Over Thanksgiving, we traveled to Barcelona for 3 days and over the next week or so I'll be recapping our trip. We caught a flight through Amsterdam to Barcelona and arrived a little after noon. We were staying at the Hotel Arts, which was our first Ritz Carlton experience. From the champagne at check in, to the Club Lounge access, it's safe to say we were pretty spoiled. We grabbed a quick snack and a drink before freshening up and heading out to explore.
We started with the Gothic Quarter and the Fira de Santa Llucia Christmas market in front of the Barcelona Cathedral. One of the weirdest traditions is definitely the caganer and Caga Tio stands. The caganer figurines are meant to be added to your nativity scene and you can pick from all of the key players - such as Queen Elizabeth, Donald Trump and Angela Merkel? We did pick up a miniature caga tio to put next to our fire to poop out presents on Christmas. It really is just as it sounds...they sure do have a fascination with pooping things!
We tried some churros con chocolate, explored the Christmas decorated pathways and made our way from the Gothic Quarter to El Born, which is known for it's bar scene! We had a cocktail before heading to the Barcelona institution - El Xampanyet.
We obviously looked the confused foreigners, but a friendly soul helped us pick out a delicious variety of tapas - the anchovies, stuffed peppers, fried squid, pan con tomate, leek and tuna, patatas bravas and PLENTY of house cava. What an AMAZING meal!
We ended our evening with a trip to the Club Lounge for a few glasses of champagne and then called it a night. It was a long first day, but we're glad we powered through.
Up Next: A few Gaudi houses and a food tour - Barcelona, Day 2!
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