Aug. 17.



Barcelona, Part One - So here I am in Barcelona in a dingy Internet cafe. It´s strange to be back here, since this was the first place I ever visited in Europe, back when I was a mere sixteen years old. Seven years later, I´m returning to majestic sights such as Gaudi´s La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, and in addition to the attractions themselves, it´s almost as if I´m revisiting my old self. Foodwise, it´s been an interesting experience as Vince and I are attempting to keep it as affordable as possible. We been eating bocadillos at bars, and so far, I´ve tried lomo (the back of the pig) and jamon del pais (Spanish ham). They´ve both been huge and filling on some terrific bread, and quite a bargain at about two and a half euros. Last night, we went to a supermercado and bought bread, bleu cheese, packaged ham, tomatoes, fruits, and a big bottle of red wine. The whole thing was only four and a half euros between us, and the wine was only a euro! (That´s about a dollar twenty at the moment.) This morning, we walked around the Mercat de la Boqueria, off of Las Ramblas, a tremendous open-air market full of pigs´ heads, fresh fish, meats, cheese, fruits, candy and other assorted treats. I had some amazing gelato at a stand, choosing mango and Vietnamese pitahaya, which I´d never even heard of. Then Vince and I bought some cheap semi-soft cheese and had massive sandwiches reusing last night´s bread. Oh, the life of a backpacker.