Barcelona 23-26Aprill11 (2)..at long last!!

I can't give myself anymore excuses for procrastinating the continuation of my blog. I know.. 2 months is too long to settle down..especially back home! So for those who do check back on this occasionally, thank you and sorry for your aching long neck. I hope to get my momentum back again so that I can start sharing all the wonders of Singapore/Asia with you, now that you've been through a year and a half of Europe :)

Let me just give a quick update on the 2 months that swooshed by. A large part of my 1st mth back was spent on visiting Tasha at her quarantine station, where she left with such relief she looked like the happiest dog on earth that day. Shipping container came and I spent a couple of weeks unpacking a million and one things, arranging and rearranging furniture, discarding unnecessary items and basically neatening up the place so that it feels like (our Paris) home again. Fell extremely sick for 2 weeks with a suspected case of Dengue Fever. One of the most miserable time of my life no kidding. Found a job in a matter of 3 days. Not the most ideal kind but comfortable enough. And....that's about it! So here I am, a normal working person, with a normal monotonous life, looking to find the excitement in life I once had not so long ago.

Shall we finally continue with Barcelona? :)

As I was saying, we basically depended on a friend's recommendations for good local food, hence it's no surprise that we found ourselves at this very unassuming place in some tucked away street. Kinda dubious at first as its doors were closed when we reached at noon! Waited awhile, still closed. Until we saw a couple of guys hovering around as well. Struck a conversation with them and realized the owners only open doors whenever they feel like. We entered at around 1pm.. BUT do not take the chance. Place is small and you don't wanna be kept waiting as the food will make you salivate and regret not having gone earlier.

Anyway, BEST beef with foie gras EVER. No seriously. Best ever. Paired with beer.....heavenly! Charming place that serves the more traditional kind of tapas, nothing fancy. Be sure you don't miss this if you're in Barcelona. There's also a calming port (an attraction) nearby if you need a stroll after.

Name: El Vaso de Oro

Location: Carrer de Balboa, 7 (Barcelona)

Expenditure: 30€

As promised, here's one of Antoni Gaudi's most renowned works: the Sagrada Família - a Roman Catholic church.

In awe when we arrived at the entrance, overwhelmed when we entered. Just look at all the intricacies of the interior, of every single part of the building, the ceiling..pillars... Unbelievable. Unbelievable that something like this exists.. and that's it's still in the process of constructing!

That's the workshop where modelling & sculpturing are still constantly taking place. And below, more extraordinary architectural designs. I don't have much time to go into details but do read up more if u can!

Barcelona 23-26April11 (1)

Excuse me for this period of stagnation as I've been settling endless administrative stuff due to our relocation. I was about to name some examples but realized the list is too long. Anyhow, the most crucial thing now is for Tasha to pass her blood test. I don't know if I have explained before but she has to have a certain level of antibodies against rabies before she can enter Singapore. She failed the first one so I have all my fingers and toes crossed for the second. If she still doesn't make it, I'll have to delay my return flight and things will get messy. And that is why I have requested for everyone to pray for her!! If it turns out well, she'll be quarantined at Sembawang pet station on arrival for at least 30 days. What a tough period it's gonna be for her...

Now that I finally have a bit of free time I shall squeeze in my loooong dated barcelona post.

If you don't already know, something foul happened to me when we arrived. I was getting onto an escalator to get out of the metro station when it stopped very abruptly. Naturally I got a shock and asked if S was ok. Fine. So I carried my luggage and walked up. We reached a shopping center 5 mins later to buy something and only then did I realized that my iPad was stolen from my backpack!!!! Tracing back, I could only reason that a man behind me on the escalator pressed the stop button and opened my bag the moment I jerked forward. You wouldn't believe how bloody pro he was..I didn't even notice/feel anything. What a rotten start and sure enough we went through the 4-day holiday with much moodiness. So I don't care how many times others have said it but when you're in Spain PLEASE BE CAREFUL.

Ok, you know how food always manages to cheer us up so we decided to go ahead with our lunch reservation that day (we actually cancelled a 2-star lunch just to make up for the lost iPad). Thank goodness the restaurant fared well! I'm supposed to keep this post short so won't go into details but I'd definitely say it's worth trying. On a separate note, Spain is such a pork country I tell you..we couldn't resist buying truck loads of Iberico & Serrano ham =D

Name: Cinc Sentits

Location: 58 Aribau, Barcelona, 08011

Expenditure: 46€ pp for 6-course tasting menu, excl. wine

Since we're on the subject of food I'll take you to another place that's more hippy and sells superb tapas - something I love Spain for! This casual restaurant is tucked away in a small street off Barcelona's main shopping area and we wouldn't have found it if not for S' Spanish friend. I suspect it's featured somewhere given the number of "guidebook-in-hand" tourists I had spotted. But fear not. This place is nowhere near touristic and we ate with so much happiness! People were staring at us because of the sheer amount of food we ordered. Haha. If I remember correctly they don't take reservations so go early to avoid crowds. Grilled asparagus, mushrooms, and roasted artichokes are must-tries.

Name: Cervecería Catalana

Location: C/ Malloca 236, 08008 Barcelona

Expenditure: <50€ for 2. cheap!

After the satisfying meal, we walked 10 mins to Casa Batlló - a famous building by Antoni Gaudí. We learnt much about him during this trip and absolutely adore how he newly defines "out-of-this-world" in terms of architectural designs. You'll know what I mean after showing you just 2 of his main works that we managed to visit. Again, to cut short my post, please google if you're interested to know more.. You CAN'T miss this.

More of his impressive stuff coming up in part 2...