Souvenirs from Spain and Sweden

I took it upon myself to find some really unique souvenirs during my trip in Europe. Among them were a sign saying "WC," the ubiquitous indication of a bathroom (asking for a bathroom likely brought visions of a Roman bath house to the local people, judging from their facial expressions). I also learned that Tove Jansson was not only Finnish, but half Swedish! It brought to mind the charming stories I read as a kid which my mom found in a garage sale or used book store, and also a Finnish store I went into once in Toronto which had a whole mural painted of the characters.

So when we discovered a new fruit (nisperos!) in Barcelona,

I saved the large seeds, and I'm going to use them as beads.

In Stockholm, I found a set of brass buttons which will be perfect to replace the (plastic!) ones on my thrifted black leather jacket. For 30 Swedish Kronor!

Barcelona, Spain (May 18 - 21)

Balmy and beautiful Barcelona... what more can I say? Rambling countless narrow winding streets near La Rambla I saw more picturesque squares than I had ever imagined. Across the square is a seafood restaurant called Cal Pep. There is no menu, and there are only a few tables in the back. The rest of the patrons line up nightly to have a seat at the bar. To order, converse with the bartender/server who will recommend dishes based on what you want, as well as more that you may not need. House white accompanied molluscs cooked with pork bits, "special" mushrooms,  ...

Cal Pep

To the left, a couple from Vienna, Austria received a whole white monkfish, which was de-spined and plated in front of them by the server. I would probably swap the mushrooms for that fish if I'd known. To the right, first a large group of spanish-speaking asian people knew exactly what to order and squabbled over the bill, then a couple from Toronto. In line, a very language-challenged lady from the States condescendingly ordered wine which she jabbed at from a ripped-out page of a travel magazine very loudly and slowly to the server in English, who pretended not to know any. She did succeed in getting what she wanted, which turned out to be the delicious house white.

Madrid

This is the first day I've dared take pictures with my mobile because the socket adapter bought in Toronto was a dud. First the plug was too large for the socket, then the prongs were too fat. The lady at reception at the hostel salamanca was kind enough to lend an adaptor for a while. There are better quality pictures on the actual camera, but it is much easier to share from the phone.

This is a beehive shaped structure - not sure what it is, but it was in a park along a railway.