Weekend Eating

For the first time, TWO separate people asked why I hadn't written a blog this week, so I figured I'd put one together.  I have to give the people (the two people) what they want!  The reason I was slacking, other than my assumption that interest was dying, is my imminent return to Clayton to see Jessica, Berkley, my family, and friends!  Still, over the past week I've had a few really nice dining experiences so I thought I could share...

Last Sunday, I ate at my favorite tapas bar in Barcelona (Cerveceria Catalana) after visiting the elBulli exhibit at Palau Robert.  The display was great; I was able to read the history of the famous restaurant as well as seeing (through video) the preparation of countless dishes.  While my lunch after wasn't to elBulli standards, it was still great as always.  I had the croquettes, salmon, and ham (all served on small pieces of bread) and left very satisfied.  Cerveceria Catalana is definitely my recommended tapas place for any visitors to Barcelona.

This weekend, I tried three new places.  My co-worker and I went to the first, and then we added a group of co-workers visiting from Clayton for the second and third restaurants.  I thought all were pretty good, with the first the least impressive (and "Spanish") of the group.

The first, Cinco Jotas, is a standard but good restaurant and I tried their shrimp "sampler"  It came with fried shrimp, shrimps fried after being wrapped in wontons, and then little shrimp dumpling "purses".  I suppose it's more my order that made this place seem un-Spanish, as they specialize in the highest grade "jamon" sold as well as a dish with potatoes, ham, and eggs.  My entree was pretty good but seemed Asian more than anything else.  Next time (if there is one, and I wouldn't be against returning), I'll go more traditional.

For dinner yesterday, a group of us tried Arenal, which is a nice beachside restaurant in Barceloneta.  Our table, while inside, was right at the window overlooking the beach and created a cool atmosphere for people watching.  It was the festival of Sant Joan last night, so during the meal we could hear firecrackers and see fireworks throughout.  For appetizer, the table split cod fritters, ham croquettes, and the standard bread with tomato.  All are now firmly in my rotation of first courses ordered, and I believe the visitors enjoyed as well.

For my entree, I split the rice in lobster broth with a co-worker.  One of my friends at work here told me this is a specialty of many beach restaurants, and I was happy to give it a try.  The serving for both me and my co-worker was HUGE... we each had half of a good-sized lobster and more rice than I could possibly eat.  The broth was flavorful and extremely rich, making the rice alone worthy of being a complete entree.  The lobster was great as well; it was tender (surprising as it sat in the hot rice) and packed with taste from the shell and broth.  The only downside was that I had gather the meat myself; I made an absolute mess of this and the tablecloth paid the price unfortunately!  I've now tried both shrimp and lobster broth rice dishes and I have to say that style is one of my favorites in Spain.  I would take either over a paella any day.

For my final culinary adventure, I had octopus with potatoes and paprika (pictured above) with two co-workers at a street-side restaurant on Passeig de Gracia.  The serving was quite large I thought, and the octopus cooked perfectly to be tender with the right amount of salt.  The paprika is somehow the PERFECT match for the octopus, as are the potatoes when everything gets mixed together.  The restaurant, called Divinus, was fairly basic and not too flashy, but all of our meals were quite good.  I've found that, with a somewhat discerning eye to help stay away from "tourist trap" establishments, you can find great food all up and down the main streets in the city.

I think for the last few days here (only three days of work and then I am heading back to Jessica!!!!!), I may try the Japanese restaurant, which serves amazing rice and noodle dishes in addition to excellent shrimp tempura, and the wood-fired pizza place.  Sure, I'm not going out with a Spanish bang, but part of the greatness in Spanish dining is the variety that exists all over the city!

Nearing the Halfway Point

I only have eleven more days (eight working days!) until I return to Clayton to Jessica and Berkley, marking the halfway point of my assignment.  While I'm getting more "comfortable" with the Spanish way of living, nothing can replace my family and home, so I cannot wait.  Each day seems longer than the one before as I get closer to seeing Jessica, but that hasn't been able to dampen our excitement!

