After checking into our apartment, we went out for wine, which ended up being beer because of the midday Barcelona sun and the sweat that dripped from neck to heel. The local brew, Estrella, fue perfecto en el sol. So we had two before heading back to the flat for a siesta. When I unfolded my body on the bed, I guessed I would be up in a couple hours to mosey around, drink some coffee, and stare out the window into the gigantic courtyard outside our living-room window, full of balconies and drying clothes that hang from wires outside windows, but when my eyelids finally broke free of the crust in the corners, my wristwatch read 9:30. We slept for seven hours and woke up hungry.
Barcelonites eat dinner around 10:00 pm, so we showered and headed to the metro (fantastic, beautiful, wonderful metro system that is sooo easy to use and right outside our door). We headed to the Borne district, a district known for great food and locals. We avoided, and will continue to avoid Las Ramblas - its high prices, prostis, and kitschy shops with shirts that read "My sister went to Barcelona and all she got was this lousy shirt."
We stepped out into the Born District from the Metro. Packed. Full of locals. Full of street side bars and restaurants. Full of life at 11:30 at night. We wandered. We gawked. We searched for food. And we found it - un botella de vino, seared squid, fried fish, and chorizo.
They kicked us out around 12:30 - full and happy.
