Barcelona

 

Gaudi's Casa Batlló - I guess we're in Barcelona!

Everyone was relieved to be rid of the cramped quarters of the ship. The disembarkation process at Barcelona was super quick and we were in our private transfer heading towards our hotel, Alexandra Barcelona Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, in a jiffy. The hotel was new and in an excellent location just off Passeig de Gracia in the Eixample area. We were filled with glee looking at all the extra space we suddenly have! Not to mention an extra bathroom! Most of our day was spent shopping and strolling the grand avenue before returning for an afternoon nap. I did have to veto Malcolm wanting to rent bicycles...

I did love looking out at the ocean, but I was to get off the ship!

Our minivan dropping us off

May not look like much but all that space is premium! Somewhere to sit even!!

View from our room

Umm no. Just no Malcolm

I'm surprised it took us this long...but we finally ventured into McDonald's. Biscoff donuts were calling us and besides, how could one turn down a McExtreme cheesy risketos?! Mal always loves the fact that European Mcdonald's offers beer as a beverage. We're not quite sure about gazpacho as a side but it was worth a try! Interestingly, one of the coffee options here was a flat white. Yup you read that right! It was pretty close to those you got back home in Australia except it seemed like the default was to include a pump of syrup. It was better than ship coffee so we drank it with gusto.

Entering the golden arches

This was calling us...

Yes please

Gazpacho, beer and a flat white (yes they called it that!)

biscoff mini mcflurry

biscoff donut

Up next for us was a Catalonian paella cooking experience with Travel Brilliant in the La Rambla area booked through Viator. Our chef was a young Venezuelan named Laury, and our group of 8 was rounded off by a lovely Colombian girl. It was a fun afternoon with a resulting excellent paella, one of the best I've tasted. We started by visiting the famous  La Boqueria market to get fresh seafood. The key ingredient was cuttlefish because of its high fat content.

Once at the kitchen, Laury set about preparing the important sangria, a sangria so good Elliot had 4 glasses and my mother 2! Or maybe more. We certainly left happy. This was paired with tapas while we prepared the ingredients for our paella. Laury explained the history, cooking methods and choice of ingredients for a good paella. She had a fun and exuberant personality, but sometimes she spoke so passionately we couldn't understand her! The whole family had so much fun and it was a great thing to do if you've been to Barcelona and have seen the main sights!

First up market

Carmen the fishmonger preparing our seafood

Both cuttlefish and squid was used, as was prawns and mussels

We had about 10 minutes to buy some goodies as we waited

The most gigantic strawberries we've ever seen...and they were supersweet!

More gigantic fruit. Cherries. Again super sweet

The kitchen

Laury sharing the secrets of a good sangria

Looks so simple but everything was so good. That cheese was ADDICTIVE!

The stirring man. Was told off for not being more energetic

Onion woman

Capsicum boy

prawn girl

chopping boys

The tradition of blessing the paella

Nearly there, pouring all the broth in unlike a risotto

The children loved the cooking classes and have voiced a desire to do more in the future when we travel. 

The final product. Amazing taste

Such a great family experience