the opposite of berlin.

Note: my camera is starting to go insane.

Barcelona is everything I thought it would be: beautiful, refined, intelligent, impatient, and passionate.  Since landing here I’ve realized just how much Spanish I’ve had stored away in my brainstem, thanks to one swoony high school Spanish teacher we all crushed hard on.

Even after all of my time in Germany (4-5 separate trips now) there’s a vast difference between learning the formal structure of a language and learning what I call “anticipation” language.  You don’t really need to learn every single word of a language in order to have a service-level interaction with someone, you only need to know the beginning and end of the exchange (hello and can I have the bill pleasantries) and the middle you fill in the answers to the questions you anticipate they’ll ask.  Waiters will ask what you want to eat and drink.  Fast food places will ask if you want it here or to go.  German cashiers will always ask if you have exact change when you hand them a bill.  It isn’t worth letting your ignorance lead you into feeling stupid / embarrassed enough to revert to your native tongue – figure out the questions people will most likely ask you and you will be able to get what you want a good 80% of the time without pulling out the "do you speak English" card.

Back to Barcelona: I can’t imagine living here.  For one I was completely unprepared for the sticker shock – my 30 Euro a night single room with shared bathroom was a steal considering I am hard-pressed to eat dinner for the same price.  The only real similarity to Berlin is the Spanish timetable – lunch in the early afternoon, dinner sometime before midnight, and staying up until sunrise.  The hired buses here that will take me to the SONAR music festival run from 8:30pm until 8am (!!!), the same time my included hostel breakfast starts!  Thankfully my insomnia as of late perfectly matches the lifestyle of Eurotime.

That being said I’ve never been in a place that financially encourages me to go out during the day and have my downtime in the evening.  All guidebook signs pointed to eating out at lunch, where a meal the same size is much cheaper.  I was a bit wary how true this was as I wandered through the Barri Gotic looking for a place to chow down.  After perusing a few menus I stopped stone cold in front of one, instinctively knowing this would be the place.  As I passed through the front casual sitting area of Els Quatre Gats (4 Cats) and into the back room the atmosphere hit me at once, charming my pants off.  Euphemism.

The interior was rich with wood and art, antique chandeliers and waiters in bow-ties.  I climbed to the ring of second-level tables so I could watch the restaurant at work.  Evidently this was one of Picasso’s favorite haunts, and one of his first commissions was designing the cover of the menu.  Years of spiderweb Spanish returned in full-force and I had a great time engaging my waiter, who eventually stopped leading in English.

The Menu del Dia was the recommended way to save money, eating the day’s lunch specialty which typically included two courses and wine or water for a set price.  My eyes bulged at the standard menu prices, cold appetizers starting at 14 Euros and the rest going sky high from there.  For 15,95 (the price of one appetizer at night) I had a feast, and one that surpassed any value I’ve found in all of budget-minded Berlin.  A meal-in-itself plate of creamy carbonara fuselli started things off, followed by a bone-in hunk of roasted pork alongside fatty whipped potatoes and a few rolls, finished by a rich chocolate creme topped with raspberry sauce.  This was accompanied by a bottle of water and a generous pouring of the house wine, which my waiter gleefully refilled for me!  I was suspicious that things weren't all inclusive but I walked out of there smiling like a fool, all carbed up for my afternoon siesta.  My only regret was not having someone there to share it with, as this was far too perfect of an experience to have alone.  I can’t recommend this place enough.

Tonight I’ll have dinner 2 of 2 back in my hallway of a hotel room - fresh watermelon and fatty cured Spanish ham from the outdoor market alongside some soft rolls and ham-flavored Pringles (!!!).  I’m completely sold on the Menu del Dia and am going to save ONE MILLION DOLLARS eating out.  Beyond that I'm excited about the live acts and robot art exhibits starting tomorrow to keep me occupied during the evenings, as my budget and clothing and distaste for house music don't at all match the pulse of this city.

A sidenote about the World Cup – it’s fascinating being in the countries as they play, the fireworks and cheering and boos and unified indication of pain every time there’s a goal really brings the game out of the television, both in Germany’s match last week and today’s here (people got SAD real quick).  CALL A DOC I MIGHT HAVE CAUGHT FUTBOL FEVER!!!!!!!!!!