Today marked the first week of my new journey and everyday I kept reminding myself how fortunate and incredible it was to be here. We moved from modern boutique Zenit hotel into the old-fashioned yet quaint 2-star Meson Castilla which was conveniently located in the city centre (5mins from La Rambla). After much thought, we decided to splurge on the spacious 'penthouse suite' (100 euros) with a terrace that overlooked the citta. It was more expensive than the 4-star Zenit (90 euros) but worth the penny for the space and view. Hell, I didn't think we could ever get a room like this again.
One of the highlights of Barcelona was definitely the exciting dining scene and we couldn't get enough of the tapas and Sangria. Heeding the advice of my foodie friend Chris, we took just 10mins to walk to Ferran Adria's renowned Cacao Sampaka easily at Consell de Cent 292 for a slice of chocolate heaven. According to Frommer's, 'if there were such a thing as haute chocolat, this establishment would be the Christian Dior.' www.cacaosampaka.com
Stepping into the shop, we were engulfed in a whiff of cacao and greeted with all varieties and forms of it from the stunning bombones selection. These included fruits, nuts, spices, flowers, herbs, liquers and Adria's innovations comprising mind-blowing sweet and savoury flavours of balsamic vinegar, hazelnut & anchovies (!), black truffle,, black olive, olive oil, parmesan cheese and smoked bombones! We had lunch at the bar at the back where I chomped down on the 'Jamon Iberico y queso havarti' (4,20 euros), easily the best ham & cheese sandwich I had (my weakness is fatty cured matured ham). 
What followed was amazing - three small shots of liquid chocolate otherwise known as chocolates liquidos degustacions (2,70 euros), in flavours of jasmine (subtle), amargo (dark) and maraguya (passionfruit was unmistakable). There were more chocolate temptions on the menu such as mousse, truffles, brownies, ice cream, toscada with mermelada (jam with tomato and choc?!) that'd drive all chocoholics mad with ecstasy. (p.s: photos of Cacao was not allowed but I managed to sneak a few here!) 
Barcelona was indeed a walking city as we discovered how fast it was to get from point A to B on the map. Which was a good thing as we could save on transport and rely on our legs to carry us everywhere. We walked off lunch by window shopping at Pg de Gracia and explored the old Barri Gothic quarters and historic Ribera part packed with trendy stores, modern galleries, quaint cafes and old churches. 
At 8pm which was too early for dinner here (restaurants open only at 10.30pm), we nibbled on some excellent tapas of anchovies, olives, Spanish ham and a thick slab of tortilla. La Rambla was packed at all times (a breeding ground for pickpockets so watch your bag) thus we hurried back for a siesta and caught the red glow of a sunset at our private terrace. I convinced J to check out this club Distrito Diagonal later at 12.30pm but when we arrived, it was too early as the delivery guy was just bringing the ice! 
So we killed some time at the nearby Tapa Tapa with its huge selection of 53 items including the tiniest escargots, sauteed mushrooms and pork kebabs. As you probably could tell, we had been eating all day but hey we gotta try everything right? At 2plus, we went back to the club and found the house set reasonably warmed up. With our freakin strong screwdrivers (1/2 glass of vodka!) in hand, we made friends with Tony and his wife Rosa (whose friends were also called Tony and Rosa!). Tony waved at DJ JL Cortes who waved back and we giggled in glee. At 4am, we could not tahan anymore but the party looked set to continue till the next morning! Anyway here are some of our fav spanish phrases:
- Hola! Como esta? (Hi how are you?)
- Muchas gracias (Thanks a lot)
- No comprendo (I dont understand)
- No se (I dont know)
- La cuenta por favor (The bill please)
- Delicioso! Estupendo! (Delicious, wonderful!)
- Lo siento (Sorry)
- Adios (Bye)
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