Strawberries and Spices and Spot Prawns, Oh My!

We traveled to Spain with our dear friends in May 2011, to take a 12 night Mediterranean cruise. We spent four nights in Barcelona prior to taking the cruise and fell in love with this coastal city. There were many things I had wanted to do and see in Barcelona, like eating tapas and visiting Sagrada Familia. One stop we could not miss was the local food market, La Boqueria. We had seen it on many television shows and heard how amazing it was. It definitely lived up to it’s reputation.

Nestled off the busy La Rambla pedestrian boulevard, La Boqueria has a small entrance that opens into a tented market bursting with brilliant colors. While the market is bustling with locals and tourists alike,  it’s not frenetic. One is meant to leisurely puruse the stalls and enjoy the bounty of products.  The stalls are laid out in an organized fashion with similar items grouped together. Most stalls focus on selling one type of item, like eggs or fruit or seafood so you can trust the purveyors know their product. There are also a few café type stalls that cook up the day’s catch.

The fruits and vegetables were brilliant and we all tried a different flavor of fresh squeezed juice.

The seafood was stunning, the spices aromatic and fresh bread is baked next to well stocked cheese cases. Pick up a few items and head to the closest park for a beautiful picnic.

The men headed straight to meat counter to try the famous Jamon Iberico (Spanish Ham). We walked around the entire market, enthralled with the freshness, wide selection and beauty of the products available.

Oh how I wish I lived in Barcelona and could stroll this market daily to pick up the ingredients for dinner.

We went back another day to visit the market a second time but it was closed. Make sure you check the hours and days of operation before you visit so you don’t miss out on this stunning market. For more info you can visit www.boqueria.info