Day 6 - Time to visit Barcelona!
Our free stay at the Aqua Promenade Hotel was almost at an end as today we were heading to Barcelona, with our cases packed we headed down for breakfast. Small chorizo sausages and ham & cheese in breadcrumbs were todays special feature.
I love Spanish tomatoes, even when they are slightly green they are still full of flavour.
We boarded a Barcelona bound train and enjoyed the stunning coastal view before getting off the train at Placa Catalunya.
Our home for the next two nights was Grupotel Gravina hotel, just minutes from Placa Catalunya. We arrived much earlier than check in time but our room was ready so we were given the key which was a bonus as this would give us more time to look around Barcelona.
The room had its own private terrace.
We had been to Barcelona many times before but not really explored the El Ravel district. It contained many interesting and unusual shops which we looked in for a couple of hours.
We decided to stop for a drink here, the owner was a bit miserable though!
Boqueria market off La Ramblas is fascinating to look around with its incredible displays of seafood, meat and fruits. Try and arrive feeling hungry though as it is a great place to eat.
We tried some sticky sweet and sour chicken on skewers at just €1.50 each. Really tender chicken with a mouth watering sauce 9/10
Everytime we visit Boqueria market we search for this stall selling really fresh battered seafood. Despite trying to avoid seafood this year we couldn't resist trying some battered prawns.
I seem to recall the battered prawns costing around €4 per portion and a piece of battered octopus had joined the taste party, my wife squirted some hot sauce on to one of the prawns. The really fresh prawns are coated in a crisp but light batter and taste amazing 10/10
I was starting to miss fresh fruit so we shared this refreshing melon based fruit salad costing €2 7/10
Next we crossed La Rambla and headed into the Barri Gotic district with its maze of narrow streets and vast selection of small shops. My wife was very happy to find such an amazing shoe shop offering a vast selection of flats in many different colours.
As we came out into this square we spotted this giant wire sculpture.
It towered up high into the air.
We headed back to the hotel and received a free glass of cava.
The nibbles on the bar were free as well so we enjoyed some with our cava.
After a short rest we decided to explore more of the El Raval district whilst heading towards the port of Barcelona.
By the time we had walked around the port the heat was becoming almost unbearable so we decided a visit to Forest of the faries was in order.
On the way there we spotted this in a bakers window, a split frankfurter topped with a tomato sauce and wrappped in bread, very nice! 8/10
Finally we got to cool down a bit in the Forest of the faries bar. The trees have faces, faries can be found beside a fountain and every so often the lights flicker and a thunder storm strikes! This quirky place to stop for a drink can be found off La Rambla quite close to the port.
We were really exhausted from walking so far so we stopped to eat dinner on the way back to the hotel at a restaurant we had spotted earlier. They were offering a menu del dia (starter, main course and dessert) for €15 per person. My wife chose a nice greek salad for her starter 7/10
I chose the catalan sausage selection served with catalan bread (toasted then rubbed with garlic and tomato) which was really filling and tasty. I really enjoyed all the meats, particularly the lighter coloured one 8/10
We both ordered ham, anchovy, mushroom and olive pizza for main course. We watched as the chef prepared the dough, added the toppings and cooked it in a stonebake oven. It was an excellent pizza with thin crust and tasty toppings 9/10
A popular dessert in Barcelona is Crema Catalana, cold custard with a hint of cinnamon and a caramalised sugar crust. This was quite possibly the best I have ever tasted and I was scraping my spoon on the bowl in an attempt to get every last bit 10/10
Day 7 - Click here
Awesome!
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