Oh Barcelona!
Taking a break from her busy career,
The Night Listener's
Sandra Oh went to
Spain and "learned to do nothing."
"I was introduced to
Barcelona by an old, dear theater-school
friend, Andrew Tarbet, who lives there with his girlfriend," says
Sandra Oh, who came to Barcelona on a rare break from her
increasingly hectic career. "I found myself with a few weeks to
spare last year - and have always had an open invitation - so I
decided to take the trip. It was the place where I learned to
sleep. Learned to do nothing, to commune with the sun and the sand
and to enjoy watching the people go by." She was on hiatus from her
Golden Globe-winning role as Dr. Cristina Yang on the hit ABC
series
Grey's Anatomy and still reeling from the acclaim of
her star turn in the on-the-road wine movie Sideways. She was going
to spend her off-season working on an independent film in Korea.
"But the funding fell through, so I had nothing planned," she says.
She looked down at the blanks in her calendar and thought,
Barcelona!
Born and raised in
Ottawa, Oh was already in ballet lessons at age
four and in her first play at age 10. She beat out more than 1,000
hopefuls for a Canadian Broadcasting Company television film, and
since then, her vacations have been increasingly rare. This month,
she stars with
Robin Williams, Rory Culkin, and Toni Collette in
the psychological thriller The Night Listener, based on the
best-selling book by
San Francisco writer Armistead Maupin. She
also returned to the stage in the dramatic play Satellites, which
just completed its run last month at the Public Theater in New York
City. But in a moment of rare repose, here's
Sandra Oh in Barcelona
… before she went back to work.
What's the first thing you did in Barcelona?
I got there, and Andrew picked me up from the airport. We went into
Barceloneta, to his tiny, tiny, tiny one-bedroom apartment with his
girlfriend and just had an impromptu dinner and had a couple of
friends over. I was really ready to relax. After shooting a show
for that long, you are kind of looking for a nice place to be
relaxed.
Where did you stay?
The hotel I stayed at was called Peru Playa on Calle del Mar. It is
a place without pretension, and it's reasonably priced at 55 euros
a night. There is another hotel that is great - a little more
expensive but right in the middle of Raval, one of the
neighborhoods of Barcelona's Ciutat Vella ["old city"]. It is
called Hotel España - very beautiful interior with rooms
overlooking the interior patio.
Wow, 55 euros? You definitely weren't going the superstar route
…
I wasn't staying at a fancy hotel. I was going there in a much more
Lonely Planet kind of way. These are hotels that are tiny little
rooms that have just a bed or two. Barcelona is such a live city;
it doesn't necessarily have a lot of amenities. But the place I
stayed, the nicest people ran it. They have a bar underneath it,
and it was phenomenal. It also helped that my friends lived right
near there, and they knew the owner and I was able to get a place
to stay. It's in the area where there are a lot of young people who
are there from all over Europe.
Did you eat cheaply as well?
There are lots of places to go everywhere in Barcelona for, like,
25 bucks - a variety of food. Low-key places. I just didn't spend a
lot of time at the more chic restaurants. The food there, wherever
you go, is great. Jamón! Think prosciutto and multiply that by a
million. You get it anywhere, any restaurant; the better the
restaurant, the better the jamón. It's like the presentation
appetizer plate. You just eat it with bread and
oil, sometimes with
a little tomato rubbed into the bread. There's something very
specific about Serrano ham that you can only get in Spain. It's
just so delicious, and you have it with everything.
Where did you spend your time?
I spent most of my time in Barceloneta. I really like that area. I
hate to compare it to things because it is truly incomparable, but
I think I really loved it in part because it reminds me of both the
Marais in
Paris and the East Village in New York. It's right by the
beach, it's cramped, and it's homey. We hung out at these places
called chiringuitos, which are little bars on the beach in little
huts. Barcelona has the beach, it has its family neighborhoods, it
has its historical and fantastic architecture, its fashion and
hipster sections, and, above all, Spaniards and their love for
everything. It is a city that is so many centuries old, with
extraordinary architecture, history, and works of art around almost
every corner. My whole take from the city was the chill-out pace.
If you try and rush something, it will take you twice as long.
Basically, live life now.
What did you do during the day?
If you have only one day, just get lost. It's the best way to
discover any city. But if you have to go somewhere, Fundació Miró
es la bomba. Or, anything that [Antoni] Gaudí built.
