Advice, Tips and Tapas from Barcelona

Who takes a 4-day jaunt to Barcelona?  Really busy New Yorkers who can’t take off more than 4 days from work. Plus, we really don’t like to be away from home for more than 4 nights–we miss our perfectly springy but firm mattress, we miss our Pekingese dog (Georgia) and above all we miss our DVR. But in Barcelona we really lost ourselves in the rich history of the city, the absolutely mind-blowing tapas and Spanish wine and the always impressive laid-back fiesta schedule. While my finance guru husband, Todd, incessantly complained about how the Spanish could capitalize on their economy if they didn’t sleep for 5 hours during the day, I was busy analyzing the nutritional value of all the yummy tapas I was enjoying – where’s a Holly Clegg cookbook when you need one? My favorite tapas flavors from Barcelona: spicy potatoes, seafood paella and shrimp and garlic sauce. My favorite sightseeing in Barcelona – the Picasso Museum, the National Museum of Arts, the Castell of the Spanish Royal Family, roaming through the Gotic Quarter. My favorite tips from Barcelona – don’t take your bag anywhere (the city is a haven for pick-pockets), remember that Euros are worth more than Dollars when you’re at the Gran Casino near the beach, and remember to take your fiesta because all the restaurants and shops will be closed from 2pm to 7pm. And when you come home and miss the tapas – open up Holly’s cookbook to the Barbecue Shrimp recipe and eat only 4 shrimp! 

 Adios,

Sana