Barcelona

After Chloe left to go get her passport, I checked in and headed to the gate for my flight. When I arrived at the gate, I was told the flight was delayed. Yess! I was not told how long the delay was but I was hoping this could buy Chloe some time to get back in time for the flight. I relayed this news to her hoping this would make her hurry up. Our flight ended up being delayed for over 3 hours however Chloe had still not arrived back at the airport. At this point my free 1 hour wifi had run out and I had no way of communicating with Chloe. So I waited and hoped she would make it for the flight but she did not. I ended up boarding the flight to Barcelona from London by myself with British airways. It was a pretty empty flight and was not even half full. It was a good relaxing flight with good sandwiches.

After struggling with my two luggages and now Chloe’s luggage through Barcelona airport to the hotel, I was exhausted. I was appalled by the lack of help I received from people at the airport, bus and taxi that brought me to the hotel. It was very evident that I was struggling but it seems the Good Samaritan law does not extend to Spain. Everyone who has been to Barcelona can attest that Barcelona is a sexy, laidback city with plenty of chic bars, restaurants and picturesque attractions. Although, Chloe was still in London with no idea what time or day she would be arriving in Barcelona, I took it upon myself to explore the city before she arrived. I wanted to get a feel for the city so that I could give her a tour like a pro when she arrived. After checking into our hotel, H10 Casanova hotel, I went down to the hotel lobby to ask for a map to explore the city. At this point, I was hungry and wanted to get my first taste of Spaniard food. Our hotel was located in the center of Barcelona within walking distance to the main attraction such as plaza Catalunya, Las Ramblas etc. The hotel attendants were very nice in explaining to me where to find the best food in the area.

I began walking towards plaza catalunya. It was around 10:00pm at night, it was dark but it felt more like 6 pm due how lively the city was. There were people walking around, having drinks at bars, biking etc. It was crowded but not too crowded, definitely not like NYC. I felt great walking around a foreign city and having no clue whether or not I would be robbed or kidnapped. While I was enjoying this walk, I was scared as hell inside; I was praying the entire time that I would arrive back at the hotel without any issues especially when I walked through alleys. I arrived at plaza catalunya without getting lost-I am a pro at this! The night view was beautiful; there were many restaurants and little shops around. The lights on the water fountain were gorgeous. My first challenge was completed now I wanted to make my way to Las Ramblas to get some food since I was told it was only a few minutes walk away. To get from plaza catalunya to Las Ramblas is a simple 5 min walk down the street. Las Ramblas is totally different from plaza catalunya, it is a 1 mile strip filled with many restaurants, little street stalls selling souvenirs, street food and fake goods. At that time of the night and it being a weekday, it seemed like people were now coming out as the city had a vibrant atmosphere. I wonder if anyone ever gets to work on time there. The crowd was young and laidback dressed casually. I was completely confused and not sure where to go to get dinner because there were so many options.

I did not want a formal setting or a heavy meal since it was late so during my walk on las ramblas, I stumbled upon a bar that had a delicious aroma that immediately invited me up. Upon arrival at the bar, it was packed! When I say packed, I mean there were no empty seats. Then I realized that it was packed with mostly men and they were all glued to the TV, there was a soccer match on TV. I know how the Spaniards love their soccer. I quickly turned around to leave to another restaurant but one of the waiters saw me and told me it would only be 5 mins before another table freed up. I didn't want to be rude so I waited but 10 minutes later, I was still waiting. The waiter then asked if I would be fine with sharing a table. I was in a foreign country and very HUNGRY, I did not mind at all especially because I wanted to mingle with the locals. I was put in a table with two Spaniard gentlemen. They were very quiet to say the least. They said “hi” and continued watching their TV. It was a crepe restaurant so I ordered some crepes and watched the restaurant patrons chit chat in Spanish and watch their soccer game. It is very evident how passionate they are about soccer. I walked around Las Ramblas some more after my crepe dinner and decided to head back to the hotel. Nobody told me there was an easy way back to the hotel from Las Ramblas so my silly self walked all the way back to plaza catalunya then walked back to the hotel from there like I did earlier. I was tired at this point and ready to go to bed. It was now midnight and I had still not heard from Chloe. What do you know? as soon as I closed my eyes to go to sleep, the phone rings and guess who? Chloe was downstairs! Halleluyaaaah! Apparently, the flight that she purchased after making her way back to the airport was several hours delayed then after they had boarded the plane, there was a mechanical issue that had to be looked at. You could see the weary on her face. She had been through a lot and it was time to get some rest.

#Paella #Europe #Spain #Barcelona #London #England