Time to say Adeu...

Yeah, that's kind of how I felt this morning too, when, at 8:00 am, Ramón, a driver that Ted and Olga often use, came to pick me up to head out to the airport.

Nika likes to sleep until the last minute before she has to get ready for school (I seem to remember doing the same thing), so we said our goodbyes the night before.  Ted, Olga and Leo however, accompanied me to the top of the driveway to bid me farewell.

And just like that, another great European adventure was in the books.  

Heading out of the beautiful town of Alella and saying goodbye was bittersweet.  But then, at least my sock game was on fleek 😜.  Until the next adventure my friends, I bid you adeu from the lovely Aeroport de Barcelona - el Prat.  Ciao for now!!

Taktika Berri...berri good!

Monday began with cortados (I actually had two), and a tortilla at a place in town called Duran.  Not sure if it is named after the band.

After that, it was time for a workout, and Ted and I headed to his gym at the bottom of the hill.  Nothing too crazy, just some weights, and then it was time to go.  We had lunch reservations in town at 2:30 pm, and needed to make sure we left enough time to catch the bus from Alella.  Well, there was a little bit of time, and apparently my workout wasn't quite done.  Ted challenged me to run up the stairs from the bottom of the hill, which proved a bit steeper than the ones I am used to on Lyon Street in SF.  

A quick shower at home and we were off to Barcelona to visit Ted's favorite tapas restaurant, a Basque-inspired place, with a Basque name as well; Taktika Berri.  I have no idea what it means, but the food was great.  We started with a trio of tapas; from clockwise is a roasted red pepper spread, tortilla with bacalao (salt cod) and why yes, that is our old friend foie gras making another appearance.

After some tapas at the bar, we were seated at a proper table, and enjoyed some of the best jamón iberico I have tried.  The gentleman who sliced the ham from the pata did so with great pride, and was happy to give me a lengthy explanation on how the pigs were raised on open pastures in the Extremadura province, fed only acorns and whatever else they found in nature, and had to reach a weight of no less than 160 kilograms (that's a big pig!) solely on this diet before they were slaughtered, aka, they weren't fattened up on fillers to speed up the process.  However, while we chatted, Ted got a head start on the jamón, as you will notice a section missing from plate before I was able to snap this pic.  The jamón really was melt in your mouth superb.

To continue what would be a strictly non-kosher lunch, we enjoyed gambas al ajillo, or shrimp with garlic, served in a ceramic dish, and threw in a refreshing salad for good measure.

We also enjoyed some fish, which was outstanding, and Ted said that the Catalan tart (I forget the name) was a must for dessert.  I was defeated and did not put up a fight.  I did also have another espresso, which very likely kept me up most of the night.

We put a fork in that meal (literally), and headed out for a brief stroll in Barcelona. Ted took me by a bespoke shoe store that his friend had (be)spoken to him about, and it proved to be a real example of fine craftsmanship.  Custom shoes at prices in the hundreds and well into thousands of euros, these shoes were works of art.  I thought that Ted was going to get fitted for a pair on the spot, and though he did not, something tells me he will be back another day.

A bus ride back to Alella, and a scooter ride up the hill (no stairs for me this time), and we were done for the day, or at least the next few hours.  Even Ted needed a nap after this great meal at his favorite spot.

You say "cortado," I say "delicious"

Sunday morning was a late one, and by late, I mean that we slept in quite late after Saturday's barbeque fiesta.

At 10:30 am or so, Ted and I cruised down the hill on his scooter to the local bakery, but not before stopping for some coffee.  I opted for my favorite, a cortado, which is half way between a macchiato and a cappuccino.  It was delicious and exactly what I needed.

Stopping at this small bakery reminded me of our piso on Calle Andrés Mellado in Madrid, which was located on top of a bakery.  Every morning we would wake up to the smell of fresh baked bread and pastries.  I wonder if they could pipe that in to a residence, like Cinnabon or Auntie Anne's does at the mall.  I miss that smell.

After that, it was back home to grill up some burgers (and "botifarra," or fresh sausage) that we had bought at the market, because clearly, we hadn't had enough meat at the bbq.

I went paleo-style with no bun, while Ted and Olga opted for Full American.  Even Nika got in on the action!

The majority of the afternoon was spent relaxing, and this was certainly an ideal setting for doing just that.

But, Sunday wasn't 100% leisure (and, those burgers weren't 100% grass-fed, but still tasty).  There was some work to be done.  It was time to go to the hen house and collect the eggs.  

As Ted explained, it is important to collect the eggs each day, because if that doesn't happen, the hens think that they are going to hatch, and the maternal instinct kicks in.  Things just get ugly from there.

As the hens lay on their roost (we did a roll call and all ten were present), Ted and his helpers harvested the eggs.  But the little ones, Leo and Ria, were there for more than just that; they were in hunting mode.

Sometimes a stray field mouse will be hiding under the hay bale and the dogs will pounce.  They came up empty-pawed this Sunday, but clearly not for a lack of effort and preparedness.

Pretty worn out, we sat around and chatted, watched a bit of an NBA playoff game that Ted was able to stream on his computer, and headed to bed at a reasonable hour.  After all, Monday was a school day for Nika :).

¡Ostras!

