All nighters will never not be terrible. I've managed to avoid them through my one-and-two-thirds years of college, but I my record was recently tarnished by travel. Qué será será. At least I was up because I was traveling and not because I was writing a paper. According to the fit bit, the micronaps I managed on the plane added up to just over an hour of sleep. So with that fueling me, I launched myself into Barcelona's welcoming arms.
After hardly communicating with the taxi driver enough to end up where I wanted, I arrived at my hostel. This was the Hostal Operaramblas suggested by Rick Steves. If you'll recall from an earlier post, I ended up having to book a double at this hostel because all the singles were full at this and every other hostel I checked. I attempted to check in using Spanish, but the desk clerk could tell I was overtired, so we switched to English. He told me that I was lucky he was letting me check in to a double as a single guest as that was not allowed. In the moment, I thanked him and moved on. After a nap, I realized how ridiculous his statement was. Not only had I already been charged the same amount a pair of people would have paid to stay in this room, but there had been nothing on the booking form to suggest that a single person could not stay in a double room. Immaturely, I decided to handle this by making sure I used everything a pair of guests would. That is, I slept in both beds, drank both bottles of water, and took both miniature bottles of shampoo with me.
My room did look much like the images online, but was not spectacularly clean. The floors were definitely dirty, and dust bunnies and a sock had taken refuge under the desk. However, the outlets were shaped so that both my computer and phone chargers (both Apple products, which are designed to manage 110-240 V) could fit, which was very handy when I realized that my converter did not have a spot for my computer charger's third plug. It was very quiet at all hours, for which I was very grateful.
Refreshed from my nap, I headed out into the drizzle to find myself a rain jacket as I had accidentally left mine on the plane from O'Hare to JFK. The upper 50s in Fahrenheit somehow seems warmer here, but it does rain fairly regularly, so a raincoat is handy. I stopped in at El Triangle and was confused when I discovered that some stores could only be accessed from outside. I perused other vintage shops and fashion shops along the side streets off Las Ramblas, but every jacket I tried on ended around 3 inches short of my wrists. I eventually gave up and purchased an umbrella instead. In my jet-lagged daze, I did not think about trying to bring my umbrella home. Oops. This sacrificial purchase will have to be left behind.
The side streets off Las Ramblas are beautiful. The architecture is intricate and the streets are winding. No matter what the stores hold, their wares seem banal compared to the buildings themselves.
Suddenly noticing my hunger, I paid a visit to La Boqueria, Barcelona's famous market. Its full name is Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria and it has been around since at least 1217. The market is colorful and vibrant, with lots of yelling and crowds pressed against the stands lining the zigzagging aisles. I took lots of pictures here because everything was so beautiful. For my very late lunch, I settled on a coxinha empanada and a bowl of mixed fruit. The empanada was incredible. The fried dough had a pleasantly crunchy, rougher outer layer and a softer, more doughy interior, all holding a juicy and flavorful mix of chicken and vegetables. The fruit bowl included my first slice of pitaya, the texture of which is kiwi-like, but its much less flavorful.
Somehow, I doubt this is exactly what the market looked like in 1217, but I do love how far back in time everything in Europe seems to go.
My final adventure of the day was dinner at Elisabets, a bar and restaurant established in 1962. With a vague sense of where it was and with no map to guide me, I'm proud to say I found Elisabets without a problem. Elisabets was chaotic and full of boisterous locals. I did struggle to order as it requires persistence and the ability to catch the bar tender's eye, but I managed. I ate four tapas and had a glass of rosé for the great price of 15€. My favorite tapas was the bomba. It had a crispy outside and a soft inside that makes me think it may have been stuffed with mashed potatoes and some sort of meat. The patatas bravas are most popular with the locals and had I known, I would have ordered those instead of the plate of manchengo cheese. Perhaps I'll have the opportunity to try those as well another time.
That's about it for day one. Today I moved into my room at the Residencia Onix. It's very spacious compared to the dorm rooms at home. I have a single room with a private bathroom and I share a kitchen with a friend from back home. More on my dorm life will come in a later post.
Until next time!