Monday, 2018 April 16
We slept in, doing our best to get adjusted to central European time. We then headed downstairs to find breakfast (which was surprisingly far away, on the opposite side of the hotel). The breakfast was great; they had pretty much everything you could think of, and everything I sampled was excellent. The quiche in particular was phenomenal.
We actually had a few things that we had to get done this day; I wanted to buy a SIM card for my phone, and I needed to find a Deutsche Bank ATM to get out some cash (they partner with Bank of America, so I'd save on ATM fees by using them). We plotted out a course that would take us by a Vodaphone and an ATM on the way to the old town and set out.
Vodaphone came first. There was a pretty good line, but it moved quickly. The woman who helped me didn't speak English, but we managed pretty well with my basic Spanish. I didn't insert the SIM then, however; instead we walked to the ATM, then kept exploring.
We ended up at the Central Market. This was an amazing experience; without a doubt it was the largest such market I've ever been in, and pretty much everything on display looked delicious. We talked about buying picnic supplies, but decided to keep moving.
We kept wandering around, covering a lot of ground. We took a ton of pictures on the way. We eventually ended up at Torres de Quart, one of the old city gates.
Hunger was definitely becoming a factor so we found a place to eat. We picked Cafe Infanta. The server spoke some English, which really helped as the menu was a bit confusing (some things were not available during the day, other things were, etc.). We each ordered a small plate; Krista picked the croquettes, I picked samosas with brie and tomato jam. Both were good, but I absolutely loved the tomato jam. For a main course I got chicken fingers, which honestly were mediocre.
While we had a chance I inserted the new SIM card into my phone and was pleased that everything "just worked". We now had access to Google maps, Google translate, etc. The SIM was passcode-protected, which caused problems a few days later.
We wandered some more, stopping in some little shops. Krista almost bought some jewelry but decided not to, a decision that she regretted almost immediately. This would come up later in the trip.
We ended up at the Hard Rock. Mostly we were trying to get a location pin for Krista's brother John (he collects them), but we also felt like we'd gone too long without a drink for two people on vacation. Unfortunately the shop was crazy busy so we decided we'd come back later for a pin.
We headed back to the hotel and chilled on our patio for the rest of the day.
Sunday, 2018 April 15 Tuesday, 2018 April 17