The last afternoon (Friday) in Spain involved Stacy going to the beach, and me staying at the hotel to work. Thoughts of packing and travelling on Saturday definitely filled both of our minds.
Our only plan was to go to Inopia for dinner (the supposedly-supreme Mario Battali-recommended tapas restaurant). We showed up to see a 1-hour waitlist, but that was ok. It made the restaurant more desirable.
So, we went to a little bar across the street (there always seems to be a little bar across the street here), since Stacy had bonded with the waitlist guy at Inopia (with very loud English. My Mom would have been proud). He agreed to yell "Scott" really loud for us.
The bar across the street was a fantastic experience. One of the bartenders (Kemen) was a young, mostly English-speaking native, and we had a blast together. It turns out that he is in a band. Anna and the bananas. Anna used to be the drummer, but Kemen replaced her. We helped him translate and understand the Pearl Jam lyrics to "Better Man", and in return, he served us shots, and helped tweak my Spanish. (THIS is culture, and THIS is why I'm here).
Also there was the trio of NY chicks on an all-girl vacation who were also on the waitlist at Inopia. While Stacy flirted with the bartenders, I sat with the Yankees, and told them a few jokes (it had been a month before I had an eager (and American) audience for my joke-telling.) They went lady gaga over my "Well, in Noo YO-wook" joke.
Inopia was absolutely great, and had we not gone there, tapas in Spain would have left a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended). But it was really, really good. So, now I realize that real tapas involves going to nice restaurants, not bars and dives.
Then there was the bingo we played on the way home. There is no way I can accurately convey how fast the numbers were called. It was very hard to keep up with even one card. It wasn't American bingo, no letters just numbers, and the cards were arranged in a funky manner, and the announcer spoke Catalan, so all in all, it was a bit hard to follow. Nonetheless, we kept staying and playing, and finally I won! Only 125 EU, but it paid for all of our games and beers.
'Twas a good night, and a great one to end the trip on!
Spain--adios mi amigo! I shall miss you.
-S
You have done an incredible job of keeping us interested, teaching us foreign culture, and laughing at your adventures. Thank you, Scott Strother!
ReplyDeleteOk. I'm sad that my psychosis has come to an end. Did I at least prove your smart aleck remark wrong?
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing log to have of your trip. I thoroughly enjoyed you sharing this. I felt like I was there! And...I laughed at your jokes and clever wit.
You are a great write who has the gift of translating your voice to the page...err...screen. Seriously! Many writers strive for this. It is a natural talent and you need to exercise it more often. Why are you not blogging about life right now?!
Thank you for sharing this with me.
Gosh am I thankful to figuring out my very last CAPTCHA of the night! You have no idea how tiring this is at nearly 4am.