Good Food and Views are Worth the Journey
Despite the rainy start, our morning in Antibes followed by an afternoon walk around the cape ended up being my favourite day in France's Cote d'Azur. Like many of the towns along this coast, Antibes is a fishing village but unlike its better known neighbours like Cannes and St Tropez, it's largely devoid of the glitzy commercialisation. And after our afternoon walk around the scenic cape (Cap d'Antibes), we celebrated with champagne at the majestic Hotel du...
Bodega 1900, a casual tapas eatery by the Adria brothers (of El Bulli) in Barcelona provides good quality tapas while showcasing vermouth. The challenge for this place is that there are a large number of great tapas places in Barcelona and I don't think Bodega 1900 stands out. So while I enjoyed the food, I had more more fun elsewhere and I guess I should just try harder next trip to get into the Adria brothers' other eatery, Tickets.
Part of the reason I think Bodega 1900 was...
We only had two days in Barcelona - so what should we see while leaving time for good tapas? Luckily, Barcelona is generally an easy city to get around in and we were happy to walk. The first landmarks that came to mind were La Sagrada Familia and the Barri Gotic (gothic quarter) but we also added in a couple more Gaudi buildings and a visit to the beach.
I've not been back to Barcelona in some time and when I found out that it would be the first trip to this city for my travel...
If you're looking for good traditional paella in Barcelona, then Xiringito Escriba is it. Situated on the beach north of Port Olimpic, this was definitely a place to come for gazing and grazing. Nothing beats looking out at the sea while tucking into some fresh seafood.
We came here for lunch on a Saturday, which was all the more fun because this beach side eatery was filled with locals out to enjoy the weekend. The paella was definitely the most popular item here and you can...
La Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi's ongoing labour of love, is all the more stunning now as completion is in sight in 12 years time. As probably the last grand cathedral project in the world, it simply is a must visit. Even though Gaudi's design was mooted more than 100 years ago, the interior of the cathedral looks timeless, even other worldly. The stained glass windows, installed over the past ten years have fill the basilica with colour.
I visited La Sagrada Familia in 1989,...