It’s a beautiful day today in Barcelona! And the city is warming up for Easter. The other day I told you about the “Mones”, the chocolate figures that are so typical of Easter. Today the topic is the “Palmes”, or palm leaves which are used on Palm Sunday. If you stroll down Rambla de Catalunya these days you’ll be able to find them on display, for sale. They are gorgeous!

Since I imagine I am not the only one who loves chocolate, this post is dedicated to those of you who share this passion with me (and there are quite a few of us out there!) These days, just before Easter arrives, Barcelona’s best bakeries display in their windows a festival of figures made of chocolate. They are named “monas”, which literally translates as “female monkeys”, and according to our tradition, children get one from their godfather. It’s an expensive duty, since they can be very ellaborate. So if you happen to be in Barcelona these days you’ll see them around, and may not resist the temptation. Just look at the price tag first before proceeding to the cash register, since they can easily cost 100 Euros or even more. By the way, the word “mona” doesn’t actually relate to the primates. Apparently, it comes from the arab “munna”, which meant “mouth gift”. And what a delicious gift for your mouth these are!IMG_2576