It's A Small World After All

Adjusting to life in Barcelona has been easy. I must say that a nice glass of wine and a small plate of olives and cheese is a good thing. Flying here made me think about how big this world is. And at the same time, how small it is. Leaving Saigon and flying over Cambodia, just out side of Pakistan and all the conflict past and present in both of those countries. Then over tigers and vegetarians while flying over India and up the Persian Gulf to Qatar. Leaving Qatar took me over the middle east, Turkey, Greece and Italy before landing in Barcelona. All the history of all those countries and yet I can fly over them all in a matter of hours. It made me wonder what was happening in daily life in each one of them. What do their markets look like. I guess a few more trips are in order.

First, I just walked around the city. Awesome! What a cool place. Soaking it all in not really taking that many pictures. Had dinner at a restaurant that was a mix of Catalonian, Cajun and, ready for this? Vietnamese. The history of this place is a weird story but the short of it is a teacher from Spain, teaching architecture at Tulane in New Orleans met a Vietnamese student there, who later became a chef. They kept in touch and when the professor moved back to Spain they opened this place called Me, Vietnamese for mother. Pretty good, green papaya salad rocked, fish croquettes were great. Steak was okay and the swordfish was good.

Today just brought being a tourist. Went to the Sagrada Familia church by Gaudi. Holy cow! What a place. I wasn't that psyched to go but I was soooo glad I waited in that line and saw it. Pictures do not do it justice. Then off to a late, for Americans, 2pm lunch of some tapas and wine down some back alley. Then hit up the Picasso Museum. Pretty cool also. Lots of his early work and a lot of history I didn't know about him. Did a little window shopping just wandering back to the hotel. It's 8:45 pm here and off to the Barcelona Jazz Festival and then a late, or normal here, dinner.

Maybe some pics tomorrow... Adios!