Languedoc Wines

View From Our Cottage in Nages

This area is widely known for it’s wines. While more than 35% of the grapes grown in France come from this region, the wines produced at the Mediterranean coast of the Languedoc, are the only ones bearing the Languedoc moniker. There are many other excellent wines such as  Cotes du Rhones and Limoux. And quite honestly we didn’t have a bad glass of wine anywhere, and were pleasantly surprised with every house wine ordered at bistros throughout the valley.

While we did have recommendations of towns to see, such as Arles, Nimes, and Avignon, we did not over think our dining choices, and instead opted for the adventure of allowing the region to absorb us…which it did! I managed to book a charming cottage rental with a private pool and amazing views in Nages-et-Solorgues which I would highly recommend. Since it is located in a small village, it provides a  peaceful sanctuary after days of sightseeing.

Chateau D'Estoublon

By far the best meal we enjoyed was a decadent lunch at Le Cuisine au Planet in Fontvieille, where we stopped on our way to Les Baux. I enjoyed the duck which literally melted in my mouth and the dessert of dark chocolate molten cake with homemade vanilla bean ice cream was one my all-time favorites!  We also stumbled upon a treasure from the  Middle Ages,  Chateau d’ Estoublon where we tasted some amazing wines  and olive oils, which will be brought into La Buena Vida. The grounds and Chateau here were quite impressive, and the historic chapel was charming and quaint.

Highlights of our five day stay were the May Day parade in sunny Arles, where the residents walked (or rode on horseback) in

Lily of The Valley Display in Arles

vintage period costumes. The First of May is a Public Holiday in France, officially known as La Fête du Travail (National Labour Day) but also called La Fête du Muguet(Lily of the Valley Day), as the lily of the valley is presented to loved ones.

My personal favorite historical visit was our day at Les Baux-de-Provence, the hilltop Medieval

The Tower at Les Baux de Provence

village and castle. On the way there, we passed through the Roman ruins of the aqueduct which was equally amazing. There is something about standing in a place that has been there for more than 1100 years. Knowing that battles have been fought, religions defended, territories plundered, and yet this magnificent fortress has survived to tell the tale.

We thoroughly enjoyed our relaxing, exploring, lounging vacation in this region of Provence, and know that the journey continues…living La Buena Vida with a little joie de vivre!

Other Related Posts:

Herbes de Provence

Utilizing Influence for The Cause

Drill Team, my childrens’ schools, or for my own career path, my influential marketing path began for me way before Social Media arrived on the scene. Without even knowing it, I identified early those individuals that could make a difference and sought to convince them, allowing them to then become the influencers for my cause.

Wikipedia defines Influence Marketing as:

Influencer marketing, (also Influence Marketing) is a form of marketing that has emerged from a variety of recent practices and studies, in which focus is placed on specific key individuals (or types of individual) rather than the target market as a whole. It identifies the individuals that have influence over potential buyers, and orients marketing activities around these influencers.

I chose the University of Life after my formal education, and finally honed my marketing skills with California Casualty utilizing my influential skills in affinity account management and niche marketing. I was fortunate to accidentally step into a company that embraced my natural talents and honed them for a successful career in insurance marketing for almost 18 years. During my last four years, my influential skills were utilized by the company not only in account management but in the business development arena to help the company expand from a west coast carrier to the national company it is today.

New Media Influencers

In 2000, my youngest son was born and I no longer wanted to travel the country as I had for years. It was the golden real estate boom in The San Francisco area, so I joined my husband in his already flourishing real estate practice.  I focused on the marketing activities for our practice and it was here that we entered the world of internet based marketing. We were one of the first real estate teams to engage Google paid adwords as a means of developing (mostly buyer) leads, and I spent hours on the phone following up on these and converting them to actual clients. I then learned to blog, developed a neighborhood site as a means to network in our neighborhood, began attending all the REBar Camps (unique Tech learning opportunities for real estate agents), and started blogging for real estate. developing “raving fans”or influencers out of past clients became our primary focus: deliver extraordinary service and voila you have a new marketing source for future clients. My network marketing-social media education between 2000-2009 in the hub of it all, San Francisco, has become an invaluable part of my education in influence marketing.

