Sabados en el aire libre

There is a pattern of how I spend my saturdays in Spain - all of them are spent exploring the outdoors.  This ranges from hiking to walking through one of the many parks to roaming the streets for a cafe. The spanish people tend to spend way more time outside than us, Americans do. Because of this, their public areas are very important to the community. 

Let me backtrack quickly to last night. It turned out to be a low-key Friday spent with old and new friends at La Luna bar in El Born. As I chatted with the people there, a new friend, Michael, asked me what my favorite thing about Barcelona was. I looked at him and opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. My mind rushed through what I had done this past month like a secretary flipping through her Roladex. There was just too much! So, I told Michael that my answer was everything. Maybe that's why I have enjoyed my time here so much, because Barcelona has so much to offer that I could never possibly be bored. How does this conversation correlate to today? Well, today I finally realized what my favorite part was. The parks. And the food, but that's a given. So that makes two favorite things about Barcelona. But first, are the parks. The gorgeous, already-green-in-the-wintertime-parks that seem to be the perfect mixture of open, benched areas and private, shaded spots.  

After sleeping in this morning, Anjali and I left 406 Balmes and headed toward Montjuic. Montjuic is a mountain that juts out into the Mediterranean filled with beautifully landscaped gardens. It is also home of the 1992 Olympic Games and multiple museums, plus a cable car with amazing views. Unfortunately, we did not do the cable car today, but I will surely be returning to Montjuic with that on my agenda. I wish I could accurately put into words how remarkable this park is. The parks in America just don't compare. I think it's part of the romantic in me, but spending a day just walking through a park, looking and listening to everything around you...there's nothing like it. I wish this part of European culture would transfer to America. 

I may have gone a little camera crazy when I saw some flowers starting to bloom in one of the gardens. They reminded me that spring is just around the corner!

True to form, I must comment on the delicious tapas I ate today. Anjali and I had heard about this place, Cerveceria Catalana, from one of Mercedes' friends. She  suggested the "escalavida" (photo on bottom), which ended up being my favorite part of the meal.  It was a blend of grilled peppers and eggplant, topped with goat cheese.   We each ordered a "flauta" which is basically a super thin  sandwich.  Plus, an order of patatas bravas, which were not my favorite  but nothing to complain about. And lastly, we shared a pitcher of sangria con cava. Although it was busy with people, the restaurant remained quiet enough for us to chat without having to raise our voices. We both sat there in complete contentment, savoring our food.