meant Harry was along for the day of sightseeing. 

Animals aren't permitted on the metro so Harry spent a majority of his public Barcelona transportation experience up close and personal to his Uncle Alex. After breakfast, we grabbed churros con chocolate and headed up to Parc de Guell.

Parc de Guell is situated atop the hill of El Carmel, with a stunning view of the city of Barcelona below. Designed by the Catalan architect, this park pays tribute to the famously beautiful mosaic creations Antonio Gaudi was known for.

Before saying goodbye and parting ways until next Spring, we were sure to stop at La Boqueria market. I thought we had it good in Toulouse between the daily farmer's markets and Victor Hugo. I was sorely mistaken. This market trumps almost all others I've ever seen. They have fresh meat, seafood, fruits, freshly squeezed juices, vegetables, nuts, Catalan cocoa, nuts, candy and more. We ended our trip on a high note as we stopped at an organic food stand in the market for some "orgasmica" vegetable-packed paella and a beer.

I picked up a container of traditional paella seasoning before we left and I'm already looking forward to researching and whipping up a great recipe from our petite kitchen here in France.

Thanks for the kick in the butt to take this trip with you, 'Jandro.

on to the next one...