tilly with a side of fries.

Our trip to Paris last weekend was absolutely incredible!  We found a little hotel that was centrally located, right by the Eiffel Tower, and a few blocks away from Rue Cler (where all the locals go to buy groceries and meet with friends).  The first morning we were there, we decided to find some quiche before heading over to the Louvre for the afternoon.  We walked over to Rue Cler, and came upon a little shop that had all sorts of baked goods and other prepared foods.  We grabbed a few quiches and went the cafe across the street to sit down and get our caffeine fix for the day. 

My Tomato and Chevre Quiche.

Deanna and I on Rue Cler.

So, the entire time I’ve been in Spain, I’ve made a conscious effort not to eat anything “American.”  I pass by McDonald’s every day on my way to class without giving it a second glance, and have thus far been able to avoid the other American fast food chains like KFC, and Domino’s Pizza (my roommates have made two trips to McDonald’s in the last week out of desperation).  But alas, I had a moment of weakness, and on my way back to school from the gym, I totally caved and went to Starbucks for a Soy Latte.  I know it’s terrible!  I had been so good about pretending that it wasn’t there, until I turned the corner, and there it was, winking at me and inviting me in for a warm and tasty beverage.  I returned to school, ashamed of myself for being so spineless, but so happy to be sipping on my Soy Latte.  I must say, that it was probably the best thing that I have ever tasted (the coffee here is very bitter, and most places don’t even know what Soy Milk is).  Now I know why they’ve adopted American chains all over the world….

Home Sweet Home… in a cup.

After class on Friday, Maddie and I went to the HUGE supermarket below the department store across from school (El Corte Ingles).  There, I found “Tronquitos Sabor Queso,” which is Spanish for delicious.  I am usually a total nay-sayer when it comes to artificially colored and flavored foods, but these little cheeto-look-alikes are wonderful.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been sick (I went to the doctor yesterday, and found out that I have Bronchitis), or maybe because I was simply in a junk-food mood that day, but the second I saw the bag, I had to hold myself back from opening it in the store.  Maddie was able to find peanut butter, which put her on the verge of tears, and we left happy, feeling a little closer to home.  We were so impatient to eat our findings, that we sat down on the street (on a mini bench) and shamelessly began to dig in.  After a few minutes of watching us eat, an older woman came over to us (looking especially at Maddie) and said, in Spanish, “Enjoy your meal! You may not understand me right now, but enjoy!”  Maddie looked at me with a confused expression on her face, and I just laughed.

Spanish Cheetos… Mmmm.

The night that Deanna arrived, I enlisted my roommates Maddie and Kelsey to help me cook a big welcome dinner (after a nice, long siesta of course).  Her flight out of LA was canceled twice, because of the terrible weather in London (where she was supposed to stop on the way to Barcelona), so I decided that her delayed arrival was definitely something to celebrate.  We made a Mache Salad with home-made Vinaigrette, Bruschetta, and Penne Vodka (I used Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe, and it was amazing!).  It took forever, because we decided to make the tomato sauce from scratch, instead of using store-bought (not only because it tastes MUCH better, but because we couldn’t quite understand the labels).  We had everything ready to go, so that when Deanna’s cab was downstairs, we could quickly move her bags upstairs, and dig in.

Mache Salad, Bruschetta, and Penna Vodka.

Restaurant City is taking over my life… I need help.

Today, I finally had a chance to taste Chocolate Suizo, a traditional Spanish Hot Chocolate with Cream on top (kinda like really heavy whipped cream).  I guess I wasn’t that surprised that the chocolate was pretty bitter and thick (think super dark hot fudge), and the whipped cream almost game-y (the cream wasn’t super-pasteurized like we’re used to back in the states).  Other than that, it was pretty good (although definitely not my favorite thing so far).  I found myself staring at the people drinking Zumo de Naranja (fresh squeezed Orange Juice) wishing that I had ordered one of those…

Chocolate Suizo at Cafe Francesco (Passeig de Gracia).

Well, I made it to Barcelona, and I’ve loved every minute so far.  I arrived yesterday evening, and was surprisingly spirited (after 20 hours of travel).  After taking a few minutes to settle in to my apartment, my roommates and I went to dinner about a block away at a cute little mediterranean restaurant ( I had a Greek Salad… so good after 3 plane-meals, but I didn’t have my camera.  So, no picture).  This morning, we woke up, and decided to go explore the city and figure out how to get around town (and buy a few things that we left at home/need for the apartment).  We took the Metro down to the Plaza Catalunya, and found our school before going on a mission to find some caffeine (Cafe con Leche).  After that, we walked around for a while, and did a little shopping, until we got hungry for lunch.  We found a great little tapas bar called Txapela (they serve “pinxtos bascos,”  which are like tapas from Basque), where I had four tapas (a few of them seen below) and a cup of wine for only 7 Euro!  The food was absolutely delicious.  I had a Cod Fritter with Aioli, Tortilla Espanola (a little ommelete with potato and onions), a little Open-Faced Tomato and Cheese Sandwich, and another Open-Faced Sandwich with Goat Cheese, Aubergine, and Tomato.  Que riquisimo!

Cod Fritter, Tomato and Cheese Sandwich, and Tortilla Espanola (clockwise).

And, this was only my first day!  I can’t wait to eat my way through Barcelona… and subsequently burn all those calories by walking everywhere.