Lasagne Love. Love Lasagne. Live to eat Lasagne

I LOVE Lasagne. I cannot get enough of Lasagne. I would eat Lasagne everyday, all the time if I could. Unfortunately, the husband is not a fan of such foods (read : Pasta, continental fancy stuff. He's an Andhra meals kinda guy).

I am going to share my mom's recipe for Lasagne (with some modifications) so that all of you can make some and then invite me over to eat it. Because I LOVE Lasagne. I love it so much that this time around when I made it, I made it with blood, sweat and tears (literally).

The entire process takes around 3-4 hours to make. It can go up to 5 if you decide to make the Lasagne sheets from scratch. Because it is so time consuming, I make enough to last me at least 5-6 meals. Else, what's the point, right ?

Okay, there are 4 main meta-ingredients that you put into your Lasagne. White sauce, Red sauce, Vegetables and Layers. I'll explain how to make each one in detail.

Veggies :
Basically, you take all the vegetables you would want in your Lasagne. Cut them into 1" cubes and cook with salt and paprika (or Kashmiri mirch. You want the colour and not too much spice).
Veggies I use are
1. Zucchini green and yellow : 1 each
2. Bell peppers - all 3 colours : 1 each
3. Baby corn : 3-4 kernels
4. Mushrooms : 1 packet
5. Cauliflower : half a big floret
6. Broccoli : half a floret
7. Potatoes : 3
8. Carrots : 1
9. 1-2 green chillies for spice
10. As much garlic as you want

Don't put stuff like bhindi, kundru, pumpkin etc. If you notice, I do not use onion in the veggies portion as I use it in the Red sauce.
(You might notice how I capitalise the 4 meta ingredients ? Well, it is Lasagne - it deserves the respect).

Process :
1. Cut everything into one inch cubes except garlic which you cut fine).
2. Put the garlic into the cooking pot with oil and roast it until it becomes aromatic. Do not make it brown - or you can. Choice is yours
3. Put all veggies into the cooking pot and add salt and paprika.
4. Mix well and let it cook. I usually keep it on low flame and cover the pot for a while (15 odd min)

You will notice that there is a lot of water in the pot even though you didnt add any, This is because mushroom secretes a lot of water. Cook the veggies until all this water evaporates (while lid is closed). This ensures all the veggies (especially potato and carrot are fully cooked).

Veggies are done.

White sauce :
This is the topping in your Lasagne. Ingredients include
1. Maida - 1 cup
2. Butter - at least half cup
3. salt for taste
4. pepper for taste
5. 2 cheese slicesMilk - 2-3 cups

Process :
1. Put the butter in a pan on low flame
2. Add maida and roast until the maida and butter are mixed
3. Add milk and keep mixing so that there no lumps
4. Add cheese slices and continue mixing and ensure it remains lump free
5. If you feel it is too thick add more milk. Add enough milk until it becomes thick like cake batter / idli batter
6. Add salt and pepper to taste

White sauce done !

Red sauce :

Ingredients :
1. 6-7 tomatoes
2. one packet tomato puree (if you do not want to use this then add 5-6 more tomatoes)
3. 5-6 garlic pods
4. 3-4 onions
5. 1 chilli
6. 6-7 mushrooms (optional)
7. paprika
8. salt
9. pepper kernels

Process :
1. Cut the tomato so that you can blanch it
2. Boil it in water until you can see the skin coming loose
3. Let it cool and then remove the skin
4. Put everything into the blender (except the ready made puree) and blend
5. Heat oil in a pan and add some garlic to it (this addition is optional)
6. Add the puree from the blender (and the packet one if you are using it) and cook
IMPORTANT : this puree will bubble and splatter and splash while being cooked on low - medium flame. Keep a lid while cooking it
If you have added mushrooms the puree will have a slightly grey texture to it.

Cook for 15-20 minutes.

Red sauce done !

