Tag Archives: paella

Hello Thanksgiving Weekend

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Before I go into my weekend, I thought I share what I did during the week. I had an assignment from my Spanish History class (taught by the talented Alex Fernandez de Castro) to visit the Museu D’Història De Catalunya. Before this class, I had no idea how complicated and how much hardship Spain has suffered to become what it is today. No idea about the Catalans and what the 2nd republic was and how that was linked to World War II. It’s all becoming so interesting to me and although I’m not a very political person, this class has become my favourite class in ESADE.

Sophia, Cherrie, and I went together to the museum and we had a list of questions to complete. I definitely recommend history enthusiast to come check it out! Also students get in for free with their student ID card (bonus!). It took us nearly 2 hours to search for all our answers because there was just so much to see and read. Afterwards, we got tired and started being silly around the displays. I had no idea if I was allowed to touch everything…but I did haha!

Now on to the weekend… although it wasn’t Spain’s Thanksgiving weekend (do they have one?), it was for Canada and that’s what matters. And even though, I’ve talked to my mum every week through WeChat, I still miss her, mostly the food and the benefit of not doing my own laundry and grocery shop. I miss having extra free time to just relax and watch movies and catch up on pop culture. Now, with taking 6 courses and going to school three days (Mon-Wed) a week and weekend for either homework or travels, I barely have time to work on this blog or shop!—but anywho enough complaining… This week Melissa, Erika, and Derek came to visit!

They are currently staying in Vienna right now for exchange (I’m going to visit in Dec) with my girl Claire and of course, I did what I could to show them around Barcelona and introduce them to the Spanish nightlife. I first met up with them at the beach (Port Olímpic) and we chilled with my good friend Don Simon (best sangria in a bottle!). Since it’s already October, the beach weather has come and gone (no more Mr. Sun for working up a tan). But the temperature was still warm enough for t-shirts and shorts. Melissa and Erika were brave enough to go into the ocean water and collected a bunch of shells and rocks—are they even allow to bring those on RyanAir?

Opium: Club and Lounge

Opium: Club and Lounge

After the beach, we went our separate ways and met up for dinner at L’Avia (second time going), because they were craving paella and cheap eats. We were so stuffed and of course we ordered way too much as usual (we had a whole chicken!). And like any good host would do, we went to Chupitos and pre-gamed with 2 euro shots. As usual, it was packed with exchange students and travellers. After they experienced having their shots on fire, we taxi’ed to Opium and made it in time for free cover (before 2am)! This was my second time at Opium and last time I was there, there weren’t any dancers or electro-violinist. It was so cool this time around!

The next day, I felt so lazy and I ended up just doing some laundry before meeting up with Melissa, Erika, and Derek for the Magic Fountain show in Plaça d’Espanya. This was  my first time seeing it up close and personal. The show only plays during the weekends (Fri – Sun) and during different time slots in the day. It reminded me a bit like the fountain show in front of the Bellagio in Vegas. There was music playing and different colour of lights shining at the water. I could see why couples would want to spend their romantic evening here.

For dinner, we went to La Fonda (recommended by Sophia, you can find her food blog here). The restaurant looks super fancy and you would think their prices must be outrageously expensive and afterwards, we would probably have to go to McDonald’s to stuff our faces. However, their prices are very reasonable and affordable for students. They had a great dinner deal. Order 1 paella per two people for 7.9 euros each person. We went with one seafood paella and one black rice paella. We also ordered a side dish of cod with this mustard sauce. The cod was kind of a let down, but the paella, wow it was good. I loved the black rice paella so much. It was super flavourful and the reason why it was black is because there’s squid ink in the dish. The portion was definitely shareable and still filling even for four people. However, the service was quite slow and since, they make their paellas fresh (they gotta boil the rice, etc), so it took some time before we got our food…and we were starving! (sorry, I totally forgot to take pictures before eating ahaha)

Dinner @ La Fonda

Dinner @ La Fonda

Instead of going out for the second night in a row, we went back to Mel’s hostel to pop open a bottle of champaign and sangria, and played cards. Their hostel was similar to a flat, shared washrooms, kitchen, and lounge, with a room full of bunk beds. The girl running the hostel was very friendly and she even sat down to play a round of cards with us. Almost 2am, I bid my good byes because they had a train to catch (back to Vienna) around 3am and I was beginning to fall asleep too.

