Catalonian bread (idk what it's called) and patates braves-- yum!!
The next day, we stopped to eat breakfast at a small cafe on the way to la Sagrada Familia. We each ate a breakfast sandwich and had a coffee for 3 euro. In Paris, a cafe au lait alone would have cost 4 euro. We paid ten euro to get into the cathedral but didn't even end up going to the top because there was an hour-long wait and an extra 3 euro charge to take the elevator (the only way up). The area where you can walk on the ground floor of the cathedral is actually pretty small-- you basically circumambulate the construction that's going on in the middle of the cathedral and can stare at the vast metal sea of scaffolding. Only a couple of the walls of windows had its stained glass installed, but they were absolutely beautiful:
A small exhibit at the exit from the cathedral showed how Gaudi used mathematics and nature together to create his very unique designs-- it was really interesting to see where he got some of his design motifs that are used not only at la Sagrada Familia, but at Parc Guell and la Pedrera too.
Next, we strolled down the Passeig de Gracia and saw la Pedrera and Casa Batllo. I wish we had gone in and to the top of la Pedrera because I saw pictures of the top later, but unfortunately we didn't realize that we could and didn't look into it at the time. The sidewalk was somewhat crowded as we were walking down Passeig de Gracia, but I wasn't being too protective of my small shoulder-sling purse as we walked. Thank goodness I noticed, then, when I felt something lightly tug at my purse and I immediately whipped around to see what was happening. My purse had been completely unzipped and although she quickly stopped and removed her hand, I definitely saw the woman who opened it. I wanted to yell at her so badly but I was too in shock so I just grabbed Freddy and repeated over and over again, "She just opened my bag. She just opened my bag." Thankfully I noticed, because she didn't have the chance to take anything out of it. One wallet stolen per semester is enough for me, thank you.
That night Fred and I went out to another suuuuuper romantic dinner at a tapas restaurant. The place was pretty empty when we sat down, but we had been looking for somewhere to eat, so decided to take a chance. Of course, it turned out that our 10pm arrival time was just too early for the Spaniards because the place was crowded when we left around midnight. We had a good time-- probably ate too few tapas and drank too much sangria, but hey, we were on vacation!
Tortilla Espana, or Spanish Omelette - staple tapas dish that's basically a fluffy omelette with potatoes and onions. I tried to make a version myself when I got back to Paris-- didn't turn out this well, but pictures will come soon.
The next day we trekked up to Parc Guell in spite of the dreary weather. It was SO WORTH it! even though it was raining and a tiny bit muddy and our view of the city was covered in clouds. The park itself is beautiful and the architecutre is amazing. The walkways and terraces all seem to fit perfectly with the nature around. The longest bench in the world is the curvy one on the top level of this park-- if you ever had the Paso a Paso textbook for Spanish in high school, you know which bench I'm talking about.
On the way back to the metro, we stopped for cafes con leche and ran into the other BC kids who were also coming from Parc Guell. They told us to definitely go see the Hospital de Sant Pau so we headed there next. It was pretty amazing to see how beautiful the complex was-- supposedly it's the oldest hospital that's still functioning. The architecture was beautiful (partly designed by Gaudi, so I guess that's a given), but to be honest I found the experience a little bit creepy. It was a little too quiet in the main courtyard of the hospital and something about the design along with the eerie weather gave me the chills. All that combined with my deathly fear of doctor's offices and medical equipment made it an interesting and pretty but not-that-enjoyable-for-me-place.
Freddy thought the hospital was cooler than I did.
After refueling and getting out of the drippy weather for a bit, we trudged back down to La Boqueria, a really cool and I think really old market right off La Rambla. Besides beautiful veggies, vibrant fruit, candy, cheese, juice, and seafood, you could also find pretty much any part of a sheep or cow that you might ever want to buy. We finished off the evening by making kind of a futile trip up to Montjuic by funicular (Montjuic is a huge park at the top of a mountain/hill where there is a castle and the Olympic stadium). We were trying to meet up with friends, but couldn't get ahold of them so we walked in the rain at the top of the mountain for two minutes and turned around to go back down and instead... eat chocolate cake! hah
fruits and veggies at La Boqueria - notice the color effect... no, Spanish lettuce is not grey
Animal guts at La Boqueria.. yum
Spaniards know how to do chocolate mousse cake-- but French mousse still tops it.The next day, we didn't have much time before our flight, so we just explored the beach, walking from Mar Bella, where our hotel was, to Barceloneta, which is the main beach closest to the middle of the city. It was cloudy and dreary and we enjoyed each others' company but not the view.