This weekend, I went into Barcelona for some quick shopping and also to see the elBulli exhibit at Palau Robert.  The museum (which was free on Sunday) has a nice walk-through display showing the start, evolution, and pinnacle of elBulli, finishing with video of their last night of service.  For 45 minutes, I was fully captivated by the story, the pictures, and the whole concept of the restaurant and the way it transformed dining in the world.  For anyone in Barcelona, I'd strongly recommend you take the time and visit this exhibit; it's informative and entertaining without consuming so much of your day.

And now, with my first half of living in Spain just about done, here's a list of some surprises and differences that I find interesting living here:

- I think I've seen Pepsi here once.  Coke products are everywhere (including Coke Zero) and Fanta is far more popular than in the United States.  As most know, though, free refills are unheard of and it has been quite an adjustment for me.
- Credit card machines here a) don't allow for tips to be added (from what I can tell), b) seem to be from 1995 in their technology, and c) sometimes can charge in either dollars or euros, which seems simple but then makes me think ALL of them should have the option.
- With very limited exceptions for Real Madrid fans, no one here cares about any sports teams other than those of Barcelona (futbol and basketball).  Even the Spanish national team is not overly popular.
- Fashion in Spain is either 5 years ahead of America, 15 years behind, or both.
- The cuisine here has been as advertised, if not better.  I did not expect things like duck and tuna to be so common, but they are and they're always prepared extremely well.  While tapas is a relatively new addition to the Barcelona landscape, it is done quite well in a few places.
- Spanish (or maybe Catalan) custom is to have a bocadillo (similar to a torpedo or sub in America, with meat and tomato spread on the bread) around 10 AM each morning, bridging the gap between breakfast and dinner around 1:30 PM.  I wish this caught on EVERYWHERE... the sandwiches are fantastic and a welcome break during mid-morning.
- Food is served more natural, and less processed.  People here constantly joke that Americans only eat chicken tenders!
- The McDonalds here (which I've tried 3 or 4 times I think) is consistently better than in America.  The food is the same, and with both countries putting their best feet forward, I'd call it a draw, but overall, the Spanish version delivers the higher level of quality.
- The phrase "take a beer" instead of "have a beer" or "drink a beer" is my favorite saying I'll bring back to America.
- EVERYTHING (except for restaurants) is closed on Sunday. 
- Driving is stressful.  The roads and lanes are narrower, motor bikes dart and drive between cars frequently, and signage for directions isn't always the best.

I know that I'm missing many, but these are some off the top of my head.  Enjoy your week, and I will enjoy getting closer and closer to returning to Jessica and Berkley!

Euro 2012 Starts

With the first half of my work assignment wrapping soon (less than 3 weeks until I am home to Jessica!), things are becoming a little more "normal" in my day-to-day and work life in Spain.  There are many things that I certainly will never fully adjust to, but I feel much more comfortable on a daily basis interacting with the people here and living a regular life.  Once I get a better understanding of the Spanish language, I will feel even better (although each day is tough being here without Jessica and Berkley, and that has not gotten any easier!).

This week, the European Soccer Championships started in Poland and the Ukraine.  While only a spectator from afar, I have been looking forward to this tournament ever since I knew I was coming to Spain.  I envisioned the whole country gearing up to watch all of the games and cheer on their national team, but I've found things quite different.

Here in Barcelona, most of the soccer fans do not care nearly as much for the Spanish national team as they do the Barcelona club team (interest in the tournament as a whole seems very low).  In fact, some actually seem to DISLIKE the national team because they would prefer to support only Catalan teams and not the rest of the country.  Without getting into a complicated discussion on why this is, I will just say that as a result, I am certainly the most excited for the tournament in my entire office!

Yesterday, I ventured into the city to watch the games at an Irish bar called Scobie's.  While "Irish" bars exist everywhere, this one was run by actual Irish guys (including my bartender Seamus) to give it more credibility.  I had a few Maker's and gingers with a toasted ham and cheese sandwich, and enjoyed the experience other than watching my top pick in a Euro2012 pool (the Dutch) get upset 1-0 by Denmark.  The place got quite crowded, mostly with German fans, although there were a few from the Netherlands as well.  I'll certainly go back here to watch more games.

