Sniff-sniff

While I'm looking forward to my 4 days in Barcelona, I'm starting to feel sad about leaving this paradise. Earlier today Marcel announced that he had a surprise for me at lunch, and to join him in the kitchen at 1:30. Lunch is left for us to fend for ourselves, so I was pleased because it sounded like he might be preparing something and he is an amazing chef. When 1:30 rolled around I shut my computer and made my way to the kitchen where I was greeted with an Asian smorgasbord - is it fair or right to put both those words together? He had prepared a gorgeous Asian salad and heaps of sashimi - tuna and salmon - bowls of dipping sauces and different colored sesame seeds. Karine, Marcel, Melissa #1 and I feasted on this delicious going-away lunch. This is just a little example of how thoughtful, kind and nurturing those two are.

Last night there was a fun concert in town in the backyard of a local bar. Kids, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents all came to support the musicians and drink cerveza in the warm summer night. Tonight some of Marcel's musician friends are coming over for a jam session. Last time one of them was here, Tall Alex, he recounted song-for-song the Pink Floyd concert he'd attended in Philadelphia (even though he lives here) and then we had a Dave Matthews jam session during which I realized I barely know any of those lyrics and found myself humming rather than singing. (Lucky them) Attached is a picture of another jam session where I played this crazy speaker-looking-drum.

Tomorrow I hop on the bus to Barcelona for the last time to meet up with Michele, who is staying at a new friend Kaitlyn's apartment in the center of the city. We are thinking about taking a trip to the Costa Brava, a beach town, in the next day or two. There are still a few museums I'd like to see in Barcelona before I head back home to L.A. on Thursday. Hard to believe the month is coming to an end. What a month it's been!