According to the European Journal of Social Psychology, one of the key components in successful social media marketing implementation is building “social authority”. Social authority is developed when an individual or organization establishes themselves as an “expert” in their given field or area, thereby becoming an influencer in that field or area. It is only through this process of “building social authority” that the use of social media will become an effective tool. One of the fundamental concepts of social media is you cannot completely control your message through social media, but rather you simply begin to participate in the conversation, while expecting to achieve a significant influence in the conversation.

In 2009, we moved to the Netherlands where my husband is from, so we could raise our younger son close to Paul’s large

Create A Brand Through Social Media

family, and continue our life journey toward retirement. It is here in The Hague,  that I started La Buena Vida my international culinary shop & espresso bar in 2010.  The use of social medial and influence marketing has been critical to my success, since I had a very small sphere of influence in the Netherlands.

It has become quickly apparent that the Netherlands is probably about 3 years behind the US in the use of Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Pinterest…just to name a few. My use of Facebook has allowed me to build an audience of “fans”not so much with my business page but with my group.

Opportunity seems to be always knocking on my door…my fellow (American Expat) travel blogger Monique Rubin and I started to be asked by many we know to help them with social media strategies for business, personal usage and even charitable causes. It has never been easier to influence others than now with social media. Looking ahead with my past experience in connecting, blogging, posting, tweeting, pinning,  liking and linking whether for  school activities, insurance, real estate, and now retail, I am ready to continue my path in influential marketing….ARE YOU?

We first discovered his love of art, with crayons at the age of two, much to his mother’s chagrin…for his canvas of choice

Jamie And The Invisible Rose

was my white leather sofa…fortunately it cleaned right off. At the age of five he knew all the names of the dinosaurs, and drew them with abandon, and with a startling precision for his age. At the young age of ten I took him to Grand Cayman and we went snorkeling together every day, which introduced him to the rainbow of color under the sea. He took to drawing the wide array of fish found in the Carribbean, and also memorized their names. He would ask people their favorite fish and then draw them as gifts. I still cherish the drawings I have of these fish and the memories of that trip with just the two of us.

Ink Resin 2007

In high school he took to drawing with extra fine tip ink pens, intricate designs which would include all things related to music since this was his second love. In these graphic pieces you find the reflection of the angst of a teenage boy crossing the threshold into manhood.  During these years he also introduced the rose as a trademark in his art, already thinking like a seasoned artistic sensation. He also completed his first self-portrait. In order to truly appreciate the intricate detail of these pieces, you must zoom in, as all the shading is created with varying amounts of ink dots, squiggles and lines. The patience required to complete such a piece is, from this mother’s perspective, simply mind-numbing. He hung these all over his room during the high school years, as he continued to fine tune his craft.

Like most artists before him, Jamie is not necessarily captured by studying art or even the art of others. He simply has this amazing ability and it comes from within. I know this raw talent must have come from somewhere, but is still startling and makes me glow from inside…a mother’s pride shining from within.

Unnamed 2009

"One God" 2010

When he and I went looking for a college, we sought an artistic community that would embrace this type of talent. Jamie opted for Cabrillo Community Collegein Santa Cruz. He liked the hip seaside location, the vibrant boho art & music scene and the impressive art department at Cabrillo. He lasted only one year in college, and decided to join the University of Life. He has been a starving artist ever since. Working two jobs for the past 3 years, and continuing his evolution as an artist. His first couple of years in Santa Cruz his art continued to reflect the moods of a transitioning young man, and he was drawn toward pastels and charcoal. He has captured the attention of some local Coffee Places, and his art also graces the walls of some local hangouts in the village. Finding a way for him to do what he loves and support himself  through his art has, as with most artists, proved daunting. It is hard for this mother to know that many artists end up penniless and struggling their entire life, only to have their work

"Starry Silloet" Ink and Acrylic

valued after their life comes to an end. (Think Vincent Van Gogh).

Zion Starr Art

Last year a friend asked him to design a brand label for a teeshirt line he wanted to launch under the name Zion Starr.

This is the brand label Jamie designed, but alas the project did not go anywhere. Finding a future in art through Jamie’s sphere of loving family and caring friends has become our primary focus. He has an edge to his art that could have fantastic commercial applications for young people. (Think snowboards, skateboards, music industry, or any graphic art needs embracing the edge).

Jamie has worked with another form of art education, that through people. He recently worked with a woman who introduced him to the medium of acrylic. He created a series of pieces that embrace his love of color, and reflect a softer side to him and his art. His emotion is illustrated through his use of color, and clashing of tones, rather than images.  Jamie’s audience: his family and friends, are already buying these up, as they can easily add pop to room through the texture of his strokes and the shades of color.

