It all started with a long conversation, the Belgium woman who manages the restaurant discovered that I'm Egyptian and we started chatting in Arabic. We then learned that she also graduated from the American University in Cairo, where I studied. What a small world!
We waited at the bar until our table was ready, ordering amazing cocktails and chatting with the bar tender. Lindsay had picked out this tapas restaurant, Ziryab, because it offered both halal and gluten-free options, a perfect place for us. As we sat and sipped our beverages, we realized that we had hit the jackpot of great restaurants.
The restaurant was tucked into the Gothic Quarter and had a great vibe and charm. The walls were painted with murals that lit up in the candlelight. Seated at the window table, we got into long conversations as we ordered round after round of tapas. That night, we vowed to come back the next time we were in Barcelona.
After dinner, we took a long walk back to our Airbnb, strolling through the city, and up the Paseo de Gracia. It was a night we won't forget.