Barcelona Begins

Hola a todos! Three days in Barcelona was simply not enough to experience everything the lively city has to offer. I met my Mom, who stopped in BCN on her way to Ireland, at our funky hotel called Chic and Basic. The name aptly describes the concept of the very basic (sliding door to cover either the toilet or the shower, sink in the corner of the room), yet mildly chic (blue neon lighting behind the beds, stark white walls and floors everywhere) hotel smack in the center of the city. The one-person reception/concierge continually restocked the electric orange fridge and common area with snacks, breakfast food, and other goodies to munch on whenever. Each morning began with a yogurt and coffee at the tall white table in this cutely-named “Chill & Basic lounge.” One wall of the lounge is a mirror with big silver writing across it describing the mission of the hotel. Tacky? Not quite. Chic? Almost.
I arrived Wednesday evening, just in time for a stroll before dinner. Mom’s flight arrived in the morning, so she had walked much of the city already. She led me (in an odd role reversal) in the general direction of the restaurant, stopping along the way to look at the huge Cathedral, window displays of every pasteleria (pastry shop) we passed, and funky clothes on various mannequins in store windows. Dinner on our first night was at Espai Sucre, a small, stylish place serving mainly desserts. The food was weird and delicious (my fav. combo!) with dishes like roast lamb with a peppery milk custard and rosemary cookie crumbles and jellied cucumber rolls with pineapple-tarragon sorbet on chopped pineapple and cucumber with bacon pieces. The garlic soup with poached duck egg and saffron cake was divine, as was the final presentation of bite-sized sweets (think yogurt-pepper marshmallows, peanut curry cookies, and passion fruit ginger jellies). We had an amazing multi-course meal of food too complex to adequately describe, but too delicious to not mention at all! Out of the ordinary, creative cuisine is definitely my calling, so prepare to read some intimate details of the types of food I love (which is all types, really). P.S.- Though you probably already know this if you’re reading this blog right now, but I am a foodie!