Thanksgiving in Miami

Where I grew up on eastern Long Island, New York, there was a chill in the air around Thanksgiving.  We may even have gotten some snow by this time!  Not in Miami.

Roberto and I arrived here on Thanksgiving day to temperatures in the high 80's, bright blue skies, and perfect beach weather!  We ate our Thanksgiving dinner al fresco with the family... American-style turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows... mmm.  We might be sitting underneath palm trees, but there is no mistaking those classic Thanksgiving dishes.

Roberto, Alberto and I got to see Alejandro's new place in Brickell... it is beautiful!  Floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of the water.  Alex cooked us a delicious dinner on Friday night: stone crabs, pan-seared tuna tataki, escargot, and racks of lamb with asparagus.  I loved everything, but that was my first taste of stone crabs and it won't be my last.

We spent most of Saturday at Miami Beach with Abi's friends Alejandro and Missy.  It was a gorgeous day, a little overcast so the sun wasn't overbearing, but perfect beach weather.  Then after an afternoon of sun and sand we visited La Sandwicherie, just off the beach.  I had an amazing prosciutto and fresh mozzarella sandwich with cornichons on the side.

This is beginning to sound more like a food blog than a travel blog, but hey, we ate well in Miami!  (Always do!) On Sunday we visited Los Perros with Dulma for traditional Colombian fare: I had a sweet cheese arrepa with jugo de mora (blackberry juice, which I fell in love with in Costa Rica) and a delicious mixed appetizer made up of french fries, hard boiled quail eggs, fried potatoes, and pork belly. 

In between eating, Maria Elena, Alberto Francisco and I explored the beautiful, historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables while the boys played golf there.  The four-star resort dates from 1926 and boasts impeccably-maintained grounds, an 18-hole Donald Ross-designed golf course, an open-air courtyard and fountain, and a 23,000 square foot pool.  The hotel's centerpiece is its 93-foot tower, which is modeled after the Giralda Tower in Seville, Spain.  For all of the hotel's beauty, my favorite things about it were the two giant bird cages in the lobby, filled with rainbow-colored finches.  We had mojitos poolside while we waited for the boys to finish playing golf, under palm fronds and stars. 

To me, Miami is a magical place with a very exotic feel to it.  I always hate to leave, but it makes it that much more exciting each time we get to go back.

Last Full Day in Barcelona

We have officially just eaten the best paella I have ever had, at Restaurante Santiaguino near our hotel (Hotel U232 in the LEixample district). Delicious! This was a small little mom-and-pop type place that didn´t even open for dinner until 8 o´clock at night and we were the only diners there until about nine. We got there right at eight, being the American tourists we are, and as we were eating our dessert (a lovely little dream of tiny wild strawberries - fresitas, our waitress called them - and whipped fresh cream with sugar) the locals started pouring in for their usual late dinner. A couple of the diners knew each other, it was that kind of a place. Anyway, the food was incredible... pan-fried squid and a paella chock-full of fresh seafood, wonderful!
Earlier today we just did some more walking around Barceloneta´s beaches and we explored the Barri Gotic district. There was a nice breeze at the beach and the water is a gorgeous shade of aqua... it´s the Mediterranean, what can I expect? There are lots of boardwalk-type areas around Barceloneta for people to ride bikes, take a stroll, and walk their dogs (mostly without leashes... I don´t think there is a leash law in this country), and I can picture it being a pretty wild place in the summertime.
I loved the Barri Gotic area... the part of the city that dates back to medieval times. We took lots of pictures of Barcelona´s Cathedral, and it was amazing to walk around some of the ancient buildings in the area and see what used to be a moat around them. It always blows my mind to see how a more modern city has sprung up around structures from the 1500´s. Nowadays Barri Gotic is home to lots of trendy little boutiques and shops, all along its warren of narrow, historic alleyways. I loved it.
Tomorrow we´re off to Provence! Can´t wait...