Lasagne layers :

Now, if you are pressed for time and don't want to make the layers, buy ready-made ones. I bought Barilla sheets on amazon and its texture is amazing. Plus it is without maida and is gluten free. As it is currently out of stock, I am trying this brand : Agnesi.

If you are going to make the sheets, this is the process.

Ingredients :
1. Atta or maida
2. Water - boiling on the pan and one vessel with cold
3. Wide vessels
4. Salt

Process :
1. Knead dough with water and oil - just like you make for chapatis.
2. Let it rest for 15 odd minutes.
3. Keep one wide vessel with boiling water on the stove and one with cold water on the side
4. Make chapatis - nice round ones
5. Put one by one into the boiling water - it will puff up.
6. Turn it over so the other side cooks
7. Dip it into the cold water vessel
8. Immediately use as layers for your Lasagne. DO NOT let it sit and rest - will become gooey.

IMPORTANT : if you are making the layers then you should do this step only AFTER everything else is done and your vessel is ready for filling up and the oven is prepped and ready for baking.

LASAGNE layering process :

This is the fun part ! Make sure you have your 4 things in front of you (or the water and raw chapatis ready).
Pre heat the oven to 180℃ and keep ready. I usually layer my Lasagne while the oven is pre heating.

1. Apply butter to the inside of your baking vessel - cover the entire surface
2. Put Red sauce to cover the bottom - don't apply too thick a layer - just enough to cover the bottom is fine.
3. Put layers (ready made or straight from the cold water vessel post holding it up so the water drains)
4. Put veggies - enough to cover the layers. It is your choice how much you want to put per layer. Just remember, you need enough to make 5 layers in your Lasagne (or 10 if you are making 2 trays). It is ok if you are making it in a circular vessel and sheets are rectangular. Break and put so you can cover the layer completely
5. Put some Red sauce over the veggies. Make sure you spread it nicely through the veggies
6. Put a layer of Lasagne
7. Veggies
8. Red sauce
9. Repeat previous 2 steps
10. When you are near the top (keep 3 inches to spare), stop once you put the layer
11. On this later, directly put Red sauce
12. Apply White sauce on top of this. This will drag as it won't be slowly like Red sauce. no worries. I pat it into place. it is ok If red shows through white
13. Put some butter here and there on the top
14. Put one cheese slice cut into 2 inch squares one the top like a design
15. Bake at 160℃ for 45-50 min

Once it is done, let it sit in the oven so that it can cook more and become slightly golden brown.

Voila ! Lasagne ready !!! Enjoy

p.s. 1 : you can keep the balance in the fridge without issues post baking. Even the new-next-in-line tray of Lasagne.

p.s.2 : If you run out of veggies to make as many layers as you want, reduce the quantity you put per layer and add some white sauce per layer - doesn't need to be only on the top

p.s.3 : Can make white sauce with atta - but I'm warning you, it turns into grey sauce and tastes little goopy

Felafel and Hummus

Having grown up in Abu Dhabi, I love eating hummus and felafel, along with tahini sauce and pickled cucumber and beetroots. Ah, it brings back memories of going to the souq and making a beeline to the felafel shop. I'd ask the man there to make mine without tomatoes and put extra tahini sauce; and then load up on the pickles :-D It used to cost around 2Dhs back then (1995 types) - not sure how much it might cost now.

Recently given the lockdown due to Covid, I decided to try my hand at making felafel and hummus. After doing some research, I realised that it is extremely easy. Woohoo ! So, I decided to follow the recipes from Inspired Taste.

I made a few modifications and voila ! the felafel and hummus I made, made me reminisce of my childhood - tahini dripping onto my hands and ... the happiness :-)


Okay, first Hummus.

You will need
1. White sesame - it doesn't matter how much you take. Take at least 1 cup - you will get loads of tahini sauce with this and you can easily store the extra
2. Chickpeas soaked over might - the more the merrier. After soaking over night, pressure the cook out of the babies - more whistles, softer it is - easier to grind.
3. 1 Lemon
4. garlic - more the merrier ;)
5. Olive oil
6. A blender

Process :

1. Roast the sesame seeds until u hear them pop and see smoke coming. Roast on medium flame. You do not want the sesame seeds to become brown. Once the smoke starts, switch off the flame and let them roast in the residual heat. Keep tossing the pan to avoid charring.

