Cassandra’s recommendations to have a drink in Barcelona
SandrineHey,
How are you? Enjoying the mild Autumn days in Barcelona?
Today Cassandra decided to write a blog about Drinking and Dining in nice old places with history. If you already live in Barcelona, you will probably know that there are loads of places like that: Cafés, restaurants, tapas bars etc. If you are a student of our school, you might have discovered them through our Historical Bar Crawl. Our next route will be published shortly in our School Blog.
So Cassandra, the blog is all yours!
“Drinking and Dining in Antiquity”
It always strikes me how many coffee and pastry shops there are in Barcelona!
In America we may have Starbucks on every other corner, but Spain has it all figured out … not only do they have Starbucks, they also have every other coffee shop you could ever dream of!
Another great thing about many of Barcelona’s coffee shops, restaurants, and eateries in general is that many of them hold a certain significance and importance to the city of Barcelona. For example, Els Quatre Gats, one of the most famous cafes in Barcelona, is so much more than a place to stop just for coffee. This café, which is representative of the city of Barcelona, opened in 1897 and was formerly the meeting place of renowned artists such as Picasso, Gaudi, and Catalan artists such as Ramon Casas, Miguel Utrillo, and Santiago Rusinol. Pere Romeu worked in Le Chat Noir in Paris, and was so influenced by the atmosphere of that café that he decided to create his own café, Els Quatre Gats, in Barcelona. Many of the artists I mentioned earlier such as Rusinol and Casas would frequently visit the café.
Obviously you can go to Els Quatre Gats just for coffee, but I personally prefer lunch or dinner. It aims to maintain its ambiance of its earlier years and serve as a reminder of what life was like during the end of the 19th century. There is a pianist who accompanies dinner, reminiscent of old times as well.
As I mentioned earlier, I think one of the greatest things about Barcelona is that you can go to eat at a restaurant or for a drink at a bar that contains so much cultural significance for the people of Barcelona and within the city. This same cultural importance holds true for Bar Marsella.
Though Bar Marsella is definitely a place worth experiencing, proceed with caution! The main event at Bar Marsella is its absinthe, this is the drink that bohemian people used to drink to get their inspiration.
The moment you enter this bar, you will be able to tell its old age. “Marsella”, opened in 1820 and has since done little to maintain the bar itself, which is evident by the out-of-date furnishings and dusty, century-old bottles lining the walls. Artists such as Picasso and Gaudi frequented Marsella, which now hosts a mixed crowd of young, alternative locals, intellectuals, and couples out for a drink on the Raval.
Tom and I at Marsella
As you can see, they give you a fork/spoon with a sugar cube on top of it. You are supposed to pour cold water on top of the cube or burn the sugar cube so that the sugar cube absorbs into the drink. The water also serves to dilute the alcohol.¡Buen provecho y que te lo pases bien!
-Cassandra