Triptic Piece: Acrylics Left: "Waves on the Coast" Center: " Lady of Color" Right: "Candle Light for a Spectrum"

When you look through these pieces, imagine that these are coming from a 22 year old

"Fire and Ice" Acrylic 2012

young man, who works as a waiter to earn a living, and paints to show his reason for living. Many artists find their craft late in life. This artist has a life ahead of him, and we his audience look forward to celebrating his success. If you are interested in more information on Jamie Gates and his art, please comment on this post and I will make sure you are connected. I encourage those of you who know and love Jamie to share this post on Facebook and with your spheres, because the 7 degrees of separation (the number of connections we need to find between Jamie and his future ultimate career path in art), is now only 2-3 with the advent of Social Media.

Jamie Gates

PLEASE help Jamie have a fruitful future in his art. He will continue to evolve, and you can be a part of that journey.

English Rose Cupcakes

The path to LBV Cafe, began the day we opened our doors almost two years ago as a small international culinary shop with an Italian espresso bar. A woman came in ordered one of our Segafredo cappuccinos and asked if we also served sandwiches, I smiled and said we only had croissants. Since that day we have fielded almost daily requests for a lunch menu. We expanded our offering last year to include yummy gourmet cupcakes from English Rose Cupcakes, which have been a huge success…Danielle’s  red velvet cupcakes continue to be the most popular favorite!

The Italian Panini just seemed like the logical choice. Since our neighborhood shopping area De Fahrenheit, already has a plethora of lunch options such as: De Freule with her special “dish of the day”, Bagels & Beans with their fabulous bagel sandwiches, or the historical Koeman’s Snack Bar with their huge outdoor patio and great broodje kroket, just to name a few.  We also have Thai Food, a Greek restaurant and Indian Food….but the tasty and popular panini were not to be found.

According to Wikipedia, the definition of Panini:

Panini are small, filled bread rolls, which are sometimes toasted. They are Italian in origin, but now found in other countries.

In Italy, panino (Italian pronunciation: [paˈniːno]) is the word for a sandwich made with a bread roll. Sandwiches there are customarily made from a roll or loaf of bread, typically a ciabatta or a rosetta. The loaf is cut horizontally and filled with salami, ham, cheese, mortadella, or other food, and sometimes served warm after having been pressed by a warming grill. A toasted sandwich made from sliced bread is not called ‘panino’ but ‘toast’ by Italians, and is usually filled with prosciutto and a few slices of cheese, grilled in a sandwich press. 

So due to popular demand we now offer three gourmet panini options (and one simple cheese toasty for the kids).

 The Caprese:  fresh foccacia bread with olive oil,  sliced tomato, mozzarella cheese and fresh    basil, grilled to perfection.

 The Parma: fresh foccacia bread with olive oil, sliced prosciutto, shaved parmigiano reggiano  and fresh basil, grilled to perfection.

                                                   The Pesto: fresh foccacia with pesto, sliced turkey, and fresh basil, grilled to perfection.

The next time you are seeking a healthy, tasty fresh lunch alternative, drop into La Buena Vida and try out our LBV Cafe menu. You may also want to inquire about our upcoming LBV Cafe “Summer International Dining” series of events: private parties with wine and international food pairings of distinction. You may follow our schedule by joining our Facebook Group:  LivingLaBuenaVida and “Liking” our Facebook page Living La Buena Vida. (This way you will obtain invitations for these popular events with limited seats).

In challenging times just adding a small touch of color to your wardrobe with a beautiful scarf, or a lovely new bowl to your living room, or even a lovely lipstick can bring us the feeling of rebirth that is a Spring tradition. At La Buena Vida, I am constantly following the trends in color so that our shop reflects the newest and best trends for your home, table and gift giving pleasure. This year, I absolutely LOVE that Tangerine Tango is a HOT trend (see tone above)…we have chosen to drape our display windows in this lovely uplifting color as the backdrop for some amazing new treats for your home. Since we carry a wonderful collection of MyDrap (from Spain) disposable recycled cotton napkins in bright hues, we used these as a back drop and an easy way for our clients to dress their table without spending a lot of money this Spring and Summer! A roll of 20 napkins cost 15€, and they can be reused 3-4 times before throwing them away. A “green product”, but also a lovely way to add color to your Easter Table.

