Some info on Barcelona to share:
Europe is a smorgasbord of language, food and culture. It is never cheap, but allows you a chance to see a totally different lifestyle and immerse yourself in a different world.
First the bad news:
Holding your waters
Europe is also the perfect place to train your bladder. At 0.5 to 1 euro for a trip to the toilet, you plan your water intake carefully and also limit your drinks a little more strictly than anywhere else in the world.
In China, the problem might be the quality of the toilet, here there isnt a real issue of dirtiness, just that they are hard to come by and free ones are as common as food costing less than 5 Euros. In fact in Venice has such an issue that tourists are using road corner to relieve themselves due to the scarcity and cost of proper facilities.
In Spain, the situation was better than Amsterdam, although they were never as easily available as in Singapore, they were around and the cost was less. Yet trying to get drinking water at any of the airports was always trying, unless you drank from the tap in the toilets, which was potable.
The best solution is to order some food or coffee in the city and use the toilet, and with the standard of coffee being pretty high, thats no hardship. Even a cuppa at Dunkin Donuts was pretty decent.
Food
As for the food, well tapas are a pretty decent thing, and it is no wonder that there are less fat people in Europe or rather in Spain. These are rather small portion items, and many will order one as a snack rather than the American way of eating bigger and bigger meals topped off with huge portions of fries and soft drinks.
The other difference is that everyone is well dressed, and takes pride in their work, and there is a quiet efficiency. This of course extends to a certain extent to the Spanish, who take siestas in the afternoon, close their shops and even the service slows down in the afternoon at the restaurants which remain open.
Budget about 15-20 Euros per meal to enjoy the food, or eat at KFC or Macs for a lower cost. The staples are tapas, pizzas, paella, or other rice based dishes. Given the small portions of the tapas, it is not surprising that there are less obese chaps in Spain, which had the least obese folks of the 3 places I visited.
Recommendations:
Paella:
La Mar Salada Pss Joan de Bambon Barcelonata
Italian:
Da Greco Passeig de Gracia with Diagonal
Pizzas La Tagliatella 4 in Barca
Seafood:
Paradetta market to choose food with restaurants to cook them
Pintxos Txakoh in front of France Station, close to Born
Try Txakoh wine & pintxos (typical vasco)
Antic Olimpic:
Good paella at good prices, Passeig Fontella, 1 block away from Passeig Gracia
Tapas:
Civtat Condal Gran Via with Rambla Catalunya
Cerveeria Catalunya cr Mallorca with Rambla Catalunya
People are friendly, although those in Switzerland are a bit more so and the warmest are those in Holland. In fact one of the most charming was a lady selling us Ruege music boxes, who probably knew that we were not going to buy anything but stayed back after her official time just to let us hear all the tunes in the various music boxes.
Places to visit:
Guell Park
Sagrada Familia
This uncompleted church by Gaudi is one of the highlights and comes highly recommended. You do feel a sense of grand scale and also a sense of peace, even though the building is not finished yet. There is also a contrast of the style used by Gaudi and that which is currently being used to complete the building.
Santa Maria del Mar Church + a walk by Born Passeig
Monjvic Mountain visit the castle for views of the city
Gothic neighborhood and the cathedral
Passeig Gracia (Pedera & Batho House Gaudi)
Spain Place best by night for the streets & music with water spectacle
Olimpic Village walk by the beach from Barcelonata to Mapgna towers
Boqueria Markets
Expensive places:
- Aqua Café de la Princesca
- La Sal La Barcelonata (rice)
- La Reina Born
Outside excursions Stiges 30 mins by train
Shopping:
Zara
Loewe
Loccitane - this is French but it is still cheaper than Singapore
For those into high end shopping, Loewe (pronounced Loo air bay) is significantly cheaper in Spain, and so is Zara. There is also a outlet shop called Lefties which is also quite reasonable. With careful selection, you can get prices on items which are Spanish at good prices.
