This is a contiunation (part 2 of 3) of a series of posts about my trip to Barcelona in May 2009. You can see part 1 here.
Cruisin’ Around Town
This was one of my favorite part of the trip. Not only because we got to see pretty much all of the historical landmarks in Barcelona, but it was also my first time on a bike since I got my driver’s license. Since the girls went on the bike tour with the same company in London (and Paris too, I think), we went with Fat Tire Bike Tours (who also offer a discount if you use them in different locations).
I was pretty skeptical about this at first because we ended up having a pretty large group (I’d say around 20) and the streets in Barcelona, for the most part, is pretty narrow. But everything worked out great – I did almost run over a few people, but it was pretty cool that since we had so many people we pretty much could just take up a lane in the road and ride as a pack.
We did the Day Tour, which lasted about 4-5 hours of relaxed riding and a lot of stops for picture opportunities (and even a lunch break on the beach – Sangria anyone??). Even though you hit up a lot of POIs in that time span, there are a few that might be worth your time to at least consider going back to.
Fat Tire Bike Tours – Barcelona
C. Sant Honorat, 7
08002 Barcelona
Spain
(34) 933 429 275
Asian (Staffed) Restaurant in Barcelona??
Before I lose all my credibility here, let me just say that no – I didn’t travel halfway across the world to eat Asian food in Spain. We went to “Les Quinze Nits” on a recommendation from Jen. I think the selling point for this restaurant was cheap, good food – but like all “budget eateries”, the price for this is a looong line that reaches 100s deep.
Tucked away in Plaça Reial, we got the the restaurant a little bit early. Since they don’t start seating until service for the dining room, we just ordered a couple pitchers of sangria and waited it out at the outdoor seating area (ironically, before coming here we went back to Txapela to get more Sangria because the Sangria we had for lunch on the beach didn’t give anyone a buzz). When we finally got in, I was surprised that the staff was all Asian (who knew there were so many Asians in Spain??). But after one look at the menu, I was really confused. Here I was sitting in Barcelona, at a Asian staffed restaurant, and I see a seared John Dory entree and a duck confit entree on the menu – What’s going on here???
Since the food was relatively cheap, I decided to splurge a little bit (that’s how they always get you!!). For starters, I split a fried calamari with someone. As soon as the soggy and under seasoned calamari arrived, I knew that I was expecting too much for this place (the menu sounded soooo goood). For the entree, I ordered both a pasta and a lamb shank (can somebody say this is why I’m fat??). It was a pretty good lamb shank, but as you can see below, the portion size left a lot to be desired.
Minus a little miscue from the waitress, I thought the meal was decent for its price, even though it wasn’t necessarily Spanish cuisine by definition. I’d put this restaurant in a “safe” category, just because I didnt feel like it was an adventure. The food was what it was. I can see the appeal of this place (as the dining room was very formal and elegant), however, I wouldn’t necessarily agree that it’s worth lining up for (maybe unless if you had a couple of pitchers of Sangria in your hand).
Les Quinze Nits
Passatge Madoz 5
08002 Barcelona, Spain
933 173 075
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