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Published: November 6th 2006
Here They Are!
The cheerful duo! Mrs. and Mr. Darby at a great restaurant Dawn sought out, Origen 99.9%. Check out the menu...it's a magazine! Que Guay!Buenos dias amigos!! Estoy en Starbucks ahora...si, si, yo, se, STARBUCKS...entiendes Starbucks...heehee! Ok...so, yes, I am sitting in Starbucks right now…and I know what you are thinking, STARBUCKS...you are in Spain for heaven's sake!?! Well, it's Saturday and my local café is CLOSED! I walked by, leaned my forehead on the window, peered around with hopes that maybe my eyes were deceiving me, but they were not! Chairs were upside down on tables, lights were off, and I just felt so silly…as if everyone got the memo, EXCEPT for me. How embarrassing (wink, wink)!? In fact, that happens in Spain quite often...you just never know when, or WHY stores will be closed...siesta, the weekend, the store owner's cousin is in town, WHO KNOWS! That is Spain!
So let’s take a moment to salute Starbucks for being so darn convenient and so darn consistent. And just for that, I will order TWO mocha frappucinos…make that two GRANDE mocha frappucinos…heehee.
Moving on…I have ground breaking news for you!!! CNA (Channel North America) has revealed that a terrific twister will be creating a commotion in Spain this November with HEAPS more stimulating visitors…from friends to family to perhaps even a farm animal
Dawny and BUM!
Tina, you fat lard, come get some DINNER!!! here or there!...SO stay tuned for important updates and in the meantime, here is some local news on what’s transpired in the last few weeks.
Dawn’s mate from OZ arrived, Benny…better known as BUM! Being extremely well-trained, Dawn did what all great hosts do on someone’s first day in Barcelona…she took him on a beer and tapas tour around the city. What a great start to a great visit! Now, we’ve all been wine tasting…but tapa tasting in Barcelona is gastronomically enlightening…especially when paired with the right beverages. And fortunately for us, our line-up of visitors will allow our taste buds to be wildly entertained from here on out!
The following day, Dawn’s cheerful parents arrived...and I must say, every time I see them, they are full of life and energy! I should have asked them how the heck they manage to relentlessly sustain their high-spirits…but either way, I am always amazed!!
You should know that if the reality TV show, “So You Think You Can Guide?” existed, Dawn would have won HANDS DOWN! She was a tour guide SUPERSTAR! Simon, Paula, Randy…get your hands on THIS idol! I was so impressed by Dawn’s tour-guiding talent. She
SCORE!
Watching a game at the Olympic Stadium. took her parents and Benny on a fantastic bike tour around Barcelona, had them eat mouth-watering paella, walked them around Parc Guell, up to Mt. Tibidabo, and this is just naming a FEW activities from their agenda. The crew probably had to invest in new gym shoes upon their return given how much ground they covered in Barcelona! Dawn strategically planned all details of the visit including the restaurants they ate at, the transportation they took, and even their daily snacks! The evenings were adventurous as well! One night we all watched the famous fountain show at Font Magica and another night we saw a live concert at a local jazz bar (which we stamped a little too eccentric for our liking, but hey, you never know unless you check it out, right?!?).
A highlight of the visit for me, was going to my FIRST soccer game at the re-known OLYMPIC stadium…per generosity of the Darby’s (THANK YOU!). Even though the teams tied, it was an exciting match to watch and fun to pretend that we knew who the heck the teams were (it was a smaller Spanish league)!
We even had POKER NIGHT at our place! This
My VERY Special Night!
Dinner and Poker with the family! was everyone’s last night in Barcelona, so we figured…better do it up right!
Dawn and I cooked dinner for everyone…and even broke out an Iraqi entrée that has been passed down through generations in my family. And, either everyone has taken great acting lessons, or they genuinely enjoyed the meal because they all had smiles on their faces! Way to make us chefs feel great guys…thanks!!
That evening was very, very, very special for me…very special. I can officially say that I am no longer a Texas Holdem Rookie.
Let me explain…
Until this magical night, I had never in my life played Texas Holdem Poker (a little embarrassing to admit, I know). We all splurged and put in our ‘ante’ of 3 euros. I was debriefed with the Texas Holdem rules. 2 pair beats a pair, 3 of a kind beats 2 pairs, a straight beats 3 of a kind, a flush beats a straight…and so on and so forth…you get the picture. I also learned the lingo…I mean, COME ON, a player is not a player without knowing what a flop is or when to call out a River Rat when they see one!!!
