December | 2012 | ginger&sugar

Here at G&S we LOVE candy! Not only do we enjoy eating candy but we are also inspired by the artistry, creativity, and passion that some confectioners display in their sugary creations. Going to a beautiful or unique candy store is just as fun as going to cute fashion boutique. One thing that G&S likes to do when visiting a new city is to seek out the local candy boutiques. In Spain we were spoiled with two awesome candy stores – both very different and unique from each other.

The first stop on our Barcelona candy walkabout was Happy Pills. The store was hallways sized with clean white walls lined with containers of colorful gummies in all shapes and sizes. The concept was simple; grab a pill bottle to fill with your prescription of candy goodness. Once you have stuffed it with all your goodies you choose a prescription label with fun sayings such as “pink clouds for grey days”, “for a bad hair day”, and “emergency kit”. The gummies in the store were awesome, adorable tennis balls, fangs, hearts in all sizes and colors, fingers (strange!), fried eggs (super delicious), and puffs. They also had adorable pill packs so you can dole out your daily dose of sugary happiness!

Take your daily dose of happiness!

The second store was PapaBubble. We had the pleasure of first hearing about PapaBubble when we visited NYC. We were delighted to have the opportunity to visit their Barcelona store. PapaBubble is unique as they create their candy masterpieces by using techniques similar to glass blowers. They create the candy before your eyes by cooking, flavoring, coloring, and stretching the candy while you watch. They make items such as colorful lollipops, rings, and hard candy pieces. When the confectioner is rolling the sugar they sometimes add filling inside the roll so that when they cut the pieces it will have designs in them such as hearts or with customized sayings. Wouldn’t the heart candies be adorable to give as a gift on Valentines Day?

Candy artist!

Freshly made!

Barcelona! A city in Spain like no other. It has the nightlife, the beach, the mountains, the artistic culture, the eclectic food, the architecture, the passion that separates it from all other Spanish cities. It overflows with artistic and passionate creativity. Barcelona captures art and life and awakens you from anything dull or mundane.

Our highlights…

The food.
There is nothing like food where you can taste the passion and the dedication put into it. We had tapas to die for and other foods like Tuna Yakisoba that could bring you back to life. Every restaurant we ate at was magical, each place had its own story and detail that made you experience the food in a dynamic way. There is 2D eating and then there is 3D eating. At Picnic, we chose our appetizer of meats and cheeses off a gingham lined menu as we watched the 2 women chefs at work 2 feet from our table. We drank sparkling Spanish wine and took in every detail. At Elsa y Fred, we were delighted to have a glass of wine, a gourmet hamburger with a potato puree, and fresh fruit or a café all for the price of 12E. Such a deal! At Ristorante Meneghina we ate bolognese that melted in your mouth and of course Ginger indulged in the homemade tiramisu all by herself. At Bar Mirilla we switched it up from regular tapas and ordered Tuna Yakisoba and beer! Each place different yet a delight and so enchanting…each dining moment a memory we wouldn’t forget!

Melt in your mouth Bolognese & Tiramisu

Tuna Yakisoba

Tapas!

Don’t forget about cafe con leche!

The sights.
Where to begin. Um, the cathedrals, wow la catedral! So ornate and like stepping back in time. Our favorite was La iglesia Santa Maria del Mar in the heart of the Gothic quarter. The windy streets of the Gothic Quarter that lead you to tiny boutiques and bars and bombonerias! The parks that feel like you stepped into a fairytale or a music video…which is what we walked into at La Cascada in Parc de Ciutadella! hA! We took in the St. Joseph Boqueria which is almost indescribable…a market with every food imaginable…jellyfish, sea urchins, pig legs, fresh fruit smoothies, chocolate!, walls of candies…..it was sensory overload! We also enjoyed the fountain show at Placa Espanya. Shooting water, music, lights…it took you out of your element…like we were in a dreamland! Even the train stations are worth hanging out in, we hung out and had beers for like 3 hours at the Estacion de Franca. We enjoyed all the sights from sipping espresso in the street cafes to indulging in chocolate samples at an actual Chocolate Museum (Museu de la Xocolata). mmm, so good.

La Catedral

Santa Maria del Mar

Parc de Ciutadella

Placa Espanya

La Boqueria

The Art.
Gaudi, Picasso and everything in between. aahhh the arts and how they make you come alive. Whether it is a walk in Parc Guell or a stroll down Gracia by La Pedrera, just seeing the creativity makes your soul dance. While strolling through the neighborhood we stayed in, El Born, we saw a local shopkeeper in his studio handcrafting a violin right there. We were truly surrounded by creativity. The pictures you see of La Sagrada Familia in magazines or online don’t do it justice. The fact that the construction has been going on for 89 years after Gaudi’s death is insane. The interior of the cathedral is breathtaking. Gaudi wanted the columns to look as if you were amidst the great giant trees in a forest and that effect was achieved. The Picasso Museum was of course amazing. He donated work to the Barcelona museum even when he was alive. A lot of the art was from his younger years and was really cool to see how talented his work was and how diverse his painting scope really was. Barcelona and Art are like peanut butter and jelly – you can have them seperately but nothing else is quite like this combo.

Parc Guell

Gaudi

Forest inside La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia

Beautiful & dizzying staircase in La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia

The experience.
It was Sugar’s first time in Barcelona and it took Ginger 9 years to get back to Barcelona and it was such a treat to take in one of the best cities in the world. We both fell and re-fell in love with a beautiful city. We ended the trip by attending a Flamenco y Opera at the Palau de Musica. It was the perfect way to say farewell, the dancers danced with every ounce of passion they had in their body, the live band bared their souls through their instruments, and the opera singers sung from the very pits of their souls. It gave us goosebumps and made us shed some tears. It was the perfect representation of what Barcelona is all about.