Perdóneme in Barcelona: Mon., Aug. 19

I was confused when they gave us dinner on the flight to Madrid from JFK. Aren't you supposed to be habitualizing yourself to the time you are arriving to? Our 10pm departure was 4am in Barcelona (which was, almost exactly, 24 hours ago). As Rosie said earlier today, "Can you believe how long it's been since we were in a bed?"

The hostel has a bed in a room just for us... On the fourth (fifth in America), un-air-conditioned floor. I did say I wasn't happy with just the 80 degrees it was in DC, so even at night it is going to be warmer than that. 

We easily got to the hostel from the airport, washed off nearly 12 hours of airport, then hit the Ramblas. It is an awesome pedestrian street that runs from the Placa de Catalunya to a giant (200-foot) Christopher Columbus statue by the water about a mile away. We heard it was awash with pickpockets, so we've been extra careful and haven't lost anything yet!

Our own "ramble" let us to a plaza with some outdoor tables where we got some paella and bread with tomato spread (almost just tomatoes crushed into juice with olive oil) and Manchego cheese.

 It was a great place to people-watch before we took to the bus to Parc Güell. 

Gaudí (or "gaudy" as Rosie keeps calling him - could someone tell us if there is a connection?) devised and built this estate for the rich to be sheltered from the city from a hill on high. It didn't quite work out - turn-of-the-century nobles thought it was too far from the thick of things - but the entrance gates, with a dragon that tourists fight over to get picture with, still lead to some dazzling terraces and views. 

(The kid who took the picture of us was very confused when we ask for a photo. We think he might have thought we were asking to take a picture of him.)

We continued hiking up stairs and stairs (they are there...must climb...) and found the local dog hang-out. (My coworkers will have to wait until Animal Photo Friday for me to send in pictures of the dazzling view that might just happen to have dogs in it too.)

We drove past the "Block of Discord", three competing Modermisme works along one street. We will be walking that way tomorrow, but it was a fun evening preview. 

We knew there was a flamenco concert at 8:30 at the Palace of Catalan Music, but thought there was one at 9:30 and 10:30 as well. When we showed up confused to an empty ticket office, the security guard showed us a schedule. 8:30 was the last one, not the first one! That'll be an adventure for tomorrow then.

Instead, we walked to the water. And back. And had some tapas along the way (fried shredded artichoke and spinach, chickpeas, and panchetta - the second one was better because it was correctly salted).

Our plan had been to go out, but my feet were hurting and we couldn't find a place that was quite right along the Ramblas. We stopped back in at the hotel for a clothing change and a read-through of the suggestions we had procured before deciding on one in Garciá. Our cabbie knew where it was, thankfully, but it was for naught - closed on weeknights in August!

Thankfully, he was an awesome taxi driver and knew where to take us instead. We danced and fended off men at the Port Olimpic area at a Japanese (potentially?) themed club. It had great music, until about 3:30 when it turned into house music and we turned around and left. Overall, a successful, if dreadfully tiring, first night in Barcelona.