New Apartment & Papas Bravas: Barcelona

~Barcelona, Spain

I've spent the morning scouring the winding roads of Barcelona to get an internet cafe and update the blog. The things I do for the love...of you, of course!

   

The Chew		The View
Tapas de queso y atun (cheese & tuna)		Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt, Our Home

Much has happened, and I have such little time to share it. Ironic in a country where time is never watched, and everything can be done manana, tomorrow.

We've been eating dinner at around 9-10pm, and ending at midnight. Ironically enough, my great meals thus far have been at an asian buffet called Wok and a Mexican restaurant around the corner from our apartment called Rosa Negra.

It was Junie's birthday on Saturday, so we opted for a night of Asian-style dining, complete with a noodle station and sushi buffet. Good god, Spaniards have a thing for buffets. The other popular style is Buffet Libre, mostly with salads or Brazilian style. We still lack the stomach (or gumption) to feast on those.

Another funny thing is the menu del dia or menu of the day. It is a law left over from Franco that mandated an affordable prix fixe menu offering for the working man. By affordable, I mean 8-15 euros...which is still $12 to $22. Did I mention how expensive food is here? Most menus offer un primero (first), segundo (second meal), y postres (dessert) or cafe.


AND you have to pay for water here. Nothing but battled, as the Europeans fear tap water. AND no free bread. Lots of small portion sizes, which I'm loving, but my friends generally dislike. They want American portions similar to the exchange rate (multiply portion sizes by 1.5 they say) and I just have to laugh at how unassimilated they really are. They talk about integrating into the Spanish lifestyle and such, but all they do is wolf down their meals and expect huge portions. We all get laughed at for how quickly we eat.

I also have an announcement: I FOUND HOUSING! Yes ladies and gents, on my third full day here, Lu and I found us a 3 bedroom, 2 bath for the 6 students. 

That there is my bedroom, with my bed on left. These are initial photos, so I'll be working and getting you more in the future. Just know that I'm happy and safe in a kitchen-equipped living space worth of an Ikea center spread :)

 And now I leave you with a video of our new haunt down the street, called Arabia. A Morroccan cafe where, fittingly, Lu and I have been planning a trip to Morocco.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUVxAMlIepg

Wishing you less rainy weather wherever you are,
The Chew