back in Barcelona - was here about 5 1/2 years ago but was not feeling great so I only really absorbed part of it - for architecture dilettantes like me it's heaven - so many gorgeous buildings to look at and so many of them are right near my hotel, the GranVia, which is perfectly located very near the Placa Catalunya - I've been a good tourist the last couple of days taking the Big Bus (it seems they have these double-decker busses everywhere now - in the last 2 weeks Ive used them in Kuala Lumpur Dubai and Barcelona) around the city - and trying but only partly succeeding to find delish tapas = the ones I can see before buying have worked out OK but if i order off the menu i get something weird (I stupidly thought I knew what patatas bravas are - i thought they were spicy potato wedges - instead they came covered with ketchup and mayo - yuk!)
weather's been great - i think my next super-hot place will be Sao Paulo and that's a long time away aside from the rain in istanbul (STILL fighting this damn cold) it's been just warm enough (esp for us delicate flowers living in the SF Bay Area)
will post pix from Mallorca where I fly off to tomorrow - can't wait to see Christopher and Miranda - its fun to be travelling by myself (as i always say, that's the only way i can count on intelligent conversation plus the 'other person' understanding my incredibly funny jokes) but it will be really good to hang out with friends too
and I really will try to get pix uploaded etc . here in the hotel the computer doesn't have a USB port (or maybe they do but it's hidden really well) to illustrate some of the stories and I keep thinking of more stuff I haven't reported on yet so please check some of the older entries cause I may update them = or add some out of sequence
btw i think i mentioned this before but i seem to be the almost the ONLY american on the road these days . maybe my countrymen are travelling but closer to home?
