Tapas!!

As a special treat before my departure, my brother came up with the idea to go to a tapas bar in the city! We went to Boqueria, and it was excellent. I hadn't had Spanish food before, so this was quite exciting. The exterior of the restaurant was not too inviting, but once inside and seated in front of the menu, I was ready to gorge. Unsure of how tapas "work", we were fortunate to get a patient waiter that helped us round out our meal. The dishes come out one at a time with enough time to savor each taste. Every dish we ordered was absolutely delicious. Meats, cheeses, vegetables, bread, dates, squid, BACON...you name it! With tapas, you can try a bit of everything. I have a feeling I will more than survive on Spanish food. Spanish Sixteen, anyone?
We stopped at Barnes and Noble to pick up some nice New York books for my host family, and then it was on to Fika, the Swedish espresso bar. Another one of my brother's ideas, Jonny has wanted to go to Fika for a few weeks. He adored the coffee in Sweden and couldn't wait to have more. It too was delicious, though it was a little awkward when we admitted to the man working behind the counter we are American. This also was a teaser as I look forward to heading north to Scandinavia sometime during the semester.