Barcelona

Barcelona, Saturday
(The Internet in our apartment is slow and spotty but I will try to post photos on flickr which seems a bit faster than putting them in here.)

We used the Metro to get to the airport without problems yesterday. It took an hour or so using three trains but it was so early that it worked for us. We picked up our boarding passes or we thought we did but luckily Rick looked at them before security screening because they were for Emilie and Josh. Back at the check-in counter the woman realized she had passed our bag onto a plane that we weren’t flying on but thought that if we were related to someone on the plane that she could just report that and it would be okay.

We found Em and Josh, both hungry because their plane meals were cheese based (Will airlines ever understand vegan?) and tired because of the dueling/crying babies on board. (They always seem to travel with crying babies.)

The plane ride was short and we found each other and Rick’s oddly checked bag in Barcelona. While picking up our Barcelona passes a family came to the counter to report that one of their bags had been stolen from their cart and it held all their money and credit cards and their passports. The guide books were clear about the thievery here but that is a often-published warning. Actually seeing it happen made us grab our bags and keep a keen eye out. So far we've been okay and hopefully that family had some insurance or found some kind of immediate help.

The experience with the pay phone to call about our apartment was out of the keystone cops. Put the coin in. Don’t put the coin in. The number dialed. The number didn’t dial. Connect with the person. Fail to hear the person. Go to the apartment and call again. Someone might come. When someone actually did arrive it was a thrill.

The apartment is roomy with 4 bedrooms and a living room and kitchen and tiny balcony but it has no internet, only one wine glass and no salad spinner. The washing machine did make the clothes wet if not clean but it refuses to spin dry so our socks from last week are dripping still and will probably dry tomorrow.

We went out for food and exploration finding wonderful buildings, punks and Goths smoking and laughing, costumed people posing for money on Las Ramblas, a wine store experience with a cheerful and knowledgeable proprietor whose hand signs and smile extended Josh and Em’s Spanish into a conversation and some kind of fire and drum parade that brought out police, ambulances and lots of excited spectators.

Back at the apartment we dunked some tiny bread sticks in chocolate and I started battle with the washing machine. The opening act was washing Rick’s shirt with the Barcelona cards in the pocket. Pressed flat and dried overnight, it still works.