Settling In

I've arrived in Barcelona for the semester, later than expected due to a cancelled flight and delays, but here none the less! I am living with Senora Elisabeth and two other girls from my IES program, Amy and Gina. Elisabeth seems nice, she doesn't speak any English though, only Spanish and Italian. Communication is difficult because my Spanish is horrible, but with some concentration I can understand some of what she says (she talks really fast) and it takes even more concentration to translate my thoughts into words. We don't talk much at breakfast but at dinner it's a mix of Spanish and English, mainly Amy translating for all of us. My Spanish can only improve in this situation which is promising.

With some friends on Las Ramblas before lunch.

Yesterday I had lunch with Devan and Ben, both friends from GW and Devan's roommates at Taller De Tapas, just off of las ramblas. The restaurant had been recommended in Devan's guide book and was really great. Our waiter recommended 2 plates per person, so we each ordered two and shared everything. We had Patatas Bravas, fried potatoes with garlic mayonnaise and smoked paprika sauce, Brocheta de Pollo Marianado, herb and wine marinated chicken kebob, Esparrecs verds a la Planxa, grilled green asparagus, Cordero del Pirineo al horno con Romero y Tomillo, slow roasted lamb with rosemary and thyme, Espinacas con pancetta Iberica y Garbanzos, pan fried spinach, chickpeas and pancetta, also three dishes that were specials, duck with goat cheese and a balsamic reduction, meatballs, and roasted suckling pig with patatas and crispy spicy peppers. My top three favorite dishes were:

-the duck

-the spinach with chickpeas and pancetta

-Patatas Bravas

No food pictures this time, sorry.

Amy and Gina told me the meal Elisabeth made their first night was not edible, but everything she made after I arrived, up until last night was pretty good. Last night she served us these weird instant mashed potatoes that tasted like paste and had cheese on top and we all think she said they had eggs in them, which would explain those strange chunks...GROSS I feel sick just thinking about it.

I took a walking tour of Bohemian Barcelona where Picasso lived yesterday. First I saw "Els Quatre Gats" meaning 4 cats, a Spanish expression meaning "a few unimportant persons." It is famous for its relationship with Picasso when he lived in Barcelona, he designed the menu and went there often.

I saw many places he lived with his family as well as on his own during his time in Barcelona, his favorite place to pick up prostitutes and where he hung out. The tour ended at the Picasso Museum, which holds mainly pieces the family had in their possession. A lot of early landscapes and portraits, as well as some things from his blue period and pink period and a series of bi-dimension works.

Today I am going on a tour of the old town to hear about and sample Barcelona's most emblematic gastronomic establishments and Catalan gastronomic culture. Yum.