Mixed Variety Mushroom Paella with Truffle Picada (vegetarian/vegan) The name paella comes from the pan itself in which is cooked. The typical Spanish flat pan with handles is the main center point on a weekend in Spain, when families gather around the fire and cook a paella together. In the Mediterranean region of Catalunya, the paella is also called a…
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Wedged between a farmacia and a school, Casa Vicens is an outlandish gingerbread house monster of a building on an otherwise nondescript little street in the Barcelona neighborhood of Gràcia. To be fair, only fields surrounded the house when it was completed in 1888 as the summer home of the Catalan stock broker/financier, Manuel Vicens i Montaner. Plus, it was…
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This gorgeous new Barcelona bookstore may change your mind yet about tackling Catalan literature. A trip to Ona Llibres can be a spiritual experience for those who love to read, even if the books are not in your native language. With stunning artwork, a relaxed café vibe, events, and cool interior design, and even those who aren’t natural bookworms will…
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Take one trip to Mallorca and you’ll spend your time wondering why it took you this long to discover it. What have you been doing with your life?! The biggest of the four Balearic Islands offers up postcard-pretty villages, wild surfer beaches, plus tiny cliffside restaurants with seafood caught metres away and sunset views that make you do unexpected things,…
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In Poblenou, Espai Mietis is the exquisite new showroom for a fresh, young, Catalan bag maker. Unless you are one of the countless people who swear they would never live anywhere else, taking an occasional stroll through Poblenou is full of surprises. A new vegan cafe, a showroom laden with vintage furniture you had somehow missed before, or a designer…
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Far from a mid-life crisis, Flash Flash, the icon of tortillas and modernity, is still a bright spot on Barcelona’s dining scene. Barcelona in 1970 was a vastly different place. The city was nearing the end of what was known as the años grises (grey years). Dirty and neglected, its shoreline was cluttered with factories and ramshackle chiringuitos. Washing lines…
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The city and the Mediterranean sea define the initial Barcelona experience for most people, including me. In my six years of living here though, I have come to love the mountains at the city’s doorstep just as much. The mountains outside of Barcelona promise unforgettable experiences and regular involvement in exciting new adventures that have become much more meaningful to…
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