A Weekend Trip to Barcelona

Let me start off by saying how much I LOVE being able to jet away to another European country for the weekend! It's a new thing, but now that life has settled down after the wedding and getting our house in Davoli situated, we are ready to travel!

This trip was a bit spontaneous. Our friends, Serena and Simone (she's from Soverato, he from Tuscany), offered us accommodations at the house they just moved out of before it went on the market as a rental. We found incredibly cheap tickets (from Reggio Calabria direct to Barcelona: €22 each way!!).

Add to that the fact that I have a dear friend in Barcelona whom I wanted to see, and Fra has cousins from Argentina who live there, so obviously the Universe was telling us to go!

Let's Start with a Capo Lavoro

I'd been to Barcelona a few times, and on my last visit, I fell in love with the Sagrada Familia. We decided not to take the tour during this trip, and just walked around the outside. Fra was in awe.

I swear, three years ago, when I visited, they said that the work was finally going to be done! But as you can see, 'tis not. I think it will never be finished.

We escaped the many Italian and Japanese tourists taking selfies in front of the church and wandered through Barcelona. I was delighted to come across a Black Madonna statue in the church of San Francesc de Sales. I've long wanted to see a Black Madonna statue!

What is a Black Madonna? It's one of 400-500 statues in Europe dating from the 11th to 15th centuries. These statues of Mary have black skin, rather than the traditional white, and there's mystery around why.

Some say that time and soot made them black. Some say they represented pre-Christian goddesses like Isis. Either way, I'm fascinated, and I was delighted to find one! I found out that the one at San Francesc de Sales is a replica of the original, La Moreneta, found at Montserrat. I'm already planning a visit to the original!

A Tapas Tour in the Gothic Quarter

Before leaving, Fra asked about some aspect of logistics for the trip. I laughed because my brain was in a completely different space: I was thinking about all the delicious food we would eat on our trip!

Tapas are such a fun thing. If you don't know, they're small shared plates you eat with friends. Our friend Simone had a map of tapas bars in the Gothic Quarter saved on his phone, so away we went!

My favorite tapas are pan con tomate (toasted bread with tomato and garlic) and patatas bravas (roasted potatoes with garlicky sauce). We had our share of those, as well as jamon iberica (Spanish prosciutto), cheese, and sausage. I washed it all down with vino tinto, or red wine. Fra enjoyed Spanish beer. Delish!

Enjoying Calçots at Poble Espanyol

I confess: I asked AI to give me things to do on our trip to Barcelona, and I'm glad I did because it told me to try the seasonal delicacy, calçots. They're like a cross between spring onions and leeks that are grilled.

I couldn't wait to try them, so when we planned an outing at Poble Espanyol, I found a restaurant that served them.

We'll get to the calçots, but first I'll tell you about Poble Espanyol. It's an open-air village that was originally built for the 1929 International Exposition. It features architecture from each part of Spain, and the buildings house exhibitions, artisan workshops, and restaurants.

Here's a tip if you plan to go: book a table at one of the restaurants inside, and you won't have to pay the entry fee. BUT (and we learned from experience) you'll need to go after noon or so, or the front entrance won't have the list of restaurant reservations to let you in for free.

Now onto my favorite fun food: calçots. To eat them, you strip off the grilled dark layer on the white part of the vegetable and then dip it in the delicious red sauce. You dangle the calçot over your face (don't worry; you'll get a bib) and pull at it with your teeth. It sounds strange, looks silly, but is so fun!

Who Needs a Reason to Return to Barcelona?

Even though I've now been to Barcelona three times, there is still so much I haven't seen. And it's even more fun with friends and family.

We loved having locals show us around, and each of them -- the Italians, the Spanish, and the Argentinians -- had unique perspectives on their city. We're already ready to return!

Gracias/Grazie/Thank you guys!