Comida en Catalan, Por Favor.

So I think we've stayed pretty positive in this blog. Like I said way, way back, I never wanted it to appear as though we, the troubled, weary (spoiled!) travelers, were complaining and whining. It has been, and will continue to be I am sure, an amazing journey thus far. However, as in life, traveling has its ups and downs, its highs, its lows, and its very lows. Yesterday had a little bit of everything, bear with me through this lengthy post as I try to convey our evening.

So let me set the stage...As you may have seen, in the YouTube post below, we began our quest for Barcelona at 12:30 in our sleepy beach paradise, Salema, Portugal. We heaved our packs (not getting any lighter as the trip goes on, by the way) onto our backs and hiked up the hill to the bus stop. Trip #1: bus from Salema to Lagos, 30 minutes. We walked a few minutes to the train station in Lagos and shortly boarded our train to Lisbon. Trip #2: train from Lagos to Lisbon, 3 hours. Arriving in Lisbon, we wandered around the beautiful and too huge station until we found some help at Informacion (that's Spanish for information). We were informed that from 6-7pm the international tickets sellers take 'lunch break.' Sitting in the waiting room we...waited. Trip #3: waiting room, 3 hours. We then purchased two tickets on the overnight train to Madrid. We decided to go the mucho-comfortable route and bought two tickets in a sleeper car. Trip #4: overnight train from Lisbon to Madrid, 9 hours. Trip #5: Madrid to Barcelona (after a few more hours of waiting, of course), 3 hours. Trip #6: Barcelona Sants Station to Penditente Station, 30 minutes. Trip #7 Penditente Station to bus stop to Anita's Bed and Breakfast, 30 minutes.

So...I'll do the math for you, we were traveling for a grand total of...29 hours. And that's just the beginning.
As we hadn't eaten anything but pretzel sticks and granola bars all day, we were famished. We settled into our B&B and ventured out, trying to be the savvy traveling type that we've always hoped to be. Sidenote here: I, Michael, have come to Europe equipped with every imaginable piece of technology to make our trip more enjoyable: iphones, computer, video camera, digital camera 1, digital camera 2, gps, a digital watch and all these devices' chargers. So, basically, I think we're pretty much invincible when it comes to navigating a city. Walking up the street, we head towards what was to be a satisfying Mexican meal and an early night to bed. Within seconds of deciding where we were going, the first rain of the last 4 days starts in. We wouldn't let it stop us, though, so armed with the gps, we continued. Taking the last final curve, after several thoughts of turning back and giving up, we spotted the restaurant we had hoped for. The view was great, the place was packed and we thought we had struck gold. Getting closer to the entrance, however, we realized that this fine establishment served only drinks. No worries, the restaurant across the street looks just as good. Another sidenote: Welcome to Spain where restaurants OPEN at 9:00PM...so we grab a drink at the adjoining bar and wait it out. After 45 minutes and $12 worth of drinks (that was TWO drinks, mind you) we mosey over to La Venta...and they're booked. Booked solid. Not a table in the place till morning. Wow. But its okay, because Michael's ready, he's got his GPS and he'll find a place! The nearest one seemed to be just a mere 1.5km away, so back down we went (this time making a scary, but practical shortcut through an abandoned park), and out onto what we thought would be the main drag. We spotted a taxi around the next curve and, in frustration, got in and told the driver to take us to 'el restaurante.' That's right, any restaurante you want, we don't care, just get us some food. He knew just the spot and a short 15 minutes later we arrived in the heart of Barcelona at the Salamanca Restaurante. After 29 hours of travel and 2 hours walking around an unknown city, the Salamanca was an oasis. Traditional Spanish fare, coupled with a sweet old man and his accordian, we loved the following hours. We came away the real tourists too, bought a picture of us at the table and a couple of roses from a street vendor. What suckers we were, I guess you could say our defenses were down after such a day.

It was a rollercoaster of a day. There were, as I said, highlights and lowlights and lower lights, but as we curled up in bed at the end of it all, I knew that the morning would bring a new adventure; new sites, new stories, new uncomfortable moments and hopefully a new me, changed by all that I had seen and lived.

Off to Barcelona now, to meet some old friends and share some new experiences. Adios.

P.S. Below you will find a picture of the cutest couple, our hosts in Salema.