Fun in the sun

Although I've been to Barcelona before, it was a long time ago--nearly a decade. I had forgotten how sunny it is. And clear-skied. And bright. Especially during the long hours during which the sun is out.

So for our first day, H decided that all she really wanted was to dip her toe in the Mediterranean ocean Sea (Thanks, ML; one of the dangers of posting at 3AM...). Enchanted as we were with the city--and it is positively a city to fall in love with--we simply decided to head toward the water using the biggest and easiest route possible, which of course means Las Ramblas. Now, in addition to being the "heart and soul" of Barcelona, Las Ramblas is one of the pickpocket capitals of the universe. But that didn't deter us. After all, H may well be a kind soul, but she can look pretty darn intimidating when she wants to.

At close to 2m, H almost literally wades through the crowd of sketchy pet vendors, mildly talented buskers, and jittery tourists.

Now, Barcelona has several beaches, but we didn't make it to them. Once we saw the water, set against the liquid Mediterranean sky, we just walked over, sat down, and sighed.

Um, H... you've got something on your face. No, a little more to your left. Oh. It's just sunlight. No wonder I didn't recognize it.

Drunk on vitamin D, we stumbled home and fell into a vaguely euphoric doze, waiting for the legendary Barcelona night to begin.