Before the games, I participated in a nature walk with my company, Grifols.  The Environmental group set up the walk to celebrate something (Earth Day maybe, I'm not sure) and over 150 people participated.  The walk was at a local park and included a 4 km section, then a quick (and delicious) sandwich break, and then a 5 km walk to finish.  I modified my route, and instead of walking the 5 km section I ran the 4 km section back to the car. 

Overall, the landscape was gorgeous through heavily wooded areas, open fields, and small trails cut through the hills.  Most surprising was the herd of sheep we encountered through the hills... never before have I walked THROUGH a group of 100+ sheep but the others with me didn't think much of it.  I was a bit scared (I'm not really sure why!) but I calmed myself and made it through safely.  The sheep (and their herders) looked at me more as an inconvenience than anything else.  Fortunately, I did not run back into them on my way back to the start!

Starting tomorrow, I have only three Mondays before I'm back in Clayton.  At different points, the time has flown by and crawled, but these past two weeks have taken FOREVER as I get closer to seeing Jessica, Berkley, my family, and my friends.  Staying in Spain has completely altered my perspective on so many things, but most of all it has given me a better understanding of the important things in my life and the proper way to value and appreciate them when I can.  The next 18 days will seem to take ten times that long, but it will be well worth it when I get to RDU Airport and Jessica is there to greet me!

My First Two Months

Today marks exactly two months from the date I arrived here in Spain on the morning of April 3rd (about an hour earlier than the time I am writing this).  I am not sure what expectations I had for the first two months, mainly because I just wanted to do my best to get Jessica and me through our time apart, and I think we've done quite well!  It has been far more difficult than I imagined (not because I expected it to be easy but because there is NO way to properly prepare for being apart from your wife and family for so long, no matter how hard you imagine it will be) but we are close to the halfway point, and then we have a vacation scheduled for the second term!

With regards to work and living in Spain to experience the culture, I am learning a great deal and enjoying the chance to see a new way of life.  While I find the people here similar to people anywhere else (some smart, some funny, some whiny, etc.), the day-to-day life, environment, and culture is vastly different.  Each day, I am exposed to something new, whether it be an approach to problem-solving at work, an after work activity, or a food dish that I've never tasted or seen before.  With all of these, I think I gain both insight into the different ways people live throughout the world as well as my good fortune in having the life I do in Clayton with Jessica.  It's odd but I gain an appreciation of the experience here AND of what I am missing at home at the exact same time.

As far as personal goals here, I had three when I started:

1. Learn to speak, read, and understand Spanish - I am making progress with my Spanish classes, as well as in reading and writing emails at work.  I still have an exceptionally tough time understanding the spoken language, but as I build up vocabulary and identify more words as they race through my ears, I can at least know the main topic of a conversation!  My goal is to really make improvements in the final month before my trip home so that, in the second half of the assignment, I can speak mostly (or much more than I do) in Spanish.

2.  Work with the Spanish side of our company, learning their methods, their approaches to solving problems, and their general work habits to fit in and understand the differences between here and America - I think I've done fairly well with this goal; I feel comfortable contributing to the projects here and I have been able to reach out to other departments (with BASIC Spanish emails) to get additional information I need or am interested in to compare with my work in Clayton.  My office is quite friendly and I already benefit from making friends at work, leading to nice outings on the weekends and "taking beers" after work on Friday.  Most importantly, from a work perspective at least, I have a good insight into the work approach here and how it applies to project engineering.  I am looking forward to helping the two branches of our company work productively together now and when I return home.

