Golf in the Old World

Before heading back to the mainland, I knew I had to golf here at least once. So yesterday, I asked Google maps where the nearest, nicest, cheapest golf course was and I headed there on the metro.

After an hour and a half trek on metro, train, and foot, I arrived at the Sant Joan Golf Course  - the first public golf course in Catalunya. I read that the green fee for a junior is 19 euro, and seeing the I have 5 more days being under 21, I wanted to take advantage of the junior rate one last time. They hit me with two charges I wasn't expecting though - club rental was a whopping 21 euro, and the fee for not having a license to golf in Spain was 8 euro. That's right...they charged me a fee for not having taken the mandatory 10 lessons to acquire a license. It felt very ironic as someone that has golfed for over 3/4 of their time on this earth.

The course was exceptionally nice, especially for being public. The regular-flex shafts on the rental clubs made the tight, dog-legged fairways pretty difficult to hit, but I managed to find a way. I ended up figuring out that the ball would always go right, and I played it that way.

To my disappointment, I didn't have any Spaniard to play with. The course was empty because the weather wasn't very nice, so I went at it alone. I wanted to play with a Spaniard to authenticate my European golfing experience and practice my Castellano. My prayers were answered, however, when the marshall pulled up on the 6th hole. He saw that I had hit a tee shot to 6 feet on a par three, and he offered me a ride. From then on, he accompanied me on every hole until I reached the 17th tee. His name was Pablo and he was from Peru, and it was nice to not have to walk the hilly course. He made me focus more on my game, because I obviously wanted to impress my Euro-audience of one, and I shot 1 over for the 10 holes he accompanied me on. According to him, I should be on the PGA tour. Well, Pablo, there are many other kids that can hit the ball much, much straighter than me.

Nonetheless, he couldn't have been nicer and it was much better than spending the day alone. I am proud to say that I played a beautiful course outside Barcelona. Who knows when the next opportunity will come for me to golf in Europe - I'm glad I took advantage of it now!

A view back down the fairway of the 3rd hole.

A distant view of Montserrat from the 4th tee.

A closer view of Montserrat.

The dark green color of the grass, coupled with the grey clouds, reminds me that I'm in Europe.

Me in my hastily put together golf outfit. Photo credit - Pablo.

Me next to the "Buggie" as they call it in Barcelona.

Pablo - the man, the myth, the Peruvian legend. He couldn't have been nicer.

Walking back to the metro from the course. It was a 40 minute walk!

This is the Hewlett Packard Barcelona campus. Pretty nice!

Countdown - only 2 more weeks left in Barcelona!

Day Trip to Costa Brava

There's something I haven't been willing to accept as a Californian in Barcelona - it's cold here. Not New York cold, or Simon Cowell in the first audition cities cold (outdated, I know),  but just cold enough to keep you in long sleeves and pants. Despite many people warning me before I came to Barcelona, I refused to believe them. I thought I'd put in my jacket wearing time and be back in flip flops by the beginning of March, but this hasn't turned out to be true.

Well, partly. I wore flip flops as a form of denial that it was still cold and rainy in March. In any case, we took advantage this weekend of the start of Spring weather (or so we thought) to head up the coast of Catalunya, Costa Brava. This is the rugged shoreline filled with little secluded fishing towns that has inspired the likes of Dali and Picasso. After a full day at the beach and exploring the coves, I can say that Costa Brava is a must visit while here in Barcelona.

We caught a bus that took us straight from the city center, through the coastal mountains and into Tossa de Mar, about an hour and a half outside the city. Once we got there, Amir, Megan and I put our Catalan knowledge to use. Thanks to our 101 class, we knew to follow the sign to the "platges" and soon found ourselves in the sand. It had been a long time since the weather aligned with our schedules to allow us to enjoy the beach, so we all sat down and relaxed for a little. This is where Dave enlightened us on the process of rock picking in Minnesota. It's where you dig out the rocks that have risen to the surface to make way for new crops. "You've never done that before?" Maybe one day, Dave. Maybe one day.

