We arrived in Barcelona ready to party, but I have to admit I was also feeling a little anxious because we were so far away from Theo. Although we’ve done quick weekends without him, the fifteen hour flight and totally opposite time zone had me missing him terribly. But Facetime is a game changer, and it instantly made me feel better seeing him and knowing he could see us.
We had such a short time and we wanted to be spontaneous, so we planned to have no plans. In need of caffeine after some erratic sleep on the flight, we went looking for coffee. I like my coffee piping hot and the size of my head. After all, we have a toddler. But that’s not how they do things in Barcelona. So instead, we were on the hunt for our first of many cortados, espresso with a little milk in a baby sized saucer. After an uphill bike ride to the Gracia neighborhood, we found the motherload of doughnuts and I knew Lukumas was our place. The coffee was strong, and the blueberry doughnut was delicioso. On a sugar high, we got back on our bikes and headed to the Picasso Museum. No photos allowed.
On our bikes we were able to cover more ground than on foot. And we saw much more of the city than we would have in a cab. After cruising through the Gothic quarter and passing some petanque players, we stumbled on a little bar in El Born where we stopped for a glass of wine. We didn’t stop at one, because why would we; we’re on vacation without our kid.
After a couple glasses, Adam decided it was very important for him to get a haircut. So we cruised back uphill to the Gracia neighborhood and into The Barberist. The barber didn’t speak English and Adam’s Spanish was too rusty to communicate what he needed done. So instead, the dude just started hacking. As I watched, I saw Adam unknowingly get his hair chopped up into the beginnings of a a 90’s bowl cut. Maybe it was the jet-leg, but I couldn’t stop laughing and had to leave the shop. Once I regained control of myself, I began to worry that he might be bald. Thankfully, I headed back in to see Adam’s hair returning back to normal. Part of me was relieved, but my evil twin wanted that bowl cut back.
Although we were only in Barcelona for a short time, we had the best time. Of course it’s true that we needed way more time to get to truly know the city. But goofing off in Spain was the perfect start to our trip. Next up, Israel.
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