Our Second Round of Guests

We headed down to the beach to both kill some time before Don and Jennifer Minnis came in for a week's visit and to enjoy the perfect weather.  Along with Maddy's two night visit, their week-long visit would mean we would have guests/friends/family for nine of the 32 nights here in Barcelona.

Their flight from London was delayed, so Carol and I figured they would arrive in a cab at a certain time.  We were so wrong.  As I emerged from the Mediterranean after a fine swim, I noticed Carol frantically waving at me.  Turns out she had gotten a WhatsApp message from Jennifer that they were already in the cab.

We hightailed it back to the apartment, unsure whether we would beat them to it, or if we'd be bad hosts and force them to wait as we rushed back.  We got there before they did.  But barely.

After a brief orientation to the apartment (they seemed quite satisfied with it), I offered them the choice of going to the park or to the beach.  Don emphatically chose the beach, so we took them to our chiringuito beach bar.  

Don and Jennifer are a study in contrasts, showing that opposites attract.  Don is in his early 70s, and when we first became friends in the spring of 2013, I dubbed him the nicest man in the world, because he is generally positive, willing to help with whatever needs to be done, and genuinely interested in what people have to say.  He can walk up and talk to anyone.

  Jennifer, from London, is in her early 60s, and is the very model of British reserve.  You always know what Don is thinking, as he is very enthusiastic about sharing his opinion.  You rarely know what Jennifer is thinking.  

(I give my readers that background so you don't think I focus on Don at the expense of Jennifer).

Well, Don was very enthusiastic about sitting at a bar next to the Med, enjoying a drink.  They were surprised by the sheer numbers of people at the beach, but it seemed like everyone in Catalonia was in Barcelona for the last day of the festival.  Earlier, Carol and I were actually a bit overwhelmed with how crowded the city was that day, so the packed beach was not a surprise.

We stayed longer at the beach than planned, and they were starting to feel the effects of jet lag.  Carol had suggested we NOT overwhelm them the first night by taking them to a tapas bar (they had never had tapas in the States).  It was sound advice, which we then ignored, as Vasas d' Oro was on our way back to the apartment.  We stopped in, got a table next to the crowded bar.  Don loved the atmosphere.  It is very much a local's bar, and the place is always packed and buzzing.  

Tapas we take for granted were new to Don and Jennifer, so we had to convince them that this was the way to eat dinner.  Suddenly, they hit the jet lag wall, and we headed back to the apartment -- first Carol taking Jennifer, and then, not too far behind, me bringing Don.  Eating at a restaurant less than two blocks away turned out to be the right move their first night in Barcelona.