The 6 of us guys then set up an impromptu field for ultimate frisbee. We ran around and realize how out of shape we were. This is also where the weather took and abrupt change, and the sky turned grey and the wind picked up. I blame the wind for my rogue throw that almost hit a small child. I felt terrible.

We picked up our things and decided to go explore and get the blood moving. The beach had an awesome castle and wall built into a hill on one side, and on the other were huge climbable rocks. We decided to head for the huge climbable rocks. After climbing up one huge rock in particular in my converse, I could see why Dali and Picasso had the hots for Costa Brava. It's rugged, cliffed, and it's got rugged cliffs. The mountains meet the sea abruptly in Tossa de Mar, but not before the squeeze in a little village with colored houses and fancy places to eat. We sat at the top and felt like kings for a bit before we carefully climbed down. It was at this point that Dave and Amir fought with bamboo sticks.

Before heading back to Barcelona, we went to eat at a beachfront restaurant. We got denied at several others because 5 PM is a very awkward time to eat in Spain. The restaurant that finally agreed to serve us did so awkwardly and reluctantly, but at least the food was good. It had started to rain a little outside, and we all wondered what happened to our perfect beach day. I'll never forget the Tossa de Mar beach nonetheless. It was nothing like California - since when would there be a real castle on a hill in Malibu? Wait...maybe just in Malibu...

Well, hands down the best movie slogan I've seen in a while. 

This is the shot they recommend...frames the hill with the castle.

Me and Megan in front of the awesome rock with a lone tree coming out of it.

Me conquering the rock tree hill with Alex.

Me and Megan with the rocky coast in the back.

Exactly as I found it.

Hey, I thought this looked very blue.

It gets cooler the longer you stare at it.

In the beginning, when the weather was nice!

Rockin' the Fantas. They're very popular here in Spain.

Me and Megan with the castle in the back.

We wanted to take this dog with us. It had some spunk.

An apartment building that looks like the rocky hills behind it.

The highlight of the day was first arriving at the beach and realizing how awesome it is to stumble upon a place like that just an hour outside of the city. It felt like a reward for not being lazy but rather seeking adventure instead. More posts to come!

Time to talk about food

When I got to Barcelona, one of my main concerns was the food - How good would it be? How much would it cost? Would I ever learn to cook? Where do they sell Frozen Yogurt (well, they don't)? What IS Spanish food exactly?

Through my culinary adventures on a shoestring budget, here's what I have learned so far. I admit that I was hungry the first week - I hadn't a clue where to eat. On one hand, I wanted to try Spanish food. On the other, all the pictures outside the restaurants in our neighborhood looked unappetizing. Why? There were all these bars and restaurants in Poble Sec we've come to call the "picture" restaurants - these are restaurants whose outdated, bleached color photos show interesting combinations of well known foods. For instance - take steak, french fries, tuna, lettuce, egg, and tomato and see how many combinations you can make without actually mixing any of them. Ex. A steak with an egg on top and lettuce on the side. Ex 2. Lettuce and tuna  with a tomato and french fries on the side. Ex 3. A plate of tuna.

These are the local, hole in the wall bar restaurants by Melon District. I learned soon on that these places aren't meant to impress. They're meant to provide daily comfort food to the neighborhood regulars that frequent them. On the contrary, there are many impressive, non "picture" restaurants throughout the Borne, Gracia, and Eixample neighborhoods. The biggest difference between Berkeley and here - a good, cheap, tasty, non-fast food meal will cost 8 euros or more. That is the cutoff between eating well and cooking at home. Enjoy the culinary ride:

Gofres. Translation: "Piping hot, chocolate and ice-cream covered waffles of divine goodness." Healthy because of strawberries. You must get these if you come to Europe.

