More Barcelona Stuff

A couple of nights ago, we were hungering for a good old American hamburger, now quite popular in Europe.  I remembered seeing some burger joints where we strolled earlier in the day but passed by a place just around the corner from the apt., called "Milk".  Popped in, ordered their version and what a wonderful surprise...as good as anything we've had back home, 250gms, about a half pound & cooked exactly the way we ordered.

Across the aisle from us was this massively annoying lady, the type who give all English-speaking tourists a very bad name.  It started out with her telling the waiter she was having trouble adjusting to how things are done outside her country. (Then why travel, lady??)

She ordered a frozen Margarita.  It came heaped high in a martini glass with salt on the rim (They all come with salt, señora) so she took it back to the bar.  The bartender made her a new one "sin sal".  She then complained that she couldn't taste the tequila.  So the bartender brought her an extra shot, which she half sipped directly from the shot glass before pouring the rest into the Margarita.  She ordered one burger to share with her husband (poor man!).  It came piled high like ours.  She took it back so the chef could cut it in half for them.

Vay iz meer!!  We could've throttled her.

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The other night we tried out a fancier place, elegant, old school with dark woods throughout.  And a dinner piano playing from a balcony in the rear.

We learned that the menu del dia is always the best deal & indeed it was.  It included three courses (a sampling of all the appetizers, main course, dessert), a shared bottle of wine, coffee, all for about $67 total including tax/tip.

The main course choices were hake with clams (for hake, think sea bass) & an entrecote of veal.  I completely forgot that the real world translation in France for 'entrecote' is "the toughest steak you'll ever encounter".  Charging ahead, we ordered one of each.

Here are they are, just served:

Turns out that French translation holds true for Spain.  It was tough.  When Fernando the wonderful maitre d' stopped by, we informed him & asked for his suggestion.  He ran off to the kitchen, returned, suggested the hake which Susanne ordered & received soon after.  Before leaving our table Fernando said he tried the veal in several degrees of doneness, all were tough and that he'll never serve it again.

The hake was heavenly, very much like the sea bass we had several times on the ship.   Hake is a large fish so you have a crosscut steak, similar to how salmon is sometimes served.

The wine was included with dinner, red or white, we chose red.  The first sip was "Meh", but it got better as the meal progressed.  We will never know if it just breathed or we were getting sloshed.

Here's Susanne's dessert, Catalan Creme Brulee.  It was so good I couldn't tear it away from Susanne until after her first bite.

Okay, here we are at dessert...just the three of us.  Me, Susanne and the man behind us dining at the lone-diner's table.  (One of those little photographic surprises that remain undiscovered until you download & process the pics.)

Speaking of photographic surprises, Susanne took this pic that didn't come out as she intended.  Is it failed tourist photography or creative abstraction?

I asked her to keep it, then I cropped & de-colorized it:

"Man with cigarette in fog"  I'm a digital Robert Doisneau.

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A Rainy Day in Barcel-town...

Today was precipitation day...actually it was a light steady friendly rain.  The temp was mild...cool, not cold.  A very nice change of pace, actually.  We've had really good weather so far.  Today is really good in a different way.

How do you get furniture & belongings to the top floor of an old building with no lift & a narrow staircase?  You call Rent-A-Lift, of course!

Note the probably anxious owner at the top window hoping nothing falls off.

(Yeah, the hanging shoes.  Didn't notice them...photographer's error.)

It's a process of the ground crew piling your stuff sky high, hoping gravity doesn't cause a damaged goods or head injury claim.  We've seen this done in Paris.  In Amsterdam at the roof peak, there's often a beam & a hook.  Just attach block & tackle with a very long rope & you're good to go.

Susanne's step-father & his bride are honeymooning in Spain...four days in Madrid then here now for four days.  Those pics are on Susanne's Facebook.  Took them to dinner last night back at James' place.  I had roast leg of baby goat, yeah goat, very nice.  Bride had the paella I tried the last time; she loved it.   I'll spare you the food pics.

I have not grown fond of Catalan-style food because there isn't much added or different flavors.  IOW, to me it's kinda bland.  The tapas are great but that's more Spanish than Catalan.  It may just be that it's toned down for us tourists and to get the real deal, you have to go out into the countryside.


I can feel blog fatigue beginning to set in...it's when I feel less inclined to put time in on the blog.  So they may become shorter and less frequent.