Rose-colored glasses off... and to beat, a broken nose.

The orange-blossom scented nights of Seville. The fierce driving wind of Cadiz. The small town passing by in seconds as you sit in your slightly stained seat on the AVE.

Rose colored glasses.

Well, I have officially been here over a week. And the rose colored glasses are off. I don´t think I like Barcelona.

To be honest it has had a weird kind of reception planned for me. From Mr. Mickey Blue Eyes in Sants, to the well... to two nights ago.

About five in the evening, already in the street, I decided that to hell with the vacation, I need to start working on my project. I didn´t feel lucid enough to write, but to surf the internet and find names and addresses of flamenco studios--kinda. So at 5 o'clock, I find myself at the Centre Cultural toying with my phone and reading a book in Catalán which only served to infuriate me more given that the important word in each paragraph was incomprehensible.

I found the studio of Lucero Cardenas, a very cool Mexican girl from Guadalajara who is going to (maybe) give me lessons. Walking around the city, getting lost countless times, sweating like a debutant, and in the end, getting lost in the Ramblas of Barcelona.

On my way to the Café Royal, where I was going to meet Antonio (El Puchero) Agujetas, the buildings became a labyrinth of dirty sidewalks and questionable doorways. A poor mulata, standing mid-block between two groups of leering men was negotiating a "completo" with a man who was greedily scratching his balls. "¿Me haces todo por treinta?" The affirmative, and the mismatched pair disappeared into the stained linoleum of the hallway.

Turning right on the corner, the familiar tourist sights of flamenco dresses for little girls and Barça scarfs didn't seem too reassuring.

After another hour of "Ey, nena! Disco tonight? Gew wanna party?", of expensive food (a pita with a coke cost me almost 9 euros), I arrived at the Café Royal to the familiar jaunt of "Aquí, toma. Primer copa gratis."

Really?

Well, interesting environment. A bar, style 90's with stark European lighting and dark stone tables. The back room (I know! I almost had a coronary!) is a bar with peachy lighting panels and stools on two sides of the room. I met Rafa there, a friend of Agujetas, who bought me an extra copa of Kas Limón.

So no... no broken nose. Just the painful experience of having rose colored glasses forcefully removed.

Here are some videos from the night! The light is bad, and I couldn't figure how to use the camera, but just listen to the music!!

Mariano de Sant Roque, Eduardo Cortés, y caja en Café Royal 6/23/2011

Video 2.
Video 3.