You could definitely get lost in Gaudí's wild and inventive
architecture, which has become synonymous with Barcelona. What were
your favorites?
The Casa Batlló is just so extraordinary. Basically, the entire
motif of the building is a dragon being slayed. On the outside you
can see that there seem to be skulls. It is the wildest thing. When
you enter into it, the staircase is so phenomenal; the
craftsmanship of the woodwork and the glasswork and just the design
of it is breathtaking. In a lot of these buildings, Gaudí would
make the central part of the buildings all light, like a courtyard.
So there would be constant light coming into various parts of the
house. The main thing is that people actually lived here. There was
some super-duper rich guy who commissioned Gaudí to create numerous
buildings, and this was one of his houses. It's mostly all empty,
but you can go in and experience it. You can touch the banister.
You can see the amazing fireplace, the unbelievable windows. I just
love all the really supernatural, kind of underwater designs. It's
amazing, because it's all ceramic tile, and it's like the scales on
the back of a dragon. There's also La Pedrera, which is basically a
Gaudí museum. The most remarkable thing about La Pedrera is the
roof. I think he believed that every single part of a house should
be beautiful. Oftentimes we fail to recognize the roof. The roof is
just this amazing kind of strange, alien sand dune. What I love
about his work is that it's constantly the most creative thing and
always very, very new. It's just breathtaking. You can see the
whole city from there.
Did you have a favorite place for lunch?
Kaiku has one of the best menus in the city. Every weekday they
offer a selection of appetizers, entrées, desserts, and wine for a
very good price - about eight to 12 euros. It's a beautiful,
perfect place. Everything there is completely fresh, and it is a
very homey atmosphere. I would not even be able to tell you what I
ate. It always helps being there with Spanish people who can order
for you. And there is El Vaso de Oro in Barceloneta, which serves
tapas, specializing in la plancha [the grill].
Where's a good place just to walk around and enjoy the
scenery?
Parc Güell is definitely one of my favorites. There is an indoor
arboretum in the large park, which is a lovely place to sit, and
there is a café/restaurant there to grab a bite to eat. You walk
through basically what you imagine is a crazy kind of vision of a
Hansel and Gretel gingerbread house [designed by Gaudí]. It's just
amazing - these tiles and mosaics, so colorful. That's what's so
beautiful about the stuff: Everything is really colorful and very
childlike. When you walk up, there's this salamander or lizard that
is also in the mosaic, but it's in the fountain, in the center of
it. There are usually beautiful musicians that are playing, and
it's a wonderful way to experience it.
I hear the city's Gothic Quarter is one of the oldest areas in
Europe.
That's such a beautiful area - very walkable from where I was
staying. It's just a gorgeous, very old area with beautiful shops.
A lot of great little design shops, shoe shops, clothing shops, a
lot of ice cream stands, cute little pizzerias. It's very alive at
night. Very narrow cobblestone streets; everything is stone; all
the doorways are tiny. You will have this very, very old structure,
but a lot of the shops and restaurants and all that stuff are very,
very new and chic and well designed. That kind of juxtaposition.
It's just a good area to get lost in.
Okay, dinner. I know you loved to get lost, but give us some
addresses.
For breakfast, lunch, and dinner there is Bar Leo on San Carles in
Barceloneta. They offer home-cooked Andalusian food - patas de
pork, paella, migas, and tapas - in a totally authentic atmosphere.
You also get to meet Leo. The location is great. It kind of opens
out into a square, but it's right by the beach with the boardwalk.
L'Aguilera in Borne-Ribera is great. It's right next to the Plaça
St. Augusti Vell. Cal Pinxo on Carrer Baluard is a great place to
have paella of all sorts, and it's right on the beach.
Did you make it to the famous restaurant El Bulli, known for its
chef, Ferran Adrià, and his eclectic Iberian cuisine? He does
dishes with foam and …
No, I didn't go anywhere that would have been known, 'cause I'm
hanging around locals. Again, that's why I really loved
Barceloneta. It has a very lived-in atmosphere. I just personally
like that vibe.
Where would you send us on a day trip from Barcelona?