Saturday evening's festivities began with some choice jamón iberico, as it should, and also included some olives and cheese to round out the Spanish trio.

By 7:30 pm or so, the guests had arrived: Dima and his wife Svieta, Alessia and her daughter; all friends of Ted and Olga from Barcelona, who split their time between here and Moscow.

Ted and Olga had some wonderful oysters they had been given by a friend of a friend who owns the largest and oldest oyster farm in France.  Evidently, these oysters from Bretagne were among the best around.  Only problem was, we didn't know how to open them!

Fortunately, Dima did know how, and graciously did all of the leg work so the rest of us could enjoy this treat. 

I was anxious to learn how to shuck, and he taught me the technique.  By no means would I call myself an expert, but I managed to open up a few of them without severing any appendages in the process.

Once the shucking was done, it was time to slurp down some oysters, and let me tell you, they were some of the best I have ever had!  Plump and creamy, not overly briny...about perfect with a squeeze of lemon and a tad of mignonette.  Delicious.

While we enjoyed oysters and wine, the steaks cooked over hickory on the outdoor grill.  Really, a great Saturday barbeque.

Before long, it was time to eat, and the table was set nicely with roses, which are abundant and blooming in the backyard garden.

Jamón, oysters, steak and copious amounts of red wine, wonderful Spanish bottles with the odd Bordeaux thrown in.  

After all of this, I was ready to tap out, but not before a quick snapshot with the two little ones, who were a lot more interested in what was taking place on and around the table, than in this particular photo opportunity.

Benvingut Ted!

It wasn't until long after the roosters had risen that I woke up on Saturday morning; about 10:30 am I would say.  Timing was perfect, because Ted's flight was just arriving from Singapore.

We welcomed him home, and Olga made a Russian breakfast of blinchiki (crepes) with yogurt and caviar.  Accompanied by a cappuccino, definitely not a bad way to start the weekend in Barcelona.

But, no rest for the weary, it was right to work for Ted.  Leo had gotten a tick that was digging into his side.  Removal of the pest was a team effort, as Ted held the little fella still while Olga cauterized and removed.  All done with efficiency and no visible or audible pain from little Leo.

Exhausted from his long journey, Ted went down for a nap, but not before a quick dip in the jacuzzi with Nika.

Olga and I headed into Barcelona to do shopping for the evening's dinner, as  some of their friends were going to be coming over.  I have been to Barcelona a handful of times, and during each visit the Sagrada Familia was under construction.  This time was no exception.

We went to the famous Santa Caterina market to stock up on provisions, including cheese, chorizo and three different types of olives from this vendor.  We even got my favorite - aceitunas rellenas con anchoas (anchovy-stuffed).

Then it was serious business, as we made our way over to the butcher, Carniseria David, a mainstay in the market, so popular that they recently opened an overflow location a few stalls away.  We were helped by David himself, who trimmed the fat for us on six large steaks that would the main course at the dinner party that evening.  We also bought some burgers for another meal, which he ground and pattied for us right there.  A true professional, and the meat looked fantastic!

So great was our bounty, that even the little ones got some meat.  Olga can be seen back at home doling out some scraps to Leo and Ria, who polished them off with great alacrity.

Knowing that our dinner in several hours would be meat-heavy, and wine-heavy as well, as it turned out, we opted for green drinks for lunch - Swiss chard, green apple, ginger, lemon, cilantro and cucumber, was just what I needed!

Before we knew it, the day was nearly done.  Ted, up from his nap, stoked the fire and got the hickory logs ready for the big grill out that was only a short time away.

Barça!

Good day everyone, and happy weekend!  I made it to Barcelona on Friday afternoon, and took a taxi from the airport to meet my friend Ted's wife Olga in the town they live, called Alella.  Alella is normally about 30 minutes from the city center, but in Friday afternoon traffic on a holiday weekend, it took us almost an hour and a half.

Ted was on a business trip to Singapore, and wouldn't be arriving home until Saturday morning.  And so, I met Olga at Nika's school, where they were having a spring performance.  They managed to pack what must have been more than a thousand kids and adults into this small amphitheater.  The performance was impressive, with songs in English, Spanish, French and even Chinese.

After the performance, Nika went to a birthday party, and I went back to the house to drop my things and for a quick nap.

These two (Leo and Ria) gave me a warm Spanish welcome, then Ria proceeded to squat on my luggage.

They really are both little bundles of energy, Leo, a long-haired Jack Russell pup, and Ria a long-haired chihuahua.  Scampering all about the house, they were eager to show off some of their new toys and play chase.  Really cute dogs, hence all of the photos.

Olga and I picked up Nika from her birthday party and the three of us went for a late dinner (was past 10:30 pm by then) at a place near the harbor, that had excellent food, and for that reason was a favorite of Ted and Olga.

We started with the traditional Catalan pa amb tomàquet, or, bread rubbed with tomatoes and olive oil.  That was followed by a spring salad with warm goat cheese, figs and vinaigrette.  The main course was a perfectly cooked filet topped with foie gras (because clearly I didn't get enough of it in France).  And besides, France was all torchon, and I needed some seared :).

After that, it was back to the house, a little more hanging out with these two furballs of fire.  Quickly after that, it was time for bed.  I had barely slept the night of the wedding, and was ready for some serious zzzzs (pronounced "theta" here in Spain).