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- A Plate of Peas
It was hard to leave Alicante, but Catalunya was calling! Luis bid us farewell and encouraged us to crash on the beach (it’s free and we had experience). We felt confident until the attack of mosquitos & drunken campers. Three beaches later (and a failed attempt to sleep in the car), we hoisted a white flag and stopped at a hotel conveniently located off the side of a road in some incredibly weird town that boasts a Fender Guitar Bar (?!) and peas!
Yes folks, a “Plate of Peas” was the second course out of five on the hotel’s Menu del Dia. Course one, juice (which was served in conjunction with a bottle of fine wine), was followed by the peas (which looked a tad more beige than Rick Beyer’s above picture suggests), and then a choice of chewy fish or chewy steak slices in a bath of milk (or roquefort, same thing). It was so “good” that we just didn’t have room to finish it all and we rushed out to tell all our friends forgetting to pay the bill! Woooops! (Don’t worry, the waitress with the missing front teeth trapped us later and forced us to cough up €11. . . ).
Leaving that strange town far, far, behind, we popped into Barcelona and stumbled upon the 6th Annual Busker’s Festival! With impeccable timing, we were able to catch a glimpse of a few bands, but were a bit disappointed! We expected more from the infamous busking city, and perhaps the presence of a few stewards could have encouraged the audience to drop a few coins in!
It may be appropriate at this time to repeat Busking Tip #5: Stay out of Spain if you want to make money!
With that in mind, there are exceptions to the rule (or rather, tip). . . Briefly after arriving in Girona, Miguel (an incredibly hospitable couchsurfing friend) used his bad-ass skillz to solidify a performance the very next day at a gorgeous new restaurant (Els Jardins de La Mercè) right in the cobbled heart of Girona’s old town. Miguel and his girlfriend Christina (a PR goddess) got all their friends to come, and we had a ball. Plus, it was PAID! That gig paid for our tolls & diesel right through France! Thank you Miguel & Christina, what a team!!
Watch a few clips from Els Jardins de La Mercè below:
