We visited Greenwich Market two dozen times over the years, but our last visit had been more than two years ago. The Market has a very proud history. There has been a market in Greenwich since at least the 14th Century. Today’s market traces its beginning to 19th December 1700, when a Royal Charter was given to Greenwich Hospital, the Royal Navy’s oldest charity, to operate a market. This fine institution is there to support serving and retired navy staff and their families. The charity exists to this day and still owns the Market just like it always did. It took them nearly forty years until they actually made use of the Charter and opened the Market for the first time on 3 September 1737 with 60 stalls from far and wide. History Initially located next to the West Gate of the Old Royal Naval College, the market gradually […]
The two best tapas places in Barcelona and other fun stuff to do in town
Our two favourite tapas places during our weekend trip to Barcelona two weeks ago were Bar Celta Pulperia in the Gothic Quarter’s Carrer de la Mercè, where octopus is the meal of the day every day, and Quimet y Quimet, just off Carrer de Blai in Poble Sec. We were surprised that, being a Pulperia, Bar Celta only had three variations of octopus that day, two of which we ordered: the usual Pulpo a la Gallega, octopus Galician style, cut into thin slices with lots of paprika and oil on top, and baby octopus in broth with vast amounts of garlic and parsley. The price of €14 for the Pulpo a la Gallega was unexpectedly high, but the quality of the ingredients, the expertise of the cook who prepared it, and the sheer size of the meal completely justified the price tag. We also liked the fact that the bar […]