Hola Barcelona!

CEBU, Philippines — Visiting Spain was always “numero uno” in my bucket list, and early last September saw me with my wife Jessica and daughter Katrina walking in the famous street of La Rambla, which was terrorized only last August 20!

But somehow, tourists continue to flock the streets of La Rambla as if that terror incident never happened at all. Two things irresistibly draw visitors: the great food that Barcelona offers and their tourist sites, notably the works of that great architect Antoni Gaudi. Barcelona, after all, is one of Europe’s most visited cities and a major seaport with a huge cruise ship terminal.

Talking of culinary delights in Spain, these are mostly the kind of food that Filipinos have been used to since we were children because it is the food that our grandmothers used to cook… the Philippines was under Spain for 400 years! However, in Barcelona, they call their specialties “tapas,” which is served in all forms and sizes, and which you can find in almost all the restaurants in Barcelona, also known as tapas bars.

Tapas are small slices of bread topped with olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and topped with Jamon Iberico or Jamon Serrano. By the way, Jamon Iberico comes from black Iberian pigs known as “Pata Negra” that are fed on acorns, while Jamon Serrano comes from white pigs. The Jamon Serrano is the more affordable of the two. But both are tasty, which can be a breakfast or dinner fare.

Then there are the traditional Spanish croquettes and Patatas Bravas, Gambas, chorizos of all kinds and Paella. Paella was never my favorite Spanish dish, but somehow the Paella I tasted in Barcelona was so tasty, I practically had Paella every night for dinner. Barcelona’s Churros and chocolate is to die for… with chocolate so thick it has almost the consistency of mud! For dessert, Spain is always known for its Alicante delights.

Touring around Barcelona means hopping on and off an open-top tour bus aboard which you can see the entire city. Barcelona’s number one tourist destination are the architectural works of famous architect Antoni Gaudi, whose major work is the famous Sagrada Familia. If you are able to look closely at the pinnacle of the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, which is on top of its spire, you can see the genius of Antoni Gaudi.

From the outside, one would think that the Sagrada Familia is a very dirty church, but when you examine it closely, you will see that the entire wall is not painted, but a sculpture. The main façade, for instance, is a sculpture of the Nativity, while on the other side of the church is a sculpture of the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you enter the Basilica, you will notice that its columns look more like a forest of trees.

Originally, this church was supposed to be a Gothic-inspired structure, but Gaudi did not want to build another Gothic church because there were already so many all over Europe; in the end, the Sagrada Familia has become Barcelona’s main tourist attraction. Touring the City of Barcelona takes you to Gaudi’s many other works, like La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, Casa Botines, Guell Bodegas, Casa Calvet, Park Guell, just to name a few. I have not yet seen most of these works of Gaudi, which gives me a reason to return to Barcelona on another trip.

No visit to Barcelona would be complete without taking a tour to the rocky mountains of Montserrat, an hour’s drive away from Barcelona. In the Catalan language, Montserrat means, “Serrated mountain” which aptly describes what those huge rocks resemble 1,235 meters high up in the mountains. This is a very special spiritual place for the Catalan people as it is home to the miraculous Black Madonna or the Virgin Mary of Montserrat called the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. You can either take a train from Barcelona that arrives directly in the Abbey or a tour bus, where you have to walk half-a-kilometer from the Bus parking lot to get to the Basilica.

Any one of these two places alone – the Sagrada Familia and Montserrat – is reason enough to visit Barcelona. But if food is your thing, then you’re in the perfect place, as well!