Barcelona Day 1

I upped my apartment game this year, a nicer place but in the same great neighborhood, which over the years has become borderline too hipster for even me. It’s demoralizing to feel insufficiently stylish every time you walk out the door.

This place is on the first floor (which is three floors up – after “baja” “entresuelo” and “principal.”)












We also have a rooftop terrace, with a view beyond the clotheslines and TV antennas to the Basilica Santa Maria Del Mar, the 14th Century church that is right next to my building. This church is incredibly beautiful on the inside. Last year I posted a picture of a wedding taking place there. This year, someone told me that the waiting list to get married here is so long that girls in high school sign up, assuming that by the time they get their turn, they’ll have found someone to marry.










Going against my better judgment, I decided for the second time on this trip to learn something and went on a walking tour of Barcelona. This whole idea of acquiring knowledge once in a while isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. We spent three hours exploring the old town where I discovered that there’s more to Barcelona than fireworks, live music and great food. Who knew?

Speaking of fireworks, we are just five short days away from the beginning of the Mercé, the city-wide festival where lack of sleep, alcohol-fueled displays of bad judgment, and general good times last for 48 hours straight. The only downside is that there are about 100 performances all over town and you have to pick a place to be, which means you’re not at the other places. Just like life.