The streets flashed by me as I headed into the city of Barcelona. The cab driver weaved and dogged his way along like a matador dancing with the bulls.
It was delightful to just enjoy the moment by letting the excitement flow over me through the open window. Turning onto the famous Les Rambles Street the hustle and bustle of the city coming awake crescendoed with fashionistas carrying espressos and pastries as they headed off to work.
I’m on my way to check into the five-star luxury Le Meridian hotel to begin an amazing journey to take-in the city’s architecture and visit some of Barcelona’s best known museums, local markets and tapas hot spots.
The Boqueria Market

Upon entering this very famous market, you'll find it to be divided into sections of meats, fish, vegetables and fruit. There is every part of every animal being sold raw and cooked. Placed in various parts of the market are small but amazing tapas restaurants. I took a seat and just started pointing at what I wanted. First, a plate of baby octopus, which was simply grilled with olive oil, herbs and lemon. Next was the seafood salad with a drizzle of warm balsamic reduction mixed with the best olive oil. Following that was the razor clam which seems so hard to get in the USA and very common in Barcelona. This was prepared with a butter sauce and broiled. Of course since it is lunch-time, this all had to be washed down with a nice Cava. There were so many items to choose from that I had to go back to the market several times during the trip to taste the empanadas and Gelato.
I took a leisurely stroll to the end of the Rambles to the Port of Barcelona. This is where you'll find an amazing statue of Columbus, beautiful yachts, and the Maritime Museum. Please don't walk back the same way so that you can discover all the wonderful little side streets with cafes, clothes and galleries.
Architecture of Casa Batllo & Sagrada Familia
The next day, I made my way to some “must see” architectural sights. First up was the amazing Casa Batllo, built by Gaudi. This is a private home that is nothing like you have ever seen with floors of windows made to look like the backbone of a dinosaur, tiled chimneys and endless rooms of color. Next up was the Sagrada Familia, which is the largest unfinished Roman church also designed by Gaudi. The detail is mesmerizing as is the story behind the intricate design all around the exterior and interior of the church. Finally that day, I ended my sightseeing with the Picasso museum. This is such a nice experience since the collection is all on one floor and houses everything from his paintings at age 15 through his pottery period.
The Jamon Experience
As I left my hotel the following morning and crossed the street, I came upon a museum like no other. This was called “Jamon Experience”. Being a huge foodie, I could not resist seeing what this was about. Tickets cost about 19 Euro, but with that came the most unique audio visual tour for a half hour and then a gastronomic experience of tasting 6 different hams with 2 glasses of either Cava (my choice), wine or beer. This is a must do if you even think you like ham since I am now a ham snob after this tour. Being that the weather was in the mid 50s, I walked through all the side streets admiring the details on every building as I made my way toward the beach. Barcelona is very much a walking City and everyone seems to be at a very slow and delicate pace even when it is not siesta time yet.
PAKTA Restaurant

That evening I went to a restaurant on the recommendation of a NYC friend who is a fellow foodie. I was sent to PAKTA. Reservations must be made weeks in advance as there are only 2 tasting menu choices and can take anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. I chose the Machu-Picchu menu which is 20 courses of Japanese/Peruvian cuisine. The Chefs are seamlessly orchestrated as each one has a job which could be as small as cutting tiny flowers into the dish or filling an oyster shell with a black chanterelle mushroom sauce. Each course was more decadent than the prior and although there are many, you do not leave feeling full but rather utterly satisfied as you have tasted some of the best cuisine the world has to offer. This menu runs at about 115 Euro per person and worth EVERY ....
Leslie 's Reviews
