A Little Lesson In: Bahian Fruits

So I mentioned in my post about Salvador that one thing that unbelievable about the region is the amazing fruit that they have, not just in deliciousness but in variety. I could never imagine that there could exist so many different kinds of fruit in one place, and apparently even people that live there their entire lives have not tasted them all. I went on a mission to taste as many as I could, and while I could never get my hands on all of them I do think I made a good dent. I wanted to give you a post on what I learned, and I'll list them in order from worst to best.

Before I offend any Brazilians here's a little disclaimer first: Many of these fruits are generally North East Brazilian fruits and not only found in Bahia, and some of them are found in the rest of Brazil, so this is not to give all the awesome fruit credit to Bahia alone.

15. Jenipapo

This was one of the first fruits I tasted, although by far the one I liked the least. It is a soft brown fruit the size of a very large fist, but soft almost like a foam ball. It is often used in the production of liquor, but you can also either make juice from the internal flesh around the seeds or eat the outer mesoderm the way it is.

It tasted like ass. Raw spongy mushroom ass. I definitely would not recommend it, and from here we move on.

14. Cacau

When I first saw this in the supermarket I thought how interesting, and like an idiot I didn't realize I was holding a cocoa pod, despite the fact I knew what they look like. I just never thought they were sold like that in the supermarket. It turns out, however, that once you manage to cut through the incredibly tough pod, it is very common to make a juice out of the white fleshy bit that covers the cocoa seeds. After that you can sit and painstakingly peel each seed, which initially are purple and taste horrible. Give them a couple of days in the sun however and they turn black and voila! Your very own pure cocoa. 

My assessment: the juice is alright, but it doesn't really taste of much. As for the seeds, if you're the kind of organic chocolate person who likes it nice and dark you'll love throwing a couple of these seeds into your milkshake or ice cream. I, on the other hand like mine nice and milky, so it wasn't really for me.

13. Mamao

Mamao, a.k.a. papaya is one of the few tropical fruits that is (relatively) easy to find in Europe, and yet I had never tasted it before going to Brazil. It is not that I was never interested, but I knew that I don't know how to choose a good one, and that if the mangoes you get over here are any indication it is very easy to get one that sucks. For this reason, having heard such good things about it and not wanting to ruin the experience I waited, and finally in Brazil I had my chance. 

Honestly I was expecting much more. It's not that it tastes bad, it's acutally quite good, it's just that it's not much. My mother would call it a "delicate" flavor. I call it nothing to get excited over, more something that fills you than something that I would ever seek out.

  12. Graviola

This little guy looks like a pear from the outside, but it turns out it's that elusive "guava" that I've heard referenced so many times but never actually seen.

As I've hinted at before, many of these fruits are used to make juices, basically by blending them with some mineral water. As is the case with this one often the juice then has to be filtered as well, as the seeds are quite hard. The juice is OK, also not out of this world but not bad either, but it really goes well when combined with others. They also make a strange dark red jam out of it which is very sweet, and more commonly you'll see a stiff slice-able variety. If you're the sweet jelly flavor type this one is definitely for you.

11. Caju'

This has to be the most interesting looking fruit so far, like a bean squashed into a very small apple. The bean-shaped part actually holds a nut that is very popular in Brazil, almost like the peanut in the US, but the fruit is also commonly eaten and used in juices. It is a little spongy, and by itself I think it tastes a little funky, but it goes very well when you're making a mixed juice, somehow lending its flavor to complement others.

  

10. Carambola

  This fruit is often used in salads and fish dishes because of the fact that it has a tangy not-too-sweet flavor. However if you allow it to ripen enough it is can be very good to eat alone, the only flavor I could ever come close to comparing it too being a nashi pear (although more in texture than aything else). It's crunchy and it's refreshing, but at the same time not sour, which for me is a big plus.

9. Caja'

Looking at them you'd think they're kumquats, but in taste they're actually the farthest thing from them. They have a very little meat to them and a very tough interior, but the little flesh they do have is bursting with flavor. They are a little on the sour side so I wouldn't eat them just the way they are (unless, unlike me you're one of those sour freaks), but I can attest to the fact that they are wonderful in a caipirinha. Caja', sugar and cachaca makes one awesome cocktail that I definitely recommend.

8. Acerola

 These little fruits are full to bursting with vitamin C, and every bit as sour as they look and then some. I don't think that even a sour fanatic can eat them by themselves as is, although they rank this high on the list because of the amazing flavor they pack in that tiny package. In fact my favorite juice mix that I invented while I was there was caju', graviola and acerola. Graviola for the sweet, caju' to mellow it out, and acerola to pack the flavor punch that strawberries can only dream of.