3.  Try as much Spanish food as possible - This is another area where I am really excelling... to date, I have tried: pig trotters, octopus tentacles, many variations of croquettes, morro (fried pig snout as best I can tell), several duck preparations, pork cheeks, paella, shrimp heads, countless tapas, monkfish, fresh hams and sausages, bread with tomato and olive oil, and countless other items.  I've found a few things that I won't be trying again (cuttlefish being #1 on that list, anchovies soaked in olive oil as #2 probably) but overall, the quality and variety of food has been incredibly good!

A fourth "goal" that I've added since I arrived is to train for the Raleigh half-marathon in November.  Yesterday, I reached my farthest distance yet, running eight miles in ~ 9 minutes / mile, so that was quite an achievement for me.  I really struggled at the end so I have a long way to go before I'm ready for 13.1 miles, but at least I am getting the exercise and pushing myself more than I ever had running!

With four months or so remaining, my goal with the most work left is to speak and understand Spanish.  I am studying today and will continue to do my best putting in the time and effort to become better.  Learning a new language really is one of the hardest things I've done in my life, especially at this age when I am so set in my ways, but I suppose the challenge will make the reward so much better! 

Jessica's First Visit!

Note: Be prepared to read this post in two or three sittings; it will be quite long!

As most of you know, Jessica visited me this past week to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary!  I will spare everyone paragraphs worth of sappy, emotional words describing my feelings of her time here, but it was definitely the best five days I've had and made me realize how fortunate I am to have the life I do, both here and more importantly, when I return to North Carolina.  We had a great time, took countless pictures (more of which I'll include in this post), and were able to enjoy the celebration of our first year together as a married couple.

One logistical note... I am officially 1/3 complete with my assignment here in Spain.  The time has both flown and crawled by at different times, but I am enjoying the experience of living and working in a country so different from the United States.  My Spanish is continuing to improve (I can now write some basic emails and try to ask questions occasionally) and I just finished my first 10 km run yesterday, still training for the Raleigh half-marathon.  I will be returning to Clayton for 10 days starting June 29th, and I cannot wait to see Jessica, Berkley, my family who will visit for the 4th of July, and all of my friends.

Jessica arrived early on Saturday morning, and I was able to meet her at the airport arrival area.  Barcelona has a very modern airport and a nice area where you can wait for people to emerge from the arrival gates.  It was such a great feeling to see Jessica walk-through the glass door, it made all the time waiting for her well worth it!

Being the trooper that she is, Jessica didn't require any naps to catch up on sleep so we headed back to my hotel and then into Barcelona.  Our first item on the tour list was La Casa Batllo (in the background of the picture above), a Gaudi house in the heart of the city.  Honestly, we could have been walking through a shack and I would have loved the experience, but this was even better with Jessica, seeing the amazingly creative architecture with so many curved surfaces and very few straight lines.  It's honestly incredible how someone came up with the design, although it's entirely possible and likely that drugs played a part!

Duck breast at Citrus

After this tour, we had lunch at Citrus on Passeig de Gracia (one of the main shopping and restaurant streets in Barcelona).  Our seats during lunch overlooked the busy street, making for great people-watching.  I think Jessica liked seeing the various "fashion" choices people made... the clothing here is so different from America and varied from person to person!  The meal was excellent as Jessica had her first chance to sample jamon croquettes (ham, cheese, and potato balls deep-fried) and pan y tomate (grilled bread rubbed with tomato and drizzled with olive oil).  Both are Spanish staples and were delicious at Citrus.  Jessica had tuna for her main course, and I had duck breast covered in pistachios with a fruit sauce.  Everything was so fresh and beautifully plated; this was certainly a good omen for our food for the week!

Following lunch, we hopped on the Barcelona City Tour bus to see more of the city, accompanied with an audio guide.  After a lot of back-and-forth whether to use this service, I was glad we did as it proved a perfect way to see a large part of the city rather quickly, with interesting information given during the ride.  While on the bus, we saw the Born district, the beach, the modern city, the Olympic villages from 1992, and Sagrada Familia (which we would tour the next day).  A time or two, I caught Jessica catching some "rest" with her eyes, but overall, the tour was quite entertaining and certainly worthwhile for anyone seeing Barcelona for the first time.  After departing from the bus, we headed to the Born district for a more thorough inspection and found great architecture, many, many people, and cool little streets and alley that would make getting lost QUITE easy!  We found our way back to the train station eventually, headed back to Granollers after a long day of touring, and got rest for day 2.

