On a late summer night, the Dutchman got on one knee in front of the Reflecting Pool of the National Mall and asked me to be his wife. From the ring to the location to the look of love in his eyes, it was the perfect moment. We started our love story in Brussels, just five weeks before my departure. From Belgium to the Netherlands to France to DC to Australia, our love has evolved into one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced in my life. We come from different parts of the world but the universe found a way to bring us together. I will forever be thankful for meeting such a loving, generous, caring, and amazing man.
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| The Night Forever Began |
We decided to have two wedding ceremonies: one in my native upstate NY with our family and friends in the US and the other in Barcelona to cater to our European friends and family. Although neither of us have ties to the city, we decided it has the best mix of food, accessibility, and sunshine. One of the things in the decision process that was nonnegotiable for both of us was a beachfront ceremony. Barcelona was the perfect choice of amazing beaches balanced with great urban life and culture.
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| A Lovely Day at Barceloneta |
We arrived in Barcelona a few weeks ago when the city was enjoying a second wind of warm weather in October. As we walked by
Puerto Olímpico, we could see some Northern Europeans swimming in the sea and locals and tourists alike basking in the sun. It was the perfect setting to find a place for our celebration. Our short list had four places: two in the city and two in the beach towns close to Barcelona.
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| The Best Salad I’ve Ever Had, Ca la Nuri |
The first place we visited was
Ca la Nuri Restaurant at the recommendation of a local friend. We went there during lunch on a beautiful day. We started our meal with a lovely salad with perfectly cured ham and mussels sauteed in tarragon and butter. We continued with our main courses:
paella and
fideuà, both amazingly tasty with juicy cuts of squid and fish. We ended our meal with a
cortadito (
espresso topped with steamed milk) and an amazing chocolate mousse. The food, scenery, and service were superb. We both knew in our hearts this place was it, but we needed to explore our options before making the final decision.
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| A Happy Ending at Ca la Nuri |
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We continued our search a visited Pez Vela, which had a great location and exquisite food. Sadly, the space could not occupy all of our guests for a sit down dinner. However, we were impressed with the tapas: from the octopus to the croquetas, every little bite was to die for.
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| Pez Vela at Night |
The following day, we headed to the little town of Garraf, where we had a beautiful tour of La Cupula. The restaurant sits on top of a small cliff with an idyllic view of the sea. Sadly the venue did not fit our personalities, it was geared towards larger and more traditional wedding banquets. However, we do plan to take our parents there when we return for the wedding. The view is worth the drive.
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| Restaurant with a View: La Cupula |
From there we moved on to Les Marines, a beautiful restaurant tucked away in the town of Gava Mar. The restaurant has a beautiful and classic facade. There we enjoyed one of the best meals we had during our trip to Barcelona. The cochinillo (suckling pig) was one of the tastiest meals I’ve had in Spain….ever. Although the place was spectacular, there were two drawbacks: the small forest between the beach and the restaurant (no view of the sea) and the location was too far away from the city for our guests.
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| The Cochinillo a Les Marines |
After two days of gorgeous views and excellent food, we decided on our first choice, Ca la Nuri. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the level of service and quality of food we received in Barcelona. There are many mixed reviews of Barcelona (my first time in 2007 was not the greatest). However, the two days we spent looking for the perfect place to declare our love in front of our loved ones reaffirmed we made the right decision. Now we look forward to celebrating our marriage in front of the sea with the ones we love most.
