Bar Mut

Phineas here... Where were we? Oh right - off we went to Bar Mut. A little hole in the wall tapas bar on the nice side of the tracks. Plenty of regulars and genial folks having a copa or two, a quick smoke and a nibble to while away the early evening. You know the drill by now-order a couple of glasses of wine, kick up our feet and ponder what to order next. This being the last stop in Barcelona, it was going to be Jamon with a plate of pan con tomate to accompany.

The air was thick with anticipation as the bread appeared and then the jamon! A square plate covered with translucent slices of the silkiest, ruby colored jamon yet to be spied by Clio. Before I knew it, most of the plate was gone, Clio stating it was the best ever!!!!! Oily-but not greasy, nutty flavored, and glistening - the most succulent jamon to be had in all the land. No more Boars Head, no more baked ham - for Clio it was destined to be jamon bellota or nothing! Not to be outdone, the pan con tomate was absolutely devine-crusty ciabatta-like bread slathered with honey-sweet tomato. All mine, since the jamon was definitely off limits.

FYI-I kinda like eating in a place where the bread was MORE expensive than the wine! No kidding. Lest you think it was an extravagance, the entire "Clio Happy Meal" of a couple glasses of wine, a very large portion of jamon, and the bread was less than a large pizza and a couple of beers. Way more tasty and way better for the waistline!

Clio, Clio's tummy, and Clio's brain were all happy as we picked up our luggage and made our way to the overnight train to Granada. The cabin, dinner, breakfast and all the free drinks in the pre-departure lounge cost less than the regular high speed train from Seville to Madrid in tourist class. Go figure?!?!

Made it!

Itsy bitsy cabin, bunk beds for two and a toilet and shower to boot! Dinner was included, so shortly after leaving the station the attendant knocked and said dinner was being served. Oooh! Dinner on a train. So Bond-esque. Quickly dressed in our best evening wear (Jeans,shown below and T-shirts) off to the movable feast. We sat at a lovely table for two, Deborah as our server(and it turns out our sommelier and chef), for a quiet dinner for two on the rocking train as the night cruised by our panoramic window. Really good dorado ala plancha for me and some braised chicken for Clio-by far the best meal I've had on a train. Now granted Amtrak stinks (how do you screw up a hot dog?), but this was really good, something I wouldn't have minded paying for in a restaurant.

My foot as a reference point

After finishing the vino(bottle of white rioja) and an after dinner cerveza for me, off to bed. The next morning we were treated to scenery like this:

actually from the Alhambra, but its the best i could find

Refreshed, fed and ready to go, we're off to tackle Granada, the albaicin and the Alhambra.