One of the things Jessica liked most about the city was the number of bakeries and pastry shops everywhere.  Sunday for breakfast, we took advantage by finding one in Barcelona to pass the time while the rain came and went.  Jessica had a delicious chocolate croissant with tea and couldn't stop talking about it the rest of the day!  This was a perfect lead-in to Sagrada Familia, which was our main target for the day.  This is the most impressive, and most known, attraction in Barcelona, and for good reason.  It is cliche to say, but words and pictures cannot properly convey the impressiveness of this church.

La Sagrada Familia

Located just a subway stop away from the main streets in downtown Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia is Gaudi's most ambitious and largest building.  The immense church fills an entire city block and is surrounded by a small park, apartments, and countless tourist-specific shops selling FC Barcelona jerseys and the like.  There are also two American fast food establishments here, McDonalds and KFC, which are brutally out of place against the backdrop of this architectural marvel.  Again, I could try and try to find words to describe what I saw, but they would never be enough.  Here are a few things I found interesting though:

- The outside looks fairly old but has EXTREMELY detailed sculpture work.  The intricacies depicting various religious scenes are truly incredible.
- While the outside looks very "European" in age and design, the inside is quite modern.  There is a lot of glass used, and the finishes look extremely new and clean.
- There is space inside for a choir of 1000 people. 
- Below the main floor, there is a complete second church which you can look into through glass windows.  We saw mass while we toured the upstairs.

After our visit here, we ventured up to Montjuic, where the Olympic Stadium for the 1992 Olympics resides.  From this "hill", you can look down over Barcelona, seeing both the city and beach which is quite fascinating.  We spent time walking around and eventually down from the top of the area to Placa Espanya where we found lunch (European lunch time of 3:30 PM) and Jessica was able to get paella and sangria here in Spain for the first time!  While the paella wasn't quite "typical" compared with some others I've had here, it was quite good (arguably better than most versions I've had) and the sangria was delicious.  Coupled with a plate of grilled Spanish sausages, we were very happy with our selection.  The rest of our day was spent walking through the city, relaxing, and eventually eating Italian (don't tell anyone but the pizza and pasta were excellent) for dinner.

Mas Albereda

For our anniversary day, we ventured to a northern village outside of Vic to celebrate in a more relaxed, calm environment.  We stayed at a farmhouse that has been converted into a modern hotel and restaurant called Mas Albereda (http://www.masalbereda.com/).  Even though it was rainy, we thoroughly enjoyed the grounds, the peacefulness, and the accommodations at the hotel.  Jessica was able to get a massage while I watched a Spanish game show (the details of which I neither understand nor can explain) before dinner. 

We had a drink at their bar, which was a running joke for Jessica and me.  Here in Spain, it is very common for everyone to say, "Let's take a beer" instead of "Let's have a beer" like many would say in America.  I really like this different way of saying it, so I asked every ten minutes whether we could "take" a drink before she finally conceded.  I am going to try to get this phrase to stick when I come back to Clayton for sure.

Dinner at Mas Albereda was magnificent... this could really be its own post but for the sake of time and attention span, I'll summarize as best I can.  We shared a bottle of local red wine that, to a novice like me, was great.  The meal started with a HUGE fresh garden salad for Jessica and cod fritters for me that were so incredibly light, I honestly thought they could float in the air.  If you take a standard hush puppy and cut the density 100 times, you're probably close to what these were.  The flavor was just strong enough to remind you it was cod but not overpowering.  Honestly, it was one of the most impressive fried food executions I've ever had.

