Slept in late today. We started with coffee in the (plaza pi). Wandered to the Raval section of town. We were on a mission to find a giant cat statue that we first saw on a postcard for Barcelona. On our way there we browsed a few shops and Dawn finds a vintage bag that she likes. We eventually make it to the Rambla del Raval which has outdoor plazas for eating, a craft show going on, and at the far end a large cat statue. After visiting the statue we selected a tapas place to eat at while sitting under a palm tree and watching the people walk buy. For tapas we order patatas bravas, salted cod fritters, and smoke salmon along with two glasses of sangria. The potatoes were basically home fries with a spicy mayo on them. Good but not great. The salted cod fritters were amazing. Somehow they managed to make a thick fish chowder and deep fry it. Dawn said her salmon was good but the fritters won best in show.
After lunch we wandered around the Raval area some more trying to find the shop that had the vintage bag in it that Dawn liked so that she could buy it. By happenstance we wandered through the local meat, seafood, and fruit market la Boqueria. It was extremely crowded and everything looked and smell wonderful. However the sheer density of humanity in the market was so great that I immediately wanted to escape to the merely crowded Rambla throngs.
After regrouping at the hotel we head out again to find a chocolate shop that Dawn had read about. It was pretty near Casa Batllo. It took a bit of searching, but thanks to an app on my phone we eventually find it. Dawn orders the hot chocolate and I get an espresso. Dawn’s hot chocolate is the thickest hot chocolate I've ever seen. I’m not sure it’s technically proper to refer to it as a liquid. Perhaps “malleable chocolate mass” is more appropriate. She seems to be enjoying it.
Another stop at the hotel and we head out for our dinner stroll. We stopped at a hard candy shop and watched the employees work sugar for a bit. Very impressive. We attempted to visit another charcuterie place in Born but it was closed. At an extremely early 8:00 (by Barcelona standards) we ended up at our dinner destination, Origen 99.9%, which specializes in Catalan cooking with a slow food spin. We were the very first people in the restaurant for an early bird supper. The menu looks amazing. The food is amazing. I’m not saying that I didn’t really enjoy our meal at Moo the other night, because it was awesome… but Origen 99.9% was awesome in a different way. Moo serves food that you’re very happy you’ve had the chance to experience. New dishes you never dreamt possible. Origen 99.9% serves dishes you’d be happy to eat for the rest of your life. Amazing comfort food dishes.
I had the duck with figs and caramelized onions. Dawn had the onion stuffed with pork, beef, and nuts. So good. For starters we had a mixed cured meat plate that I expect to dream about. We also get the compulsory bread with garlic and tomatoes. For dessert we had traditional Catalan desserts. Dawn had their version of creme brulee. I had something called a orelleta that was essentially a fried dough cookie that came with a shot of a Catalan liquor called xarrup. So good. Did I mention the wine. I had two different glasses and they were the best wine I've had in Spain so far. I’m strongly lobbying to eat here again tomorrow night. I can’t imagine a more satisfying meal...and I think Dawn is of the same mind set.
I had the duck with figs and caramelized onions. Dawn had the onion stuffed with pork, beef, and nuts. So good. For starters we had a mixed cured meat plate that I expect to dream about. We also get the compulsory bread with garlic and tomatoes. For dessert we had traditional Catalan desserts. Dawn had their version of creme brulee. I had something called a orelleta that was essentially a fried dough cookie that came with a shot of a Catalan liquor called xarrup. So good. Did I mention the wine. I had two different glasses and they were the best wine I've had in Spain so far. I’m strongly lobbying to eat here again tomorrow night. I can’t imagine a more satisfying meal...and I think Dawn is of the same mind set.
One the way back from the meal we ran into a gypsy band finishing an amazing set. I wish we had ran into them earlier because I’m sure I would have enjoyed the show. Once back at the hotel I heard loud drumming. Dawn’s feet were killing her so she opted to stay at the hotel while I checked out the source of the drumming. I managed to snagged a table in the plaza at the end of the street our hotel is on Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol and ordered a large beer while I listened to the live music. This mostly featured some sort of drum core that eventually marched out of the plaza. The weather was perfect and I settled down to people watch while I finished my beer. Eventually the drum core completed a circuit and returned to the plaza. I finished my beer and regretted that Dawn wasn't enjoying the nightlife just a stone’s throw away from our hotel. I returned and told her what I saw. She was up for one more trip out if it mostly involved sitting. We went back to the plaza and found some new seats. A latin band had taken the stage and started playing pop music. The plaza was humming, the weather perfect, the crowd amenable and at 11:00 pm I was having a great time. Around midnight Dawn and I headed back to the room.
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