I wanted to stay a couple of days with an objective of visiting the country of Andorra, which is located about three hours from Barcelona. I had signed up for a tour that was supposed to be today but at the last minute the tour operator had to switch days until tomorrow so we had a “free “ day here. I had purposely switched hotels to a more quaint one (Hotel 1898) located on the famous “La Rambla” street, undoubtedly the most famous street in Barcelona. It is mostly a pedestrian only street that extends one mile to the Barcelona harbor. It is lined with shops, restaurants and bars and is considered the “happening” place in Barcelona. I recalled an earlier visit here with friends where we had marvelous huge goblets of sangria and tapas.
A lady from Australia who several people said could be Yvonne’s sister!
The lobby of Hotel 1898. It was originally the headquarters of the General Philippines Tobacco Company.
The building was originally built in 1891. It was made into a hotel in 2005. It got its name as 1898 was the year Cuba and the Philippines got their independence.
Not sure how comfortable these chairs would be.
Hallway leading to our room.
We commonly take walking food tours when we visit a new city/country and I found an interesting one here in Barcelona, so at 10:30 AM we walked to a nearby plaza where we met Brendan, our tour guide, who happened to be an Irishman and a “foodie” living in Barcelona. There were 8 other people from around the world who also joined this leisurely four hour food tour. Not surprisingly we were introduced to new Spanish food and drinks with great stories. Brendan is also a history buff so we learned new things about this area. It was a very interesting four hours! That is the main reason we enjoy these food tours.
The famous La Rambla pedestrian walkway.
A side street off LaRambla.
Even the steel shutters protecting businesses are fair game for graffiti.
A Wedding? Or simply a well dressed lady posing for a TikTok posting.
The 14th century Palau Reial Major, palace of the Kings of Aragon.
Plaça de Ramon Berenguer el Gran, where we met our food tour guide.
Meeting Brendan, an Irish man who is a foodie and lives in Barcelona.
Our first stop on the food tour-freshly made Spanish churros, a popular Spanish breakfast fare.
Because they use yeast in the mixture these churros are more like a doughnut. We liked it better than churros we find in the USA. You traditionally dip them in hot chocolate.
The hot chocolate dipping sauce has the consistency of a pudding. It was marvelous!
A famous bakery that was over 100 years old! Sadly we did not stop.
Businesses that have existed over 100 years get one of these plaques located by its door.
A quiet street that once housed merchants.
Because people could not read, symbols would identify the type of merchants who occupied a street. This was likely a street of brothels.
Entrance to an intriguing art gallery.
Entering a small residential square for our next tasting.
A very unassuming bar and snack shop.
A very small bodega where we tasted homemade vermouth and ham.
Flassaders, a traditional homemade vermouth , which was really tasty.
Tasty olives. I was surprised at some of the colors.
Fabulous Iberian ham, made from pigs who eat acorns!
Our group on the Barcelona Secret Food Tour, led by Brendan.
Our next stop in a different part of town.
Nice decor.
Local beer and mild fried peppers(Pimientos de Padrón).
Papas rellanas- potato stuffed with meat.
Inside of a papas rellanas. It was really tasty.
Fried seafood of various types.
The famous tortilla de sobrasada, the potato and onion omelet. Marvelous!
Pickled Spanish anchovies. I did not think I would like them, but they were good!
Callos, a stew made with tripe, sausage and other items. Not my favorite.
The “after” picture!
Sign identifying the men’s bathroom.
The correct way to pour sangria.
These are “calcots”, a mild onion only available in late winter. They are roasted on a fire and dipped in an almond sauce.
You need a bib to eat calcots.
Roasted calcots ready to eat.
You need to pull off the outer burnt layer (messy).
Dip and eat, as shown!
Butifarra sausage and beans. Made of pork, it is very mild and a favorite in Catalonia.
Drinking wine from a parron. Dangerous!
Somewhat like a crème brûlée.
A homemade lemoncello digestif to finish our tour.
Lunch was out of the question after this tour so we lounged around a bit and I convinced Yvonne to take in the other major attraction of Barcelona and Spain- a flamenco show! There are quite a few small venue shows in the area and the hotel steered us to one located about an 8 minute walk from the hotel. Traditionally the shows feature a singer, guitarist and a male and female flamenco dancer. Shows typically are 45-60 minutes long and the theaters hold maybe 50 people as intimacy is an important feature of the show.
We returned to our room to find this welcome gift, mislabeled as we have never stayed there before. However, the thought was appreciated.
Streetlight on La Rambla.
One of several flower shops on La Rambla. Note the wavy sidewalk tile. There were also shops selling flower and vegetable seeds.
Lots of sidewalk cafes serving sangria and tapas.
A door on La Rambla.
Plaça Reial, where the flamenco venue was located.
Opening in 1963, Tarantos advertise they are the oldest showplace in Barcelona.
The show started with the guitar player and singer.
The lady dancing alone. The male also had his time in the spotlight.
They sometimes danced together. It was strenuous dancing.
The participants in tonight’s show.
Another Barcelona door.
One last gelato for the road!
Still not hungry after the show I simply sampled yet another Barcelona gelato store as we called it a day, as tomorrow we must be ready to leave for Andorra at 8 AM.
