Barcelona quirks

So I've noticed that no one here can take the "cold" or "spices." Take note. It's barely evendropped below 50 F, maybe one day if you include the wind chill, but be warned, the Catalanbelieve that hell's freezing over and don their huge parkas, fluffy scarves, hats, gloves, fur linedknee-high boots. I didn't even see that much clothing in Brussels or Amsterdam ... and there it wasCOLD. So here I am, already used to being cold from my previous northern travels, walkingaround with my light jacket ... unzipped even, and feeling like i'm the flamengo stuck in the middleof a pack of penguins (no wiener dogs here).

Spices are another point of humor. Here you get warned that what you are ordering, let's say potatos with sour cream and "spicy sauce" dribbled all over them (really really good), is REALLY REALLY SPICY (imagine concerned waiter's face now). In fact this dish doesn't even register as the Mild Taco Bell sauce! I was so happy when I ordered Vietnamese Spicy Chicken and it actually came with little bits of pepper ... although not as many bits as you'd normally get, but at least I knew that if I gathered them all together my mouth could imagine that it was eating a bite of spicy chicken in Austin.

:-)