The diary of my Barcelona trip continues . . .
Day 3 (February 5), 8:00 am.
iPhone alarm sounds off. I reset it for 8:30 am, roll back into bed, and promptly fall back to sleep.
Day 3 (February 5), 8:30 am.
iPhone alarm sounds off. I reset it for 9:00 am, roll back into bed, and promptly fall back to sleep.
Day 3 (February 5), 9:00 am.
iPhone alarm sounds off. I reset it for 9:30 am, roll back into bed, and promptly fall back to sleep.
Day 3 (February 5), 9:30 am.
iPhone alarm sounds off. I reset it for 10:00 am, roll back into bed, and promptly fall back to sleep. (You should be detecting a pattern by now! 
)
Day 3 (February 5), 10:00 am.
iPhone alarm sounds off. I could have slept an eternity, but this time, I finally extricate myself from bed and take a cold shower to wash away any residual signs of jet lag.
Day 3 (February 5), 10:45 am.
I manage to sneak into breakfast in the nick of time (it closes at 11 am) and am thrilled with what I see and taste! When in Spain (or so I've recently learned), you can always expect a plethora of cured meats (think: chorizo y jamÓn ibÉrico) coupled with cheeses (both queso fresco and other harder, aged varieties) when you sit down for breakfast or midday snack. There were also tiny pieces of a veggie frittata (called "Tortilla Española" here), a fabulous spread of bunyols and other baked goodies, . . .
. . . and the ubiquitous smashed tomatoes and fresh tomato juice that are routinely served on bread with a splash of olive oil at just about every meal.
After consuming a healthy portion of all of the above, I decide to forego the workout in the first floor spa. Instead, I set out on foot to tour the many architectural wonders of Antoni GaudÍ that grace this gorgeous city. (Today is a holiday for me, as my class prep doesn't really need to start until Thursday.)
Day 3 (February 5), 11:45 am.
I make it no more than five or ten city blocks before food catches my attention - again! This time it is the masterful creations of Pasteleria Escribà, one of the city's most famous pastry shops, that draw me in! I feel like a kid in a candy shop - quite literally - as you'll soon see . . .
Escribà storefront; its simplicity belies the extravagance inside.
Typical Escribà sweets.
Pretty candy bouquets for Valentine's Day, at Escribà.
Fondant in every color of the rainbow. They also sell decorating supplies and offer classes here.
Massive royal icing dog with all-candy collar, at Escribà.
One of the Queen's guard, again all-sugar at Escribà.
LOL. The guard was standing watch by this profiterole-framed mirror!
Day 3 (February 5), 12:00 pm.
But I am a woman on a mission - to gobble up all I can of GaudÍ before a 4 pm conference call. Off I go from Escribà without a bite, but with every intention of returning for an afternoon snack.
Some seven or so blocks later, I have my first GaudÍ sighting. Mosaic-clad Casa BattlÓ, a remodel done by the famous architect in 1904, is truly a wonder worth every bit of its World Heritage landmark distinction.
Casa BattlÓ, facade.
Casa BattlÓ, chimneys. GaudÍ was all about style AND function!
Casa BattlÓ, interior stairwell/atrium.
Casa BattlÓ, interior window. Just a small portion of the magnificent stained glass in this house.
Casa BattlÓ, wall planters in courtyard. Lots of cookie inspiration here!
Day 3 (February 5), 2:00 pm.
Wow, what an amazing house tour! I continue north through the center of Quadrat d' Or, aka the Golden Square (aka the epicenter of modernista Barcelona), toward La Pedrera, a large scale apartment building designed by GaudÍ from 1906 to 1912. Along the way, I see many other cool buildings . . .
No de GaudÍ (sorry, trying out my meager Spanish), but new and notable!
La Pedrera is sadly under renovation, so I don't get any exterior shots and my interior ones are really dark. But suffice it to say: it is also incredible! The site's website is certainly proof positive.
(Sorry for the minor architectural digression. Most of today wasn't spent on cookies per se, but I think it's clear that cookie inspiration can be found just about anywhere. Be on the lookout for more organic, free-form, undulating cookie designs from me! 
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Day 3 (February 5), 3:15 pm.
