Thursday, May 13, 2010

day 3: barcelona


cacao sampaka
I'll start with the sweet treats. I visited Caca Sampaka today, a chocolate shop with an extensive selection of specialty chocolates including single bean origin chocolates and chocolates made from rare white Criollo beans. I totally forgot to pick up some of the latter because I got distracted by the ice cream. I tried a scoop of turron and it was incredibly delicious. I also bought a chocolate hazelnut spread (!!!) and bars of 40% and 53%. They package the bars as two thin bars in a box, rather than the traditional thicker single bar. I am a huge fan of the minimalistic look of the actual chocolate bar.


casa battlo

Welcome to Gaudi Day! This was my first stop. I was appalled the whole day at the cost of getting into these buildings. I paid a cool 17.50 euros to get in here (Yes, I know it's not government subsidized. But still...). It amazed me how Gaudi put so much thought into all the little details. A good example was the fireplace. He designed it with two benches, one larger than the other so that there was room for a gentleman, his lady and her chaperone.


la pedrera or casa mila
This aparment complex was nicknamed "La Pedrera" or the quarry because the building looks like it was carved out of stone. The most impressive part was the roof because Gaudi made the ventilation towers into sculptures.


sagrada familia
Construction is still underway on this gigantic church so I was not able to get a good feel for the space inside. The entire structure is incredibly massive and incredibly alien-looking to me.

2 comments:

  1. The apartment complex is a little creepy..looks like aliens are standing guard. However, the chocolate and ice cream look delectable.

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  2. the church actually creeped me out the most. awe-inspiring but creepy all the same. we'll have to go back to the chocolate place and try the hot chocolate or the horchata.

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