Before I recap the day let me start with this caveat. If you are ever in Barcelona and you do not eat at Origen 99.9% you are a big stupid head. Are we clear? Good.
Today is our last full day in Barcelona. We slept in again and took our time hitting the streets. Sunday in Barcelona means that most of the shops are closed. We head back to the Born districts just to check and see if the the charcuterie shop Dawn wants to visit is open, of course it’s not. On the way there we pass the Picasso museum and the line is bonkers long. It goes on forever. Later Dawn puts two and two together and discovers that today is the Sunday in May when the museum is free. I guess that explains the line. We find a nice plaza and eat breakfast in Born not too far from Origen 99.9%. I have yet another little hard sausage sandwich (I love these sandwiches!) and Dawn has a eggs, chorizo, and potato dish that makes her a very happy camper indeed.
After breakfast we wander north and decide to check and see if there is any concert playing in the Palau de la Música Catalana that we can attend today. The venue is open but the concert of the day is not very interesting (looks like more theater than music). We eventually decide to wander east back into the Raval districts to see if we can find the other Origen 99.9% location… We've decided that last night’s meal was so good we want to eat there again. We spend time searching but come up empty. It appears that the other location listed might have been their old location before moving. This part of town is newer and less interesting to wander around in so we head back west towards the north end of the Rabmla. On the way we find a little coffee and pastry shop and stop to wile away the time for a bit.
Eventually we make it back to the plaza close to our hotel and find an empty table in the terrace of Taller de Tapas (a local tapas chain… they’re pretty much everywhere). We order sangria and spend time talking about our trip so far and the future. Eventually we decide that 6:00, while is stupid early for dinner on Barcelona time, is just right for us. We head back to Born and head straight back to Origen 99.9%. We order a completely different meal from the night before and our blown away again (technically we ordered the same wine). This place is amazing. Tonight we start with the mixed cheese and cured meat plate. Dawn orders a rosemary, honey, and lemon lamb shank that is pure magic. I wish I knew how to make this dish. I ordered a stuffed pork dish that is also pretty amazing. For dessert we share a dished called mato amb mel o sucre i nous, which is some sort of cottage cheese like cheese with walnuts. We're given a honey pot to drizzle it with. We keep seeing people stop to read the menu and then wander away. Those peoples are suckers and must hate fantastic food.
There is a very common dish in Barcelona that I’ve mentioned a few times already. It’s basically a bread, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, and salt. It’s called “pan con tomate” and it’s served all over the place here. At Origen 99.9% you get to assemble it yourself. They bring you a toasted baguette (although focaccia seems to be a popular option in other restaurants). You cut a garlic clove in half and rub it all over the bread. Then you cut a tomato in half and smear it all over the bread. Half a tomato per piece of bread. Then you drizzle it will olive and sprinkle some salt. With quality ingredients this stuff is amazing.
After stuffing ourselves a Origen 99.9% (I’m glad I had a light breakfast and skipped lunch!) we waddle back to the hotel. Even though it’s horribly kitsch and touristy we decide to walk up the Rambla one last time to see what the street performers are doing. Man, that street is always crazy crowded.
Between the Rambla and our hotel we pass this Gothic church not far from our hotel called Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi. In front of the church they are advertising a concert with three Spanish guitar masters Luis Robisco, Manuel Gonzalez, and Xavier Coll. I decide that sounds like a great concert to attend but the concert starts at 9:00 and Dawn is already feeling stuffed and tired. Being the church is literally a two minute walk from the hotel I decide to buy a ticket for myself (the time is about 8:00 pm). After 30 minutes Dawn decides she’s feeling froggy enough to go to the concert as well so we head out to buy her a ticket too. When we get there we find out that the concert has since sold out and there is now a line outside the church waiting to gain entrance. They put Dawn’s name on a wait list. I’m accustomed to concerts starting at the advertised time. This one doesn't let people into the church until 9:00. I wait until most people are in the church in case Dawn snags a ticket, but when the line is pretty much gone I tell her I’m sorry she won’t get to see the show and enter the venue. Instead of the main room, the concert is being held in the right chamber of the church, itself a mini church, and the main floor is now completely filled up. With the rest of the stragglers and late comers I get directed up through a series of narrow stone stairs until I come out on a balcony and score a front-row balcony seat!
Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi isn’t a music venue. It’s an active Catholic church built in the 14th century in the gothic style…. which is to say it’s pretty impressive inside. Even if we’re only located in the one of the side ante-chamber rooms. Before too long the three musicians come out and start playing. There are maybe four rows in the balcony and anything not in the first row seems like a terrible seat because you won’t see anything. I’m actually kind of relieved Dawn didn’t get stuck back there. However, somewhere during the third song I see Dawn slip into the back row.
The concert is very very good, but a bit short. I think they only played for about an hour. I was impressed enough to buy the 3-CD boxed set. On the way out the door the musicians see the three CDs in my hands and offered to sign them. So we break open the set and they each signed their CDs’ and then Dawn took a picture of the four of us. Good times.
I have to say I've been very thrilled with our hotel in Barcelona. It’s called the H10 Raco Del Pi and it’s location in the Barri Gotic district is fantastic. The last few nights we've found fun experiences just a stone’s throw away for the hotel and it’s definitely made the stay very enjoyable. It’s also worth noting that before we left for Barcelona there was rain in the forecast. The entire time we've been here the weather has just been perfect. It’s been partly cloudy in the mid-high 60’s. In my mind all of the plazas and terraces in Barcelona are eternally graced with immaculate outside climate control. I’m sure it’s not perfect all year round, but it’s made a hell of a positive impression for the week we were here. I feel very lucky to have visited the city during a week of exceptional weather.
Here are a few other things I've learned while visiting Barcelona:
-Bring comfortable shoes, you’re going to be doing a lot of walking. Barcelona is a extremely pedestrian friendly city. Large swaths of the city were laid out before cars were invented and the buildings are set very close together. The entire Gothic district seems like should be pedestrian only but evidently cars are allowed to try and navigate it. The rules are flipped though, the vehicles are the second class citizens and they make slow halting progress as the pedestrians own the streets here.
- There are a group of gentleman that spread out across the city hawking things. It seems very organized. Everyone sells the same thing at the same time. Noisemakers during the day (Dawn and I call the noise the Barcelona cricket because its ever present in the background. It’s somehow modulates your voice to something between a chipmunk and helium). Roses at dinner time (they actually come into restaurants and walk around trying get couples to buy roses for each other). Beers from a partially depleted six pack at night and light up toys at night, etc.
- Plazas often have outside cafe setting. Multiple cafes will share the plaza seating. If you want to eat/drink at a particular cafe pay close attention to the chairs or table setting as those provide hints at who serves you. Two tables might be next to each other but served by different restaurants.
- People seemed to be dressed for cooler weather than I’m experiencing. Like I've said the weather seemed ideal to me this entire visit, but the locals seem to be dressed for much cooler weather. Leather jackets, sweaters, coats are all a common sight. I wonder if it’s like the San Diego effect where the locals there start to warmly if the temperature drops below 70….
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