We have been here for approximately 2.5 days...and it has been a whirlwind. Seen alot, ate alot and we still have not even scratched the surface.
Spain is such a diverse city. The people are a mixture of the world, I thought Hawaii was the melting pot. We are living on a street that is predominantly Middle Eastern, but mixed with East Indians, East Africans and now Hawaiians. I am getting ahead of myself. This adventure started about 2 years ago. I knew I wanted to do something special for my 50th birthday which was coming up pretty fast. We, meaning my friends and I, always go to somewhere exotic and special for the "big" birthdays. So I planned on Spain. Bill, Doug and myself decided on the dates, booked our tickets, and let everyone in my little universe know of our plans. Bill and Doug ended up making other "big" plans and are in India now. So nine of my friends made their plans and we are all here.
First day - September 17, 2009
When we arrived, a couple of our friends were already here and had seen a lot of the city. So they gave the rest of us some ideas of what to do. We were jet lagged from a 10 hour flight from Honolulu, an 8 hour lay over in NYC, and another 8 hours from NYC to Barcelona. But of course, we were hungry as soon as we got settled in our apartment. We ended up eating at a neighborhood "cervasareria" on the Raval Ramblas.
I need to give you the definition of what a "Ramblas" is. It is a large wallway that is similar to a median with a one-way street on each side. I would say the width of an average Ramblas is 30 feet. In Barcelona, the Ramblas were filled with cafes and kiosks and is usually busy with people and tourist....a wonderful place to shop and people watch.
The "Raval Ramblas" was not a very busy one, but filled with several cafes and alot of people walking and riding their bikes. The "cervasaria" we picked was not a very good one, but it was open during "siesta" and we were hungry for tapas or real food. The place food was not cutting it. It was just wonderful to eat outdoors, under the beautiful "Spanish Sky", eat and drink, being with good friends and people watch. What a great way to start our vacation.
After lunch, we went back to our apartment to change our clothes and wait for our other friends to get their keys to their apartment. We all got to go to their apartment, which was located in the Barri Gothic district and about 5 blocks from our place. I have to say that their place was located in a nicer & better neighborhood, but our apartment size, charm and layout, was so much better. Yes, you cannot have everything. Oh well. I guess we had the best of both worlds if we just shared the best with each other and that is why we are here - to share our best experiences and moments, and make unforgettable memories.