Bo de B: The sandwich place that would roundhouse kick Jared from Subway in the face. Piles of fresh ingredients, meat cooked in front of you, a warm baguette, and maybe a seat if you're lucky. Downside: Up to an hour wait because they take their sweet, sweet time. 3.50 euro sandwich.

The Chris and Megan specialty: rice, vegetables, and something else with a good sauce. We do this most nights here in the Melon District, and it costs about 4 euro each for a full dinner. High fives for rewarding labor!

Spain runs on Doner. The Turkish, meat off a revolving barbecue stick treat. Watch as the friendly workers SHAVE the meat of the stick, pack it inside a pita and serve with spicy sauce. 

Chocolate and churros. The chocolate: not to sweet, but warm and delicious. The churros - numerous, but hardly guilt instilling. We're studying abroad...gotta live a little. 

Ok, this may be living too much. Francesinha in Portugal: A reminder, that's egg, cheese, bacon, steak, ham, roast beef, gravy, and french fries. Multiple layers of each = multiple layers of love. And bathroom trips.

In Porto, you eat cheaper than in Barcelona. This was a 5 course meal of tender meat, veggs, rice and desert for 7 euro. There were only 3 tables in the restaurant. Who needs customers!

18 words: Can't remember exactly what this was, but chocolate and ice cream and this must have been really good. Oh yeah.

Fish with the head and eyes intact. And bones. Spaniards make you work hard with these bony fish. Tip: If you're on a diet, make eating difficult!

Bone-free cod filet with mashed peas underneath. Creative, eh?

Braised beef made into a potato tower with Port wine sauce. Very good. Thanks Mom.

Megan claims this ice cream filled chocolate crepe was "the best desert ever." Snopes.com: Verified.

Risotto, cheese, mushroom...all that jazz.

Argentine Entrecot Steak...I was jealous of Megan for this one. It looked good.

But this chicken curry with a cool rice tower was hard to top.

Some more cod action. Spain likes dat fish.

6 people, many desert options - all went with the banana and chocolate crepe.

Patatas bravas...this is a dish muy española. It's goodness depends on it's presentation. The strategy: how well can I present this to hide the fact that it's spicy mayonnaise sauce on french fry squares? With tooth picks and a cool plate?

Or with a squirt bottle and an Ikea dish on sale.

I can't take credit for this photo, but I can take credit for having eaten "Pulpo a la Gallega" many times. It's fresh octopus with some tasty spice. It's always a go-to tapa when I grab a menu. What can I say...it's better than it looks?

While my foodventures aren't quite complete here in Barcelona, I can say with certainty that the food here is great. It has plenty to offer and the restaurants present themselves well. Sometimes it's hard to tell a fancy restaurant from an Applebees equivalent because they all go can pass for fancy and classy. For me at least. If you ever make your way here...budget to eat and eat well.

One final note, There is one thing Barcelona desperately lacks:

Burritos.

The Café con Leche

The remains of a successful café con leche...

Maybe it's just a latte. I really don't know, and I could really care less. All I know about this drink is that it makes me feel like I'm in Spain. It's 1 part milk, a couple parts espresso, and some sugar, but what it symbolizes during the day in Spain is much more significant.

I would not say that I was a coffee drinker before I came to Spain, and I still might not be when I head back. Here though, coffee-haters and lovers both fall for the café con leche.

In the US, coffee is too often the drink to grab and go. Could you imagine Starbucks handing you a coffee in a ceramic mug? What's more, could you imagine it being smaller than not just a Grande, but a Tall? All I know is that I used to occasionally go for a Grande latté, and now that seems like an ocean of coffee.

To order a café con leche, the directions are simple - walk into anywhere, literally anywhere, and ask for one. Don't be fooled when they give you two huge packets of sugar (that's too much), and don't expect it to be in a to-go cup. In fact, many places, when asked for coffee to-go, will give you a weird look and put your drink in a cardboard cup with a lid without a place to drink from. That's right - they force you to either use a straw or sit the heck down somewhere and enjoy your coffee.