Shrimp ravioli

As strong as the meal started, the main course was another level up.  Jessica had a whole veal tenderloin (seriously, it was probably 18 ounces!) coupled with a mushroom and potato hash.  Cleverly, the chef included a scorching hot ceramic tile on the plate allowing the diner to further "cook" their meat if they desired.  In this case, they served the tenderloin medium rare so Jessica could just touch it off to get to medium while I could enjoy as is.  My meal, called on the menu as "Pig trotter and black sausage shrimp ravioli", was my first real taste of molecular gastronomy.  Instead of using pasta, the shrimp were the ravioli, pounded thin and then "glued" together somehow to hold the filling.  I have seen on shows before the use of protein glue to get this type of effect, so maybe that is what was used.  Regardless, the shrimp were amazingly sweet on their own and then just perfect when matched with the meaty pork products inside.  Visually, I was stunned (in a good way!) when the plate came and somehow the taste even exceeded the presentation.  Dessert was a rich chocolate brownie with strawberries and ice cream... delicious but not as good as the first two courses for me!

Jessica eats tapas!

As Jessica's visit came to an end, there was still one outstanding thing she wanted... TAPAS!  As you may remember from an earlier post, I tried a tapas bar called Cerveceria Catalana that was incredible so I took Jessica there for the experience.  We had several different items (all served on bread), including croquettes, ham, patates braves (fried potatoes with a spicy mayo sauce), grilled shrimps with the heads on (I passed on the heads this time sadly), skewers of shrimp and beef, goat cheese with something (only Jessica had this one), and maybe a few others.  Everything was good and I really liked the way that we could just keep pointing to items and having them served immediately at the bar!  We also "took a beer", which made us both happy.  I think, with this meal, Jessica was finally able to cross all of the "things I need to do in Spain" off her list, so it was a fitting end to her trip here.  We spent the rest of the day walking again through the city and finding small gifts for her family.

I took Jessica to the airport the following morning and her visit, sadly, was over.  We had a wonderful time together and it was good to know that we'd made it through the longest continuous time apart (seven weeks) that we will encounter for my time in Spain.  While it was hard to see her leave, it was great to know that I'd be home in five short weeks and that for her short time here, everything was perfect and just the way we left it when I departed from Clayton in early April.  I cannot wait to be home at the end of June to see Jessica (and Berkley!), my family, and all of our friends.  Jessica and I are already planning for her next trip here in August, when we will explore more of Europe.  If anyone has any good suggestions of where to go or what to see, please let us know!

Blog Update

For my loyal readers, all three or four of you, I plan to publish a mega-blog this weekend about Jessica's visit this past week.  We were able to celebrate our anniversary in a restored farmhouse hotel, tour the city of Barcelona for three days, and eat plenty of Spanish food throughout!  Pictures are already posted on Instagram for your enjoyment...

Learning Barcelona

After spending my first month in Spain living in Granollers, a small city ~ 25 kilometers from downtown Barcelona, I moved into the city for a few days this past week / weekend as my hotel had a prior booking.  My boss helped get me a room in the center of the city and I was able to experience so many great things that Barcelona has to offer and, most importantly, learn more about the city so that when Jessica arrives in SIX DAYS I can show her the best time!!!

The first night in Barcelona, I tried Cerveceria Catalana, a true tapas bar in downtown, with my boss and another co-worker.  We went during what would be happy hour here (people eat dinner around 9:30 PM or so and we went at 7:45 PM) and the place was PACKED.  It had many tables in the back of the restaurant, but the front basically had two sushi-type bars, one on each wall.  In the "display" glass, there were countless different tapas, all of which looked great.  The tapas "bar tenders" would then take orders, either by name or by people pointing and shouting, and it created quite a unique, awesome, and chaotic experience in the restaurant!  With people jam packed inside, I'm not quite sure how the server figured out who ordered and ate what, but they did and everything was fantastic.

All of the items were served on top of a small piece of bread... I believe this style of tapas has a specific name that escapes me though.  We tried the following: ham, salmon crudo (which was AMAZING), sliders, veal, grilled shrimp, and croquettes.  My favorite were the grilled shrimp; they were cooked so perfectly that they remained tender and juicy without seeming to be undercooked.  After trying these shrimp, I feel like I've never had another effort that wasn't slightly overcooked!  Even the burger, which I wasn't too sure would be good, was excellent.  They topped it with very sweet caramelized onions and cheese and in one bite, I was in heaven.

