Emirates SIN-DXB-BCN in Y: Paella, Xuxo & FC Barcelona vs Sevilla@Camp Nou (Part I)

[yflyer]

Before the match, both teams came out onto the pitch to warm up.

First on the pitch was Sevilla FC...



Then came the home team, FC Barcelona, to loud cheers and applause...



A star-studded line-up from FCB today, with the dream team of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all playing that day.



The referee and linesman also jogged in step around the pitch to warm up...



Before the match, hidden sprinklers moistened the pitch...



Finally the players emerged, now in their match attire, and posed for photos before heading to their positions on the pitch.

[yflyer]

Once through the ticket/security check at your designated entrance, you reached an internal service corridor, with facilities such as restrooms on one side (Again, very good planning here, with restrooms well equipped to handle large crowds) and stairs leading to the seats on the other.



I entered my seating area in search of my assigned seat.



When I arrived in the stadium, it was fairly early, and spectators were still streaming in. By the time the match started, the stadium was very well filled.

The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible...



There was excitement in the air: If FC Barcelona beat Sevilla FC in today's La Liga match, they would equal the Spanish record of 34 games unbeaten, a record set by arch rivals Real Madrid in the 1988/1989 season.

[yflyer]

Camp Nou is a massive stadium, with a mindboggling capacity of 99,000...



Thankfully, given that this is FC Barcelona's home stadium, with matches played on a regular basis, both the stadium and the city's transport planners, have got a really good idea of how to manage large crowds.

The stadium itself is superbly designed to allow large numbers of people to easily enter and exit the stadium.



There are no chokepoints or bottlenecks. Fans enter and leave the stadium through designated numbered entrances, of which there are many all round the stadium.



There are security checks enforced on belongings, with rules on what you can or cannot bring in. I had no issues bringing in my Olympus camera, but alcohol was banned, and anything which could be thrown or used as a weapon was not allowed. I had a plastic bottle of water with me -- it was allowed in, but the bottle cap was removed.

Food can be brought into the stadium. I bought a hot dog (Delicious!) and french fries. They even had FCB-branded potato chips...



No alcohol was sold there. Beer was available, but it was non-alcoholic. The expression on the faces of fans when they realized the beer they purchased had 0% alcohol was priceless...

[yflyer]

Finally, it was time to watch football...



I had purchased my ticket from an authorized ticket agent along Las Ramblas a few days before the match.



For most matches that FC Barcelona plays in Camp Nou, their home stadium tickets are usually available right up to the last minute. All except for matches with Real Madrid, their archrival. For those matches, tickets are much harder to come by!

Camp Nou, which translates to new field, is located to the northwest of the Barcelona city centre, and is quite easily accessible via metro, tram and bus.

I was advised by the staff at the Four Points Sheraton to take the subway to Palau Reial in order to get to the stadium.



The trains were packed with football fans, the vast majority being FC Barcelona supporters, all wearing scarves, jerseys and camps in team colours. A surprising large number of visitors were also headed to match.



I got off the subway at Palau Reial and walked to the stadium alongside a huge but very orderly crowd of fans. Fans had also gotten off at the two stations prior to Palau Reial -- these earlier stops also provided easy access to Camp Nou. I would realize the significance, and benefits of using the last subway stop after the match...

[yflyer]

I headed back to the city by subway, and headed to Las Ramblas in search of lunch.

By that point, it had been at least a week since my last Asian meal, and a craving for rice or noodles had started to develop.

My plan was to head to an outlet of "Wok to Walk", a chain of Asian/Oriental restaurants...but to my dismay, there was a long queue of customers there...



Amazing...this was just low to mid-range Asian convenience food...and lines were snaking out the door. While there are a fair number of Chinese (And Indian) restaurants in Barcelona, there appears to be a business opportunity in this city for anyone who can offer Asian cuisine in a casual / fast food setting. Certainly the demand is there, and based on the queues outside this branch of "Wok to Walk' that day, demand exceeds supply!

So scratch that option...I strolled aimlessly through the area looking for an acceptable alternative, and simply could not decide what to have, until I eventually reached Bar Celta Pulperia...a pulperia being a restaurant specialising in Octopus (Pulpo...).



This was a very casual place, more like a diner or bar...



No menu...you pick from food on display in glass cases...



Or simply go for their speciality...pulpo!



The octopii they eat here are fairly large...



The octopus is sliced into small chunks, boiled and served with paprika...



This was amazingly delicious...the octopus was tender, with great texture and flavour...



I ordered a small plate of croquettes to go with my order.

Some other popular dishes that others were having were these deep fried chilli peppers, and battered calamari, taken from the counter and deep fried once again when ordered, so that they were served piping hot....



A simple, yet very satisfying lunch!

[yflyer]

The next day, it was time for Mrs yflyer to head back to Singapore. I would stay on for a few more days, and that evening, I would head to Camp Nou to watch FC Barcelona play Sevilla FC...

