BARCELONA ~ Click & drag the map to see some of the places I've been and places I want to go!

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Backlash

This morning when I was packing/in the taxi/in the airport, the only thought that kept running thru my mind was: "WHY am I leaving??? I want to stay here!" My mind was truly incapable of grasping the concept of leaving. I couldn't handle that I was getting on a plane to take me away from Spain for a very long time.

As much as I can't wait to see everyone this week, and as much as I can't wait to eat Mexican food and use our electric dryer, I already miss Barcelona dearly, and I wish very much right now, that I was stumbling into A1 apartments after yet another a fantastic evening on the town, rather than laying on my bed, jetlagged, debating whether I should watch a movie or a tv show...

I have been trying to brace myself for this reverse culture shock. Having to drive several minutes just to grab a bite to eat (rather than popping downstairs and grabbing a bocadillo at the bar next door), people pushing checks at me immediately after my meal (I've grown highly accustomed to the Spanish pace of life), and just not speaking or reading Spanish seems strange. And when I return to the city, I'll have to wait more than 2 minutes for a metro?! preposterous. Even the fact that it's always a mystery whether the train is coming in 10 seconds or 10 minutes. Not to mention, the NYC subway is filthy in comparison to any other city's metro that I've experienced. And the buildings in NYC can't compare to Paris or Barcelona. I always thought fire escapes were so romantically 'New York,' now they strike me as somewhat ugly. I now prefer my quaint cobblestone European streets with beautifully railed balconies to my neon lights and paved sidewalks. Even not having a beach within a 20-minute train ride is highly annoying to me...

It was easy for me to keep an open mind when venturing forward into a new culture, yet I'm struggling with opening my mind for the return to the world I always have known...

Adéu, Barcelona. Ya te extraño mucho...

Abrazos and besos,
Angela

Same Difference...

Ciutat Comtal

Rambla Catalunya, 18

&
Cervercería Catalana

C/ Mallorca, 236

During my time in Barcelona, both of these tapas restaurants came highly recommended to me. I finally got around to trying them, and it was only a few moments after I sat down at Cervecería Catalana to realize that the two restaurants are exactly the same. The cuisine is completely identical! I was highly intrigued. In the US, we're crazy about branding. So, it's such an interesting choice, to do the exact reverse: to create a masked chain, multiple restaurants which are the same caliber of service, same menu, but disguise each individual property as an independent. Really, in a place like Europe, it's totally brilliant, isn't it? Anyway, enough dorky talk about branding...let's talk food.

An avocado salad (ensalada de aguacates) and also patatas bravas.

This mini hamburger sliders are AMAZING. They sort of melt in your mouth a little. Cheese & onions inside.

Salmon w/ onions & peppers. Also a pineapple-pine nut cream cheese tapa.

Hugs and pan,

Angela