Of note the next two days...
- My hotel had an inexplicable open bar on Thursday night, offering free beer, wine, and gin and tonics.  This led to a rougher Friday morning than I had planned but all for good!
- I completed my first 60 minute run ever I think.  I continue to "train" for a half marathon in November in Raleigh with Jessica and the 60 minute run (I cannot gauge distances here but I used this for my 6 miler) wasn't too bad (except for ruining my legs the rest of the day).

On Saturday morning, after my run, I toured Camp Nou, the soccer stadium here in Barcelona that houses the world power.  The stadium is located on the outskirts of Barcelona proper and seems similar to my image of Lambeau Field in Green Bay; a HUGE stadium in the middle of a neighborhood.  On one block, I saw nothing, and on the next, I saw a building larger than most used in the NFL!  Pictures are on my Instagram (DKMiller327).

The tour was excellent... I was able to see their museum (amazing history and a ridiculous list of former players, awards, and league trophies) as well as their superstore (which sold EVERYTHING you could imagine... more than any Steelers store I've ever see) before entering the stadium. 
The tour went through the visitor's locker room (modest), down the tunnel to the pitch (with sounds like you were entering the field to play which gave me goosebumps), and onto the edge of the field to see the 98,000+ seats surrounding you.  It was my first time ever in a soccer stadium and I was beyond impressed.  For any soccer fans, I'd highly recommend this tour (or any that may be available across Europe for the big clubs). 

Saturday night, I met with a co-worker and his wife for dinner.  Beforehand, we went to a little local beer pub and had some excellent beers in a place that felt like part of a secret club.  This obviously helped start up our appetites and my co-worker knew of a GREAT fondue place (La Carabba) to try.  Anytime I am given a plate of raw meat that I can cook to my own taste, I am thrilled, and this place more than provided.  It was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the old part of the city and our dinner consisted of a salad (actually good) and then a plate full of beef, pork, sausage, and chicken.  The fondue cooking liquid was very hot oil and then there were dipping sauces surrounding to add after cooking (herbs, mushroom, soy, whiskey, etc.).  I've been to other fondue places but this was a few steps above in meat quality and sauce flavor, as well as not costing much more.  I could NEVER find this place again, but it is very much worth finding and trying.

After dinner, we watched the second half of the last Barcelona game this season (they scored in extra time to tie 2-2) before going to another "hidden" gem in the city... a whiskey bar!  My co-worker is Catalan but spent time in Scotland so he is a bit of an aficionado.  I had a very good whiskey from somewhere (who knows, things got hazy FAST!) but we called it a night after one, which was a good thing for me.  It was very cool to experience the city with residents; they definitely knew the right places to go and the right times to go for the best crowds.

To finish the weekend, I went mountain biking with some co-workers today.  It is amazing how close the beach and mountains are here near Barcelona, so the terrain was quite tough (at least for me).  My friend promised a beginner trail but I hope, both for my pride and my general sense of physical effort, that this was tougher than that because I STRUGGLED.  It was fun though, and had many great views during the ride.  The best part, though, was the after-ride barbecue.  My friend grilled chicken, chorizo, butifarra (Catalan sausage), small bites of lamb shoulder (very good, especially the fat), and pork ribs that were delicious.  It reminded me very much of a typical American cookout... while some of the meats changed, it was basically the same and brought back some good memories of summer in the United States!

This is the biggest week of my time here in Spain... Jessica and I have finally reached her first visit!!!  She will arrive on Saturday morning and I have the weekend and week planned before she has to depart on Wednesday.  Our anniversary is Monday so hopefully I have one or two surprises for her, but regardless, I am so looking forward to this time to see her, to know that we've made it through our longest stretch apart, and to celebrate our first year as a married couple!