Eating like a poor person...

Sweet Sour Carrot Soup

6 carrots
The carrot greens
A small onion
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 of a bouillon
Sesame seeds
Siracha sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt, pepper, basil, butter

Sauté the carrots (sliced up) in butter. Add salt and pepper. After they are kind of soft and browned, add in the onion. Once those are caramelized, toss in the carrot greens. Add the half bouillon, lentils and water. Spice with basil. Simmer until the lentils are tender. Once they are nice and ripe, remove from heat. Sprinkle in sesame seeds, siracha and balsamic to taste. This meal cost me about 50 cents.

Marky Mark

"We wish to learn all the curious, outlandish ways of all the different countries, so that we can 'show off' and astonish people when we get home."

- Mark Twain

Grathiath

la Sagrada Familia para Gaudí

A charming apartment and park

 A lot of our adventures in the gorgeously temperate Barcelona were stumbled upon on our long walks through the almost confusing streets. By the middle of the first day, we might've been champs ... reading maps like the best of them.

We came across a pretty cathedral, as to the right

Here we have some of the Gaudí buildings, a strange architect that might just be a man after my own heart with his flamboyant glasswork and silly shapes. 

 No photo and travel trip to Barcelona is complete without some Spanish men arguing on the street.

Las Ramblas is the large street filled with tourist traps and men with weird bird calling whistles. It's lined with tempting shopping and bad food and leads to the sea. Walking it is a must, although I can't say it was the most enjoyable part of the trip. But hey! we did it.

I might've food my food heaven: Mercat La Boqueria. A tunnel of the freshest seafood (that lobster below is still alive), hanging meat, veggies and fruits. Artisanal chocolate, samples and chaos. I wish I could spent all day and all my money there. Instead I settled for breaded mussels and free Catalan treats.

Acupunkhure

"Respiration. Concentration. Rénovation"

It's been a whirlwind week of a thought-provoking clown show (see quote above), a chinese-take-out Thanksgiving, loving family, amazing friends (new and old), school work, questionnaires, coffee, goofiness, champagne and now a bus ride to Barcelona.

I have a bundle to be thankful for.

The Holy Pope and His Wine

Sur le Pont d'Avignon

Sur le pont d'Avignon

L'on y danse, l'on y danse

Sur le pont d'Avignon

L'on y danse, tous en ronde

Le "Pont d'Avignon" isn't actually called le Pont d'Avignon. It's something like The Herder's Bridge. And it's not functional anymore. And no one ever danced on it. It's still pretty pretty.

What little of Avignon I saw I was confused by. It was pretty but not in the jaw dropping whimsical way. It seemed to be a very serious city with a strange mix of modern and ancient.

Red Hot Roasted Red Peppers-in-a-Soup

As inspired by Sarah J.

Far too many red peppers (like 6 - 7)
Bouillon
Garlic clove
Small onion
3 Dried hot peppers (or to taste)
Milk
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, oregano, basil

Roast the peppers by setting them straight on the burner. Any hot surface works really, just wait for them to get nice and blackened. In a medium saucepan sauté garlic and onion in olive oil on medium heat until golden. Add spices. Add bouillon and fill the pan halfway with water. Once all the peppers are all blackened, slice 'em up and add them to the soup. Add the sliced hot peppers. After a good 20 minutes of simmering add the milk (about 1 cup) and simmer just a bit longer. Pulverize and spice to taste.

Enjoy with bread and goat cheese (per usual).

A List of Sunday Things

1. It's sunny, ride your bike to the beach!
2. Stumble upon an outdoor art exhibit.
3. Jump in the cold Mediterranean "à la Française".
4. Bike to a monastery to repent for jumping in the cold Mediterranean "à la Française".
5. Have no regrets about jumping in the cold Mediterranean "à la Française".
6. Bike back.
7. Take a hot shower
8. Confess your 'like' for someone.
9. Go to the Subways concert.
10. Be a rock and roll queen.
11. Jump and get bruised by mosh-pitters.
12. Rest up for your presentation about social conformity and marginality in sociology class tomorrow.