7. Umbu

This little green fruit, on the other hand, is not as sour as it looks. I only tried it in it's juice form, but it had a very interesting flavor. It just tasted green, if that makes any sense at all. OK, maybe it doesn't, but I can't think of any other way to describe it. I suppose it was closest to the carambola in it's tangy freshness, although I enjoyed more as much as I was intrigued by it.

6. Maracuja

Although passion fruit is another one of those tropical fruits that are found in Europe I had always seen what I later found out to be the African kind: tiny little green/purple balls that lay on the palm of your hand. Imagine my surprise then when I go to open up one of these very large yellow wrinkly things only to find the exact same passion fruit interior. 

Unfortunately not being a sour kind of person it was impossible to eat with a spoon no matter how much sugar I added, but it does make a mean juice when combined with mango as well as a fantastic cocktail.

5. Cupuacu

This is another incredibly strange looking fruit that tastes much, much better than it looks. I only had the opportunity of tasting it in ice cream form, but I definitely was not disappointed. It makes a slightly green ice cream, also quite tangy, with an almost chewy texture that I had never come across in a fruit ice cream before.

4. Mango

OK, so I already knew that mango was one of my favorite fruits, but this trip to Brazil only reconfirmed it for me. The mangoes in Brazil are unlike any mango I have ever tasted, they have many kinds and they really did blow my mind. Always sweet soft and full of amazing flavor, they were a regular feature for breakfast for me.

3. Jaca

This is probably the ugliest fruit when seen hanging from a tree (or worse split open on the side of the road) and it was almost impossible for me to imagine what it must look like inside. However once it is cleaned and packaged you see this huge bumpy woody thing contains these little yellow pods, stiff and juicy, and absolutely fabulous. It is the sweetest fruit I've ever tasted, with a flavor that was completely unexpected and not like anything I can describe. It is a little on the heavy side, and I couldn't really eat to much of it in one sitting, but that's not for lack of trying.

2. & 1. Pinha and Acai

 The next two just have to share a top spot because it would be impossible for me to have to choose between them. This one is a pinha, a strange pine cone-shaped fruit that when frozen and blended makes one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted in my entire life. Granted I was getting it from a place that made it particularly well, blending it with a little condensed milk making it a creamy, heavenly sensation.

The second is this little fruit that may look like a blueberry at first, but the flavor is the farthest thing from it. This is acai, probably one of the most iron-filled foods there is. It is shipped frozen then broken and blended, usually with a banana for creaminess (although not being a fan of banana myself I think it tastes much better with strawberry or cupuacu). It is more refreshing and less heavy than the pinha cream, and has such a particular taste that I still dream about and miss desperately. In two weeks that we were there we only went two days without eating these two, and now we are trying to find a place in Italy that might make it as well. 

I find it to be quite an experience to have so many new things to try in such a short time, and finding so many that are completely new flavors. Imagine someone never having tasted a strawberry before, or a peach, and asking you well what does it taste like? What is it similar too? Well nothing, it tastes like a strawberry! You have to try one and see for yourself. That was what it was like for almost all of these fruits, and it's exciting to me that when I go back there will be just as many more new ones to try. One thing is for sure though, when I go back the first thing I'm eating is another acai, cause I just can't stop thinking about it.

Travel Review: Salvador, Bahia

I've talked about all of the other places that I have been along the way, and now its time to address the big attraction, my base for my fantastic vacation, Salvador. It was an incredibly interesting city, and one of the things that I loved about it is that it positively stinks of promise.

Salvador and indeed the entire North East of Brazil tends to be looked down upon by the rest of the country. As Italians like to put it, Salvador is the "Naples of Brazil". Undoubtedly the southern cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo have a much stronger economy, more infrastructure and a generally more "advanced" quality of life. Also, 85% of the people living in Salvador are of African descent, which definitely sculpted the Bahian culture into a fusion of the two continents. I'm not going to lie, the city streets are pretty dirty, and being a tropical country get ready for a few cockroaches here and there, but if you are the kind of person that does not get too hung up on that sort of thing there are other things that Salvador and all of Bahia have to offer that the South just doesn't get. 

