When I was resizing the photos for this journal, I kept thinking, man, I was just there. I'm still not over the warm chickpeas dish from Pinotxo which has inspired me to cook and replicate it at home twice already. I certainly can't get over our night at Cal Pep where we sat next to two Germans (father and son) whom we ended up befriending after the father picked one of his deep-fried jalapeño peppers and put it on our plates to share.
There are more and more small-plate places opening up in New York City, but Barcelona just has the culture down. Where else but in Spain can you eat a decent bowl of stewed tripe for breakfast? Where else will you be spared a quizzical look when you order razor clams for a snack? And toasted bread rubbed with a grilled tomato and garlic? Thank goodness for those Galicians. Red wine with every meal whether it's 9am or 4pm? Bless their hearts.
Quick Tips:
Like the rest of Europe, tipping your waiter is expected. Unlike New York City, however, it’s not a requirement. Leave some coins when you get your change back but add some more if you truly appreciated the service. It’s good karma.
Dining alfresco is tempting but you will be charged extra if you choose to sit outside. Sitting at the bar is even better because that’s where all the action happens.
Best Way To Get Around:
It’s easy to get around Barcelona using the metro. We bought the 3-day City Card from one of the tourist information booths peppered all over Barcelona for €28 each and we were able to hop on and hop off the metro and buses. Each card also comes with a discount book and we used a few of them to see some of the more popular tourist attractions. Even if it wasn’t worth it, having the City Card saved us time from queuing to buy a fare each time. [Check out
Barcelona.com for more info.]