2023 Spain
September 20, 2023 - October 4, 2023
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Monday, October 2, 2023
Civil War
Our Spanish Civil War Guide |
Cocktail Hour |
Raise a glass to The Cathedral of the Sea |
Choose your fish |
Best Oyster Ever |
Typical Gothic Quarter Street |
Back of our hotel, the Old Roman Wall |
Cathy and I have been fascinated by the Spanish Civil war. We have read many books about it. Barcelona was heavily damaged as the various factions fought it out. There were Communists, Left wing groups, right wing groups etc. It is all terribly complicated. I always knew there were Anarchist, but I was surprised to find out that the Anarchist were a political party. I would of thought of them all is being independent actors not organized at all. Now I know.
We took a tour of the some of the locations where the fighting happened. George Orwell of course fought and wrote about it. Our guide was unbelievably knowledgeable about the Civil War and as we walked through living history, he explained it all to us. He was very keen on saying that history repeats itself and drawing parallels between what happened then in Spain and what is happening now in the US. It is quite chilling and depressing.
I won’t detail Cathy’s adventure as she was attached by a giant cockroach as she was in a bathroom at a restaurant. We won’t return to that restaurant.
At the end of the tour, we went shopping for gifts. We walked through the Gothic Quarters maze of streets guided by Google Maps. It is amazing the maps are accurate in this maze. Tonight, we walked through the maze again to a fish dinner at Estimar, an excellent fish restaurant. We had probably the biggest and juiciest oyster we have ever had. Among other fish delights we had Turbo which is almost never available in Los Angeles. We then navigated ourselves back to our hotel. Tomorrow, we take the bullet train back to Madrid.
We feel more comfortable navigating in Barcelona, and it is a beautiful city with gorgeous architecture. Unfortunately, it is overrun by tourists. Our hotel, The Mercer, is an architectural gem located in the middle of the Gothic Quarter.
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Oye, the Stairs
Painting in our Room, "Trying to Poop" |
Typical Gothic Quarter Street |
Dining Room at our Hotel with Roman Walls |
Cathedral of the Sea |
Saturday, September 30, 2023
From Madrid to Barcelona
On the Train |
Shopping |
Typical narrow street in Gothic Quarter |
Soupy Paella with Lobster and Shrimp |
Today was one of those weird days that only happens on vacation and you just need to go with the flow.
We checked out of our hotel in Madrid and taxied to the train station. We our tickets pre-printed for the ride on the bullet train to Barcelona. We went through security and two different scanning’s of the QR code on our tickets and walked down to the train. Our ticket said we were in car 16. Strange because as we walked along the platform, we realized there were only 8 cars on this train. We were confused to say the least.
There were no agents on the platform who I could ask for assistance. I was at the last car, which was where the train engineer sat. I asked him and he looked at the ticket and said “there must be a mistake – go to car 6". We did that and there were no seat tickets on our ticket that we could find (actually there were, we found out later). We said screw it, and just sat down. Two guys came up and were very nice but said we were in their seats, they checked with someone and said we should go check with another person in a different car. To shorten this tale, we eventually again said screw it and took 2 seats in 1st class.
On arriving in Barcelona, we took a taxi to the Mercer Hotel. It is in the Gothic Quarter, which is composed on narrow, winding twisting streets out of the Middle Ages. The hotel is stylish beyond belief. It is built into the old Roman Walls of Barcelona yet looks like something out of Architectural Digest. The service however sucks!
We are amazed at how the tourists have overrun Barcelona. We have been here before and it was beautiful and charming. We didn’t feel that today. It is like tourists outnumber the people who live here. The architecture is still beautiful but the buildings house lots of gift stores, McDonalds etc.
We had dinner by the sea and had a new dish for us: Soupy Paella. Apparently, they make the Paella with fish broth and when it is completed add additional broth to make it almost a soup. We had the Paella with Lobster and Shrimp. The restaurant, Can Fisher is located along the seafront. It was a warm night with a full moon overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It was a beautiful setting watching the people stroll and ride by enjoying the night. We only wish that Barcelona hadn’t lost it charm for us.
Friday, September 29, 2023
Relax, Read and Pack
They got the Martini down! |
Paella |
Other than the disappointment over dinner, it was a great relaxing day.
Thursday, September 28, 2023
A Walk in the Park on Cathy's Birthday
Crystal Palace |
Q: What's the collective noun for a bunch of Turtles A: Bale of Turtles |
Peacock Alert |
Porcini Mushrooms |
Fabulous Charred Piquillo Peppers |
The best Birthday Cheesecake! |
It was Cathy’s 75th birthday! She decided she wanted to spend it in Retiro Park. The park is enormous with many monuments, lakes fountains, etc. We knew we wanted to find the Crystal Palace (similar to the one in London and San Francisco). There were all kinds of birds, Turtles, fish etc. We simply wondered aimlessly and every so often sat on a shaded bench and just enjoyed the day in the park.
We eventually returned to our hotel. I told Cathy I wanted to go for a walk but had an alternative plan. I walked to the restaurant we were going to (Roostiq) and informed them it was Cathy’s 75th birthday we were celebrating and requested they surprise her with Champagne when we arrived.
I returned to our hotel, and we had drinks. Surprisingly a fourth bartender was manning the bar and he created a decent martini, I am happy to report. After FaceTiming Barbara, we walked up to Restaurant Roostiq. The Champagne arrived as requested. The food was once again fabulous, but we felt rushed. Perhaps it was because we had an 8pm reservation and they wanted to turn the table for the 10pm crowd. It is probably wise in Spain to always request 10pm reservations for dinner!
We had two new dishes tonight that were both exceptional: Charred Piquillo Peppers and Secreto iberico (an incredibly well seasoned and cooked pork). I am sure we will never be able to get that cut of meat in LA. As to the Charred Piquillo Peppers, perhaps we can start with bottled Piquillo peppers and see if we can replicate the recipe. We finished with what is the best Cheesecake ever enhanced by a birthday candle. We walked back to our hotel having celebrated a major birthday in appropriate style. I am still amazed at going out to eat at so many different restaurants all within walking distance of our hotel. If I haven't previously mentioned it, in Madrid we stay at The Principal Hotel, located in the Cheuca neighborhood of Madrid. We need to thank Jaimie for the recommendation.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Horns of a Dilemma
Matadero Cultural Complex |
Plaza Mayor the Center of Madrid |
Peeled Tomatoes Olive Oil and Salt |
Pistou unbelievably wonderful |
Dessert made from Cream of Porcini Mushrooms |
Proper Gin Martini with Steak |