Everyone in Bahia is so incredibly laid back that sometimes it seems that stress to them is some common yet fictitious meme on tv shows, like alien abduction or never-ending soap opera comas. The tranquility and optimism is contagious and an amazing break from what Europe has become: a never ending bitter sob-story about our inevitable impending doom. Everyone in Salvador smiles, they know how to have a good time and they just don't sweat the small stuff no matter what, making it impossible for you not to follow their example, and nothing can be better for a person on vacation. This way of doing things even translates over to the restaurants, where the waiters will take their sweet-ass time bringing you your food. Don't bother getting pissy with them, nothing you can do will phase them into anxiously hurrying out your order. Some people can get very annoyed by this and stress over how long they have to wait, but I submit to you this: you're on a beach, drinking a beer in the sun with a wonderful view, what the fuck are you in such a rush for? Just relax and enjoy yourself. 

That is not to say that the people in Salvador don't know how to work, despite the disparaging stereotypes they carry with them a la "lazy Mexican". One thing that I noticed is that they never seem to freaking sleep. At 6 AM I woke up every morning to the sight of people already going to work or jogging along the beach. The gyms open at 5.30AM and by 6 they are packed. Fast forward to the night and everyone is in town having a beer and chatting away. Every excuse is good for a party and trust me, they know how to party. I have no idea when they sleep, but maybe when you're used to doing things at your own pace and never rush you don't need to sleep as much.


I could write an entirely separate post about the food, but although I will be making one about the fruit, I will try to contain myself. It is no secret that I love food, and I did manage to put on a significant amount of weight when I was there, and I can tell you I tasted everything I could get my hands on from the street food to the fancy Japanese restaurant Take', and I loved it all. If I were to pick the one most typical dish of the region it would have to be the moqueca de peixe, a delicious fish stew made with onions, peppers, coriander, tomatoes and coconut oil and served with rice and cassava polenta-esque puree. Thanks to my jet lag I was also able to adopt the typical Bahian rhythm: big breakfast, fairly big lunch, almost no dinner. In fact in Bahia there is no such thing as a dinner party or a dinner invitation because no one really eats dinner, they have lunch invitations that go on for hours and where the beer flows freely. The classic saying says it all (roughly translated): "Eat breakfast yourself, share your lunch with a friend, give your dinner to your enemy". It's actually a very healthy way to live, but all the coconut milk and palm oil still did a number on my crappy metabolism and delicate Italian liver.

All in all there is very little I could say that I didn't like about the place. Despite the problems that it has, such as the dirty streets, the crack problem that is unfortunately starting to take hold in some communities, the half-abandoned buildings in others, Salvador feels like a place I could stick around because of the fact that it is improving, and this sense of potential and optimism is not something that I have ever felt in a community before. Regardless of the fact that where it is now it is of course "behind" in many respects to European cities, there is still the fact that it is on an upward trend, there are great investments pouring into the city both from private and government sources, and you really feel like there's nowhere to go but up, and fast. It puts an older generation in mind of countries like Italy in the 70s, and this communal sense of positive things to come is one that they miss and I have never had the pleasure of growing up in the middle of. It is only after going to a place like that that I honestly realized how depressing Europe and especially Italy (Ireland you're a close second) has become where everyone seems to love an excuse to cry on each others' shoulders and play whose-got-the-worst-politicians. It was allowing myself to ease into the Bahian state of mind that I really had the most relaxing vacation I possibly could have, despite running around the area and visiting a load of things because I wasn't there to rest my body, but my mind. That anxiety that was forever lurking in the back of my brain, under control enough to not be a regular nuisance but never going away, actually left me while I was there. I had a wonderful time, and I most certainly will be back.

Travel Review: Imbassai and Praia do Forte

After getting back from the islands, we spent another couple of days in Salvador before heading about an hour up the coast to Imbassaí. It is a gorgeous place, no doubt about it, but of course with a very different feel from the islands.

In this situation, Imbassaí is to Boipeba as Praia do Forte is to Morro de Sao Paolo. Imbassaí has more pousadas than Boipeba, to be sure, but it is still very behind its neighbor when it comes to construction and things to do. On the beach there are a few shacks lined up with things to eat and at night you need a flashlight to see your feet, which can be a little eerie unless total relaxation in nature is exactly what you're going for. Get ready for a few more lizards, mosquitos and ants than you would meet on the islands, but that is what comes with the stunning tropical nature along with the troops of little primates occasionally flying past.