On Sunday, I organized a Thanksgiving Dinner with Una, Sophia, and Cherrie. It was my first Thanksgiving in Spain, so I thought we should make it special, not your good ol’average Joe turkey and pumpkin pie dinner. It was a very cultural potluck and I made chicken chow mein and mixed veggie stirr-fry, while Una made baked salmon, rice, and salad. Cherrie made chicken wings (my fave~) and spicy hot and sour soup, and Sophia “attempted” to make desert crepes (good effort on her part, but…failed). Everybody did a great job making dinner happen. I was so full, I barely had room for desert (I ended up making my own crepe haha).

It felt super nice to have a homemade sit-down dinner with friends from UBC and new friends too. Also, I don’t normally cook back in Vancouver, let alone cook for other people (I’m lazy and once people know you can cook, they will ask you to cook for them all the time -_-;;). But nonetheless, I’m a great cook and I can take care of myself. So far, I haven’t had any complaints about my cooking yet, so I consider that a success story!

Anywho, I know this is a (pretty) late post about Thanksgiving, but I am curious, did you celebrate Thankgiving and what did you have?

Cheers,

Kevin

Hello Sagrada Familia + More

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A couple weeks ago (sorry for the late post), I visited the Sagrada Familia because it was free!! During La Mercè, I got free tickets and I couldn’t wait to see this infamous monument in person. Unfortunately, my camera failed and ran out of battery right before and I was left with only my iphone camera (sorry for the quality).

Infamous Sagrada Familia

Infamous Sagrada Familia

Getting to the Sagrada Familia is super easy, they even have a metro stop named after it and when I first arrived, I was surprised and taken back by the neighbourhood. The church was surrounded by little markets and residential. It was very unusual to see and it kinda takes away from the beauty of the church. And of course, quick history on the church:

1. It was designed by Antoni Gaudí (Catalan artist) and he designed this building knowing he will die long before the construction of it.
2. The construction was first started in 1882 and still under development, but it is expected to be finished in 2026.
3. The church was gothic inspired and comparably unique to other roman churches in design.
4. The church relied heavily on private donations and the construction was once interrupted during the Spanish Civil War and it only continued around 1950s.
5. The church is in the UNESCO World Heritage Site (like a Guinness book of records) for having cultural and physical significance.

Just a note for anyone that plans to go, there’s always a line up that circles around the parameter of the church, however, please don’t be intimidated, the line moves very quickly and most people don’t stay too long in the church.—everyone just wants to take a picture.

The design is just so breathtaking and…funky (gothic inspired)? I’ve honestly never seen anything so unique. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t even recognize that it was a church because there are parts of the building that resemble fruits, animals, nature, and human. Very organic looking and unlike most churches I’ve seen which are very structured (square, circles, triangles, and rectangles). Look back at my pictures of Duomo, right? Completely different!

The interior resembles a forest and you can clearly see this when you look up at the ceiling. Although it is still under construction, people do come to pray on a regular basis. My favourite is the glass-stained windows. They are beautiful with the light shining through in the day. There’s a video in the church that shows what it will look like after the construction. I hope to see it once again when it is finished.

My friend who studied in Barcelona long ago came to visit and brought me to a wonderful spanish restaurant (becoming one of my favourite), it is super well-priced to go as a group (3-4 or more), great tasting and very filling. The restaurant (L’Avia) is in El Raval. The owner is also the cook and he is very friendly, but the service is quite slow and there’s always a line up (small place). The food is excellent in quality and the prices are superb if you’re running on a student budget (I always forget to take pics of the food when I’m hungry). They served a mix of Spanish and Italian dishes, my personal favourite is the empanadas and seafood paellas.