After emerging from La Pedrera, I realize I need to hightail it back to the hotel for my conference call and to have time to clean up for my dinner with my Cookie Gals, aka host Claudia Cetro and the five other ladies who so generously prepped the 3,000 cookies for my classes!
I think I'll still be able to squeeze in a snack at Escribà, but, alas, the store is shuttered for the day. I mark my calendar to return tomorrow (Friday) or Monday.
A quick check of email upon return to the hotel reveals a photo from Claudia with all (but one) of the Cookie Gals in it. This is a blessing for me because I am very bad with putting names to faces, and I MUST properly thank them all for their amazing prep work.
Barcelona's best cookie bakers! (Missing: Patricia Sabadell). Photo courtesy of Claudia Cetro.
Day 3 (February 5), 6:45 pm.
A cab picks me up promptly at Claudia's appointed time (did I mention that Claudia is super organized?!) and deposits me at her apartment where I've been asked to check all the cookie prep before the Cookie Gals head off to dinner. Claudia wants to make sure all is A-OK for the weekend's classes - and I don't blame her; there are lots of tight-fitting cookie pieces for these projects!
What strikes me first about Claudia's apartment is the massive quantity of dummy cakes - everywhere! They line the walls . . .
the steps to her bedroom . . .
and even sit on her bedside stand! Turns out she often takes the classes she sets up, and those fruits of her labor have been turned into apartment artwork! Kid in a candy shop, or bull in a china shop? I can't decide which better describes me at this moment!
It doesn't take much checking to determine that the cookies are absolutely perfect! (Gracias, Cookie Gals!) We even have more than we need, which is great because there are bound to be a few accidents or breakage.
Off to dinner we go, but not without first taking a group shot.
Pictured, left to right: Claudia Cetro, MercÈ Alvarez, Carmen Belmonte, moi, and MercÈ Sotero.
Day 3 (February 5), 8:30 pm.
We arrive at a great Italian restaurant in Claudia's neighborhood, where we're later joined by the lovely Patricia Sabadell, another Cookie Gal. We feast on everything from fonduta and risotto to pasta in shapes and sizes I've never seen.
If I could have packed the moon (correction: six moons) in my suitcase, I would have given each Cookie Gal one of them, But, instead each gets one of my DVDs - a small token of appreciation that hardly does justice to all of their hard work. (I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for all that they've done to make sure these classes are successful! What a huge support and relief! )
Of course, we talk (as best we can without me knowing Spanish), laugh, and generally have a grand time.
Cookie Gals at dinner, collage courtesy of MercÈ Alvarez.
Day 3 (February 5), 12:00 to 3:00 am.
I return to the hotel, catch up with my husband briefly through Skype, and field email for about three hours. Ouch - I had built up quite a backlog during the day! Like last night, the pillow is a welcome sight!
Day 4 (February 6), All day!
OK, this is going to be short one - I promise! A combination of the previous long night and a growing to-do list leads me to one conclusion: I need to re-think the day's sightseeing plans. Visits to La Sagrada Familia, another of GaudÍ's remarkable sites, and the city's many open-air markets will have to wait 'til next week.
Apart from a short workout, I hunker down in my hotel room all day to prep for tomorrow's classes. Prep includes a mini slide show with cookie design variations and an outline of my demonstration flow. Now, just a few cookies and tools to set out in the morning, and I'll be good to go!
Day 4 (February 6) Addendum, 10:00 pm.
Since there was another meeting running until 7:30 pm in the room designated for my class, the Cookie Gal Dream Team is still working hard to set up for tomorrow. I pop in to take a look at the room and to offer an assist, but everything is clearly well under control!
MercÈ Alvarez and Patricia Sabadell surveying their fine table setup.
Claudia and I review the first day's agenda (i.e., what pieces of which projects should be done when in order to stay on track) and craft a plan for making royal icing in the morning. I'll arrive at 8 am to set up my work station and "show" projects, then supervise the icing prep. And she and The Dream Team will re-ice a few cookies, all before class-goers arrive at 10 am sharp!
With morning plan now in hand, I retreat to my hotel room to field email before hitting the sack.
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