On our first day full day in Barcelona, the family woke up bright and early, I was frankly looking forward to two full days of not using the car at all. Have to walk off all those calories sometime right...?
We decided to start our day walking down Las Ramblas, probably the most famous stretch of pavement in Barcelona. Even at 9 or 10am in the morning, the tourists were hitting the pavement and the place was swarming, even before the souvenir laden shops started opening.
To be fair, I thought it was indeed a lovely strip of road, even with the sun out, it stayed beautifully shady from the canopy of the beautiful tall trees. Was quite pleasant, other than the fact I was constantly keeping an eye out that no one was doing anything suss...I tend to be a little paranoid.
Halfway down Las Ramblas....we saw it. La Boqueria. My mum's sister had told my mum when she was here, she could eat here all year.
Let me tell you, she sure as hell ain't kidding.
Boqueria is open everyday from 8am until the evening. It is...every foodie's dream come true. Sure, Queen Victoria Market is impressive, but Boqueria just totally blew me away. The market was huge, with neat, albeit narrow stalls of fruits, fruit juices, jamon (OH MY GOD the JAMON!), chocolates, seafood...the list goes on. Dotted in the midst of all the food produce, were small little counters where you either stood to sip on your espresso, or grabbed a high stool, if you were able to procure one and nibble on some tapas delights.
This was the first bar we came across as we walked into Boqueria. After our little amble down Las Ramblas, beverages and nibbles were in order.
The owner was so cute, I was taking a picture of the croissant, when I found he was posing for me! He was full of energy, absolutely beaming from ear to ear, barely a word of English, but when it comes to food, what do you really need to translate?
Croissants and coffee....the croissants were so flaky and lovely.
Hot empanadas...YUM. They didn't really taste like they had be reheated at all, I believe one had cheese and potatoes and the other had meat. Both were absolutely divine. The pastry of the empanada was lovely!
And for me? A hot chocolate, I found it so interesting that to make the hot chocolate, they opened the bottle, stuck the wand of the coffee machine into the bottle and heated it up with that! The cocoa flavour was lovely, not too heavy, easy to drink and full of flavour. I really couldn't think of anything like it similar back in Melbourne. I find our hot chocolates are either, a bit watery because they've used powder or really thick and heavy, think Max Brenner or Koko Black.
"Finalizar?"
"Si...?"
"Ok!" and then we paid. Haha. Isn't he gorgeous?
There were so many stalls that were selling mostly fruit juices, which were an absolute delight on the eyes, with the colours all lined up and so vivid, it was just like having stretches of rainbows within the market! And just so many flavours! Banana with orange, strawberry, kiwi's, dragonfruit even! The one thing that did bother my mum a bit though, is they had coconut...but it wasn't coconut juice...it was coconut cream! Can you imagine just drinking that straight? Wee bit thick and heavy I would think!
In the meat section, there were just hundreds of pig legs hanging around everywhere. You guys have no idea how much I was constantly drooling.
One of the things that I couldn't take pictures of (as the stalls had no camera signs in them)...was the stalls selling poultry! I have no idea what they could possibly feed the chickens to make them so big but the skin was also amazingly yellow. My dad was going crazy over how good they would be for hainan chicken...
The sight of beautifully fluffy looking empanadas always calls out to dad who loves his carbohydrates. I can't remember exactly what this was called, but it was spiral shaped, stuffed with mushrooms and the pastry was absolutely gorgeous. Once heated, it was flaking off, crispy and light. I suppose I don't eat pastries as much when I'm in Melbourne, since I am gluten intolerant (on holidays I let myself go a little though...) but I find in bakeries I don't find pastries that look as good as this back home...
We also saw these corn cobs, with giant kernels, you're supposed to have them covered in melted cheese but we opted out of it...although it probably wasn't a good idea as it was frankly quite bland. The kernels were quite interesting though, a little bit chewy really.
I couldn't resist getting photos of some of the locals, some of the older men were just so well dressed and dapper. Who doesn't love looking at someone in a smart suit who just looks unpretentious and comfortable in it? I'm so terrible at getting street photos though, I'm always really shy and worried that I'll get caught in the act and get scolded or something!
Look at all the padron! So cheap too!
Have you ever seen such a big fish head, with such a big knife?! All the fish mongers used the same type of knives which I thought was just fascinating. Can you imagine trying to control the knives to finely fillet the fish? I loved the seafood area, so many fish, shellfish, crustaceans....you name it! I couldn't figure out what the ugly claw clam like things were...would love to know if anyone can figure it out!
After walking almost the whole of the market...it was time for another hot chocolate. But oh boy, were we in for a treat.
Here's a video for your enjoyment. While watching it, what do you think is it made of? It was so amazing that we returned on our last day to have the hot chocolate one more time.
Although it may look like melted chocolate, it's made purely out of cocoa powder and milk. No joke. In a 200mL glass, he fills it half up with cocoa powder, heats some milk with the coffee machine wand, pours it into the glass with the cocoa powder. He then proceeds to mix it all up and then take the glass and froth the whole lot with the wand again...until it gets to this consistency. I've been meaning to try it since I've returned to Melbourne, especially since I bought some cocoa from Spain...but time and what not tends to get in the way.
And although this hot chocolate looks rich and sinful, it is surprisingly light, rich in flavour, but not in texture. I loved that I didn't feel bloated and...well...rolly after having it!
More Spanish men in nice suits....ah....more of day 2 coming soon....
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