bon appetite

Two nights ago we were invited to a friend's apartment for dinner. it was a treat for me to be included in a casual dinner with friends in the middle of barcelona - though with three spanish guys, my french friend and me the conversation leapt from english to spanish and back again faster than i could blink. But i understood enough and when they lost me I turned my attention to the food...there in front of me lay a buffet of real tapas...little bits and pieces to share - spanish omlette, pizza, some sort of meat pastry thing, bread, fresh-off-the-vine cherry tomatoes and the best olive oil. I laughed when my friend picked up the bread and tomatoes and said 'we'd better show kirsten how to do this...'...um surely i can manage putting tomatoes on bread?? turns out there is a knack - you cut the tomato in half and then squeeze all the lovely goodness onto the bread and spread it around with the tomato itself...drizzle on a bit of olive oil and....YUM! finishing off the meal with a cup of minty moroccan tea bought during our host's recent visit I wished I could somehow be invited to more spanish dinner parties...i like the way they eat here - the casual-ness of sharing food between friends, the variety of dishes...and it all goes so well with beer! bon appetite.

Braving the public transport system again yesterday I followed my friend's advice on where to go for the best views in Barcelona - tibidabo...a cathedral come amusment park (yes, somehow in barcelona the two go together). to get there I took two buses and the funicular to reach the top of the mountain where once a little chapel was situated. Nowdays the chapel has become a large cathedral topped with a statue of Jesus with His arms raised, gazing down over incredible views of Barcelona. The day was sparkling and I could see across the city to the ocean and to the north and south for miles. Looking closely I could make out La Sagrada Familila and other notable buildings in the city...the cathedral is ringed by merry go rounds and ice cream stalls....i guess when the locals finish praying they like to hop on a rollercoaster...but I was content to gaze at the view and enjoy the peacefulness of the hidden little chapel inside the cathedral...

till next time...