Barcelona via La Vie... J'aime

Barcelona, let me count the ways I love you.  I visited this city last fall during a 10-day European trip that included Florence, Rome, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and finally Barcelona.  I had never been before and was smitten with the city immediately. We spent just 3 days there and crammed in all we could explore, shop, eat, drink!  Here are my top 10 must-dos in Barcelona.

Spend time on Gaudi roof decks: Casa Batlló and “La Pedrera”

Ride the hop-on/hop-off bus to explore the city, and sit on the open top.

Experience La Font Magica (The Magic Fountain).

Visit the Picasso Museum.

Relax at Park Güell.

Take in the city from above at Mirablau café/club.

Enjoy an authentic Flamenco Show on La Rambla, while sipping sangria.

Check out the flea market in the Gothic Quarter, or Barri Gotic, right by the Cathedral. You are sure to find some gems!

Don’t forget to look down!

-Jamie

Jelly Modern Doughnut

I figured since I am from Canada, maybe just maybe I should write a post on some of the happy that comes from here! When you think happy words...is one of them doughnut? Me too. So here is one of the must visit places in Canada for a delicious doughnut, or doughnut sandwich, yes I said DOUGHNUT SANDWICH. mmm.

They have amazing, unique and straight up scrumptious flavours such as.... red velvet, carrot cake, s'more, coconut cream, MAPLE BACON, etc,etc...drool.

Oh AND they were featured on the food network show YOU GOTTA EAT HERE.

Yes that is a roast beef sandwich made with doughnut dough...Don't doubt it...just embrace it. Oh and a s'more doughnut...I could eat 2..or 100 of these in one sitting. I wish.

Who is in the mood for a doughnut now? You! Great! See you there!...But really if you come to Canada ...you+me= lunch date at Modern Jelly Doughnut. Deal!

Temple Square

When visiting Downtown Salt Lake City- Temple Square is a must see. The history of Utah is rich at Temple Square, there's no better place to visit in Utah where you can learn about our history.

Temple square is home to the Salt Lake City Mormon Temple. You can't enter unless you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with a temple recommend, but there are visitor centers, tabernacles, the conference center, and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building that you can visit.

The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is my favorite. It is stunning and includes 3 different restaurants. It was once a hotel and is now used as a visitor center, reception center and office building.

While you can't enter the Temple without a recommend, you can view it from all angles on the outside. This is the most beautiful building in the world- to me.

The grounds of Temple Square are well tended to. In the spring you'll find the grounds covered in fresh blossoms.

At Christmas time it is covered in lights and a Nativity Scene.

If you go to the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial building you can view the temple from their west windows.

There are 4 restaurants in all at Temple Square, the prices vary making dining at the square possible for anyone. There's the Lion House- famous for their rolls and a great stop for that home cooking, the Navoo Cafe- fast service and great sandwiches, the Garden- a great inbetween restaurant; not too fancy but fancier than the other two, and last but not least The Roof- a fine dining restaurant with spectacular views of the temple.

Porters Place

One of my family's favorite restaurants in Utah is Porters Place. Named and themed after Porter Rockwell- a gunman from the 1800's and official body guard of the 1st modern day prophet of the LDS Church- Joseph Smith.

The restaurant is located on the old main street in Lehi Utah, a small town just 30 minutes south of downtown SLC, among other original buildings.
(as you can see- I was able to take Lauren there! She came to stay with me last week and this was first on our list)

Inside you'll find vintage wallpaper and lighting. The restaurant casts an atmosphere of an an old west saloon.

When sitting up at the bar you rest on old tractor seats (one of my favorite parts).

The walls are covered in wood that actually came from my Dad's childhood barn and the rest is exposed original brick.

At the front of the restaurant is a vintage style cash box that they still use as well as a 1900's piano where they sometimes have live ragtime music played. But when the piano isn't in use, you can count on that saloon music filling the restaurant through speakers.

The food is American. Steak, potatos, rolls (my favorite part), and hamburgers are what you mostly find on the menu, but they also have a salad bar and some simpler options.

Alcohol isn't served but they have their "signature drinks". We tried three of them- Silver Queen, Diamond Lil, and Gold Feber. Our favorite (across the table) was the Silver Queen, smooth vanilla, the Diamond Lil is similar to a pina colada- which we enjoyed, and the Gold Feber was a bit too... syrup-y for us.

When trying to get that "Utah" experience- Porters Place is a great choice.

La Bonne Vie

La Bonne Vie means "The Good Life." Located in the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City Utah. It is a must visit if you find yourself in the area.

&

For someone who's ultimate dream would be to own a bakery of her own...well this really is the good life!

Below you will clearly see more reasons why....

Not only do they serve some seriously delicious macarons...they serve all kinds of pastries and gelato and covered strawberries. HERE is a link to everything they serve and all the different delectable flavours of the treats!

 Fun Fact: La Bonne Vie was named "Best Bakery" by Salt Lake magazine in the 2012 Dining Awards.

Oh did I mention that I got to visit the bakery while visiting ms Gentri! We had such a fun week together! Here she is enjoying some seriously tasty hazelnut gelato.

& Here I am enjoying my pistachio macaron which was so good it was hard not to order 10 more...or ....100.

When I like something I REALLY like something!

So if you find yourself in the Salt Lake area pop on over and order up some treats! They even have adorable and beautiful packaging for their treats, which makes it a great gift! That is if you can handle not eating it all on the way to deliver the treat! So probably order for you and your loved ones! And maybe one for me?!

Waialua Bakery

Ya ok, I know what you are thinking. "another Hawaii post?". But let's be real here..you aren't even mad. The answer to your other question is.. Yes I am trying to convince all of you to move to Hawaii.
So I figure I can win you all over with food. I know it would work for me.
This bakery is well..scrumptious. The sandwiches are as big as your face {as shown in the picture above}. They are fresh and amazing and well lets just say I will not eat all day so that I can finish the entire thing.

As you can see...the fam agrees! When we go to Maui we even say we would fly over to Oahu just for a sandwich!

Oh and then once you have eaten your weight in delicious goodness...you of course have to "force" down one of their homemade ice cream sandwiches. I mean you really just have no choice in the matter once you get a look at them.

So you are gonna meet me there right? I figured! Oahu -> Haleiwa -> Waialua Bakery -> Heaven on earth.

Bon appetite! 

Gaston's Tavern

Disney World (as many of you know) has been expanding their "Fantasyland". They've added some new things and as far as I know, haven't finished! I was able to visit WDW this last February with my sister and her family. We had a blast and enjoyed every minute.

One of our favorite stops in the new Fantasyland was Gaston's Tavern. They serve pork shanks, gooey cinnamon rolls, and their signature "La Fou's Brew". This is supposed to be what the characters are drinking in the movie (we all know what it REALLY was). It's an apple cider- toasted marshmallow mixture with a passion fruit foam on top.

I plan on trying some recipes to see if I can come up with something similar. It was amazing! I will let you know if I can perfect it!