Barcelona: Sangria, Tapas, Park Güell, Paella and a Farmacia

Well last night was fun. Went out after our siesta to a recommended tapas place, Txapela (Taberna Vasca) not too far from where we are staying. There was a bit of a queue but we didn't have to wait too long for a table.

Ordering was interesting. Even though they said they had English menus, we ended up with a Spanish one, so deciphering what was in the things we ordered was fun - got a wine sangria (there were different types) and a couple of rounds of tapas. It's very different from the tapas we have in Sydney Spanish places. Each is usually a pile or skewer of things on a mini toast, or in little dishes - a combination of cold and hot bites. Really tasty and sometimes a surprise. Txapela specialises in the Basque style of cuisine, so I imagine that other tapas places woiuld have different styles of presentation and combinations of flavours.

I like sangria, have since I first tried it - it's fruity and sweet. But considering my recent head injury, I only had a little between food. Even then, the alcohol creeps up on you without your realising. After the meal, we ordered a selection of desserts - also tapas sized, but pretty good. An enjoyable evening, with us returning after midnight a bit convival.

This morning was good too. Despite our evening, we got up and out at a reasonable time to walk a fair way up a nearby hill to Park Güell, gardens with some architecturally interesting buildings, passages and assorted structures by Gaudi. Quite a lot of tourists about. We took our time and ended up seeing pretty much the entire park, inadvertantly; stumbling our way up to the peak, where there was a precariously situated mound of rocks (in effect) with crosses on the top, from which we gained an unparalleled view (probably) of the city of Barcelona. The sun was out in force today, making it one of the warmest days we've had since Rome.

Back down the hill, we got paella for lunch in a cafe before returning for a siesta. There's not much open on Sunday afternoon anyway. I ended up going to a pharmacy for some drugs for this chest infection which I can't seem to shift. It's been ten days and horrid. Got some antibiotics over the counter - which I probably needed about a week ago actually, but it's all good. I feel more relaxed now, which is likely half the illness gone.