You take a train from Barcelona to Gualta, this little village
about an hour north of the city, which has the most unbelievable
jazz bar, Mas Sorrer. It's completely outdoors. You have to walk
through this field of sunflowers to get to it. The bar itself is
kind of like this amazing asymmetrical tented bar, and they show
really old films. They project movies on the giant stone wall of
the building. Outside, there's a pool table, and there's a little
performance platform; they might have a fire eater or trapeze
people, and there's this guy who does this crazy puppet show in a
trailer. It's really amazing, the most phenomenal bar I have ever
been to. In July, the owner, Gerard Argemi, and my friend Andrew
hosted the First International Short Film Festival Mas Sorrer
there. It was three nights of great short films by some of the best
new filmmakers from around the world, playing on a stone wall
surrounded by fields of sunflowers. There was also the Sonar
Festival - a huge electronic-music festival. We actually went there
at midnight, and we were dancing until seven in the morning. The
light was coming up and we were completely fried. We walked all the
way to the beach, took off all our clothes, and went for a dip.
What else are you going to do after dancing for seven hours
straight?
I did
Satellites, this play in New York. I met the director,
Michael Greif, in Barcelona, and we hung out. We met at Parc Güell.
We went to have dinner with a bunch of people. Later, at the
festival, a lot of kids were throwing firecrackers, so there were
firecrackers going off everywhere. Everyone goes out on the beach
and you grab a beer and sit on the beach and just talk to people.
You are out until the late hours of the morning. That was the first
day that I was just, like,
I'm going to roll with it. I don't
really need to sleep. I'm relaxing. I don't really need to worry
about the sand in my underwear; I'm just going to sit here anyway.
I'm not going to worry that someone is going to yell at me for
having a beer on the beach, because everyone else is doing it. I'm
just going to sit and talk. I think it's kind of hard to make a
decision in Spain.
She Said …
Where Sandra Oh lost - and found - herself in Barcelona
Lodging
Hotel España, moderate, 011-34-93-318-1758
Peru Playa, inexpensive, 011-34-97-126-7713
Dining
Bar Leo, Andalusian, inexpensive, 011-34-93-225-1566
Ca l'Aguilera, inexpensive, 011-34-93-319-9050
Cal Pinxo, expensive, 011-34-93-221-5028
El Vaso de Oro, tapas, inexpensive to moderate,
011-34-93-319-3098
Kaiku, inexpensive to moderate, 011-34-93-221-9082
Sights
Casa Batlló, 011-34-93-216-0306,
www.casabatllo.es
Fundació Miró, 011-34-93-443-9470,
www.bcn.fjmiro.es
La Pedrera, 011-34-93-484-5900,
www.lapedreraeducacio.org
Parc Güell, 011-34-93-317-3974
Nightlife
Mas Sorrer, Gualta,
www.massorrer.com
We Said …
Where we lose - and find - ourselves in Barcelona
LODGING
Hotel Banys Orientals, inexpensive to moderate,
011-34-93-268-8460. This small, modern hotel is in our favorite
Barcelona neighborhood - El Born. It's in our favorite price range
too. We especially loved the free chilled bottles of water in the
room and the meals at the adjoining restaurant.
Hotel Constanza, moderate, 011-34-93-270-1910. Looking for
some urban solitude but don't want to be too far from shopping,
sights, and more? Consider the Constanza, a stylish spot with
bold-colored walls and white linens and situated on a shady
residential street in the Eixample district.
DINING
Formatgeria La Seu, inexpensive, 011-34-93-412-6548. When
you're not in the mood for a full meal, consider a wine-and-cheese
tasting at this popular cheese shop. The owner may hail from
Scotland, but she spent five years studying the local products and
sells only the best of the bunch.
Suquet de l’Almirall, moderate, 011-34-93-221-6233. The signature item at this cozy seafood spot is the suquet, a sort of savory steamed-shellfish stew. But if you’re not a fan of fish, don’t fret; there are also lots of tasty rice dishes on the menu.
ATTRACTIONS
Museu de la Xocolata, 011-34-93-268-7878. You’ve toured the Picasso, Gaudí, and Miró museums, now visit a temple of another kind of art, one you can really sink your teeth into — chocolate. Exhibits at the museum, brought to you by the local confectionery guild, are strictly in Catalan, but that won’t hinder you from admiring the incredible chocolate sculptures, not to mention savoring some chocolatey nibbles in the museum’s café. Besides, food is a universal language.
Torre Agbar, located at Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer de Badajoz. We don’t often classify office buildings as attractions, but this two-year-old skyscraper, brought to our attention by Slate architecture critic Witold Rybczynski, is a sight to see. Its bullet-shaped edifice spears the skyline like a rocket at liftoff.