Barcelona day 4……

So i woke this morning after another bad night to find myself full of the cold i had started to get earlier on. Just didn't feel like doing a thing today which is a shame as I'm in Barcelona!! I'm just thankful I've been here 3 or 4 times before and done most of the sights so it doesn't feel as bad hanging around the hotel.

My laptop hard drive crashed yesterday so i found a small computer store that said they could put me a new hard drive in plus load windows on for a very reasonable price, i left it with them and told them id pick it up later in the day.

Headed back to the shopping centre next to the hotel and had a hot chocolate, that's all i could face really, i didn't feel like eating at all which IS unusual for me!

Made my way back to the hotel room and Kevin had just woke up and was sat surfing on his laptop, it was then i heard him say "crap its 1:30pm" he had no idea how long he'd slept and headed straight out of the door for breakfast! I needed a sauna, something to sweat out this cold but there wasn't one in this hotel and in the hotels across the street. i settled for a long soak in the bath

My view for the afternoon!             My hot chocolate

  

I made my way up to the rooftop of the hotel again and relaxed in the sun for an hour or so before meeting up again with Jackie and Dave. Tonight was the first night of two shows in Barcelona and Jackie and Dave not having seen the show yet i was excited to see their reactions after the show and hear what they had to think about it.

My friend Matt from Guildford and his brother Steve had arrived in Barcelona earlier in the day and had texted me t say they would see us around 5 on the rooftop. We all had a few drinks before waking around to try find something to eat. We ended up at the same restaurant we went to a couple of nights earlier and had a pizza and a couple of drinks before making our way to the venue via a nice pastry store where we all got pastries and cakes for the exhausting walk up to the venue!

It took us about 40 minutes to walk up to the venue, its high up on the hills overlooking Barcelona and this is the route i took for my run earlier the other morning, however there are escalators that go all the way so as the older folk don't have to use the steps!

After getting to the top Jackie and Dave picked up their tickets and headed into the venue, Kevin was trying to secure a ticket for a friend and mat and Steve hung out for 5 minutes before heading in too. I met a nice guy called Dave (its such a common name!!) who had flown over from Portland just to see the two shows in Barcelona. He had seen the show in Tacoma in the USA last year and we spoke a little about the shows there and the size of that venue which is enormous!

(Jackie and Dave below using the escalators on the way to the show!) and Dave from Portland.

    

After having a chat to Dave i made my way inside the venue and found where Jackie and Dave's seats were. Had a chat to Matt and Steve who had taken their place on the floor right on the front rail to the left of the stage. As i made my way to the bathroom i bumped into Jackie and Dave who had just come from backstage having a chat with Dave K. The three of us made our way to their seats and sat in a seat right next to them. I was still feeling pretty ill and the thought of standing up for the whole show just didn't appeal to me tonight. I kept having hot flushes, my joints were aching and i just didn't feel 100% at all.

The show was yet again outstanding, the sound was the best I've ever heard it, probably better than any of the US shows too! it was loud and crystal clear. The crowd were on excellent form and very appreciative of every word Roger said in Spanish. It was great to sit next to two people whom hadn't see the show before, i pointed out a couple of things to watch out for before they happened and I'm sure had i not then a lot of things would have been missed! the plane, the shadow guy spray painting the wall and the instruments rising from the stage to name a few. The show seemed to go extra quick tonight, once again the second half flying by and being over in a heartbeat!

Jackie and Dave post show                The stage post show                            My “medicine” (Long island iced tea)

     

 

W walked back down to the hotel after the show, had a drink and a snack in a bar on the way down and then headed over to Jackie and Dave's hotel for a few cocktails to finish off the night. We get to do it all again tonight and I'm excited to be taking Monica to see the show and am pretty sure she will love it!

Barcelona day 3.....

So i picked Kevin's sore throat and cold up last night, felt real crappy all day and didn't do much at all during the day. I wandered over to the shopping centre, had a bit of breakfast and then came back to hotel room to watch a film on the laptop,  then went up on the roof and had a few hours in the afternoon sun.

 

Id e mailed to a friend of mine, Monica, before i left the UK to see about meeting up with her while i was  in Barcelona. I met her about 5 years ago at a Nine In Nails gig in Birmingham with her friends, we got along great and had kept in touch by e mail every 12 months or so, maybe not even that often to be honest!

She sent me a text earlier in the day to say she was coming to meet us all at our hotel with her boyfriend George at about 6pm and gonna go out for dinner with myself, Jackie, Dave and Kevin.

I made my way up to the rooftop bar around 5pm and soaked a bit of sun in. Jackie and Dave arrived shortly afterwards, Kevin came up from the room 5 minutes later and Monica and George arrived around 6:15.

It was great to see Monica again and to also meet George, we hadn't met up  for 5 years and it was just like we had seen each other yesterday.

 

After a couple of drinks we decided to go eat and George suggested an Argentinian Tapas bar that they frequent. The Spanish always eat late and it was around 8pm when we left the hotel bar, by eating late i mean about 11pm at night!

It took us 15 minutes or so to get to the restaurant and it was a small cafe like place with 3 or 4 tables inside and a few tables outside on the pavement. it was not a tourist type place, it was full of locals and i heard very little (if any) English being spoke. It was great to have 2 native speaking friends with us who were able to not only order for us but also explain what everything on the menus was!

The restaurant was well known for their little pasties that has various fillings with from chicken, ham and cheese, chorizo sausage and beef. We let George order for us all, including the wine. It was still too early for George and Monica to eat though, they had only just had lunch at 5pm and wouldn't eat again till gone 11!

 

The food was fantastic, we had the pasties, bread, Iberian ham and a couple of other things along with the smoothest bottle of red wine I've ever had. Jackie and Dave had 2 huge salads that we saw prepared on the counter in front of us with the most meticulous detail topped off by a pansy flower on the top!

 

Jackie and Dave's salads                   Most people have flowers in their hair!    George, Kevin, Jackie, Dave & Monica

        

 

They do this tomato break in Spain where they  slice a tomato in half and just rub it onto the fresh bread, they then throw the tomato away as they have got most of the inside and juice onto the bread.

After all the food and wine we asked for the bill and were amazed at the amount of 44 Euros! this was for all the food, the bottle of wine, plus a few cokes and beers that Monica and George had drunk! George then took us to one of his local bars before him and Monica saying their goodbyes and heading back to their apartment for their dinner! not before i persuaded Monica to come to the second nights show in Barcelona though :)

 

We had a drink at the bar and then walked back to the hotel, i had a crappy nights sleep and it was 4am before i managed to actually sleep, coughing and head cold kept me awake.