We also have just received our collection of handpainted (Fair Trade of course) Easter eggs with fresh, organic, dairy free Booja Booja Equadorian chocolates inside. These were a best seller last Easter, and we are already selling them quickly. We have both the large eggs for 34€ and the small eggs for 15€. They are stunning and truly and amazing way to add color to your Easter table!

Baking is another way to dress up your table with color, and also spend some valuable time with your children while you are at it. We just received yesterday our wide selection of decorative cupcake accessories such as pretty cupcake cups, colorful fondants for decorating the top, and of course a rainbow of sprinkles in all shapes and sizes. We expect this range of items to be a huge hit!

This season, drop into La Buena Vida for a touch of Spring Fever and check out our new collection of Tunisian Bowls some new colors and sizes. Or enjoy a cappuccino and a lovely gourmet cupcake on our (expanding) sunny patio.

Living La Buena Vida is an attitude, and we want to keep it fresh, colorful and spirited.

Other related articles:

Tunisian Food and Pottery

Fair Trade Organic Easter Eggs

Fields of Lavender in Provence

recent find is a wonderful new line of products actually produced in Provence, from a firm called Provence d’Antan. Because I also love travelling and cooking, I thought it might be fun to create a regional series about some of our products every month, along with some recipes  so that our followers can absorb our sense of culinary adventure and inspiration. For those far away,  you can perhaps find these in a place near you, and for those lucky enough to be close to La Buena Vida, please drop in for a gander at the new items. For our first month, we will visit the south of France, most specifically: Provence. Our first feature we discuss our wonderful new collection of herbs from Provence.

The Herbs: Part One

I find it interesting that while “Herbes de Provence” translates literally to “herbs of Provence”, it has come to be used and

Biological Herbes de Provence avaliable at La Buena Vida

widely marketed everywhere as a mix of herbs used in Southern French countryside cooking, and in many cases the origin of the herbs sold are not even close to France. According to Wikipedia:

The standard mixture typically contains savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender flowers and other herbs, though lavender was not used in traditional southern French cooking. As the name “Herbes de Provence” is generic, and not a Protected Geographical Status, there is no guarantee that Herbes de Provence in fact come from Provence; indeed, the vast majority of these blends come from central and eastern Europe, North Africa, and China.

So to be crystal clear the products we will be reviewing in this series are all actually grown, harvested, dried and packaged in Provence.  They are certified agriculture biologique, ad are grow using sustainable farming methods. So what makes herbs from Provence so special? The way they make the ordinary dish taste extraordinary! There are many traditional Chicken herb recipes, or other meats seasoned with the infamous herbes de Provence, but I thought it would be fun to take  a couple of very simple dishes, and ramp it up a notch with herbes de Provence: First the amazing (Not So! French but with the addition of  herbes de provence, you can really call them) French fries!

French Fries A la Herbes de Provence

French (Herbes de Provence) Fries

To make your homemade French fries:

Julienne 6-8 large russet potatoes into half inch strips.  

Soak fries in water for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. (this will make them crisp) Turn on your deep fryer or use a large heavy pot and thermometer and heat your oil to 350ºF. Drain the water and pat dry your fries well. Place the French fries in the oil and cook for approximately 4 to 5 mins to partially cook them. Take the fries out and spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to cool for at least 2 minutes but no more than 1 hour. Turn your fryer up to 375º and let the oil heat up. Place the par-cooked fries back into the oil and cook for approximately 2-3 mins until they become a golden brown. Shake off the excess oil and place the fries in a mixing bowl to toss with the desired seasonings.  In a separate bowl mix 4 tablespoons crushed Herbes de Provence, fresh sea salt & pepper to taste and 4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Toss the fries in the herb mixture…and VOILA!!!! 

Secondly, rice or potato dishes can often seem a little bland, but how better than create more depth but with these fabulous herbs. Here is a fabulous rice recipe that makes simple white or brown rice the highlight of the meal:

Rice A La Dordogne

Rice a la Dordogne

1 cup white rice 

2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence

1 pinch sea salt & 1 pinch pepper

In a medium saucepan stir together rice, chicken stock, herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. Set over high heat, and bring to a simmer; cover, and cook 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and serve.