All in all, one of my favorite weekends :) I learned that I really like travelling with Freddy. We do things at similar paces, are interested in spending time in similar ways, and we like being around each other. But I think that's pretty obvious.
Try this:
ReplyDeleteTortilla Española
Skillet
1 pound red potatos -- washed and sliced 1/4-inch thick
12 ounces onion -- julienned
12 each egg
8 ounces half-and-half
1 pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
Heat a non-stick pan on med-high heat. Coat pan with two tablespoons of the olive oil. Add potato and onion, toss, cover, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are al dente (tender but firm).
Combine remaining ingredients, except remaining olive oil, in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Pour cooked potato mixture into egg mixture and combine gently.
Clean the pan and heat at medium heat.
When pan is heated, coat with the remaining two tablespoons of oil to cover inside of pan.
Gently pour egg mixture into pan and turn heat to medium-low. Watch carefully until sides are golden brown and center is beginning to congeal. The edges should be bubbling.
Place a large flat lid or plate over the pan. Gently turn the pan over so the tortilla turns out onto the lid. Do not do this over the stove: If it slips, you've got a real mess.
Slide the tortilla back into the pan and cook on medium-low heat until golden brown on bottom.
Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature before serving, or cover and refrigerate up to four days. We serve it with a dollop of garlic mayo.
Or here's another possibility:
ReplyDeleteClassic Tortilla Española
3-5 Medium size Russet potatoes
1-2 Medium onions
6-9 Eggs
Salt
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
Heat at least 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Slice the potatoes crosswise into roughly ¼ inch thick slices and put them in the pan. (You can peel the potatoes if you like, but I prefer to leave the skins on, for kicks). Next slice the onion into rings and add it to the pan. Add a little salt and more olive oil as needed to keep the potato and the onion well coated.
You should start with 2 potatoes and 1 onion and then add more as necessary. The goal is to fill the pan. Once the pan is filled, cover and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the potato and onion mixture cook for another 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and breaking up the potatoes with the side of a spoon towards the end. Quoth Josefa: “Cook them until the potatoes are ‘blandito blandito’ (very very very soft)” You want it to be kind of a mush. Remove the potatoes from the burner and let them cool a bit. At this point you should also add some more salt and pepper, to give it its final seasoning.
While the potatoes are cooling, beat the eggs well in a large bowl. Add the potatoes to the eggs and mix until even. Place the nonstick pan back on a medium-high burner with two tablespoons of olive oil, and add the potato and egg mixture. You might want to give it a couple of those slick omelet moves where you take some of the more cooked egg along the side and bring it to the center with a spatula and then tilt the pan to fill in the vacated space with more egg. (by the way, if anyone knows the technical term for this, let me know). Either way, let the tortilla cook for at least 6-8 minutes, until the edges are well cooked and the center has set a little bit.
Ok, so I forgot to tell you, there is a death defying tortilla flip involved in this recipe. Don’t worry, the worst that will happen is you will fling semi-cooked egg and potato all over your kitchen with your relatives watching because your mom’s pan is from the first Bush administration. Hypothetically.
Take a plate large enough to cover the top of the pan (but not too large) and place it over the pan like a lid. Holding the plate to the pan, flip 180 degrees to turn the tortilla out onto the plate, and then carefully slide it back into the pan. See? Not so hard.
Cook it for another five minutes or until the underside is done. Flip a few more times until it has formed an even, rich, brown outer coating. Cool for five minutes and serve.
Serving Suggestions:
- Sliced on a sandwich for an easy lunch. In Spain they put mayonnaise on it, for health reasons
- Serve over green salad with croutons, shaved onion, and a vinaigrette
- Top with caramelized onions
- With a side of spinach
Variations: Josefa’s warning aside, you can do a lot with tortilla. Adding zucchini is, of course, great, but try bell pepper, or even chorizo. Shallots or leeks make interesting additions to the onions, and fresh herbs work very nicely. I haven’t experimented with cheese, but I have a hunch it would be fantastic