Spent the day walking La Rambla and seeing the waterfront at Port Vell. A parent from school suggested the Mission Barcelona kids scavenger hunt book and this was Mission #1 and #2 for us. Definitely a fun way for kids to experience the city and gives them something to read up on and look forward to before they arrive.

Dinner was at El Nacional, a huge space with multiple restaurants inside. It reminds me a little of a Las Vegas high end hotel lobby (in a good way) with the many different restaurants laid out in front of you. The vibe/energy here is amazing.

We opted for the tapas bar, La Taperia, and were surprised to be served dim sum style. They call it "singing tapas" with servers walking around with specific tapas plates, hawking their selection. It was an amazing way to see more than a menu could ever tell you. Food was excellent and service was great.

We started with some wine and cava to go along with our fava beans. Then calamari, meatballs stewed with mushrooms, cheese fritters, amazing jamón ibérico, patatas bravas, a mini seafood paella, and pickled peppers with anchovy. For dessert we got a thick flan and a ice cream sandwich. Come early as they will run out of certain dishes. We missed out on squid ink paella and steamed razor clams but no complaints about any of the dishes we got.

We found a local tapas bar near our hotel for a late night snack. L’Olivera is open until 1am, great for weary jet lagged travelers. We started with a nice cava sangria.

Next up was a steady stream of great tapas. Tomatoes with burrata, patatas bravas, chicken and cheese croquettes, tasty steak with chimichurri sauce and a fried egg, anchovies on toast, arugula with more of that great burrata, and olives at the end as a palate cleanser. A great start to the trip.

A new tradition is emerging for me on the last night before we leave Japan. We usually try to get our gift buying done the last days we are on a trip so we don’t have to lug them around. There were a few sweets that we wanted to get and the only place open late (besides convenience stores) was Donki (Don Quijote). For those who have never been, Donki is somewhere in between a dollar store and Target - taking the best of both worlds. Last year, I bought an extra piece of luggage to carry back my whiskey and this time I got some mochi and Kit Kats. If you ever find yourself needing some random item, check out Donki. There's usually one in every major city.

Our hotel was about a kilometer away from the store and it afforded me the opportunity to see Ginza at night. It was a beautiful, crisp, Friday night and many office workers were stumbling out of restaurants and bars, slightly tipsy. The streets were lit with the neon of Ginza and a lone saxophone player was performing. We’ll leave Japan with many happy memories, eager for the next trip back.

As our trip was coming to an end, we spent the last day doing a bunch of shopping in and around Tokyo Station. The station itself is massive with shops and restaurants inside. You could spend a full day here and still not see everything. Once we completed our gift buying, it was time to eat and of course, we couldn't leave Japan without having some ramen. Luckily, there is Ramen Street inside Tokyo Station where 8 ramen shops are located. A sign at the entrance to Ramen Street shows you where each shop is and what style of ramen they serve. We wanted to get some good tonkotsu style ramen so decided on Oreshiki Jun.

These shops are designed for fast service so you order outside at a vending machine, then hand your ticket over to the host who finds you a seat when one becomes available. Your food is then brought over and you're expected to eat very quickly and make room for the next person. Quite honestly, the whole process was fairly confusing and unless you can read Japanese it's hard to tell which ramen shop you're ordering from. Unfortunately for us, we ended up going into the wrong line and ordering from another ramen shop that wasn't quite up to par. We quickly ate but left feeling pretty unsatisfied.

Undeterred, I eventually was able to find Oreshiki Jun and we were not disappointed. Great broth, amazing soft boiled eggs (Japan really does this well), melt in your mouth char siu, and noodles that were perfectly made/cooked. All was forgotten after I finished that bowl!