Upon arriving to Barcelona on a flight that had been delayed about an hour, I expected to find my mom and Becky waiting, since they'd been expecting me earlier. When I didn't see them, I lingered around the airport for a while, and couldn't find them. So I waited a little more...
Eventually I decided they must have resorted to "Plan B," which was us meeting at the apartment. So I followed the directions that Becky had sent me, and easily found my way to our address. Only problem was, you had to have a key to get into even the front door. I hadn't thought of that, and in case you don't know anything about Barcelona, it's not exactly a safe street environment. Their pickpockets are infamous. I went into the shop next door to make sure I had the right street, and he offered me a seat while I waited.
And waited.
He probably hadn't counted on my staying from around 9:30 to 12 when he offered to let me wait in his shop. He was a generous host though, offering me everything in his shop as "his guest." We chatted a little, and he interpreted me saying I was from North Carolina as Canada, so I went with it. We talked about what a nice country Canada is, and I graciously accepted his praise of my adopted home country.
In case you've ever wondered how people who work in these simple little shops, which sell only soda and fruit and other basics, spend their time... it's almost as simple as the shop itself. My new friend started playing with the calculator, and typing in 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 ... + 9 ... + 9. On and on. And then, after that got old, he went from 9 + 9 + 9 to 9 ... - 9 ... - 9 - 9 - 9 - 9 I assume all the way back down to 0.
It was an interesting experience, but I was freaking out the entire time about what to do. Finally, the shop needed to close (at 12), so I decided my only option at that point was to get a hotel room. I went to the closest one, and my new friend accompanied me. About 30 minutes after leaving the shop, I got a call to my room. My friend brought my mom back to the hotel, and she wasn't happy about searching for me in the airport the whole time I was waiting at the apartment. We decide that since I'd paid for the room I might as well sleep in it, so I'll meet up with them tomorrow.
It was a ridiculous night, but all in all it turned out to be ok. I just wanted to share this tidbit, and I will update again when I get a chance. I hope everyone has a
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
That's cray cray Lillian! Glad ya found your mom! Ya'll have SO much fun! Merry Christmas
ReplyDeletemakes for a good story though:) merry belated christmas lillian!
ReplyDelete