Unlike Boipeba, I had a freaking blast in the ocean of Imbassaí for one simple reason: there are always waves, the fun kind. Surfers take note this is a great place to practice. Of course it is not a place I would advise to those who are not strong swimmers. We are talking open ocean here and there are no lifeguards around to keep an eye out for you (at least not off-season), but if you know what you're doing and you stay on the shore-side of the point break you'll be fine.

A little lesson in tropical currents just in case: they are very fucking scary, but you have to stay calm. If you do go out to far and one grabs a hold of you and you can't cut out of it, stop trying. It may seem like they're taking you far out, but the currents there are not a straight shot to Africa. They're weird and they swerve in and out, if you lie on your back and let it take you along eventually it will spit you back towards the shore. You may be a good way away from where you got in, which is tiring and inconvenient, but at least you'll be alive. Anyway if you are ever unsure and you don't see people in the water, ask a local, they know all about the currents in their waters. If you see a bunch of people in the water one beach down from you and none on your beach there is most likely a reason.

Luckily, for those less inclined to swim in potentially dangerous waters there is an excellent alternative in Imbassaí. Running parallel to the ocean and then swerving right into it is the calmest, safest little river you'll ever hope to find. Families with children go there so that their kids can have a swim in the bathtub-warm water without having to worry about anything dangerous.

Also, while having lunch in one of the little shacks along the beach we met this little guy. and how cute is he

Praia do Forte, on the other hand, is an entirely different place. It is far more expensive, but even in the off season you're still going to find some people, some music and a place to hang out after dinner. It is more lively and there is not an inch left to build on.

I had far less fun swimming in Praia do Forte because of the fact that the coral reef protects the shore from the waves that I find to be so much fun. Also the tides there vary drastically, and when the tide is in there are many places where there is barely any sand left at all. However, there is one thing that Praia do Forte has that Imbassaí does not, and that is Projeto Tamar.

TURTLES!!

I got to hang out at the beach with some amazing creatures, far more impressive in real life than they are on film I can assure you. I also managed to talk to a researcher there, weighing my options for a potential post-PhD project. For me this was the absolute highlight of Praia do Forte, along with getting to see the hatching and the release of a whole lot of little baby turtles (the zoologist in me melts)

What else can I say? I loved it, I loved it all. One last travel review of Salvador coming up, then sadly I have completed my recount of my first (but definitely not last) trip to Bahia.

Travel Review: Boipeba

Although we were based in Morro de Sao Paulo, we were able to take a quick day trip to the nearby island of Boipeba. While Morro de Sao Paulo seems to finally be getting a little attention from Brazilian tourists, Bahians especially tend to opt for Boipeba instead.

While the Bahian locals scorn Morro for being too touristy, Boipeba has been built on far less, but with water that is no less clear and food that is no less gorgeous. So, which do I prefer? It’s hard to say.

Whatchu looking at? Hm?

While Morro de Sao Paulo might have a more beautiful shoreline, Boipeba has some amazing nature paths. For a very small fee, a local will bring you on a little tour around the island (only in Portuguese though), through the jungle, past the blue land crabs, ending on the gorgeous beaches near the town. 

Here’s a fun fact: It is in fact an Italian man that owns 40% of Morro de Sao Paulo and 30% of Boipeba, and that is of the whole island, including the parts that are uninhabitable (which makes his effective ownership a far larger portion). However, it turns out that for once the European didn’t fuck over the locals, and to their delight he has not destroyed the island to build big eyesore hotels. He has preserved the beautiful nature, began harvesting coconuts and stimulated the island economy through tourism enough that there is even a University (don’t get too excited, I wanted to look into it too, but it turns out they only offer two courses: tourism and pedagogy).

There is no question about it: Boipeba is more authentic, more natural. Consequently, there are fewer “activities” available for you to do. Of course this makes sense for the Bahian people that only live a couple hours away: they’re not going to the islands to zip line or snorkel, they’re going to relax in a gorgeous location, the fewer loud tourists the better. When it comes to us furiners though, it depends on what it is we are looking for. Do you want to cram as many sports, activities and parties into your vacation as possible, or do you want to hang out on the beach, take a stroll through nature, away from all that noise? Me, I love it all, so island hopping was definitely the best way to go.

Travel Review: Morro de Sao Paulo

I'm finally finally back, and ready to blog along about the wonderfully fantastic trip that I've had until I'm blue in the face. In case any of you forgot or are new arrivals, I just got back from an amazing 2-week holiday in Bahia, Brazil. We used Salvador as a base, but were able to visit a couple of places around the area. The first place we went was Morro de Sao Paulo, a two and a half hour catamaran ride from Salvador. As you can infer from the picture, it was absolutely beautiful.