I also visited the F.C Barcelona museum (inside the stadium) for a project I did in a class. I would definitely recommend everyone to go and check out this museum, even if you’re not a diehard football fan. It was reasonably priced (under 20€) and I learned so much, definitely worth a visit if you’re in Barcelona. The point was to learn more about the Spanish history, Catalan culture, and F.C.B’s significance in protecting it through Franco and the civil war. Football is more than just a sport to the Spaniards, it has always been a part of their life through thick and thin (they can turn to football, even at their lowest point). Going in, it feels like Vancouver Winter Olympic all over again. So much Barcelona pride with trophies and jerseys everywhere! I couldn’t believe how incredibly huge the stadium was. It holds up to 99,786 seats and is the largest stadium in Europe. Although, I am not a huge football fan and I don’t follow it religiously (but I’ll watch it during world cup), I still got myself a jersey. I want to make it my mission to at least see a game before I leave Barcelona.

#winning

#winning

Anywho that’s it for this week’s adventures—next week’s post is about Oktoberfest…in MUNICH!!

Cheers,

Kevin

Hello National Day of Catalonia

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I miss Cicely and Miya! They are now back in Pamplona and I am back at school with another week of Spanish class. I am actually learning quite a bit. I wouldn’t say I can carry a full-on spanish conversation, but I can pick out words here and there and read off signs and billboards. Not a complete fail.

The past few days have been much more relaxing since I am finally all settled in, I learned to get around using the metro and I know where to shop! All is good. On monday, we tried this sushi place near ESADE in Sant Cugat. This district is around 35-40mins train ride from the heart of Barcelona and the temperature is a little cooler than Barcelona. It is also a richer neighbourhood. The sushi place was call Izakaya (we have one in Vancouver but of course, operated by different people) and it was surprisingly good. I ordered the set lunch menu that came with an appetizer and an entre for 10€. We also had wine, but nowadays, I have wine with almost every meal, so just assume that from now on. A girl named Steph which I met through Una is hilarious. She is a free spirit, she speaks her mind and is absolutely crazy about japanese ginger. We watched her order plates after plates of it. I get along with these people quite well since we all have fun personalities.

I have also been cooking a lot more at home instead of eating out. 1. It is expensive to eat out all the time and 2. now that I am travelling and I find myself eating irregularly (I don’t know why), especially when I go out. What I mean is that I sometimes eat very early and other times very late. The amount I eat also fluctuates from day to day. Somedays I am a machine, and other days, I can go on the whole day with just breakfast. But since I’ve been cooking at home more often, I’ve also been eating less sporadically. Does anyone else feel the same? Another problem I have is that whenever I go out with friends, I always feel the need to eat even when I may not necessarily be hungry. I guess it’s because I don’t wanna sit there and do nothing, but talk and watch other people eat. It seems like a socially awkward thing to do. —Anywho, back to cooking, I’ve been loving this “egg in a hole” creation I learned on YouTube. It is so easy to make and delicious to boot! I’ve also been bringing salad to school with baked chicken breast. Whatever is fast and easy, I will make.

One major event that happened this week was the National Day of Catalonia. It is celebrated every year on September 11 to commemorate the 14 month Siege of Barcelona. Here’s a little history lesson: Spain was not always one happy country. The problem was that one of it’s kings (Charles II of Spain) could not produce a heir, so when he died, they had to sought out another king and in this case, through the heirs of his sisters. This problem divided spain into two, followers of Philip IV (the French) and followers of Charles VI (the Austrian). And basically, the catalans fought to support Charles VI to the throne, however, on September 11, 1714, they were defeated and forced to surrender. And the catalans are made up of four major provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. The catalans wants independence from the Spanish government because of taxes and lack of public spending (the govt treated them like shit). Here’s a video that might explain more since I am just learning about this recently:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ_cAQ8j1O8&w=560&h=315]

There were so many people on the streets and around Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella, tents were set up to sell catalona gifts, flags, books, food and drinks—there was even street performers! Not to mention GIANT PAELLA! Seeing the atmosphere and experiencing how passionate these people were, I just had to pick up a flag to join in on the festivities. For lunch, Marc brought us to his favourite sushi restaurant called ZEN Sushi (all you can eat for 12€ + cost of drinks). The interior was very proper and the food was very good in comparison to other sushi places I’ve been to in Barcelona. THEY ACTUALLY HAD A MENU TO ORDER FROM!! The dish that stood out the most was this grilled duck. I want seconds just thinking about it. Marc was embarrassed that I ordered so many dishes, but hey, I’ve got an appetite for good food! After lunch, we walked towards the human chain (people holding hands to form a line dividing Catalonia and the rest of Spain) and joined in on the chanting of IN-INDE-INDEPENDENCIAAA!! So much history and culture within one day, I love it! And I was so glad to be there to witness this momentous event in person. Also seeing all these people with the FC Barcelona jersey makes me wanna get one, paint my face and watch a football game! Maybe…

