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This is a city for those of you who love modernist architecture.

Barcelona 1997

Gaby
2004-01-25 12:57:24

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TO GET AWAY FROM THE BITTER COLD BRUSSELS WINTER, WE WENT TO BARCELONA ON NEW YEAR'S DAY 1997.

This is a city for those of you who love modernist architecture. Visit Parc Güell and see the "community" that Gaudi designed with the financial backup of millionaire Güell, but where nobody wanted to live because it was too far away from the city centre.

The Picasso museum exhibits a lot of the painter's early work, as well as the later, better-known paintings.

For a good night's sleep, don't book a hotel in the centre of the city, but try to find something in the commercial district.

We enjoyed Hotel Astoria, not too far from the Ramblas. Quiet, not too expensive, comfortable beds, nice rooms.

I will not mention the name of the hotel where we stayed for the first three nights, infested with hooligans and where we had to have breakfast in the hallway near the front door, which opened automatically every time someone walked past. Most of the guests wore their winter coats to breakfast. If you weren't kept awake by the churchbells or the loud guests, there was always the dripping shower and the noise from the air conditioning. However, next to this infamous place is a place that does a great breakfast, and where you can taste the local cava.

Great restaurants and not very expensive

Pla de la Garsa, C. Assaonadors 13 (Barri Gòtic - the old town): Catalan cuisine, old house, great atmosphere. We ordered a variety of Catalan specialities and received about 5 or 6 platters with different cheeses, meat specialities, fish pastes, ... Very tasty.

Ateneu Gastronomic, Pl. Sant Miquel 2 (Barri Gòtic): a restaurant done up in Mediterranean colours, a bit posh, with soothing classical music and excellent food. Jack had delicious fresh salmon, I had pasta with mushrooms and a plate of grilled vegetables with garlic and quince.

Els Balcons, Provença, 203 (Eixample - the commercial district): On the first floor of an old house. We both had the stuffed pepper (peeled, softened red pepper with a filling of finely ground fish paste). Delicious.

But the best meal we had was on the first floor of a bookshop: Laie, C. Pau Claris 85. We wouldn't have found the place if it hadn't been for Tillak, another of Jack's many relatives, who was then visiting his girlfriend in Barcelona and showed us around. He had made an excellent choice with this place.

Someone told me that in the Spanish version of Fawlty Towers, Manuel comes from Mexico...