Sand Castles and Vegetarianism

The title of this post is my weekend in a nutshell.  By far, Saturday and Sunday were my two favorite days that I have spent in Spain thus far.  The only bad part of this weekend was the fact that it marked the halfway point of my trip, when I feel as though it´s just begun…

My Saturday had an early start, as some new friends and I made our way to Estación de Sánts, the main train station in the city.  Swimsuit clad and armed with the highest SPF money can buy, we were ready to hit the beach at Costa Brava.  Since the members of our little travel group live all over the city, we all agreed to congregate at the central station in front of the McDonald´s; however, we all wound up spread out all over the station in a state of confusion looking for each other since no one owns a working cell phone, and thus missed the train to Costa Brava.  Once we had all found each other, we decided a trip to Casteldefells would be equally as nice.

Casteldefells is quite similar to Costa Brava, only smaller scale.  It was a wonderful escape from the chaotic, tourist-infested pavements of Barcelona.  The town itself is only a few streets of shops and restaurants, and the beach a glorious strip of fine sand and cool waters.  And of course, our afternoon was not complete without a sand castle fit for a king (note the mosaic touch, an homage to Gaudí)

No buckets or shovels required!

Saturday night I met up with some coworkers for a drink and we luckily found La Pepita, a charming little bar tucked in Grácia.  I didn´t know what to admire more: the wall of signatures to my left, the vintage décor with hints of both the Belle Époque era as well as Art Noveau, the elaborate presentation of gin and tonics, or the adorable, charming bartender.  My coworkers and I sat at our stools for 2 hours, talking and enjoying our specially crafted libations, and even left our mark on the wall.  I can´t wait to return next weekend!

The menu is written on the mirror, so chic!

Best gin and tonic in Barcelona...

I even made my mark!

And to wrap up an action-packed weekend, I attended a bull fight Sunday night (hence the vegetarianism part of the title).  I entered the arena with a fist of knots in my stomach, worried that I should have brought a barf bag along.  Just HOW gory was this gonna be?  What if the matador isn´t on his game today?  Thankfully, the only thing that really turned my stomach was the tightness of the matador's pants (what did he PAINT them on?!)  I shouted "Ole!" extra loud when one of the matadors came out in USD colors, it was like watching a real live Diego Torero!  I returned home with high spirits, a souvenir poster, and perhaps a more careful consideration of vegetarianism.

Even the nosebleeds filled up!

I want his socks...