Tess in BCN

It’s always great to see my dear amiga, Tess, so I was very excited when she told me she was coming to BCN. Her good friend, Mar, from the University in Madrid (she’s getting her Masters there this year) is from Catalunya. So she and Mar decided to come together.

I picked them up very late Friday night…actually it was already Saturday since they arrived after midnight. After dropping off their stuff at my apartment, we stopped by Francisco’s bar for a drink and some pintxos. Like all Fridays, we had to fight our way in there because it was so crowded. We then had to go to BCN to meet up with Mar’s friend. After a long bus/train ride, we went to Gracia, a young hip area in Barcelona. It’s kind of like Madrid’s La Latina or Malasaña. We went bar hopping and had a good time. It was past 6 AM by the time Tess and I got home. I think that was the latest I’ve ever stayed out since I’ve moved here.

Saturday I took Tess to BCN so we could go to a teteria. Michelle introduced me to this place and I love it. It’s small and cozy and brings me a lot of peace. The tea always reminds me of being in our tent in the Sahara with Hassan, our Nomadic guide. We met up with her Tess’ friend, Francesco, and his friends. They’re all from Naples, Italy and are studying architecture. They were great and very nice. I hope I can hang out with them more.

After tea, Tess and I got some Maoz, a vegetarian fast food chain where our French friend, Nono, used to work. They have these amazing fried cauliflowers! Being there reminded me of my last night in Madrid before I had to suddenly go back to Chicago for my dad: we were celebrating Fatou’s birthday and Nono opened up the store to make us some food…good/sad times.

On Sunday, Tess and I got up early to go on a Catalan adventure. Mar had invited us to her pueblo to have lunch with her family. Tess was also staying the night there because they had a very early flight the next day. Tess and I were very curious to see this pueblo calle La Bisbal de Emporda. On Friday when we were hanging out with Mar and her friend, they were telling us how they refuse to ever live there again. It only has 8,000 residents and everyone knows everyone’s business.

I personally thought it was a very nice town. As the girls described it, it was very small and really, there’s nothing there. But in my big city eyes, it was very cute and interesting. And I loved having lunch with Mar’s family. They live in a very nice house and like most Spanish families, they were very hospitable and fed us well, and a lot! I always appreciate moments like these. To me, it’s the best and most authentic way of experiencing another culture.

By late afternoon, I had to catch a train back to El Prat. As always, it was sad to say goodbye to my wonderful friend. Being with her is always like walking down memory lane (we’ve had lots of good times in a very short amount of time), and there’s always a lot of laughter involved. I hope I can visit her soon.