R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 61

Fun Food Friday — Restaurante Anduriña

Restaurante Anduriña

I haven’t done a Fun Food Friday in so long that I hope I don’t blow it. How will I measure success with today’s article? I’m aiming to leave you with your mouth watering, your tummy growling, your blood sugar plummeting in anticipation, and your hand reaching out to make reservations for a trip to Barcelona.

Ursula waiting in anticipation

We found this hidden gem by doing what we usually do in an unfamiliar city. We asked the hotel receptionists where they personal...

Barcelona — More Gothic Quarter Photo Fun

Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter

Since this week I posting a Fun Food Friday restaurant review, I’m going to treat today’s trek through Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter more like a Fun Photo Friday. I hope you don’t mind. But, on the plus side, since today’s article concentrates on images then you won’t have to waste too much time reading my text. So, without further adieu, here is today’s photo gallery/slide show. Click on any image to enlarge it and engage the slide show:

Barcelona — Gothic Quarter Details and Fun Photos

Today and Wednesday I’m not going to waste a lot of your time with text, as no matter where you turn in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter you’re going to find some fun stuff to see and photograph. Take for instance the tiny door pictured below. I positioned Ursula next two if for size perspective. Beyond graffiti decorated doors, there’s just a lot of rich details in this area going back many, many centuries.

[image error] Local Color on a Small Door

Fortunately, the streets were mostly empty. That allowed...

Fun Photo Friday — Barcelona Favorites 3

Takin’ a Break; Makin’ a Call

We have one more week of Barcelona before I begin my transatlantic crossing series aboard Harmony of the Seas. See these links for a review of Harmony: Part 1; Part 2; Fun Photo Friday Harmony favorites). But when this series concludes next Friday, it won’t be with the usual Fun Photo Friday. Instead, it will conclude with a Fun Food Friday review of a truly great Barcelona restaurant, one which we visited on each of our three nights in this wonderful city. So, u...

Barcelona — Deep Within the Gothic Quarter

Within a very short and exceedingly easy stroll from our hotel was Barcelona’s historic and picturesque Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic). Actually, to be a bit more precise, Hotel Catalonia Portal de l’Àngel is technically in Gothic Quarter, but the older, more historic stuff is southeast of the hotel. See the unshaded area in this map for an overview:

Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter southeast of Plaça de Catalunya

One of the sights we stumbled across here was the former home of the General Arc...

Barcelona — Modern Statues and Architectural Details

If that photo above doesn’t remind you of Venice, then nothing will. But today we’re not concentrating on Plaça d’Espanya. We covered that in detail in last Monday’s Barcelona — A Bullring to Venice to the National Palace. Instead, we’re going to just sit back and enjoy the sights offered along the southeastern portion of City Sightseeing’s Red Line route, much of which runs along the port.

Winged Lions standing guard

As an example, let’s head along Passeig de Colom near Plaça de l’Ict...

Fun Photo Friday — Barcelona Favorites 2

Street Café scene

Here is Part 2 of my three-part Fun Photo Friday favorites of Barcelona:

Barcelona — A Bullring to Venice to the National Palace

Today we’re back on the Red Line. In this case we’re going to look specifically at the area (see image below) that centers on the cluster of sights depicted along the far western edge of the Red Line route map. Here there is a lot to see, and all these sights come within moments of each other, so get your camera ready. The pictures today start at 2:17 p.m. and end a mere twelve minutes later, at 2:29.

We’ll begin with a piece of statuary from famed Catalan painter and sculptor Joan Mi...

Barcelona — More Sightseeing aboard the Blue Line

Last week began a four-week series on Barcelona. During this series I will concentrate on what you’ll see when taking City Sightseeing’s Red and Blue Line double-decker tour buses, as they provide a wonderful way to see the city and take in the sights. And, if you sit on the upper deck during nice weather, you’ll get some great photos as well.

A building with eyelids

And last Wednesday I highlighted the sights along City Sightseeing‘s Blue Line, as well as a trek into the Gothic “Old T...

Fun Photo Friday — Barcelona Favorites 1

Time for the first of three Barcelona Fun Photo Fridays. What would normally be a fourth will instead be a Fun Food Friday review of a great little tapas eating establishment, one so good that we went back all three evenings.