The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains

It´s been a whirlwind few days, though I can´t exactly pinpoint why. It´s been cold and raining since we arrived in Sevilla. We managed to shoe shop while dodging huge raindrops all the while. I entertained fellow shoppers by trudging through (okay, maybe skipping) deep puddles in my flip flops. There was no point in even trying to stay dry, so I did a bit of singin´in the rain.

Needing a bit of sun, we ditched Sevilla yesterday for a jaunt to Cadiz, a beach town on the Atlantic coast. A quick bus ride and we left the fog and rain behind for a beautiful sunny day. We wandered the city for a while, finding an extensive food market where every kind of fish was available. They were fresh too...choose yours from the pile and the fishmonger was ready to carve it up for you. I was delighted to find a spice vendor and successfully purchased two varieties of paprika. Sandra and I bought enough fresh produce for several snacks and had a great picnic on a jetty in the ocean.

Afternoon was spent enjoying the (topless) beach. We walked for miles in the sand and now have a large collection of rocks, shells and sea glass that must somehow make it home. Perhaps it is a good thing that the Spanish version of the TSA threw away my olive oil this morning upon boarding the flight to Barcelona.

We made it to Barcelona by breakfast, leaving Sevilla at 4 AM. Exhausted, we hit the city in full force, exploring legacies left behind by the art and architectural genious of Gaudi. His work is brilliant and fills the city with unique color and shape. The city is completely different than the rest of Spain we´ve seen. First of all, it´s arranged on a grid (!) so it´s relatively simple to navigate. Secondly, it´s located in the far north, and many folks speak Catalon, which is sort of like Spanish, but not really. It´s cosmopolitan like Madrid, but it´s treasures are very different. We´ve only just begun to uncover them.

There´s a wonderful pastellerie by our hostel where we had breakfast this morning. The owner speaks Catalon but only a tiny bit of Spanish and no English. He enthusiastically showed us around his shop, describing in great detail the confections he had to offer. Our mouths watered as we chose our pastries, chocolate for one and cheese for the other. He happily offered us cafe con leche as well, quickly making friends. He´s a dear sweet man that I know we will visit often during our 5 days here.

My afternoon was spent arguing, via an international (collect) conference call, with Capital One and BB&T about who was most incompetent about handling my funds. Standing on a busy street corner pay phone, I´m certain that everyone passing by received an education in the intricacies of the English language, as I found myself temporarily penniless without assistance from my ¨no-hassle¨credit card and hometown bank. When calm negotiation got me nowhere, I pleaded, then I yelled, then I cried. An old lady passing by offered me a handkerchief, a sweet gesture that made me cry harder. Michael, with Capital One, tried to soothe me. I think he cried a bit too. In the end, BB&T won the jackass award. I won the ultimate prize...cash in my pocket. Perhaps it is time to bank a bit of sleep.