Barcelona

For my Birthday, Daphne gave me a trip to Barcelona - just the two of us. The kids were excited for a weekend with the 'cool' babysitter and Daphne would be able to get some early spring sun.

We only had 48 hours in the city but it was a great trip. The weather was sunny and warm, the people were friendly and helpful, and the food was wonderful. Too bad we kept saying Danke Schoen to all the helpful people.

We did many of the tourist things including riding in the double-decker bus to get a general feel for the city. Daphne got some advice from friends that recently visited (restaurants and fun things to do) and from a friend who was born and raised in the city (favorite museums and her favorite hidden things to see).

Daphne was a good sport letting me take pictures of her all over the city (for a while). Here she is in front of the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria. Even for jaded New Yorkers, the market was incredible. It dates back to 1215 and sells a variety of fish that the Baltimore aquarium would be envious of.

We visited museums, cathedrals, and generally wandered throughout the old gothic parts of the city. In other words - we did everything we couldn't do with our children.

A clear highlight was connecting with my cousin who lives outside of Barcelona. Adrienne and her boyfriend Mike graciously hosted us for a traditional lunch at a great local favorite restaurant. The recipe was classic Catalan:

Ingredients: begin at 2pm, mix in good, inexpensive Spanish wine, wonderful fresh seafood, liberal portion of lively conversation, simmer for 3+ hours

Not only was the experience great - we were able to experience a local, seasonal favorite.

Calçotadas

The internet says:

Calçots are a type of scallion grown during the winter.

The calçots are vine roasted and served in massive quantities. To eat the calçots, you hold the top of the scallion with one hand while you gently pull off the grilled outer layer of the vegetable with your other hand. You then dip the stem in romesco sauce, which is traditionally made from almonds or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive oil, and dried red peppers. To eat the calçot, tip your head back toward the sky, lower your calçot into your mouth, and enjoy!

A great trip.

What will the kids think? David got a shirt from FC Barcelona (Messi) and was over the moon. Julia was happy to spend some time with the slightly older female babysitter. Brian - he was one day away from breaking his leg. I consider it his gift to Daphne that he didn't break it while she was landing in Spain.