La playa is a great name for the beach, because we had a great time playing there! We didn’t try to do any sightseeing today, we simply relaxed by the pool and the beach. The Barceloneta beach is a stone’s throw from the hotel. There is one section

with great waves, and one section that is very calm. We tried both!

Compared to Venice, Paris, and London, we’ve encountered many more locals here. Most of the people on the beach seem to be Spanish. Amory is shy about speaking her Spanish, but she has been doing a good job of saying “por favor,” “gracias,” “ola” and “adios” to people she encounters. Since none of the rest of us speak Spanish, we are glad that she knows some key words.

We tried some Spanish foods yesterday. At breakfast, Amory sampled a traditional Catalan pastry in the shape of a swirl (one of her signature motifs, in case you haven’t seen her art recently). Lunchtime, Riley got adventurous and ordered ceviche, which she enjoyed along with some gazpacho. At dinnertime, we all tasted fried artichokes and fried calamari (a big hit with Amory!). The girls had a shrimp paella, I had duck with ginger and honey, and Chris had monkfish wrapped in bacon with olive tapenade. All delicious!