Sunday, October 12, 2025

9 October 2025 Barcelona: Megandering About and a Most Fancy Lunch


What a great time at Prodigi Restaurant.  Does it have a Michelin star....yes, Sir! One star and a well deserved star it was.  Arriving early was almost a problem as the chef may or may not be ready to begin our service.  They invited us in anyway to start drinking if we wanted.  We did but it took a while deciding on a wine as we had great assistance from the sommelier, Barbara Tollendal.  Both Carlos and I described the kind of whine we liked.  She had multiple suggestions for each of us.  Before any of the wine came we had to decide on lunch.  We came to a group decision to do the tasting menu.  This was right after Leslie said we were going to do the tasting menu.  We loved it and were so happy that we chose to do this.  It turned into the three hour eat a little, sip a little talk a little and then repeat.   



Another street of Barcelona treat


Arghhh


Simply stop and look up


So much beauty in the streets


Extra tile


Paint


Stone


Wrought iron


Bronze


Brawn


Got a star!


Leslie got a rose


We got a red


We three kings...


Our first bit.  A shrimp tail and tounge


A light pallet cleanser


Hip hip


Hooray!


Hip hip


Hooray!

]

Tasting more


So good


A cheers to that second bottle


The chef was very intense during his explanations


Three possible bottles but we must choose one for our third bottle of wine


We have emptied out the place


A lovely dish and the dish


A chilled bit


Yummy


Trying to handle the three bottles


Juddling


Got it!


Thank you very much


The three metal rods represent the three streets that intersect at this restaurant's location


We even managed a second round of desserts






   It has been 3 years and 125 days since we began our Migration 
 

8 October 2025 Montpelier to Barcelona: An Exciting Start to Our Travel Day

 



Our morning began with some extra excitement.  The Uber was pre-ordered and it took us to the train station where we first entered Montpelier.  However the train station that we needed was a good 20 minutes away.  Traveling with people has somehow gotten us off of our game and we have made a few silly mistakes in the last few weeks.  Since we could not see out train on the video screen we investigated further and discovered our error.  We dashed for a taxi, loaded up and sped off to the correct station.  This was going to be tight as the maps app said it was a 25 minute drive and we would only have a few minutes to spare when we finally got to the station.  Luckily for us this driver understood the timing issue.  He knew a better route that the one maps had laid out and he was not beholden to the speed limits.  He zigged, he zagged and when he got on the freeway he punched it.  Soon there were two police motorcycles (see above) who pulled up alongside and gave him the slow down signal.  Thank you officers for not pulling us over.  We got to the station and he even rolled some of the bags onto the elevator for us!  We made it!  The train ride went smoothly, we had pizza (Carlos forgot his), we saw flamingoes and watched the lady next to Omar sleep solid for 2.5 hours.  Once she woke us she recounted her story of missing her train, trying to stay in the station but getting kicked out at 2 AM staying up the rest of the night and finally making this train.  She spent the remaining half hour of the trip putting on makeup with her stuff strewn about the train's staircase.  We stood in  the hot taxi stand and barely fit into a smallish taxi.  Our AirBnb host has onsite to greet us and get us situated.  He recommended a restaurant for dinner and then we headed out to the show.  This venue was the Palau de la Musica Catalina and it was a gem of Catalan Modernism.  Built in between 1905 and 1908, this was over the top beautiful.  



Our train station savior


In the new station we met Carlos and Omar


We took a path long a large barrier island


Some bigger towns along the way


The devil's coach


Water on both sides


Seagulls 


Isolated farm buildings


These buildings were on an island


Flamingoes


The world is zooming by


The greater flamingo 


Our original planned stop before the plan was changed


Andorra is up there somewhere


So many taxi's available that the live went very fast


A dragon who eats cars


We are in fancy Barcelona


The grand buildings


Passing the major squares


Almost at the place


One fantastic knocker


With a matching knob


Discarded back in the 70's


Dinner at Casa Alfonso


This gin is leaning


Of course we get olives to start


Jamon


Toast points with tomato sauce


The Spanish omelet


Having a blast


New shoes!


Is it Carlos or is it Trotsky?


Room for dessert?


Yes we did have room


Nicely decorated 


Heading out to the concert


Great street lights


We have arrived at the Palau de la Musica


Our piano maestro for the evening


Layers of beauty


Gilded and sparkly


Grandiose 


Glass balustrades


Tile work and painted glass


The room is filling up


These ladies are 3-D  


So much detail


The glass ceiling 


We have a box


The ladies coming out of the wall


The dome coming out of the ceiling


The 3-D ladies on the other side


A fantastic tree


How did this get manufactured?


A full house


Love the organ


A fun reflection on the piano


A series of busts of composers



A pair of giant men arrived and blocked rows of folks from seeing the piano player


A great show


The chandelier on out way out 


Statements on the walls as we walk back


Our elevator is very small


Only one person and one set of luggage



   It has been 3 years and 124 days since we began our Migration