So I checked the guides, I checked the reviews, and I even checked their website – no mention at all of being closed, yet the shutters were firmly down on Stush & Teng.

I decided to follow instinct, and look for where there were lots of locals.  One street closer to Passeig De Gracia, still on the njon-touristy side, and I found Bopan (Forners Artesans), an outdoor cafe full of Spanish speakers.  Walk off route at night and you’ll find lots of places like this – serving simple meals (lots of pizza I’ve noticed) with beer, wine and coffee, and so I settled down in a rather comfortable chair to a emal of a rather nice hamburger and a couple of bottles of the local beer – Moritz.  The food was nice and I was happy, sipping my beer post meal while reading a book, however this place closed before eleven so I wandered back and tried a small bar/tapas bar round the corner from the hotel,  Another comfortable half hour spent with a draft mortiz (draft beer = canna, bottled beer = cerveza).

And now it’s time to plan tomorrrow – the catherdral, postcard and souvenire shopping, plus myone reserved table – at Portes Set for a paella (Thursday morning is when the trawlers come in and so fish is at it’s frehest).