Barcelona

We spent another three and a half days in Barcelona, which might normally be enough time to see everything, but for us it was not. Mainly because I was really fatigued, being pregnant, so we ended up only doing one major activity per day.

The first day, we went to walk around the gothic quarter, which is a series of narrow stone alleys lined with boutiques. It is fun to go shopping there, though everything seems marketed towards tourists. On the way there, we went to Arc de Triomf, and the park behind it. The two dogs enjoyed chasing the birds, which included the typical boring pigeons, but also these bright green parrots which I have only seen in Barcelona.

Restaurants in Barcelona were diverse, affordable, and high quality. We actually went to a Chinese restaurant and an Argentine restaurant--the Argentine restaurant, called Restaurant Graella Alfonsina was by far the best Argentinian food that I have ever had. We ordered empanadas, and the mixed platter for two of grilled meat. I would suggest ordering meat less cooked than you would like--I ordered medium and ended up with almost well done. The Chinese restaurant is nothing to write home about, but it was nice comfort food for me.

We bought tickets online to see the Sagrada Familia. Before going, my husband told me it was the most beautiful cathedral he saw in his life. Having visited many cathedrals, I was skeptical, but he turned out to be correct. I was really blown away by the Sagrada Familia, and think now that Gaudi is a genius. I was never a fan of Picasso, so I didn't pay much attention to the texts lauding Gaudi. The Sagrada Familia is an impressive blend of classic style with modern architecture and the personal artistic touches of Gaudi himself. The outside is beautiful, but the inside put me in complete awe. We went in the afternoon, so the sun was coming in through the stained glass on the west side windows. The entire cathedral was awash in colorful light. Apparently Gaudi designed it so that the east side windows would have cool tones, and the west side would have warm tones.

Nature was a major inspiration for Gaudi, so he designed the inside of the cathedral to look like a forest. He wanted there to be as much light as possible, so it is designed to be bright. This is in contrast to a lot of other cathedrals that I have seen, which are really dark inside. There are random details that reflect his love of nature--for example, a turtle carved below a pillar, and panels above doors that feature flowers and dragonflies.

Supposedly the cathedral will be finished in 2020.

Canet de Mar

After Christmas, we drove from Geneva to Costa Brava, Spain, for a one week vacation. We brought our two dogs with us, partially because it is difficult to find someone to watch them during the holidays, but also because we thought it would be nice to have them with us. Airbnb is a great resource for people with pets, since we can usually find accommodation that is dog friendly.

The drive is about 8 hours, so we split it up with a rest stop in Southern France. We spent about 3 days in a small town called Canet de Mar. There was a recent vote on the independence of Catalonia, so we saw a lot of posters about democracy, voting "yes", and even some spray paint of the swastika over the Spanish flag. The town is pretty quiet, with a small city center. We stayed only a few steps from the beach.

Of our two dogs, one goes completely crazy for the snow. The other however, goes completely crazy for the beach. Maggie, our mystery mix, runs into the waves and then rolls around in the sand. When I was younger, I would wonder why parents go to children's amusement parks, since it must be so boring for them--they are too tall to go on any rides, and the lines are ridiculous. Even as a dog owner, I now understand. You get joy from seeing something you love so happy. Dogs and children express happiness with such exuberance, that you can't help but absorb it too.

Coming from rainy Geneva, the blue skies of Costa Brava was a welcome relief. It was quite warm, though definitely not warm enough to go out without a jacket. This is perfect dog beach weather because it is not too hot for them, and also because nobody else goes on the beach so they can run around without disturbing anyone.

The town is very dog friendly, and also quite clean. In Geneva, people are very bad about picking up after their dogs, so the streets always have dog poop on them. Not at all in Canet de Mar, or even in Barcelona. There are many eateries where you can sit outside with your dogs and have a meal. We had coffee with milk and pastries in the morning, and went to some good restaurants.

Since we arrived for the New Year, almost all restaurants were closed. On New Year's eve, all restaurants were either closed or reserved. Luckily, we found a Chinese run tapas bar. When we walked in, a huge feast had been prepared for three little girls--it reminded me of the meal that my relatives in Qingdao made for me--heaping plates of clams, grilled shrimp, octopus, sliced meat, crab legs, fried fish, and so much fresh fruit that it looked like they were preparing an offering for a buddhist altar. The parents were still working in the kitchen, but the three little girls tucked in to the food, chewing loudly and talking to each other in Spanish. The mother would come every now and then, and they would speak in Chinese to her, but among themselves they spoke entirely in Spanish.

I ordered several tapas, including grilled octopus and prawns, and paella. There were a few elderly people in the bar, perhaps looking for a place to spend the New Year without family. One woman remarked at all the food I ordered. "She is pregnant", my husband explained, though I definitely would have ordered all of that even if I wasn't pregnant--after seeing the feast on the table, I knew that the restaurant was really good at making seafood.

In the evening, there were fireworks, which we did not end up attending because Maggie apparently, is terrified of fireworks. A few people had set some fireworks off which scared her as much as thunder does, so I didn't want to leave her alone. We could hear the fireworks and the music from our apartment though (much to poor Maggie's dismay).

After New Year, we went to a local restaurant called A Media Luz. The Chef was from Uruguay, and the food was fantastic. We have a sampler platter of croquettes, and grilled steak. I had a duck ham salad, as well as a creole pie and ravioli. I was going to order more food, but the waiter advised that it would be too much. Coming from Geneva, food seems really cheap in Spain. We had molten chocolate cake for dessert.

From Canet de Mar, we took a few short trips. First, to Begur, where we hiked up to a small castle. Second, to a monastery, Sant Miquel del Fai. The monastery itself was closed, but there was a nice hiking trail nearby. The monastery is tucked into the side of the mountain, and there is a nearby waterfall that you can see well from the hiking trail.

At the beach in Canet de Mar

At the top of a fort in Begur

Also in Begur

A Media Luz

Monastery