Put these cooled seeds in the blender and blend with olive oil. Keep blending as much as possible (scraping the sides and pushing the content back near the blades). This is Tahini Sauce. This sauce is your starting material for hummus. If you make a lot, keep aside some and use it as a topping later on. Retain the balance Tahini sauce in the blender.
2. Add a lemon and blend again. Each blend session should be for at least 30 seconds
3. Add the garlic cloves and blend again with some olive oil
4. Now add the pressure cooked chickpeas and blend. You can add a bit of the cooker water (jus) and blend. The first time I made this I added olive oil instead of water. Both work fine
5. Add salt to taste and blend some more.
6. Keep blending until it is super duper smooth.

Your hummus is ready ! Season with some olive oil and paprika powder while serving.

IMPORTANT : the order of adding the ingredients for hummus is important - make sure you follow this order. You will get light and airy hummus :)







Now Felafel.

You will need

1. 1 onion
2. Parsley - one bunch at least
3. Coriander - one bunch at least
4. Garlic - the more the better
5. Corriander powder 1 tbsp
6. Cumin powder 1 tbsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Chickpeas soaked over night (NOT pressure cooked)
9. paprika powder


Process :

1. In your blender mix all the ingredients and blend. Do not over blend like hummus; blend until it is coarse. You will need to keep pushing down the stuff in the blender else the blades will be rotating air. taste and see if you need to add more of anything. Always start with slightly lesser than what you would normally use and add more if needed. IMPORTANT : As you re going to fry the mixture, make sure the salt is slightly lesser than what you would normally use. If the raw mix tastes great, then you have excess salt and it will be salty after frying. The taste should be slightly lacking in salt.
2. Rest the mixture in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
3. it is okay if the mixture bleeds water when you take it out - that only means you have extra salt or you have rested it longer than necessary. This is ok - do not worry. Just squeeze out some water while making the balls to fry
4. Make sure you have heated oil on the gas ready. medium-high flame
5. Make balls and put in the oil. It should sizzle immediately. If not, oil isn't hot enough.
6. Turn the balls over once or twice to ensure both sides become golden brown (slightly dark)

Voila ! Felafel is ready.

Now I have not made the pickles to be eaten with this - I bought them from the store. You can make them if you want, there's loads of places with recipes on how to do it.

Enjoy !

House self quarantine is driving me mad !!!

So, Covid-19 decided to rear its ugly head in the world some time around December 2019 and since Jan 2020 the world has been shitting bricks. The number of cases is exponentially increasing, people are panicking and buying hoards of toilet paper rolls, guns, stocking up rations for months, either getting divorced or making more babies - basically everyone is stuck at home or taking to the streets to protest and do whatever the eff they want.

It's a really trying time for us, for the world in general. I mean, we are used to sitting on our phones and not interacting much, but because we have been asked, rather told, to stay at home we want to defy and step out and party.

Humans as a species are really wired weirdly. We want to defy restrictions that are put in place for our benefit. We want to hate a PM because he's a Hindu supporter and thus not do as he asks. We want to find fault no matter what he says. Haters gonna hate, right ? Even in Italy (which is the worst affected right now); people are going to the streets as though they don't care ! there's a compilation of mayors losing their shit and threatening flame throwers at people who defy - it's gotten that bad. People in the US are throwing parties and meeting up on beaches and other public places because they can and they want to. I came across a post on Reddit where a man came and stole a can of water from a woman - WHO WAS IN A WHEEL CHAIR !!!!

People with kids - of ALL ages - must be losing their minds ! How do you keep a kid entertained for so long without TV or the phone ? How much can you read to them / make them read ? How many games can you play ? They aren't allowed to interact with others - all their pent up energy needs to be directed somewhere and the house must be a war zone ! I know mine is - I clean up after my 17 moth old 4-5 times a day. We are trying to teach her to "put" things back inside where they belong, but that resulted in us losing our Firestick TV remote for a good 4 weeks until we found it inside some bag inside a cupboard.

