PBJ: Sights and Food

My two trips had very different goals and thus very different sight-seeing and food itineraries. In Paris, cheering on my friends while they ran the marathon pre-empted more organized sight-seeing and well-planned gourmet meals. Furthermore, I was staying in a youth hostel with three college-aged males who were trying to carbo-load before and after the race. We ate kebabs, Chinese takeout, pizza, bread slathered in chocolate, beer, chips and some fruit (to be fair the kebabs, Chinese food and pizza included vegetables). As the guys were all too tired to search for reasonable fare after the race, we went to the McDo on the Champs Élysées. They each devoured 4 hamburgers and a large order of fries while I quietly ate my fish sandwich and sipped on my Coke. Classy Midwesterners, through and through. On Monday, we all went to the Louvre for a few hours before R and I had to depart. The musée had a wonderful temporary exhibit about the ancient African civilization of Meroe.

Par contre, Barcelona was about catching up with friends while soaking up the amazing sights in one of Spain’s most beautiful cities. K, our lovely travel guide, kept us on the move. The first day we were there, we saw Las Ramblas, the Mercado, the Porto, and the Catedral de la Sagrada Familia. She did let us make some pit stops for coffee along the way at delicious little cafés (and a Starbucks – but only once!). Day 2 was taken up by our travels to Parc Guell, a stroll through the medieval district, and my tour of the aquarium while the ladies explored a Gaudi house. I was lucky enough to travel in the company of some genuine foodies and we were able to savor long tapas dinners. My favorite appetizer was las patatas bravas, followed by shrimp or chicken depending on the night. K’s friend A showed us some great bars including the French expat hangout and a secret after-hours club.