Departing Barcelona; we will remember

Barcelonas are dawning fall fashions and have dressed the streets with festive decorations making it easier to believe that November is upon us. I have been eyeing warm jackets, fabulous boots, and scarf /hat ensembles with envy. We have sent our warm clothes home, the temperature is dropping and so it is time to trade fall for spring. Tomorrow we head to Sao Paulo.

The last few weeks we have been pretty relaxed. We have discovered the danger of feeling too at home; we think we know where we are going only to find we have walked in a large circle. (No prairie girls this is not a grid). Sometimes taking the metro is way slower than walking. It would take a long time to really understand the underground; knowing what car in the train to board so you get off nearest the correct exit at your stop.

Celebrating the The Day of the Dead in the Mexican tradition, Barcelona's "The Route of the Altars" has 20 different locations where altars are erected to honour particular people. I left an offering at Michael Jackson's alter and we visited a number of others. I think the originators of Michael's altar were less fans and more critics. We attended a concert at a community centre where Mercedes Sosa was honoured with an altar. We have also been taking in the culture by attending a number of films at the "In- Edit" Music Documentary Festival our favorite being "Johnny Cash's America" and most controversial being "The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector". As part of the Jazz Festival we got to see Concha Buika in the fantasy-land modernista venue "Palau de la Musica Catalana", she was doing a homage to

Chavela Vargas and has an amazing soulful voice.

It was so nice to find part of our community living here in Barcelona.

Megan and Abi cooked a delicious dinner. Talking and laughing and discussing

over a few visits with them, so at home but at the same time reminded us that we

miss our friends. We discovered how small Canada really is.

(what with Richard and the Hat Man). We are actually looking forward to visiting

Toronto if it could be timed with a Megan Abi dinner party.

We have been making a big effort, (sometimes holidaying is harder than you think), to have lunch out every day and take advantage of the "menu del dia". It allow us to sample a lot of dishes. locations and a variety of flavours. This fantastic phenomena surprisingly continues from a law decreed in Franco's time (something good that came from fascism?) that every restaurant must offer a reasonably priced lunch for working people.

Today over 62% of Spaniards eat "menu del dia". The price varies from 7.50 to 15 euros but always includes primero, segundo,wine or beer, coffee and desert. Lunch is a long affair, businesses close, people settle in for a 2, 3 or maybe 4 hour break. Restaurant la Catalan, Mason David, Anima, Ra,

Carmelites, Cafe L'Academie are some of the places we have enjoyed.

We found the Chinese (Taiwanese) restaurant: hot and sour soup, mao pao tofu and the like to scare away the cold and flu, as especially Yvonne, has been fighting off some bug. We also searched for the elusive Ginger Ale, a hard to find beverage when away from Canada Dry land. So as the doctor might order we spent some serious time under the covers, resting and reading the Steig Larsson "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy and have been enjoying the super hero gal and her many talents.

Today, I visited he San Antonio market sadly for the last time, but had fun getting all the ingredients for homemade chicken soup; which is sure to cure us of all ills. We had a pleasant surprise yesterday, since Janna came to town, the second stop on her European adventure; so it has been fun to see another face from home and walk around again with someone as amazed to see the beauty as when we first arrived.

Tomorrow we pack our now pretty empty bags and begin take the 14 hour flight which will begin our South American leg.

We will miss this oh so livable city and it's charms: the beautiful banners that turn into bags, the thoughtful creative people, my lovely hairdresser, the stalls at the markets, our washing machine and fantastic drying rack, the food, the wine, the beer to share, the cava and cortados.