Supporting the Street Acts!
Sam posing with one of the more interesting street performers on Las Ramblas. And so, the game began…
I think everyone was a bit worried about my ‘skills’ when the game first started…but I can be sly, I don’t like to be too intimidating…I find it scares ‘em away, ya know (wink, wink)??? So let’s just say that as the evening progressed, Dawn and I became allies and won the pot of 18 euros!!! I KNOW, I KNOW…incredible!
Since then, we have been meeting with our investors to see what course of action would be most beneficial for us and our profit. Perhaps we could open a money market account with our winnings, but we are still undecided. I have a good feeling about this one though…I see a huge ROI in our future…heehee!
Needless to say, the night will go down in history…we ALL had a magnificent time, even the losers (heehee). Bummy and the Darby’s needed to get rid of their euros before leaving the country anyway…so we were just lending a helping hand (and the winning one)! It was a great end to a phenomenal visit! Thanks to Benny, and to the Darby’s, and to Dawn (she made it so easy for me) for the special memories!
Come On Sam...
Haven't you heard of STAR JUMPS! Bend your legs and JUMP! Soon after their departure, we reunited with one of our travel buddies, Sam. If you can recall back to Malaysia and Thailand, Sam, was the English bloke we met along the way. In fact, back then, we were fortunate enough to be first-hand witnesses to Sam getting shat on by a Malaysian pigeon before boarding a bus to the Cameron Highlands. It was a beautiful way to begin a friendship. Without that pigeon, well, there is a chance we may not have become as close to Sam. After all, it was Team America that lent him travel tissues, and Team America that lent him sanitizer, and Team America that TEASED him for the entire duration of the bus ride! There is an old saying that states: Getting shat on by a bird brings one good luck, well; I can now confirm that statement to be true! Sam had great luck, I mean, after all, that's how he happened upon Team America (heehee, I am being facetious I hope you know!). The truth is, I think luck shined down on us all that day...or should I say, shat down on us all…Sam has become a terrific friend and a fantastic
Spies
Dawn and Sam practicing their spy skills at Parc Guell. addition to our lives!
Being a busy Uni student, Sam's schedule only allowed for 2 short days with us in Barcelona. And you can be sure we made the most of it with a jam-packed itinerary, filled to the brim with laughter and happiness...just like the good ole days! We took him on our staple bike tour of the city, ate great tapas, walked around Parc Guell and up to Tibidabo for sangria and a great view, and spent a lot of time reminiscing about our travels. It truly amazes me how circumstance can allow you to build such strong friendships. I feel so lucky that we met Sam and got to know him in such a short amount of time. In fact, he made a pact with us that he would fly to the USA for BOTH of our 30th birthdays…if that is not a true friend, I don’t know what is! Sam…we already miss ya!
I will end this blog exactly how it started. I am STILL sitting at Starbucks...peering around, wondering how many cultures are represented in this small room, at this very moment. I feel a little prideful knowing that this grand entity was
If you look close enough...
You will see that our french fries have been constructed into a beautiful sculpture. Jenga anyone? Eating tapas at Noise e Art. Art is right...the french fries say it all...heehee! born in my homeland, and that we are sharing its goodness with so many people all over the world. So, cheers to you, to the fella typing at his computer beside me, to the family a few seats down, and to Starbucks for giving us a friendly place to feel at home…even when we are far far away.
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Marilyn Darby
non-member comment
Oh My Gosh!!
How fun to be featured in your blog!! We had the best time visiting you and Dawn. I must say you both really are living the life! Your place is wonderful and can't thank you enough for making us so welcomed to your Spainish World of FUN!...Having missed Dawn so much, we would have been content to just visit, but she kept us hopping seeing all the wonderful sights of Barcelona...the highlights had to be the bike ride...who would think we could still manage to maneuver bikes on narrow cobblestone streets dodging thousands of locals. Mr. Darby is still amazed he didn't take anyone out. We were thrilled to be with Benny and Sven your roommate and his friend Eric! What a hoot. YOur fabulous special dinner, the tapas stops, the sangria, how fun it all was. Dawn, we love you! You took such special care of us and made this one of our most memorable experiences.....Now it's Caroline's parents turn to enjoy!! Have fun with them in Malaga! Love you, girls!!