CHEWBREW

I was fortunate enough to be able to take a quick trip to LA last weekend. Sure my work trip got canceled but, that didn’t mean I shouldn’t go to LA, right? Premium Shih flew in from Boise and we got to hang in LA just like old times. In-N-Out, Father’s Office, Neptune’s Net, and Barney’s Beanery were just some of the fun places we got to visit.

I got my first Thai Massage. No, there was not a ‘Happy Ending’ but I did get to have a 100 pound Thai woman grind her feet into my back for roughly an hour. Surprisingly not bad.

We saw a biker gang take over the Pacific Coastal Highway in Malibu outside of Neptune’s Net. It was truly something to see nearly 100 Harley Davidson motorcycles, all driven by hardcore bikers, completely stop traffic on one of the most famous highways in the world.

We even got to see Vampire Weekend at the Hollywood Bowl which turned out to be quite an experience and not in a good way. Picture thousands of screaming teenage girls acting like they just saw The Beatles. Generally we see great shows here so we’ll let this one slide.

Los Angeles is one of those places that’s hard to like on the surface but, once you get to know it a little, it becomes just like an old friend. It always makes me happy to visit, even if it’s only for a few days.

Here They Are. Enjoy.

Well guess what today is? National Day of Catalonia of course!! All the shops are closed and the museums are free. Hooray for art! Boo for shopping.

While I needed to do some more shopping it seems we are destined to spend our last day in Barcelona simply walking around and looking for open cafes. The good news is we have seen a lot of the city today and the proud residents of Catalonia.

More pictures are below. Once we get back, I’ll publish a Picasa link for all the photos.

Until then…

Day 2. We hit Gaudi’s main sites today as well as the Picasso museum and the beach. My dogs are tired.

FYI. Sagrada Familia is impossible to photograph due to its scale.

I have a ton more photos but, here are a few cool things we saw today.

We are recharging in a bar near La Rambla before tying a good one on tonight.

First Impression of Barcelona:

I want to move here immediately.

Here are a few photos. We’ve only been here a few hours but it’s already my favorite city in Spain.

While I have some wifi, here are some pics of Ibiza. I am in Barcelona finishing up our Spanish tour right now.

What to know about Ibiza:

There are lots of Germans in Ibiza.

German women do not appear to like wearing clothing.

The Super Clubs are exactly what you expect (pricey drinks and amazing DJs)

Swiss people are fun.

Photos below.

Valencia is the birthplace of Paella. Nestled in the eastern shore of Spain, Valencia is known as the intellectual center of the country. Highlighted by La Ciudad de Las Artes y Ciencas (the city of arts and science) complex, Valencia provides a modern refreshing ambience that is still deeply rooted in its Christian past. For example, one can find the Holy Grail at the Cathedral which is located only a short distance from their progressive technology based university and arts and science complex.

Central to Valencia’s past is Paella. Paella is a rice dish using bomba rice (medium grain) that is slow simmered, like risotto, over a wood fire in a paella dish. Accented by saffron, paella usually has meats (chicken, rabbit, duck) or seafood (snails, shrimp, langoustine, mussels).

The name of the restaurant escapes me but, we dined in the beach town Platja de la Malva-Rossa. Below are some pictures. If you are in Valencia, head to the beach and you will find several restaurants specializing in paella.

We drank sangria, ate seafood paella, and watched waves crash on the beach. It was so good, it took us only 15 minutes to finish the entire paella. For me, it was the best meal of the trip so far.

I have been in Spain for 4 days and so far it has been fantastic. Here are some photos of the journey thus far.