February 10, 2009
Here’s a fascinating website called Sounds of Barcelona (Sons de Barcelona) which consists of recordings of street life from around the city. The sounds give a sense of how much street life there is in that jewel of the Mediterranean.
Posted by Jane Gregg 0 Comments
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Our San Sebastián Trip in MIX Magazine
“We’ll bet you a fistful of spring morels that your last vacation wasn’t this good. You didn’t fashion your own treasure hunt through Spain, traipse from Michelin-starred restaurants in Catalonia to cooking classes in San Sebastian, eat pintxos…” Read more…
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Tapas Tour Madrid
We fell in love with Madrid and it was very walkable. You had suggested a tapas tour with Gabrielle and it was amazing! We were curious as to why it was scheduled to begin at 7 (as you know, so early for Spanish diners) but quickly realized that she was really taking us around to many places and ordering the specialty for us to try. We loved it! We went to places we never would have and tried foods we likely never would have. Gabrielle was so knowledgeable and personable-we really enjoyed our 4+ hour evening with her.
–Nik and Jennifer, Ontario, Canada, August, 2009
Gourmet San Sebastián and La Rioja
The Pintxos tour on the first evening was definitely a great way to get things started but my favorite was definitely the trip to La Rioja. We took a tour of the Roda winery and got to taste all their 3 wines, which Gabriella told us never happens, as well as the different olive oils they produce. The rest of La Rioja was great as it was interesting to see the bodegas of the different wines I had ordered while pintxos bar hopping. The lunch at Ezcaray was so good. We started off with an artichoke dish and we ate it in such a way I never had eaten an artichoke before. Then we had a breaded anchovies dish with rataouie and then a beef cheek and foie grois dish, and for dessert, rice pourage with cinnamon. All very very good.
My brother’s favorite was the cooking class. Our chef made us a traditional Basque food. We were lucky because apparently they were not allowed to fish anchovies for 2 years until this year. So we bought anchovies in the market and brought it to the gastronomy society which our chef made for us an appetizer. We had a hake dish and clams and rice dish. For desert, our chef made us a traditional puff pastry which I am still dreaming about to this day. Everything the chef made was made so simple, but it was absolutely delicious.
The day in France was great. They had the best macaroons I had ever tasted that I had to bring some back to Vancouver with me. It was very interesting to see the difference in the French and Spanish sides of Basque country. This was definitely more than just a food tour, it was an unforgettable experience. Gabriella then took us to the restaurant we were supposed to eat at if we walked down the coast to Pasajes de San Juan. The food again was just off the charts. Lots of seafood and for desert, the chef had just made an apple pie which I could hands down say was the best apple pie I had ever had.
To end it we had dinner at Arzak. I cannot even begin to describe how good the food was at Arzak. I can easily say that it was the best meal of my life. Gabriella was amazing and got Elena Arzak to show us the kitchen before our reservation.
Overall, it was an amazing trip. Gabriella was a very knowledgeable, well connected, and approachable guide and we couldn’t have asked for anything more.
–Carla and Sonny, May 2010
Cooking in Barcelona
The cooking class was fantastic. I also did one in France and the Barcelona one was much better. I would consider doing the three day country one if ever in Spain again.
A.R., Massachusetts, July, 2009