Paco and Maria Luisa stayed in our house for about 6 months after we first moved to France. They have been after us for years now to come to their house in Barcelona so they can return the hospitality. We thought it would be a great trip for Thanksgiving, especially when we found cheap seats on Air France -- that locked in my gold status on Delta '09.
So off we went to see Christopher Columbus...
We arrived around 12 on Thursday and Paco showed us to the beautiful apartment that they have continued to maintain (they own it) since their daughter moved to Majorca where she is a practicing psychiatrist. Then off we went to lunch - perfect timing according to Paco - lunch starts around 1:30 p.m. and runs until 4.
From St. Cognat we took the train to Place de Catalanya where we did the biggest tourist thing you can do...the HOP ON HOP OFF bus. It was a really cold day, threatening rain and we were going to see all of Barcelona 
for a great overview. It was fun, cold, but fun, and we did get to see all of the neighborhoods, and the monuments. Once we got off the bus we headed for hot chocolate -- that's chocolate, not milk and chocolate - pure chocolate.
for a great overview. It was fun, cold, but fun, and we did get to see all of the neighborhoods, and the monuments. Once we got off the bus we headed for hot chocolate -- that's chocolate, not milk and chocolate - pure chocolate.
We got back in time for dinner with our hosts- confit de canard - that started at 9:00 p.m. and didn't end until midnight. The spanish meal schedule takes some getting used to.
Day 2 was another cold day, but there was some sunshine, which was good because we were scheduled for a 2 hour walking tour of the market district where we went to the St. Josep Market, and saw some of Barcelona's outdoor art. Lunch was at a Tapas Bar - though we didn't stand up, and then off to explore the Gaudi apartment building, and later the Gaudi designed cathedral. By 6:30 p.m. I was exhausted, so we stopped for a cocktail and olives, and then headed back to have dinner at St. Cognat local resto. It was fantastic. We shared several plates of food, that included lots of grilled vegetables, roasted lamb, and this funky toasted bread rubbed with special tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Around 1 a.m. we stumbled into bed, and were happy that Saturday was going to start a little later.
We awoke to a really grey, rainy and cold day, and were picked up by P&ML who were going to drive us to the beach. There are some amazing little towns between Barcelona and the southeastern France frontier. Tossa has a beautiful castle and a medieval church. We ate lunch in the only open restaurant in some medieval village that overlooked an amazing valley that eventually could go all the way to the sea. Dinner (around 9:30) was a lovely selection of cured meats and cheeses, and a really tasty salad, with of course that funky bread. 
Our last day was dry, and a little warmer. We walked along the sea front in Barcelona and visited the MIRO museum before we had lunch in downtown Barcelona. As we headed to the airport, we noted the several things we hadn't done yet, and knew we would be back someday.