One of the benefits of enjoying international culinary experiments in your family home, is it creates a sense of adventure, and we can share with our children the love of travel and trying new and different foods. Stay tuned for our next culinary visit to Provence…living La Buena Vida from wherever we are.

Handpainted lead-free Tunisian Bowl

the heat of the meal also represents the heat of her passion for him. It is believed that if the wife starts preparing bland meals for her husband, than too, her love is waning.

We have included some fabulous Tunisian recipes for you to try, some spicy and some not so spicy, along with some beautiful Tunisian bowls for serving up the passionate meal to your loved one.  You may also consider giving one of these beautiful hand-painted Tunisian bowls to your special love: they come in many shapes and sizes. Since they are lead and cadmium free, they are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe . In addition the large bowls have a couple of holes on the back to make them part of your home decor when not in use for cooking or serving.

According to Wikipedia popular ingredients included in Tunisian foods are:  garlic, anise, saffron, cinnamon, caraway, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, ginger, white pepper, black pepper, red pepper, cloves, onions, bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, capers, celery, turnips, potatoes, chili peppers, cucumbers,eggplants,  lemon, oranges, figs, dates, olives, apricots, quince, hazelnuts,

pinenuts, peanuts, parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, rosemary, bay leaves thyme. harissa, rose water.

Tunisian Djerbi Rice is a mild rice dish that is easy to prepare

Tunisian Djerbi Rice

400gr basmati rice
200 gr beef, thinly sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
handful chickpeas
3 finely chopped onions
1 pack fresh spinach or frozen spinach
3 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp dried Turkish mint
1 heaped tbsp tabil spice
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

Method
Fill the bottom pan with water and bring to the boil. In a big bowl mix all the ingredients together with your hands. Once the water is boiling fill the top pan with the rice mixture and steam for about 1hr. Stir every now and then to make sure the rice is evenly cooked.

 TUNISIAN BAKED CHICKEN

Tunisian Baked Chicken

4 whole chicken breasts, split                 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt     1/4 tsp. pepper            3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 1/2 c. onion, chopped            2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. paprika              pinch of cayenne pepper            1/2 c. chicken broth

juice of 1 small lemon                    1 small lemon, thinly sliced

pimento, stuffed  green olives, halved               1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Wash and pat chicken dry. Combine flour, salt and pepper on wax paper. Turn chicken into flour mixture, coat evenly. Shake off excess. Saute chicken, a few pieces at a time, in oil in a large skillet. Remove the pieces to a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish as they brown, arranging them in a single layer. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add onion, garlic, cumin, paprika and cayenne to skillet.  Saute until onion is slightly softened. Stir in chicken broth and lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil and pour over chicken. Arrange lemon slices on top. Cover. Bake in preheated oven 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with olives. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with harissa.

 This Valentine’s Day spice up your life with some Tunisian cuisine and the passion inspired Tunisian bowls. We have tapas sets, small, medium and large bowls. These high quality products come in many patterns and are an inexpensive way to add color to your life! LivingLa Buena Vida is an attitude.

Infused olive oils from Azada in small tins

equally important. Especially in challenging times, people want to give a unique quality gift without spending a lot of money.

During a recent trip to Barcelona, my friend Monique and I stopped into a local Tapas bar and found an incredible Spanish olive oil for taste, design and packaging.  It is unique in that the packaging is not your typical dark bottles, but rather a white labeling. This gives it a fresh, eye-catching pop! Since the oil makers at Azada are keenly aware that light is the ultimate enemy of bottled or tinned olive oils, they have brilliantly used a white UV protection coating on the bottles to ensure the quality of the oil is not compromised, and giving it a fresh new twist. These charming tins of olive oil infused with either lemon or basil are also perfect for  adding to a small bowl for the perfect dipping gift with P-R-E-S-E-N-T-A-T-I-O-N for under 20 euro. Making someone smile with a tasty gift of food combined with a small Tunisian bowl…is wonderful.  I have often heard it said that it is not the gift that matters…which is very true, and especially when the gift is packaged and presented with style.

