Alright folks. Here it is. The second last post with regard to my Spain trip. Tomorrow morning, I'll leave the place where I'm staying relatively early in the morning to head to the aeropuerte, where I'll be starting the long and arduous journey back to Singapore. Essentially, today's my last day in Spain and it really was rather enjoyable!
I awoke at nine today and poured myself a hearty breakfast of Frosties and fresh milk to start the day right. I knew there wasn't going to be much sightseeing today - it was the day for shopping! We met the Hos at the ground floor at ten and got a bus down to Plaza Catalunya, where we headed for Mercat de St Josep, a bustling hive of intense activity - the equivalent of Singapore's wet market. All sorts of food stalls were there, from those selling nuts to those selling sweets to those selling raw meat and fish. Well there were purveyors of evil as well - they sold fruits and vegetables LOL! Frankly speaking, I didn't enjoy the visit very much though along the way, I managed to get, of all things, a book! It was very crowded and I kept getting jostled around by people twice my height and as you know, I'm a person that enjoys my space very, very much. I observed a few things though. The first was that the market was neither wet nor smelly (apart from the stall selling raw fish!), but I could not exactly discern why. The second was that they sold a wider variety of things. There was veal, there was lamb, there were these huge wings that none of us could identify (they were very nearly as big as the duck bodies beside them!), there was a load of cured ham (it's everywhere in Spain!), and there was even rabbit or hare! I suspect I saw the skinned heads of ostriches too but I couldn't be sure. And lastly, the fruit and vegetables looked like they were bursting with freshness! Took a few pictures here and there for you to peruse on Facebook. ^^
So after that we went into an older part of Barcelona's town center where we visited a part of the old Roman wall. It was all gothic and touristy lol! And here I was thinking that we weren't going sightseeing! =P Well there was a sort of food carnival underway there so we went there to get a spot of lunch. I didn't have anything simply because I wasn't hungry (and because I could feel the fat building up!), and Mum and Dad ate very little anyway.
We went shopping subsequently, and our first stop was El Corte Inglese. Remember the big departmental store I mentioned yesterday? Yeah that's the one. Wendy went back to the suite to deposit stuff for her mum and dad and get some rest - said she was tired. So Mum, Dad and I spent a fruitless three quarters of an hour there while Mrs Ho managed to appear at the end of it with a relative truckload of stuff. That's some pretty powerful shopping there I'll say! I noticed I got a message from home then. Said a little prayer. To you: take care of yourself too and also, let tomorrow worry about itself. =) We went to Esprit, where I got a casual blazer and a black bag for less than a hundred euros altogether. Pretty good deal! Mr and Mrs Ho were wondering why Wendy wasn't back yet, and they couldn't get her over the phone, so they headed back because they were tired too, and a little worried I suppose. I persuaded Mum and Dad to go to Burberry again, where I decided upon that casual blue felt bag. The brown ones were nice - after all, Burberry's all about tan and brown, and I didn't need another brown bag when my faithful one is still very much serviceable and it's good to have a variety of colours to choose from! And I have to admit, the dark blue and black pattern is more subtle and I like subtlety. ^^
Popped into one or two stores after that and by the time we we done, it was dark and we had dinner at this German restaurant on the walking way back to our lodgings. It was a touch more expensive than our usual fare, so I decided to give Spain one last chance at a beefsteak. It still came in coffeeshop-equivalent sort of thickness, but it was well seasoned and not overcooked at all. Yeah, it was a little on the chewy side still, but sometimes, you expect that with a steak. The fries were smashing! I was ravenous by then (skipped lunch!) to I cleaned the plate (egg inclusive) like a vacuum cleaner and tosses the two tomato halves over to Dad. He had a beef patty with a frankfurter. I tried some and the frankfurter was really nice - it had a smooth and firm texture and had a familiar taste to it. Reminded us of home surprisingly! The patty I didn't like - it was finely minced and nicely fried, but the spices used were unfamiliar to my protesting tongue. Mum had a quarter chicken. The chicken was really tender and juicy and appropriate spices we're used. The middle part of the chicken was devoid of the taste of the herbs though. Maybe they didn't marinate it long enough, but where it was tasty, it was a treat, and that's saying something coming from a person who's very picky about chicken meat! All in all, money well spent. Oh by the way, I ordered German apple liquor for a drink and it came in a huge bottle! I was shocked and immediately sent it back for a glass of zumos de naranja instead! D= I was mistaken because it cost just over four euros and I assumed that only one glass of the liquor would be served lol!
Walked back after that. The air was pleasantly cool and that seemed to diminish the distance back considerably. Repacked, found plenty of luggage space still, showered and here I am sitting in a lotus position on my bed typing this out. Time to sleep now, need to get up relatively early tomorrow. The next time I post, I'll be back in Singapore already so adios dear reader, and adios Espana! ^^
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