TRAVELLIVE 06-2017

Enjoying seafood
Barcelona is known as a land
of sun, sand and endlessly long
beaches. Not surprisingly, the
city is also famous for its seafood.
I ordered lunch at La Fonda del
Olimpic restaurant and went to
the seaport by bus to enjoy it. If I
had had more time, I would have
explored Barceloneta beach and
viewed the artwork installed on the
beach. La Fonda del Olimpic is a
famous restaurant serving the best
seafood in the city. The restaurant's
long menu and numerous dishes
could confuse even the most
educated gastronomers. Restaurant
favorites include marinara
mussels, squid, tagliatelle pasta
with salmon, sautäed shrimp, fried
shrimp with garlic and traditional
paella.
Paella is a Spanish dish originating
from Valencia. Paella combines
all of the area's local ingredients.
The dish typically contains seafood,
sausage and Patou chicken along
with rice. The Catalunya also enjoy
eclectic combinations of seafood
and meat, fruit and poultry meat,
and smoked jambon with caviar.
Colorful paella dishes are even
better paired with a glass of red
sangria, a cocktail special to Spain.
Red sangria includes red wine,
syrup (or honey, sugar, or orange
juice) and fresh cut fruit (orange,
lemon, apple, melon, pineapple,
grape, peach, kiwi or mango) and
brandywine. Don't let the fruit
deceive you - sangria can be potent
and contain high amounts of
alcohol.
You also can order cava, which
is produced using the same
method as champagne, but with
a different variety of grapes.
Ninety-five percent of Spanish
cava is produced in Catalunya.
Cava grapes are grown in PenedÃs.
Of course, cava tastes best when
enjoyed in its birthplace. As for
me, I hope to find a cooking class
to learn how to cook paella so I can
treat my family and friends in my
homeland of Danang, which boasts
its own selection of fresh seafood.
Further information:
Itinerary:
ñ You can fly with Vietnam
Airlines to Barcelona from Hanoi
or Ho Chi Minh City. Qatar
Airways, Turkish Airlines and Air
France also have transit flights
from Vietnam to Barcelona.
What you should do in
Barcelona:
ñ Wawas Barcelona (El Born
Cultural Center) is where
you can find lovely souvenirs,
handwritten recipes for paella or
bags with ceramic decorations
resembling Gaudi's architectural
structures.
ñ The Picasso Museum in
Barcelona is popular spot for
Spanish fine art lovers. The
museum boasts the largest
collection of Picasso's paintings.
MACBA is also a vanguard
museum of modern art.
Language:
ñ Sixty percent of Catalan people
want Catalunya to become its
own country, and prefer to
speak Catalan. Accordingly, if you
familiarize yourself with some
simple phrases, for example "Bon
d›a" (Good morning) and "Adäu"
(Good bye), you will receive
friendly smiles from the local
people.
Information channel:
ñ Spotted by Locals (www.
spottedbylocals.com) is a useful
tourist information channel that
promises unique experiences
thanks to advice from local
people. Official tourism
information can be found at
www.barcelonaturisme.com
Cuisine:
ñ Tapas is an appetizer or snack
made from sausage, jambon,
smoked meat and fried seafood.
Popular tapas dishes include
patatas bravas (potato with spicy
ketchup), calamares fritos (fried
squid), boquerones (anchovy),
chorizo (pork sausage),
berenjenas gratinadas (grilled
aubergine with cheese) and
battered, fried baby squid.
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TRAVELLIVE