I'm not going to lie, it's a little touristy. When you step off the boat and walk through the little town it definitely has the tourist-village feel. However, in this case the tourists were definitely not stupid, and there is a very good reason why so many of them flock to this place. I was there very much off-season, and yet it was still full of life. Why not? It was the dead of autumn staring at winter, and it was 30+ degrees.

What I really loved about it was that there was something for everyone. Are you the type of person that likes the fancy tropical paradise hotels, lounging on the beach during the day and parties at night, head on down to the second beach, more expensive but perfect for those tastes. Want to get away from the tourist village, see real beaches and hang out at a local islander's shack for a piece of fish and a coconut? Take a long walk down the fourth beach, where a horse-and-cart will bring you back if you don't feel like walking anymore. Are you more of an adventurous type? Jump off a zip line over the gorgeous water, go banana boating around the island, scuba diving or kayak out to the little rocky tide-islands for some amazing snorkeling. Love fish? Take a boat ride around the islands and stop at the little shacks literally floating on the sea, one that serves clams and the other oysters, where when they run out they just dive off the side and go get more. Feel like an all-natural spa day? Take a walk across the island to the other side, where there is a natural clay right under the sand. Cover your body with it, dry out in the sun and then dive into the cool water for the best free body mask you'll ever hope to have. Shopaholic? Walk through the town especially in the evening where there are local artists making everything from jewelery to hammocks to coconut bongs, and many of the shops are very decently priced. There is something for everyone so I cannot possibly see how anyone can get bored.

Sure if you are one of those people that are patently allergic to anything touristy, first impressions will not be very good. However, looking past the feel of the center of town you realize that the place actually has an amazing amount to offer, and most of the island has been remarkably well preserved. This is no Club Med trying to trick you into thinking that you're having a better time than you should be in an average location, this one of the most beautiful places I have ever laid eyes on, which is exactly why so many people want to go.

Travel Review: Lisbon Aquarium

Greetings greetings from the summery paradise of Salvador Bahia. I have a bunch of material for quite a few travel reviews already, but lets take things one step at a time and start from the beginning.
On Easter Sunday my boyfriend and I took the red eye flight to Lisbon, where we had an eight and a half layover before getting on a flight to Salvador, Brazil. The Lisbon airport is a little small and doesn't have much to offer, my boyfriend's brother only lives an hour away from it and he just had a new baby, so why not have him come over and visit a little bit to pass the time? He arrived with a gorgeous two month old darling and his Spanish girlfriend, which made for an interesting language conundrum: I spoke to my boyfriend in Italian, he translated for his brother in Romanian, he translated to his girlfriend in Spanish. Phew! Anyway once we said hi all around my boyfriend's brother suggests: why not go to the Lisbon Aquarium to pass some time before your flight? Boy I love you already. Best layover idea ever!

We get the full ticket to see both the "temporary" exhibit and the "permanent" one, and I am extremely excited. There are TURTLES! We go straight up to the temporary exhibit which is the one that was supposed to be all about turtles. I saw one turtle. It was cool, it swam under my feet, but all in all the temporary exhibit was mostly information and very few actual animals to see. I was a little disappointed, so we moved on to the permanent portion of the aquarium.

This part was far, far better. It is very cleverly designed, revolving around one gigantic tank with a manta ray and some huge sharks, but I cannot say that you don't get some pretty awesome value for money. They have puffins! and OTTERS! having (relatively) recently been to the aquarium in Barcellona, it was fun to see some completely different animals from the ones that were chilling over there. Not to mention the funniest spaz of a puffin I've ever seen.

All in all I can't say that the aquarium in Lisbon is better than the one in Barcellona, I still think the latter wins out certain levels, but it definitely comes close to it. Also it is not too far away from the airport and right on the sea, so it makes for a lovely little walk and, as I said before, the best layover I have ever had in my life!

Barcellona: A City I Could Live In

Happy New Year everyone! So I just got back from a fantabulous 5-day trip to Barcellona and I freaking loved it. Didya miss me? Well, now it's time for me to account for my whereabouts, and I think these days were spent very well indeed.

Everything went smooth from the start. Despite some slight nervousness on the flight, as Vueling seems to be going with the flying sardine-can model with their airplanes, we arrived intact and the hostel was found quite quickly. It amazed me how warm it was when we got here, not that it was that cold in Rome but my GOD it was clear blue skies and sunshine all 5 glorious days. Getting there we had the nicest girl imaginable give us a free map and tell us all the places we needed to go, so we left our bags and headed straight for the first place I really really wanted to see - the Aquarium.

