Rose and Ron Krumpos in Spain

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Spain

Sharing paella with the manager of the Ritz in Barcelona

Our host in Barcelona was the Hotel Ritz (now El Palace Hotel). We asked the General Manager where we could get a good paella. He said his Chef made the best and invited us to lunch. There were just three of us in the main dining room, usually opened only for dinner. The Chef served his fabulous Catalan paella...Mediterranean shellfish, monkfish and bomba rice, pan cooked al dente. Our dinner was at attractive Citrus.

This journal is in 'geographic' order. The paella lunch in Barcelona was six years after our memorable experience in Portugal. At Citrus, near Plaça de Catalunya, a French diner said Spaniards could not make a good soufflé; he was wrong. By day, the Plaza was filled with hundreds of pigeons (which 'bombed' Ron). We visited Casa Batlló and la Sagrada Familia Basilica - Gaudi's fantasy architecture - and the Picasso and Miró museums.

Bluffing our way into Le Petit Soleil, one of the most popular restaurants

We strolled along Las Ramblas, Barcelona's string of walking streets, and followed a well dressed couple down a side street to Le Petit Soleil. It was extremely busy (we later learned it was one of the most popular). We told them the Concierge at the Ritz made our reservation...a bluff, but it got us a table near the cooking ovens. The next night we watched flamenco at Los Tarantos, after a day trip to the small resort town of Sitges.

The next day we met with British Airways' District Sales Manager. He had planned to take us to luncheon at the Le Petit Soleil, because it reminded him of Fournou's Ovens in the Stanford Court in San Francisco. He was a little disappointed that we had just been there.

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