Most women in homes have become maids and cooks over night ! I remember my mom calling herself an "unpaid velakaari". I remember laughing my ass off when she used to say this but now I realise how little we value our moms / grand moms. I have started appreciating my mother so much more post this lock down ! I'm going mad trying to figure out what to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner ! Quite often I feel like giving up and asking the husband to eat chips / plain rice.

Young people can be affected by Covid-19 but we don't get affected that badly and end up being carriers and spread the germs to others - who can get really badly affected by it. Kids somehow seem to be least impacted in a bad way by this virus. But there are a few edge cases where young people are dying (like a 38 year old doctor).

How did such a virus emerge ? There are tonnes of conspiracy theories surrounding this. It all started in Wuhan - China some time around December 2019. Thousands of people have died there, but somehow the curve seems to be flattening there. The rest of the world is getting it now. Apparently doctors in Italy (which has a lot of Chinese workers from Wuhan) started seeing weird pneumonia cases in November 2019. Pneumonia is a last-stage situation for Covis-19. How come all these weird viruses originate in China ???? SARS, MERS and now Covid-19. Why does China try to suppress this information and only lets the world know when shit has hit the ceiling ? Is the world going to boycott Chinese goods and start depending on indigenous products; will then world take a leaf from modi's book like Make in India ?

I think I am going all over the place in this post. But this exactly what all is going on through my head. Im bored. Bored out of my brains ! I want to step out but I shouldn't and I cannot even if I wanted to. But I do not want to - I am not mad. I do not want to catch this disease, or worse, spread it all over the place.

I am not sure how long this world wide curfew will last. My gut tells me that after a couple of months, things will settle, this will become a way of life and people will get on with their days. Just like how nowadays no one gives a shit about TB - which is still killing 4,500 people a day every day even today.

I just hope this quarantine is not going to result in more humans ... 

Me wanting to play Sierra and Windows games on my Mac

I have been recently feeling the desperate urge to play Sierra and Windows games on my Mac. The main one is AOE II. Apart from this I also really want to get my hands on the older Sierra games like Light House, Gabriel Knight 3, Emperor etc. So I did some Google-Ing online and found out that Steam (on which I play DOTA) has some of these games !! Woohoo ! Party, right ?

I go to the app and purchase these games - I am like "It's worth the 900 bucks I am paying for Gabriel Knight and AOE II. I mean, I love the games - and I do not want to install some pirated version (just in case it crashes my computer)". What do you know... After I complete the payment, I try to install the games and I am unable to !! I PURCHASED VERSION FOR WINDOWS !!!! nahiiiiiiiiii

I frantically started checking online if one can return games purchased on steam, and a very helpful link told me that one can do so. Thankfully I wasted no money ...

I still needed to get the games; and had no clue where to get them from. I did not want to risk downloading it from some random websites (even by paying money) - who knows what might happen to my computer. Then Sudhir told me about this software called Wine - which enables a mac user to be able to use windows softwares on their macbook without having to bootstrap (have 2 OSs on your comp and run either one when you want) and all that jazz.

So, back to Google we went and found this super helpful blog using which I used to install the software. I felt like a pro, you know, using command prompt (aka Terminal) and all that jazz😎. For those of you like me, go to "Go -> Utilities -> Terminal" :)

After I installed Wine and did everything, I needed to get the .exe file of AOE2; and finding this turned out to be a nightmare 💀 I kid you not. I searched and searched everywhere and I could not find the exe file ! Sudhir had one on his computer (Windows) and I tried using that but it kept failing !