It was a little expensive, as all aquariums are, but it was 100% worth it. Gorgeous rays, enormous sand tiger sharks and huge moonfish swimming above your head, sea dragons, amphibious fish and PENGUINS! Hilarious horny waddly penguins! Need I say more?

The thing that struck me most about the city was the architecture. It was like being in a fantasy world, and Parc Guell especially was like Alice in Wonderland. Gaudi' is now my new favorite architect. I happen to have a soft spot for the Pan`s Labyrinth/Big Fish/Tim Burton style, and this place felt like I was stepping right into one of those worlds. They have a thing for contrasting primary colors here, and after growing up in Rome where we tend to go for the gentle pastels, not to mention no shortage of white marble, it was both unexpected and welcome to see such a contrasting yet nonetheless beautiful style. Everything is crooked and dark while at the same time fun and vibrant, and the people often match the Gaudi modernist style. That's right I'm talking to you, old bald guy in green tights top hat and Truman Capote glasses, old lady with sequins jacket and enough bling to put Lil Jon to shame, cool bartender with fishnet over-the-thumb sleeves and makeup on one eye, you rock!

Barcellona is not the city for you if you have a problem, either physical or psychological, with walking pretty much everywhere. The metro is great and works wonders, but you just need to walk around, and we did more than most. I wish I had one of those ankle monitors that told you how far you've walked, but considering that we were on our feet pretty much 11 hours everyday, not including time spent sitting and eating, I'd say we walked a whole hell of a lot.

Which brings me to my most important point. Eating. The food was fucking fantastic. For Italians, especially for ones from Rome, you've got nothing if you don't have good food. And we`re not interested in spending a million dollars for a little canape, that`s not indicative of the food a country has to offer. We want to know what the locals eat. We want to try it all, even the junk food, because eating what the locals eat is an integral part of the traveling experience. We want to know what it's like to be a Barcellonian when we visit.

Well, Barcellona did not disappoint. We needed a little time to find our footing, especially with figuring out how tapas works. Apparently any asshole with three olives and a cracker will call himself a tapas bar, so the first night we wound up eating a slice of quiche in an underground art bar which was delicious but not exactly enough to call a full dinner. The second day we wound up in a restaurant for lunch in the Gracia, which is supposed to be a really nice area for little lunch places, but the only other guest there was the biggest cockroach I have ever seen in my entire life. It was just scuttling along the floor, stopping every few seconds to look around, and the face on it was like it had stepped out of a cartoon. Only when it disappeared under a table did my shock ferment into disgust and we quickly got the hell out of there. That night we found what we thought were tapas in the Barri Gotic. You get a plate, pick whatever you want from this enormous line of different novelle cuisine looking scrumptious mouthfuls, and at the end they count the toothpicks and bring you the bill. Fucking dangerous. Amazingly delicious, but extremely dangerous. We had to seriously contain ourselves and leave still a tiny bit hungry to avoid winding up washing dishes in the back to pay the bill. Turns out those were pinchos though, not tapas, so the search continued.

And then we discovered Elisabets. Oh my gentle Mithras. It was right off the Rambla in El Raval, and it was exactly what we were looking for. We got the tip from Lonely Planet, and we walk in to find a bustling bar-restaurant with tiny tables and no nonsense waiters. The place was packed and the menu was tiny, all in Spanish, without even an explanation of what the dishes were in Spanish underneath them, just the names of the dishes. The waiters are running around and barely have time to take your order let alone hold your hand through the menu, so what are we to do? Order randomly and see what happens! Six plates of randomly ordered tapas later and we were blissing out. The most amazing stuffed mussels I have ever had. These huge balls of mashed potato and meat breaded and fried and covered in mayo for some wonderful junky goodness, spicy sausage with garlic bread, we waddled out of there like we were in our third trimester and payed half of what we paid at the pinchos place. So this is what tapas is. I approve.

So yes, I loved it. The fact is that Spain has a lot of the same problems that Italy has. They have the highest unemployment rate in Europe, they have significant problems with Government corruption, on paper it doesn't make a good case for itself if you're looking for a new country to move to and start a life. But fuck it, they know how to live. It's calm and laid back, you see people who enjoy what they have while they have it, there is an energy there that I can totally see myself getting in to. It's weird, artsy, liberal, hot and sunny, what's not to love?