I accompanied Mrs yflyer to the airport by subway. A fairly painless experience, on a brand new subway line, and a lot cheaper than taking a taxi, although it takes probably 75-90 minutes, compared to about 35 min by taxi and 45-60 min by bus.



Do note that this new subway line connects to existing lines at stations a little further out from the city center, and not at popular stations like Placa Espana or Placa Catalunya. Also Google Maps does not guide you to take this new subway when you use it for directions to the airport. Possibly because it takes a lot longer than the bus service, for example.



Don't let these points deter you from trying the subway to the airport, though. It will take probably 75-90 minutes via subway from Placa del Catalunya to get to El Prat Airport T1 from the Barcelona city centre, but it is inexpensive, and a fairly smooth and seamless process.

The subway station is right next to the airport terminal, with escalators and lifts taking you right to the departure and arrival levels.

As Mrs yflyer was travelling alone, and did not have priority check-in privileges, we got to the airport fairly early, just about 3 hours before the flight. We had also done an online check-in before hand to ensure we could join the online queue if the regular Y queue was too long. Thankfully, here was only a very short queue at the Emirates check-in area when we arrived, and so check-in was smooth.

But just minutes later, when we strolled past the check-in area, there was a massive queue that had formed in just a few minutes, and the queue was likely to get longer as well as we approached peak check-in period. That's what happens when you need to process a full A380's worth of passengers in a check-in window less than 3 hours in duration...



We said our goodbyes, and Mrs yflyer headed into the airside area, with clear instructions from me on where to go shopping (Shop in the EU Schengen area down the escalator first, then head back up the escalator to clear passport checks prior to entering the international departures area, because there isn't much shopping in the international departure zone) and also where the best spots were to relax i.e. the outdoor smoking area, which is great even for non-smokers because it is open and airy, with a cafe serving decent food.

[yflyer]

After lunch, we headed back to the Gothic Quarter, La Ribera and El Born area for a stroll, just to enjoy the atmosphere along the narrow streets and distinctive architecture, with some buildings in the area dating back to Medieval times.







While there, we headed La Xocolateria...





...where we paused for thick Spanish-style hot chocolate, churros, and an ultra-rich chocolate ice cream...



...my timestamp on this photo says it was taken 2 hours and 10 minutes after we finished our black rice paella...probably sufficient time to avoid indigestion, especially after the long walk through El Born...

[yflyer]

We ordered red sangria...



This is a sweet and very refreshing drink, however we realized it was a little too sweet to really pair with the food coming up, so I also ordered a glass of white wine and asked the friendly waitress to recommend something that would match our starters and paella...

The white wine they served was this one, L'Ecrivain, which was dry, fruity and quite delicious.



Our starters were prawn and cod tartar, with sake and raspberries...



And an endive salad with chicory and roquefort sauce...



Our black rice paella, with cuttlefish, clams and green pepper, arrived in a humonguous pan...



...even considering that the paella was spread quite thin on the large pan, this was a lot to eat...



...but it was quite delicious, and I think we did it justice...



The dessert selection was presented on a tray for you to choose from.



Unable to put another spoon of anything into our mouths for at least the next 2 hours, we passed on dessert...

Overall, quite a wonderful place for a meal...seriously delicious paella in a wonderful beachfront setting.

[yflyer]

Finally it was time for our paella lunch...

Our restaurant was one of a series of restaurants dotting the Barcelona beach front...



Our lunch venue for the day: Xiringuito Escriba, set right next to the beach.



It was already very busy by the time we arrived...



We had a table facing the water.



The paella was prepared in an open kitchen...paella in large pans was bubbling away...quite an impressive sight...

[yflyer]

But before heading to Xiringuito Escriba for paella, we headed to Placa Catalunya, and the beautiful streets of Rambla del Catalunya for a stroll.



Along Rambla del Catalunya, we stopped by Colmado Quilez, a gourmet grocery store, to pick up several tins of canned razor clams and other seafood. This wasn't canned food in the category of convenience food like Spam or Campbell's Soup...these were premium seafoods carefully tinned to preserve, and in many cases, intensify the flavour. What an interesting concept.



The store had shelves stocked high with all manner of groceries and gourmet food items.



If we weren't in a hurry to head to our paella restaurant later, we could have spent a very long time in there...

We did also stop briefly at El Corte Ingles, a large department store located at Placa Catalunya...



We checked out the supermarket in the basement of El Corte Ingles. It is always interesting to see what the supermarkets are like in different countries.

Inside the supermarket, a small counter sold freshly fried potato chips and crispy fried pork crackling...



Of course Mrs yflyer could not resist buying a packet of each.

The wine section in the supermarket had a high-end wine dispenser which served up tasting portions of wine for a small fee -- just EUR 0.40 a taste. A great idea.



Elsewhere in the store, you could see that the locals really enjoyed their Gin & Tonic. A mindboggling area of both gin and tonic water were on sale here.



