Churros in My Chummy

I spent this last weekend in beautiful Barcelona, Spain. I was going in pretty blind (my limited knowledge of Spain came from high school friends' Spanish classes), but I was so excited to learn about Barcelona's rich history, culture, and food. We spent the weekend bronzing on the beach, marveling at Gaudi (the reason for the word "gaudy") architecture, and absolutely stuffing our faces. Following are a few of the trip's culinary highlights:

SANGRIA: Sorry, Italy. Spain wins this battle. This wine beverage was so delicious and refreshing and drinkable. The apple and lemon chunks added so much to the flavor and we might have even stuck forks in the pitcher to grab some saturated chunks when no one was watching. At least... I hope no one was watching :P

PAELLA: This delicious rice concoction definitely exceeded my expectations. While I have heard so many amazing things about it, I thought it sounded gloopy and a little bit casserole-y for my liking. I was wrong. The rice had contrasting texture to the veggies and the flavors had created some sort of complex mind-blowing meld. Perhaps oddly, the peas were my favorite part. Maybe that's because I haven't had any since arriving in Europe and it was nice to throw in a different green vegetable.

CHURROS CON CHOCOLATE: Words cannot be spoken. Doughy. Fried. Chocolatey. Soft. Warm. Sugary. If you toss in a delicious adjective, it described these churros. Clare's brother who had studied in Barcelona recommended this little joint on Las Ramblas and I have to say it's in my top five culinary Study Abroad pleasures. Amazing. I can't say more. Just go. Cafe de L'Opera. #74 Las Ramblas.

You cannot go to Spain without getting tapas. Marisa's friend took us to a very authentic Catalan bar that had a great menu and we all ordered and passed around a myriad of dishes. Pictured from top are patatas bravas, fried artichoke, and spinach fritters. The spinach was the best. It was kind of like tempura-- definitely fried but not heavy or too greasy. Yum! I also had some tasty bread, a salty white fish of some sort, and some smoked cheese. I was stuffed and was so excited to try so many different traditional dishes.

Barcelona was amazing. I am so lucky that my travels are taking me to new, exciting places and expanding my palette. Down side? Now that I know how good churros are, I may never stop eating them!