Saturday, March 7, 2009

Postcard from Barcelona: Morning Coffee

This was my first cup of coffee in Barcelona yesterday morning after arriving on the red eye flight from NYC. I checked my luggage behind the counter at the hotel -- the room was not ready yet -- and headed to the La Boqueria, a gigantic meat, vegetables and fruits market located right off of La Rambla, the main tourist street of Barcelona. The market also have numerous cafes and restaurants that serve breakfast and lunch.

I discovered later during the day that my US bank card does not allow me withdraw money from the ATM machines here in Barcelona. This is strange because I was able to withdraw Euros from Rome less than two months ago, and RMB in Beijing, China in 2007. I have contacted my bank in NYC and hopefully, this situation gets resolved soon or else I will be tap dancing at La Rambla for pocket change.

Update: After a 2nd desperate call to the bank, the ATM problem is resolved. I will not have to scrub the toilet as Sally said.

22 comments:

Marcel said...

Ahh, Barcelona, I know the city very well, enjoy your time in Spain! I hope you find a solution to the money issue. Banks are in so much trouble, it is unsure whether they will be able to issue you your money. It's not made public but EU banks are really in a bad position.

Susan said...

love barcelona...

VP said...

Barcelona is a lovely city! Just... be careful!

Babzy.B said...

How lucky you are to be in sunny Barcelona ,a wonderful city !enjoy your trip ! The tapas looks good :)

NYD said...

When you decide to get away from the snowy streets of N.Y. you reeeeaally go all out, don't you?

Shammickite said...

Oh dear, hope you get the bank machine issue sorted out... or you will need your rubber gloves to do the washing up! Barcelona.... sounds wonderful, keep us posted about all your Spanish adventures!

Virginia said...

Ming, You do get around I must say. Now you're in Spain. Lifestyles of the rich( or not so rich at the moment) and famous. That coffee looks good, I just got up! Have a great trip and behave yourself!
V

Ina in Alaska said...

That cup of coffee reminded me of my first-ever cappuccino I was served in Florence, Italy many years ago. Have fun and hope your $$ issues get sorted out soon... Not a good time to have a hot mess with a bank!

marley said...

tap dancing! I'd pay to see you doing that! Lol!

Enjoy your trip, with or with out cash!

Anonymous said...

Glad things worked out with your card.

Have a fun and safe trip.

Paz

Anonymous said...

welcome to spain...enjoy!!

best from madrid

Unknown said...

Bienvenida a Barcelona!!that's a surprise! from here I follow your photos of NYC everyday!, I hope you have a very good holidays!! if you need some advice from the city,write me!there are some information about places I like in tag "Guia Turística Barcelona"
Ann

Chuck Pefley said...

Ming, glad to hear your economic depression has lifted -:) Table dancing might not be your best alternative ... but at least now you won't be "forced" to test the idea.

GMG said...

Lucky guy: Rome, Barcelona... are you testing the intercontinental sleeper seats for any airline? ;)))
If it was in Lisbon, the ATM wouldn't be a problem... Glad that you solved it!!

Gecko said...

Second from the language barrier, money matters would be my biggest stressor if I went overseas!

Piper said...

Hope your problems with your bank card are resolved!

Enjoy Barcelona, I love this city, is fantastic!

As someone said .. take care .. there's a lot of stolers in La Rambla, subway etc ...

Sara said...

Oh have a wonderful time in Barcelona...I'll be thinking about you.

That coffee looks so good!

Glad to hear you were spared from scrubbing the toilets or dancing on the tables!!!

Alexa said...

Yes, you really DO get around! Glad your money problem is solved and hope you have a super time.
Love this shot, amigo.

valeria said...

Good job your bank solved the matter...
That looks like a really nice caffé macchiato....

Carlos Lorenzo said...

Hmm some help? Sorry about the bad service.

Todd HellsKitchen said...

Looks too rich for me!

thwany said...

barcelona, so much fun!