Barcelona was the perfect end to my adventure. I took an amazing cooking class where I learned how to make Spanish Tortilla (which is more like an omelette), Catalan cream (similar to crème brulee), paella with squid and other seafood and butternut squash soup. If anyone ever needs to know how to clean and prepare a fresh squid, I am your girl. But before we even started cooking, we took a tour of the largest market in Barcelona that features lots of fresh produce, sweet treats, meats and local Spanish wines (a personal favorite).
To set the scene, the class took place in a yellow tile modern kitchen that had red straw stars handing in the windows for the holidays. What more could you ask for? The chef who taught the class was literally so fabulous I was taking notes on some of the non-cooking related things he was saying. His life motto was that “everything should be done with passion and love” and he kept repeating the phrase throughout the session. When stirring a pot? It must be done with passion and love. Cutting vegetables? Cut those vegetables with passion and love. Cleaning up the ink from a squid? You guessed it. It needs to be done with passion and love.
Barcelona was a gorgeous city with the amazing architecture, beautiful parks and magnificent walking streets.
My last night abroad (at least for now), I watched the sun set on the city and admired the picturesque skyline from Parque Guell, a park designed by architect Antoni Gaudi. It certainly was a great ending to a memorable, life-changing and more incredible than I could have ever asked for trip.