An entire shelf filled with different brands of tonic water...



This must almost be their national drink...over here they usually serve their "Gin Tonic" in large goblets, for example at this place in El Born...

[yflyer]

At that point in the trip, I think I was running out of adjectives and superlatives to describe the cuisine in Barcelona...folks here eat well. Very well!

As far as restaurant dining was concerned, we were almost done on this trip. And I suspect readers of this TR will find a certain amount of food fatigue setting in as well...

But on the day before Mrs yflyer's flight back home to Singapore, we had one last hurdle to clear...one more dish to try: A proper paella in a specialist paella restaurant. In other words, the art of making paella taken to obsessive levels.

On a recommendation from a relative who knows something about such things, made a reservation for 2pm lunch at Xiringuito Escriba, a well known paella restaurant set right on the beach, and only open daily in the afternoon.

[yflyer]

Another indulgent combination was the steak tartar served on bone marrow...



This tasted quite spectacular...



Bone marrow isn't the healthiest thing you can eat, but when served like this, who could resist?

Next up, a beef oxtail and mushroom croquette, eaten with the hands...almost liquid inside, covered by a very thin crust. I was amazed that it held together and did not disintegrate when I picked it up and put it in my mouth.



That was all we had space for on that occasion. Earlier in the week, I had visited this place with colleagues, where I tried several other remarkable dishes, including these:

Red prawn ceviche, which tasted as good as it looked...



Raw and cooked oysters...



Smoked sardines and trout eggs with Ajoblanco (A traditional Spanish cold soup sometimes called cold gazpacho)...



Calf tail stew with chocolate sauce and baby carrots...very tender ox tail in a rich dark brown savoury chocolate sauce...



For dessert that evening, Mrs yflyer and I had strawberries stuffed with white chocolate...



...and a very light dessert of pineapple with fennel and a gin and toffee foam...



This was amazing food, prepared with a rare level of freshness and refinement. This was a restaurant I would want to return to.

[yflyer]

At the end of our visit to the Sagrada Familia, we took a leisurely 20 minute walk back to the Silken Diagonal hotel.

Staying at the Silken, it is almost impossible to lose your way, as it is right next to the Torre Agbar, the rounded cylindrical tower that is visible from kilometers away.



It is even more visibile in the evening, when it is lit up in different colours.



That evening, we had dinner at another restaurant, Suculent, which is about a 7 minute walk from Las Ramblas.



The restaurant has smallish dining spaces on the ground and second floor.



We were seated at the bar counter...

I ordered a G&T to start, which is served here in fairly large glasses. Not all G&T's are created equal. This one hit the spot.



We ordered several starters and mains to share...

First up, marinated fresh anchovies...still plump, smooth and glistening...



Then we had lobster tartar with chicken crunch (Crispy chicken skin, in fact)...



This was an inspired dish...with the cold lobster chunks going very well with the crisp chicken skin.



They really know how to prepare octopus in Barcelona, these chunks of octopus were moist and juicy.

[yflyer]

The exterior of the Sagrada Familia is stunning, but nothing really prepares you for the grandeur and impact of its striking interior...

ll these trips I had made to Barcelona in the past, I had only observed the Sagrada Familia from the outside. Maybe the inside wasn't even complete when I first visited this city.

That day, I was at a loss for words when I entered inside for the first time.



Full size image of the picture above here.

A huge expanse of space, an indescribable, organic series of arches and structures, light streaming in from multicoloured stained glass, and a hushed atmosphere of silence despite a large number of visitors...







Mrs yflyer, and I suspect many other visitors, was moved almost to tears...



There is also a museum exhibit which shows models, artifacts and pictures relating to Gaudi's approach, and the history of this remarkable structure.

[yflyer]

The next day, our itinerary focused not on nourishing the body, but the mind and spirit: this was our long awaited visit to the Sagrada Familia.

We bought admission tickets to the Sagrada Familia online (Thus bypassing the onsite ticket queues) and signed up for the 50 minute English language tour as well.



Although there were cranes towering overhead, and with construction likely to continue until at least 2026, the cranes do not detract too much from the Sagrada Familia's striking beauty and architecture, which is timeless and has an impact on visitors which has to be experienced to be believed.



One of Gaudi's guiding principles was that "nature is the best architect" and his style was organic in nature, yet very precisely grounded in geometry and mathematical principles.

I would definitely recommend taking the guided tour...this will give you insights into the construction of the Basilica, as well as Gaudi's life and times, that make for a compelling tour. The guide we had that day, the lady on the right hand side of the picture below, was excellent as well, weaving an absorbing tale, with all facts at her fingertips.



To add to that, the price of admission and the cost of the tour also go to funding the ongoing construction of the Basilica.



The elements of the design are all based on nature, and there is a reason for everything that is carved into the design...





This beautiful and intricately carved door was carved by Japanese sculptor, Etsuro Sotoo, one of many craftsmen who have worked on this structure.