We made it!
I don’t know how that I’ve just now discovered Lunesta. Michelle and I each took one when we got on the plane, ate dinner about an hour later, and then woke up when we were landing in Barcelona – fabulous! It seriously felt like a flight to Chicago, not Spain. I will definitely be repeating that on the way home (or anywhere else for that matter).
We landed about 8:30 am, and it was too early to check into our hotel. We dropped our bags off and then walked down the La Rambla – one of the most famous streets in Barcelona – which just happens to be steps from our hotel.
Street Performers on La Rambla
La Boqueria is off La Ramble and is a huge market that sells everything from candy, fruit, and gourmet chocolate to all kinds of meats and fish. We went in there and ate breakfast at Pinotxo Bar – a tapas place I’d read about in a ton of guide books. It was packed and the cava (champagne) and vino tinto (red wine) were free flowing at 9:30 am – crazy! We shared a tortilla (Spanish omelet), the best chickpeas I’ve ever had in my life, and an empanada. It was all fantastic and was a great way start off our trip.
After that we got on one of the big, red tour buses and went around town to get the lay of the land. Once we got to our hotel room, we excited to see that we’ve got a HUGE patio! Michelle had some things to do for work and I went in search of sangria to enjoy on our patio. I asked for white sangria at the hotel bar and the lady looked at me like I was crazy. She said “I’ve never heard of white sangria, in Spain we only do red.” We certainly don’t want to stand out as tourists – apart from the bus tour, of course – so red it is!
On the Bus
Once she finished checking in for work, we went back out and did a different route on the tour bus and then went in search of dinner. To find somewhere to eat, we wandered around on the side streets off La Rambla. These streets were amazing – they are really narrow, like a maze, and no cars are on them. It almost feels like you are in some type of lively, underground city.
No one eats here before 9pm so all the restaurants were empty at 6:30. We ended up finding a great tapas bar and got a few tapas to tide us over until a respectable dinner time. This tapas bar was one where they served pinchos – different things on a toothpick that are served on bread. The pinchos are out on the bar and you grab what you want; at the end of the meal, the number of toothpicks determines your bill.
We were both extremely proud of ourselves for making it through the first full day with no naps (thank you, Lunesta!) and finally hit the sack around 10:30pm. Today (Saturday), Michelle has to go check on her booth setup and I’m going to go in search of sim card for my phone and try to figure out the metro. It’s supposed to be 60 degrees and sunny today so I’m looking forward to getting outside and seeing some more of the sights.
sallysuesees.com 
February 12, 2011 at 7:01 am
So glad to hear you had such a great flight over and a fun first day! Enjoy the sunshine today:)
February 12, 2011 at 8:09 pm
So glad you made it safely. Sounds like everything is off to a very good start. Hope you continue to have a great time and red is always better. Love ya. Aunt Cindy
February 14, 2011 at 8:19 am
Hi Emily! I am so glad that your mother shared your blog link with me. Your notes and pictures make me want to begin planning a trip! The pictures are so interesting, especially the one church they have been building for over 100 years…I would really like to know more about it. I also thought the “chocolate shoes” were very funny and looked too good to eat! I wonder how someone came up with that idea?! I hope that you continue to have a wonderful time, and look forward to seeing more! Laura