It was not our first time in Barcelona. Many years ago we had a two day stop in Barcelona during a Mediterranean cruise. We tried to utilize every moment of our time to explore this wonderful city. As we were leaving, we even hired a speed boat that would take us back to our ship at the very last minute – the doors were locked right behind us as we stepped aboard.

We came back to Barcelona last fall for, what we thought, would be a much longer visit. Anyway, at the end, we had a feeling that that trip was also not long enough. It never is. We fell in love with Barcelona.

On arrival, we dropped off our luggage and went out to eat. We heard about a very good tapas bar nearby – Le Cuidad Condal, which was also the name of Barcelona in the 15th century.

It was Saturday evening, good October weather, and the bar was packed. We were pretty tired after a transatlantic flight and we weren’t ready to fight the weekend crowd on our very first hour in Barcelona. So we cowardly decided to go and find another place – we were in the middle of Barcelona and could choose from a wide variety of places to eat. You will read about those places in our other stories.

The very next day, thirsty and hungry but full of energy, we returned to Le Cuidad Condal to use the common tactic of handling busy tapas bars. When the seats are occupied not only in the “official” area, but also at all the windowsills and near any other horizontal surface – both inside the bar and out, we used the following tactic.

One of us, advanced to the bar alone, politely snaking through the crowd, sometimes with shoulders, sometimes with words, cheerfully talking to the patrons in a dozen of languages that we had never spoken before, including those invented on the spot, all while – and this is critically important – keeping both eyes fixed on the bartender the whole time.

The atmosphere seemed chaotic but, in reality, most bars, especially during rush hour, are always managed and organized very well. Patrons are polite and friendly – everybody is there for the same reason: a cheerful time, tasty food and delicious drinks. Just like an office party.

On the other hand, in some circumstances, being alone at the counter would be a problem.

One night, for example, a Dutch guy next to me unsuccessfully tried to carry five glasses of wine and beer from the bar counter all the way to his friends at the other end of the room. My offer to help by drinking one of them was taken seriously, but he preferred to dry one out  by himself and proudly delivered the other four glasses to his company.

Even without looking, the bartender had already appreciated my boldness and was ready to take my order, even before I had made it to the bar. You do not really need to request a menu in English – almost everything available is on display, just point at what appeals to you and it shall be yours. If there are still no spots available by the time you finish your order, activate Plan B.

Our rented apartment, right next to the Playa de Catalunya, had a large terrace with an amazing view. So, our Plan B was to take away our food, and have a feast on the terrace. The terrace overlooked the entire city – El Monumento a Colon, del Port de Barcelona, the Cathedral’s Bell Tower, the Cable Car Tower, Montjuic, the non functional clock on the top of the building across the street, and a creature wearing winged sandals while pointing its finger at the sky.

After busy day – A quiet adagio on the terrace versus an upbeat crescendo in a good tapas bar? Tough decision!

Anyway, watching a light show from the terrace paired very well with our tapas and a good wine (a necessary component!). How can you not fall in love with Barcelona?

We will specifically discuss tapas, hors d’oeuvres, antipasto and zacuska in another story.