Other Related Articles:

Top Five Festive Foodie Gifts

Gonnelli 1585: Olive Oil Perfection

Pinterest(ing): Something you like enough to Pin

I enjoy social media and embracing the newest thing to take us all by storm is sometimes daunting! However, (P)interest is an important strategy for your life and your business…and the sooner we jump on board the better off we will be. This is a case of the early bird getting the worm in terms of presence. According to Nancy Messieh in 10 Tips To Get the Most Out of Pinterest For Your Business:

Before taking a look at how you can put Pinterest to work for you, it’s worth looking at why you shouldn’t be ignoring Pinterest. First and foremost, the numbers speak louder than anything else. In the past six months, visits to Pinterest grew by 4000%, receiving an amazing 11 million hits in just one week. Pinterest has also proved to be a great way to drive traffic to your site, and in some cases, has out-performed Facebook. According to Adage, in December, Shannon King, the General Manager of Time Inc’s magazine Real Simple said, ”Pinterest is a huge source from a referral standpoint, even beating out referrals from Facebook in the month of October.”

Aside from the stellar traffic that Pinterest receives and generates, its users are far from passive. Pinterest’s audience is highly engaged and can easily contribute to your social media campaign going viral. In fact, with Facebook’s latest Open Graph announcement, users can now post their pins directly to Facebook. Pinterest brings with it great SEO value, as Search Engine Land has pointed out, because you can link back to your own site, and it has the ultimate viral potential because of the nature of user interaction on the site.

Think about it like this: when you find something great, you share it with your friends, colleagues and family…right? Well, Pinterest just made it easier, much more visually appealling with pictures & video and much more focused! We are already seeing things we like in our life, and we share it verbally, or through Facebook, twitter, linkedIn,  etc (and if you are not doing this, then that is another discussion altogether)…but now the uber tool is Pinterest.  So now that you know WHY you should do it (and by the way did I mention it is FREE!),  let’s show you HOW. If you do not know how to join, just click here and request a Pinterest invitation and you are off…it is as easy (and addicting!) as that.

Getting Started…here are some important tips to create a strategy focused presence:

1) Create your Board Titles: this is how you will categorize the interesting things you will want to share. Pinterest has provided suggested categories for you and here are some additional ideas for you to review while deciding how to incorporate your unique business strategies to Pinterest. (Caution: be careful not to make it all about your business, or you risk becoming the dull bore at a cocktail party droning on about him/herself!)

• Recommend books, movies and music that you like or find
• Keep a wish list of countries or cities you want to visit
• Make a  list of places you have been
• Keep a desired list of books, movies and music for the future
• Your favorite quotes or inspirations
• Create a list of things you want: this will make shopping for your friends and family much easier when they list things they like
• Create a list of your favourite foods, recipes, etc
• Create a board your icons
• Create a “Best Of” Board: Best ideas you have seen in action
• Gift ideas, again when you family or friends share your ideas, you know they like them

If you are a regular follower, or would like to be, of Living La Buena Vida just click here to follow me on http://www.livinglabuenavida.com/?p=586 Last weekend I had the pleasure of joining fellow blogger and friend, Monigue Rubin to Barcelona. This visit was not the first for either of us, so we looked for off the beaten path, less traditional opportunities for adventure. We did not tour Barcelona via the double-decker bus, as we both had in the past, and although we did stroll up and down Las Ramblas from our lovely hotel, Hotel Bagues, we also both relished in the discovery of some local recommendations from a couple of Monique’s colleagues.  As is the case with many big cities, there is simply too much to see and do in one visit,  and often times the surprise find, will come from an unexpected place and time.

5.  La Boqueria: Our Saturday morning stroll through this covered, but open air food market is a feast for all the senses.

Candy & Nuts as ART

The colorful displays of fruit and vegetables arranged as towers of mangos, pears, apples, avocados vie for attention. Candies, dried fruits and nuts appear as a rainbow of color to entice, not just with the smells, but also the visual display of texture and color. Each stall uses their own artistic flair to display the otherwise redundant products for sale. Whether it be the unique stall we visited with a pile of brown and white eggs, olive oils, coffee, honey and pastas or the seafood square with 6-8 stalls of every possible fish, shellfish or squid. This is no ordinary farmers market, but could be a celebration of colors and art as unique as if they were each prepared by Spain’s very own Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso or Antoni Gaudi.  A MUST SEE…the prices were very good, and the market was full of locals picking up needed produce, meats, oils, and sweets.

