It wasn't hard to let my doubts go about Barcelona. The city's been built up so highly by people I know and respect that I thought there was no way expectations like that could be met.
But what I discovered when I got there was a city that didn't care what anybody thought of it. It was beautiful and grand but it was also seedy and sketchy. It offered limitless possibilities but somehow you never felt overwhelmed. The people were gorgeous and a tiny bit intimidating, but not so much that they made you feel isolated or unwelcome. In fact, the locals we interacted with were some of the nicest I've ever met on this trip.
We had to move to a newer place because Pedi only booked us for two days at the old place. It wasn't too far to Lorena and Carolina's flat. When we got there before noon, Lorena was there to welcome us with her cat, Luna. The space was small, but bursting with life and love. The two girls were a couple and they couldn't be any kinder and more accommodating.
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| Luna the superstar cat |
Even Luna didn't waste any time ingratiating herself to the newcomers. The cat sniffed around Pedi's bag and jumped on top of my suitcase and sat there for a few minutes as if waiting for me to whip my phone out and take a photo of her, which I did, of course.
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| Coffee and donuts near the Sagrada Familia |
After we tore ourselves away from Luna, we walked over a few blocks to Sagrada Familia, ultimate tourist icon of the city. It was breathtaking, for sure, but we didn't stay long. I wanted to do a quick day trip outside the city and Pedi suggested Sitges, about 30 minutes by train.
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| Rainy in Sitges |
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| Seems like a nice place to live |
Dark clouds dropped light rain and there was a chilly breeze throughout most of the day, but the small, sleepy town was a joy to explore. It's supposedly known for being popular with gay travelers, but it was too early in the day, not to mention too drab and stormy, for any sort of loud, colorful parties.
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| My version of Coldplay's "Yellow" music video |
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| Took a while to get this shot just right |
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| Something about the doors in Sitges |
After a late lunch in one of the restaurants, we just walked around the seaside town. We met a Pinay shopkeeper who professed to disliking her old boss, but she was chatty and nice to us, so we ended up buying a few nice trinkets as souvenirs.
Before leaving Sitges, Pedi suggested a drink in one of the bars. We ordered a bottle of wine and spent about an hour or two just lazily watching the world go by.
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| Another beautiful door |
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| Time to say goodbye to Sitges |
It was dark by the time we got back to the city. We decided on a traditional tapas meal for my last night in Barcelona and Lorena suggested a place near her flat. The croquetas, meatballs, and potato-fries-and-egg dishes were just what I was looking for.
We ended the night with a few rounds in the same bar from the previous evening and then on to a nightclub that Pedi insisted we check out. I "checked out" around 2 a.m. and crawled back to our place and into bed, but Pedi went back out. I wasn't sure, but I think he didn't come back until it was almost sunrise.
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| Authentic Catalan tapas |
Next: Back to Deutschland
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