Part II of Chris’s birthday celebrations were in Barcelona, and though we had been there about 7 years earlier, we were excited to see it again.

Great Friends

One of the biggest factors in our decision to celebrate C’s 30th birthday in Barcelona was friends.  A few months back, we learned that our college friend, Rob, would be traveling to Spain with his girlfriend and her twin.  Additionally, a very dear friend, Erica, decided that a trip to Europe was in order, and despite living on the west coast, she braved the 13-hour flight for a visit.  We had an absolute blast eating and drinking our way through the city (so much so, that we stayed out way past our bedtimes a couple of nights).  Traveling and exploring are always fun, but it is best done with friends.

Arc de Triomf with Erica

Parc Guelli with Rob, Kristen, & Ally

Famous Sites

To be totally honest, we don’t remember a lot of our first visit to Barcelona.  We know that we saw the outside of the Sagrada Familia, we know we went to the beach for a day, and sadly, that’s about it.  This time, we did a much better job of checking-off the famous sites in Barcelona.

• Sagrada Familia: This time we actually made it inside the Sagrada Familia Basilica, and we were happy we did – it is truly unlike any other cathedral we have ever seen.  It is a unique combination of Gothic and Art Nouveau architecture which incorporates elements of nature into a structural design in ways we could not even imagine.  We enjoyed learning about the history, the designing architect (Antoni Gaudi), and the basilica’s future completion (not scheduled until 2026).
• Barcelona Beaches: It is officially autumn in Switzerland, but Barcelona still felt like late summer.  We enjoyed 75-degree weather, lots of sunshine, a few hours on the beach, and a long, sweet drink of summer before heading into the cold and dark months of winter.
• Guell Park: Intended as a playground for wealthy people in the early 1900s, this park is the embodiment of surrealism.   The park is built into the side of a hill, features some of the most bizarre and beautiful mosaics, and is a perfect dream world.  Most impressively, the “hike” to the top of the hill on which the park is built gives unobstructed, gorgeous views of the city below.

Fun Mosaics

Barcelona Beach

Parc Guelli

More Mosaics

Amazing Food

The last time we were in Spain, we both thought the food was terrible.  Perhaps we ate at tourist traps, or perhaps our 22-year old taste buds preferred something less adventurous.  Whatever the reason, we were clearly wrong.  The food in Barcelona was some of the best food we have had in a long, long time.

Michelin star restaurant number 1: TICKETS Bar and Restaurant

Holy Moly.  This place.  TICKETS is a recently Michelin Starred restaurant specializing in tapas. The place is so “hot” that despite two months of advance notice, our 6:30pm reservation was the best that we could do.  It was totally worth it.  We splurged for the “TICKETS Experience” where they basically just bring you food until you tell them to stop.  After about 10 courses of some of the most creative and amazing food (spherefied olive oil with chicken fat chips, avocado and cumin jelly with crab, and oysters with purple shiso vinegar… just to name a few), we were stuffed.  We didn’t realize that after the savory tapas, they basically take you to Willy Wonka’s Factory where the tapas experience starts all over again.  After 2 rounds of desserts, we were starting to resemble Violet Beauregarde and had to be rolled it.  It was an experience we will not soon forget.

Michelin star number restaurant 2: Montiel Espai Gastronòmic

For our second dinner, we headed to another Michelin Star restaurant known for their locally-sourced ingredients.  Even though we had a few picky eaters in the group, we all settled [read: C & Frau insisted] on the 9-course tasting menu which included three rounds of appetizers, three rounds of mains, and three rounds of desserts.  Everything was absolutely perfect, and just as with the night before, we left with full bellies and happy hearts.

Almost too pretty to eat

Chris in Willy Wonka’s Factory

Final Thoughts

The execution of Chris’s birthdays past has a varied track record, but the celebration of this round number is one that will go down in the books as a resounding success. Chris could not be more grateful for the friends who made the trip and the Frau who made it all possible.

Ladies and gentlemen, Chris has done it.  He has made it to the big 3-0.  A milestone this momentous calls for a celebration to match, and thus, we [Read: Sarah] decided that two weekends of birthday were in order.  Part I highlights include:

1. Fun and silliness at home:  Even though Chris’s actual birthday was celebrated at home with only the two of us, Sarah still hung streamers, blew up balloons, and made a ridiculous birthday hat.  No matter how old we get, we still believe that every birthday is an excuse to embrace our inner child.  That said, a clown/petting zoo seemed pretty creepy for a 30-year-old-man, so we settled on a home-cooked meal and a whiskey tasting instead.

2. Birthday video: Originally, Chris had toyed with the idea of making a trip back to The States for his 30th.  Unfortunately, due to work and the impending wedding season we will have next summer, we decided against it; however, Sarah was still eager to give Chris a taste of home.  With the help of friends and family from far and wide, she was able to compile a video with birthday wishes.  A big thank you goes out to everyone who made a submission – you helped make this birthday a very special one indeed.  Should you be curious, here’s the video link.

3. Shopping in Milan: Chris is “all-man.”  He loves sports of all kinds, is a hairy dude (increasingly true), can fix most things, refuses to ask for directions, and takes pride in his “inability” to cook/clean/do laundry.  Chris does enjoy dressing sharp, but he definitely still shops like a man.  There’s no “let’s see what other stores have” or “I’m just browsing.”  He wants to go once a year, have a little Italian lady shop for him, spend a bunch of money, and be done.   Thanks to a very generous gift from Mama Milne and Papa George, he was able to do just that.  We trained down to Milan for the weekend and headed to a store we had discovered while there in April.  Shockingly, the same shop attendant was working on Saturday.  Even more shockingly, she remembered us and was excited to play “Ken Doll” with Chris again.  Though Sarah had allotted an entire day for shopping, Chis was done after two hours and one store.  Great success.

Up next is Part II: Barcelona where we plan to meet friends, drink wine, eat gazpacho, and continue to ring in the glory of thirty.