4.  Fundacio Joan Miro: In all fairness this gem came about a year ago during a short new years visit with my husband,

The Barcelona Series

son and mother who was visiting from the USA. We were staying at a friend’s house in the neighboring seaside village of Sitges and my mother had mentioned wanting to see the Miro museum. (I must preface this with the pertinent fact that my mom is an art history buff, and as we were only on vacation for a few days, my immediate reaction was to suggest we drop her off). But because I now live in The Hague and my mom in the Pacific Northwest, I don’t have as much time with her as I would like, so my rational side got the better of me and I volunteered to go with her, while Paul and Bailey went to tour the Barca futbol stadium. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement…I loved it. We waited in line for about 15 minutes, but once inside it is an amazing museum not to mention the wide array of mediums representing Miro’s passions. From sculptures, to lithographs to paintings on bronze, he experimented with many forms of art. More importantly his foundation and museum were built to promote young artists, and so many works of art from other artists are on display here. One of my particular favorites was a mercury fountain by an American artist, which is in a glass encased courtyard since the mercury is poisonous. I did the walking audio tour with my mom, and found that the four hours we took to enjoy this contemporary art collection, was a highlight of that trip.

3. Tapas Tasting: while many people, including myself, love tapas (or small plates as they are also known) it was explained

El Xampanet on a Typical Saturday

to us by (local) Carlos that there is an art to this.  I have typically gone to one restaurant and sat for several rounds of tapas, and of course wine. Carlos guided us on Saturday afternoon through several neighborhoods  in old Barcelona, and then we stopped at El Xampanyet in El Born, a charming, crowded typical tapas bar. It has been there since 1929, and when we arrived it was standing room only. The two brothers at the bar offered us a smile and a glass of Cava, along with Catalan bread and sliced meat. (Come to find out later the name of the place means sparkling wine). Carlos then explained to us that the traditional Catalan will visit several tapas places and enjoy the unique specialties and a glass of something before moving on to the next one. So Monique and I made it our plan on Saturday to do as the Catalans do. Not far from there, we visited Set De Gotic, another colorful, crowded tapas bar, where we enjoyed a glass of Rioja and the special meats of this popular place. But after sampling several places, by far our favorite is Bar Lobo. We were told about this place by three different people:  Monique’s friend, Ana, from Vueling Airlines, the concierge at our hotel and after posting a picture and “checking in” (yes…they have free wi-fi) I heard from friends in the US who have a place in Sitges, this is also one of their favorites. The artichoke chips are unbelievable! We liked it so much we went back twice, and if you have been to Barcelona you know this means something since there are a plethora of great restaurants!

2. Segway Touring: As a novice, I was a little bit apprehensive of riding a Segway around Barcelona for 2+ hours, but it

Barcelona Glides Segwaying

was a wonderful way to explore Roman Barcelona, the small streets of the Gothic quarter, the old harbor, the Columbus statue, the royal shipyards, the Ramblas, the Barceloneta, the Born quarter, the beach and the Olympic harbour. . We started out by meeting the owner of Barcelona Segway Glides, Edgar, at Plaza de San Jaime and then walked to his storage/office. He showed us the simplicity of riding, stopping and turning. We spent about 20 minutes getting familiar with our Segway, and then we were off. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to see these areas, without a lot of walking. Given the historical information we learned from Edgar, the views and the unique manner in which we traveled,  it is well worth the 60 euro investment for the 2 1/2 hours. I particularly enjoyed his sense of humor along with his knowledge of Barcelona. When we return, which we will, I will be doing this again with my husband and son.

and my TOP Barcelona Moment, which is the same from all my trips….

1. Roaming The Roman Ruins: the enormous historical perspective gained from getting “lost” behind the Roman walls of

Barri Gotic: The Gothic Quarter

old Barcelona and  the Gothic Quarter is huge. As an American with a paltry 200+ year old history, I cannot help but be engulfed with this sense of insignificance. (We actually started this trip to Barcelona with a quick side trip to the lesser known city of Tarragona about 60 km away. During Roman times, Tarragona far outshone Barcelona in both size and importance. Today, the amphitheatre, aqueduct and many other-not so ruined-ruins  remain impressively intact).  Old Barcelona has many narrow, old alleys and streets filled with cafes, boutiques and galleries. No cars or Segways allowed here, so it is a great place to put the map away and roam as the Romans did…look up, absorb the architecture and try and imagine life 1000 years ago.  For me this is the essence of Barcelona.

Living La Buena Vida in Barcelona. (Thanks Monique!)

 

 

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