Hola!

What a lovely surprise! Our Spanish friend Sara was at the airport waiting for us!! The last time I saw her was 6 years ago in the US. She hasn't changed at all, she is still very bubbly and lovely. Normally it takes quite a while until Oliver gets comfortable with someone he has not met before, but for Sara it didn't take long at all!



Sara with Oliver

Our adaption to the Spanish way started on the day of arrival. We had lunch at 3pm-6pm (normally Spanish eat lunch between 2-4pm). We had traditional Catalan soup - Gazpacho and some Paella, they were just divine.



Misuzu & Sara with delicious Paella.



Oliver having a siesta

Matthew bought a guide book on Spain but it had only small amount of information on Barcelona so we left it in Brunei but in the end we didn't need it at all. We were so lucky to have Sara, as she lived in the city and knows what to see and where to eat (this is very very important) - what made it even better? She is an architect and knows everything about all the historical buildings. It was like having a personal tour guide!
We walked and walked around the city until dark. Here are some places we visited on Day 1 - Port de Barcelona to wander around Port Vell and see Mirador de Colon. We were in Barri Gothic and visited Catedral de Barcelona, Place de Sant Jaume and Iglesia de Santa Maria del Mar.



Brunei Roses



Oliver's first date - lucky boy!



When we got to Catedral de Barcelona, the music started and people started to dance - traditional Catalan dance, of course Oliver joined in (well... being a shy boy he stayed outside the circle) and showed off his twist dance!