Now that I've gotten the hokey sentimental stuff out of the way it's time to review the ESADE graduation weekend. Quick ad from our sponsors of this trip. Dad Inc. "Please. Get a job son. "A message brought to you by Dad Inc.
And back from our commercial break. My dad was in the midst of his busy season so couldn't attend so it was just me and my mom for this trip. My mom lamented that this would probably be the last time we'd travel just the two of us. I think the only thing that would cheer her up these days would be a grandchild. I fear her guilt-tripping is enough to accidentally cause a pregnancy.
In any case, as my parents had already come to visit me in Barcelona last November we saw no need to stay in town. The first full day we had we were off to Girona, a town about an hour outside of Barcelona.
The Onyar River cuts through Girona and separates the old town from the new town. Very similar to how Prague is laid out. The river keeps the riff raff out and maintains the character of the city, mumbles the yuppie Gironian while drinking his PBR. Oh wait, that's Brooklyn.
Wedding table card holders. The fact that I even noticed these must mean I'm somewhat paying attention to my wedding planning.
Once you get into the old town the streets get narrower and the buildings get older. Yes, I realize this is obvious.
Some of the streets were pedestrian access only so it gave you the comfort of knowing you could look around without fear of getting run down by an irate Spaniard.
Duck-fish?
When we got there around 2pm the stores were shutting down for a siesta. The only stores open were restaurants so we decided to have lunch at Draps.
Funky-cool restaurant.
Everything was served family style but the servings were gigantic. We still finished the entire plate.
I went into an carb/olive oil induced food coma and forgot to take pictures of our main dish but gained consciousness in time for Catalan ice cream. It just tasted like cinnamon or as I like to call it Christmas-y
Cafe con leche with enough caffeine to jump start a car.
My guess is that during the weekends and holiday times Girona gets packed with people. Because RyanAir uses the nearby airport as their Barcelona gateway there apparently are a lot of stag/hen parties organized in Girona.
Architectural shots ahead.
The old city is like one giant Stairmaster. Those old Gironians must've had amazing glutes. I'm jelly.
The main attraction in...well any medieval city in Europe...the church. Built on the foundations of an old Roman temple, this current iteration still has portions dating from Roman times.
My mom blazing the trail.
Next to the church was this idling brook. It was very peaceful.
In America this would be 1) a lawsuit waiting to happen. 2) completely enclosed so that people wouldn't fall off the bridge or slip under the handrails and fall into the river and 3) have signs posted everywhere about the cobbly nature of the bridge. Darwin cries at the lack of population thinning.
My mom was amazed at this tree. I don't know what's so special about it but maybe I should have listened to her when she was telling me why.
Shot of the church and the surrounding gardens.
Wish I had taken an exterior shot but this is the Roman wall that surrounds the city. You can actually walk along the top of it.
More lamps.
My mom insisted that I take a picture of this.
The day of our graduation was a typical beautiful Barcelona day.
After the official graduation ceremony we headed off to Hotel Arts to attend our graduation dinner. Because this is Spain our dinner was to start at 10pm.
11:15, when our entrée actually showed up. I got a beef dish that consisted of 5 slices of beef on top of salty risotto. At that point we were so hungry that people just gobbled up anything that was put in front of them. I'm surprised a riot didn't happen. The food was the only lowlight of our graduation activities.
The next day was a free day but I signed us up for calcotada. Everyone arrived to ESADE on time to head out to the restaurant. Amazing considering the previous night most of us were out till 6am.
Calcotada is the "gastronomical event held between the end of winter and March or April, where calçots are consumed massively." Calcots being green onions. Basically, it's a Catalan bbq.
The former barn/villa that has now been converted to a restaurant.
Our giant bus to accommodate the 41 people attending the Calcotada. The bus driver demonstrated amazing technical skills. The road leading up to the restaurant was probably only half a foot wider than the bus. Once we got there we broke out into applause because the driver managed not to kill us or destroy other vehicles.
That was the road that the bus had to navigate. Cars on both sides. If it wasn't a car on one side it was a cliff.
The Calcotada menu.
When i was uploading all my photos I noticed this menu was kinda odd. Why is the building burning? Is that the Eye of Sauron looking down upon us? The artist seems troubled. We just want some bbq man.
The gigantic pieces of bread they give you. Since the calcots are kinda all-you-can eat so the crafty restaurateurs made sure you got full from cheap carbs. Sunglasses to show scale.
The calcots finally arrived after about an hour.
The remnants of the calcots. You're supposed to peel the outer burnt layers of the calcots and eat the delicious inner portion. After the peeling it's dropped straight into the mouth for your consumption. Since the outer skin is burnt your fingers get all charcoal-y unless you wear gloves. I'm a real man so I didn't wear gloves. Definitely felt like I asserted my masculinity there.
View from the back terrace. The many different looks of Barcelona.
Of course the calcots weren't the only thing on the menu. This is a BBQ. This is Spain. THIS IS SPARTA!!
We had pork, lamb and mysterious sausages. It was delicious. The rest of the night was one long goodbye to all my classmates. Cramped into a tiny bar in El Born, we reminisced, talked about our futures and planned the next reunion. Just more memories to cap an amazing 2 years. I'll definitely miss everything about it.
Real life ahead.
