Summer days in March

Although the sun shines almost every day in Barcelona, that doesn't necessarily mean it's particularly warm. Well, it is definitely warmer than in Germany, but I still felt relatively cold at work a few weeks ago, which is also because I'm generally sensitive to the cold and there's always a draft. But about 10 days ago, when my mother visited me, we had over 20 degrees.

I was very excited to see my mother, because a lot has happened in the past few weeks and even though I have friends here in Spain, it's still different to talk to family about things that are on your mind. I also put a lot of effort into it. I baked my mother a brownie, made a welcome sign, and gave her typical Spanish chocolate (Turron) as a gift. After tough negotiations, I managed to negotiate two days off from work. Actually, I would have joined a trip to the snow, but then I would hardly have seen my mother on the first day because I would have been out until 6:30 p.m. I got up early to pick her up from the airport and to make sure I was there on time, I wanted to take an earlier train. As always, I left at the last minute and rushed along the Premias beach promenade to the train station. But halfway there, I realized that I had forgotten the sign. So I turned around to get it. It happens to the best of us. Nevertheless, I was ultimately very punctual at the airport, where my sign was admired from all sides. An airport employee approached me and said he liked the sign, but my handwriting was too small (see photo above). Our conversation was interrupted by a call from my mother. We have a lot in common, including our absent-mindedness. Barcelona Airport has two terminals and my mother accused me of being at the wrong one. The problem is that they are several kilometers apart and you need a bus to get from one to the other. But everything was fine because I was at the right one. We embraced each other and I was very happy to see her.

Although you can get along very well in Barcelona without a car, we rented a Fiat. We tested all the features of the car in peace at the parking lot. We tried to figure out how to open the windows. There was a guy at the parking lot who kept looking at us until he finally mustered the courage to tell us that he wants to park. Somehow it was very funny. However, we still couldn't open the windows. We set off for Barca because I was starving. My mother wasn't really hungry because the landing was bumpy.

Unfortunately, we couldn't find a parking space in Barcelona, so we drove to Premia de Mar at the port. There we had delicious pizza in strong wind and sunshine. When we were in the hotel, my mother wanted to change clothes. But then a disaster was revealed (Dad, please don't get mad ;)). If you can remember, I'm quite absent-minded or clumsy. Also here. At the airport, my mother briefly left me alone with her small suitcase, which was a mistake. My father received the suitcase for Christmas, in our family we call it the James Bond suitcase. The special thing about the James Bond suitcase is that you can open and close it with a fingerprint. The problem is that the sensor is broken, so my father actually wanted to exchange the suitcase. I didn't know that (even though my brother tried to convince me otherwise) and when I saw that the suitcase was not locked, I closed the zippers. Of course, with the best intention. Opening the suitcase again was a small crisis, especially because I tried not to laugh. My mother and I both worked on the suitcase. In the end, the super nice receptionist broke the lock with a safe key. Because of all the excitement, we treated ourselves to a Sangria, which was the strongest Sangria I have ever had. It was great to end the day like this and we talked for a long time.

We made the most of the next morning as well. We went shopping and walked along the harbor. Near the harbor, there are super small narrow alleys where the light gets trapped. There was a vegan coffee shop, the cappuccino was actually 10 out of 10 and there was a really cute dog chilling there. Across the street, I discovered the cutest and most expensive boutique. Everything is handmade and produced in the store. My mother made me very happy and bought me a beautiful tulip hairpin and a black high-quality velvet top, which I will definitely wear at the next party. After our wallets were lighter, we went back to Placa Catalunya, where we ended up at the Indian restaurant again. This time, I ordered the extra spicy dish and my mother ordered the extra spicy Chicken Korma, after the super nice waiter convinced us beforehand that the coconut milk in the curry neutralizes the spiciness. When I tried my mother's curry, my cheeks got so hot that my glasses fogged up. So much for neutralizing... we then picked out the chili peppers. In the evening, we talked until we were very tired. So four really wonderful days flew by and I enjoyed it very much.