ARRIVAL IN BARCELONA

Arrived in Barcelona on Thursday a bit groggy after sleeping just two hours on the flight over here -- and with two super cranky kids in tow. After a four-hour nap on our first day here, we were ready to set out and explore the city on foot with a focus on what kinds of epicurean delights we could discover within a 4-block radius of our hotel.  Luckily, we found a delicious bakery just around the corner from our hotel and are now on a first name basis with the owners after our third visit today. They appreciated my pointing out that they had mistranslated "with almonds" on their daily special menu as "bad almonds."  One of the things I have appreciated about the city-goers here is that, despite there being a delicious pasteleria, cheese shop, or gelateria on every block, almost everyone is skinny! It's all that walking....