The DeGennaro's get in on it too...how about that foam?

I imagine Spaniards have a couple cafés throughout the day. For me, it's a once a day thing. Most of the time, my café con leche break is pretty sacred. I'll go with Megan or some friends to a local cafe and order one with a croissant. When we find a particularly good café, Megan has even been keeping the sugar packets as souvenirs.  That's because our time here is so well signified by the habitual café con leche that it's worth remembering.

Why? You might have to see for yourself. There is something about sitting down at a tiny table, taking in the people around you, trying to pick up Catalan words, and making the café last by taking tiny sips...it's much more rewarding than power-walking late to class with a Grande something and heart palpitations. Now I know in some circles in the US, coffee is complementary to a newspaper. They do that here too, but after the morning it's almost always a social activity**.

When I go back to the US, I'll probably try to recreate the café con leche experience. My mornings in Berkeley are normally mad rushes, quick showers and breakfast on the go. It's a pretty hectic start to the day. After 3 months in Spain, I think it's definitely worth taking 30 minutes out of the day to enjoy a cup of coffee. Maybe not for the taste, or not even for the caffeine boost after a late study night, but the time to get your head together and start the day stress free. One of the things Spain teaches you without fail is how to relax. Tranquilo, hermano. 


(**This article is directed to other students like myself. I don't exactly know how responsible adults spend their mornings nor in what situations they drink coffee.)

"Yes, of course I prefer a café con leche to a much needed shower" - Chris Severn

Barce-mom-a!

Hey all! Sorry for the sparse blog updates as of late. I plan to make some posts this week that fill you in on some of the highlights of March so far.

As many of you know, my Mom got here on Thursday and we've had a great time showing her around the city. I must admit, the Georgian-Californian-that-hasn't-been-to-Europe-before has done surprisingly well adapting to la vida española. The first day, we met her and Margaret and Sigrid at their hotel and walked them around a main street called Passeig de Gracia. It was nice to see her after over 2 months here and have a slice of home over in Barcelona. We were excited to impress her with our improved Spanish skills by saving her in situations of ordering food, asking how much things cost, etc...but she never really needed our help! She wasn't hesitant at all to walk right up to a Spaniard and test their English skills. We taught her how to ask for the bill - "la cuenta, por favor señor" - and she got it on the first try.

Unfortunately, the weather is the worst since we've been here - constantly rainy and cold. For that reason, we've decided to eat our way through Barcelona. We've gone out to get Spanish tapas, Basque tapas, chocolate covered waffles, chocolate in general...we even decided to keep within the theme by visiting the museum of chocolate! Since it's pretty hard to see the sights with it constantly raining, we took consolation in seeing them all in their chocolate sculpture form.

We've had fun showing her around our daily life here - taking the metro to our school, showing her the apartment building, taking her to our favorite cafe for a cafe con leche - and we've gotten used to having her around. It's going to be hard to say goodbye on Tuesday. Hopefully these pictures give you an idea of what we've been up to in the last few days!

Chocolate and churros - first afternoon in Barcelona. So good.

Night time in Plaza Catalunya. Before the rain came down all night and all day.

Purse pals. This is at a great Basque country-themed Tapas restaurant. 

Me and Mom on las Ramblas. 

In front of the Boqueria. We were really excited to show her around the market. Definitely one of the must see sights here in Barcelona.

Fruits, candy, fish...anything you want, cheap and fresh. 

You may start to notice a chocolate pattern. Don't judge. A vacation is a vacation...right?

Me and Megan outside our apartment building - Melon District! "A place to live" - Really? Is that the best slogan you could come up with?

Our tickets to the chocolate museum were made out of, well, you guessed it - chocolate! More more more!

One of the main sights in Barcelona - in chocolate! We saw the real one too, so don't worry. It was bigger but far less edible.

Very, very good pizza in the Borne neighborhood today. 

Two and a half more days with her here in Barcelona - I'll may sure to keep you posted!