Checked into our darling apartment in Barcelona (thank you Jill and the magic of VRBO). We staked our claims for bedrooms and decided Heather got the living room sofa since she has to sleep with the TV on ALL night long. YES - ALL NIGHT (I know this from personal first-hand experience). After sparse sleep, we decided to simply change shirts for photo opps and hit the town.
We grocery shopped, buying a quantity of food that will most definitely never be consumed. We hit an authentic cheese and meats store where the smell of the hanging ham had a certain gag reflex on Heather. We kept reminding each other how lucky we were to be here...
We Metroed down to an area called Barceloneta which parallels the beach and the Mediterranean. Coming to Port Vell, we decided it was the perfect time to stop for tapas and wine (I was in desperate need of a nap from my Tylenol PM hangover but wine and food was a second best choice).
A Taboo Subject: Picture us sitting on the Mediteranean sipping a local Spanish white wine. A soft breeze wafting across white tablecloths. Locals and tourists alike soaking in the sun and sea. Pleasantries exchanged all around when Heather motioned excitedly for our "Spasian" waiter "Brian" to come to our table. In her limited Spanish she begins with "Perdon Brian, do you know where we can catch a bull fight?" When Brian's jaw dropped and hit the dock, Heather thinking he did not understand her English, put her two index fingers to her head to simulate "You know a bull!" Apparently bull fighting has been outlawed in Catalonia (the region of Barcelona) and is a taboo subject. Brian was shifty and basically ignored us the rest of the meal. We WILL see a bullfight. When in Spain...
The rest of the day was gorgeous. We took a skyline gondola ride, walked along the beach- taking in middle aged men sporting speedos where gravity clearly had taken hold (the only downside to the beautiful walk and weather). We hit the W Hotel for drinks, not realizing we were ONLY four hours early for the rooftop bar.
We finished the evening off at a quaint local restaurant where Jill gave us an educational seminar for two on the tipping practices in Western Europe (apparently waiters here are professionals and offended by large tips). Our waiter "A Professional" made traditional tomato bread table side (recipe attached).
Needless to say, we all passed out from exhaustion after being up for 30 hours and slept like rocks for 10 hours straight. On to Day 02.
"Every country gets the circus it deserves. Spain gets bull fights. Italy gets the Catholic Church. America gets Hollywood" -Erica Jong
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