Ketchup

Okay I have not been staying on top of this whole blogging thing recently, so right now I'm going to catch-up.
This past weekend my Grandma and Grandpa came to Barcelona! They are here for a Mediterranean cruise all of this week, with the starting and ending point here in the city. I only got a short time with them on this end, but when they get back, they will stay for three more nights, and i'll really have time to show them around.
It was so exciting to see them, I met them at the airport, and after anxiously waiting to see them come around the corner to where I was allowed to stand before the security, I was so ecstatic to see such familiar faces! I gave them both giant hugs, and after getting all of the luggage situated, we grabbed a taxi to their hotel. I will post pictures after next weekend, of their entire stay, but you all have to see this crazy hotel. It's called Hotel Cram, and is advertised by it's chic modern style. Well, cool and modern in design is one thing, but it's quite another when all of the doors blend into the walls, the bathrooms are marked by triangles and other obscure shapes, the light switches look like vending machine buttons, the size of the rooms resemble a walk-in closet, and chairs that are about as welcoming for a tired body as a stool-shaped cactus. Okay, it's not that bad. But probably not the first pick for the grandparents. At least they have a sense of humor about it. However I hereby forfeit any future responsibility to book my visitors hotels, and for some reason I doubt there'll be much protest...
After they had settled in for a bit, I took them to my apartment, and then to the University to show them around. Then, we went to a nearby restaurant for some dinner. Unfortunately, being that I am a college student without a bulging wallet, I have not tried a single restaurant in Barcelona for anything more than lunch, and had no idea what restaurants served a decent meal. (I am aware that this is not helping myself sound any better as a tour guide...) So, we tried the first one that served something recognizable (and with goat cheese, an instant decider for Grandma!). The food was good enough, although my Grandpa ordered a "salad" with peppers and onions and eggplant that turned out to be a plate with three separate scoops of cold, pickled peppers, onions, and eggplant. There was bread on the table, and I informed my guests that if they do not touch said bread, they will not be charged, but if so, the cost is about 1 euro per slice, which is hefty given that an entire loaf costs 35 cents at the grocery. We all abstained from eating the bread, and it was taken away along with our used dishes. However, when the bill came, there it was, a charge of 3.80 for the bread that we didn't so much as breathe on. I waved over the waiter, determined to amend the situation properly, only to be told that as a "right to dine inside his restaurant, we must always pay for bread, even if it isn't eaten", so guess what I said? "Well fine, then bring me back the bread!"...and I proceeded to stuff it into my purse as soon as he turned around. I bring class to a whole new level, I know.
Well, that's all for now, folks. I was about to say this week has rushed by so quickly, but I realize it is only Monday, and the week is going by at proper speed. So.....
Until next time!