i went for a run today in the rio, and i don't know if it's all the walking i've been doing or just the vivacity of the city, but i felt really great running. running in the rio isn't like normal running though, there are TONS of people out doing things in there (especially on a sunday afternoon between siesta and dinner). and let me tell you, they LOVE rollerblading around here. i think every other person i saw there this afternoon was rockin some roller blades. but i worked out for a bit before happening upon three guys with a boombox playing salsa music and grabbing girls off the street and teaching them how to salsa. all this was happening right in front of the fountain that frames the palau de musica and rows of palmtrees so i was hit by a kind of post-workout euphoria and walked around for about an hour just watching the people, walked through the skate park and checked out some hombres doing tricks. katrina said when she was in the rio this morning at around 8:30, there were still like a 100 people at the feria de las naciones from the night before and there was one girl completely naked talking to two guys like it was no big thing. certainly a different stilo de vida aqui.

i went to dinner with andrea tony and kara tonight at the cutest tapas restaurant in la plaza de la reina and got bravas, calamari and paella valenciana. muy deliciosos but i should've recommended they try patatas bravas con sweet potatos like at home :) we sat at the table being bombarded with people trying to sell roses, sunglasses, fedoras, and these wierd stuffed animals that were supposed to walk around but really just ran into eachother and fell over. also, you have to pretty much beg for a check around here, there's no in and out rush like in american cities, they really expect you to enjoy the food and company and maybe buy a few more pitchers of sangria before leaving.

ahh and then i got my first helado at a little heladeria across the plaza, which is surprising for anyone who knows my chocolate addiction seeing as there is an heladeria literally on every street. but i just don't feel the need to snack as often here, i think it's the spacing out of the meals, and i usually portion my bocadillos out so i can enjoy them all afternoon because i love them. i got trufa, which i assume meant chocolate truffle, and after eight, which was like mint chocolate chip. i absolutely love walking through the centro at this time of night though, right around 9:30 or 10 is sunset and it's like 24 degrees celcius (i have no idea what that is farenheit but it's just right for me) and there are tons of people walking through the plazas and sitting down at outdoor tables for dinner and there are people playing saxophone or violin everywhere. plus the lights from the plazas hit the buildings just right to make you really notice the gorgeous architecture on the buildings. ayyy i love it.