We also got to see the Parliament building for free and it was really fancy, almost like a museum or royal palace. This is kinda embarrassing, but I haven’t even been to the parliament building in Victoria or Ottawa…please someone bring me to these places!

On thursday, we had a welcome dinner with all the other exchange students from ESADE (MBA and BBA). It was organized by a group of ESADE students (CIEE) who plans activities for incoming exchange students. Initially, I thought it would be a sit-down dinner with fancy venue and wine (we paid 20€!), but it turned out to be a club setting with a bar and tapas. We had four drink tickets and by the looks of the place, music and atmosphere, it was definitely not enough to amp up the night. It was really difficult to socialize in those settings because we had loud music blasting, very little lights and shitty drinks (wine and beer sucked).  Not to mention, the food was not worth 20€ to say the least. I felt like I was shouting the entire night and hardly anyone danced. People just stood awkwardly and by the end of the night, my ankle was not feeling it and I left to catch the last metro home.—oops, forgot to mention that everyone who was in the intro Spanish classes had a final the next day…

I tried to squeeze as much studying as possible but I ended up falling asleep because of the wine. But good thing I was paying attention in class and have been keeping up with the worksheets and handouts. I am confident that I passed and got a decent grade since it was pure memorization and I finished first.

After a long week, it seems like I finally have time to myself and explore the city a little bit. Considering my current situation of living out of a suitcase, it was time I did some shopping. Sophia, Raj and I went to Plaça de Catalunya where it was basically shopping central. Department stores after another and streets full of boutiques and big name brands. Specially, Zara and H&M, they are everywhere! They are like Starbucks, one on every block and sometimes, two on the same block. A little obsessive, but I’m not complaining. We then met up with Uri (spanish local) and Melánia, explored a bit of the streets (Portal de L’Angel and La Rambla) and he brought us to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia which designed by Josep O. Mestres. I really like these gothic-inspired designs and architectures. Along the way, we passed a couple of shops that were very interesting like this donut shop which had donuts hanging on their wall and a bunch of touristy shops. We also stumble upon Plaça Reial which looked very different from what I’ve seen of Barcelona. It almost looked like a resort!—must be the palm trees. This however, was designed by the one and only….Gaudí!! The fountain looked so cool, I just had to do something spontaneous…

taking a leap of fate!

taking a leap of fate!

Uri brought us to Marc’s favourite tapas restaurant (Txapela) and I really liked the atmosphere of the place and especially the menu since there’s pictures to choose from! My Spanish still sucks, so I’m pretty much a baby when it comes to talking to Spaniards.  Maybe you can see from the pictures, but I had #6, #27, and #39. It was very tasty and although Raj is a vegetarian, he managed to pick out some very unique dishes and overall, I give this place 7 thumbs up outta 10 since the service was extremely slow (same with else in Spain…slow as hell). After a full afternoon of shopping, Sophia and I stopped by Amorino (recommended by Raj) for ice cream! It was not that they have tons of flavours to choose from but the fact that whatever flavour you choose, they will make your ice cream cone look like a flower!—too bad I picked flavours like tiramisu and pistachio, because my cone looked, well, less flower-like. Nonetheless, mucho bueno!

And same with last week, I had an uneventful sunday where I literally just siesta all day and worked on my resume and cover letters for January and May recruitment. Oh, I guess I forgot to mention, all my roommates have left! Well, just for the weekend, so I have the whole apartment to myself which is nice but kinda lonely sometimes. I am used to at least having my brother around the house, but I’ll live, no big deal.

And for my next big adventure, I will be going to MILAN, Italia next weekend!! Just in time for fashion week. So until next time, cheers and adios mis amigos!

Kevin