So, back to Google I went and found some software called "PlayOnMac". A lot of links to answers people had asked about playing Windows games on their Mac led to this software. By this time, Sudhir had given up and told me he will help get it done. I knew I'd have around 3-4 days for that to happen - so why not search while I have the time :)

Searched online for this PlayOnMac thingy and found a website from where I could download the software. I threw caution to the wind and downloaded it and then tried installing it. My attempt was foiled yet again ! My MacBook told me that I cannot install apps that are not downloaded from the AppStore and in order to be able to install it I need to allow the system to install such apps. I had no clue what to do, but some pop up came from my comp itself saying that I should go to Security and Privacy and make the changes. This option sits in System Preferences -> Security and Privacy. Then you have to press the lock symbol at the bottom in order to be able to make changes to the app installation preferences.

Phew, finally when that got done, I was able to open this PlayOnMac software on my computer. It sits in the LaunchPad.

When you open it, you get an option to Install programs, and on clicking on that you can choose (from the top) to install Games ! And there is a plethora of games to choose from :) :) :)

I chose AOE2 HD and it required me to get it from Steam (the DOTA application thingy) and it installed the same through this PlayOnMac software - this is because Microsoft has given the distribution rights to Steam. Once all this got done, I started installing AOE2 HD... It look over an hour thanks to the sh***y internet I have at home - but hey! It got done :) And now it's time to PARTY, BABY !!1 woohooo

Finally; all on my own I managed to install and play AOE ! and there's tonnes more where all that can from. YAY !!!

Next step : Gabriel Knight 3

Buy guys, you know what the best part is ? I got all these games for FREE !!! :) yeah ! that too on Apple :)

The Spain trip - what we did, where we stayed and how we commuted (3)

Barcelona ... You beauty!

1st May is when we woke up refreshed in our final destination within Spain. That day we decided to check out Sagrada Familia, Park Guelle and La Rambla. The reason we wanted to fit everything into one day is because Nandhini needed to leave the next day (a day before the rest of us). This meant I needed to fly alone back to Bangalore :'(

Our hostel was on the road parallel to this one :)

Anyway, we got ready by 9AM that day. Hipstel Hostel had a gujju lady at the front desk - who had been there for a year and had forgotten Hindi !! The hostel was meh - nothing great. Wish it had been cleaner. There were no common bathrooms within the rooms unlike the hostel at Seville (The Oasis  Hostel); we did not bother going to the cafeteria - somehow... didn't like the feel of the place. It was clean - I'm not saying otherwise, but it was not as great at The Oasis one. We were unable to book Oasis in Barcelona as we did everything last minute and there were no rooms left. However this hostel has an amazing location ! We booked 4 beds in a 6 room dorm and surprisingly, there were just us 4 in the room for all 3 days that we were there :) *Score*

We walked to Sarada Familia; yes our hostel was that close. It took us around 20 min to get there; and what do you know. The place was booked out and there were no slots available for the tour. Like, what the hell... The only slots that were available were for the next day at 5PM - which meant that NanGan would not be able to join us. This was ok, tbh, 'coz she had been there before and had seen the stuff already. So right then and there Madhuri (using her awesome T Mobile internet) booked off 3 tickets for us for the next day. We checked online if Park Guell had slots, and nope - that also was sold out. 

Life Pro Tip : for any tourist spot you want to visit, check beforehand if tickets are needed and book them off.

Having nothing else to do, we decided to do tourist-y stuff and take the Bus Touristica across the city and see everything that Barcelona had to offer. This bus allows one to get on and get off anywhere in its routes - and it covers the entire city. Booked tickets from across the road (there is a stall), and then got on the next bus that came along :) You get ear phones and discount coupons that you can use across the city for the rest of the year along with the bus pass (which you must keep safely as that is what you show to enter the bus). All along the bus ride, there is an information guide that plays along giving you gyaan about the city and what special monument you are passing - and it is available in around 20 languages :)

We got off at Mt. Tibidabo stop - YES, the one from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. :) :)

Tibidabo is an awesome place. You need to take a tram to get to the top, and on top of it there is a ferris wheel, games for kids to play, a cathedral and some things to see.

RBF mode demanded brain numb-ers

After seeing everything and eating some food, we decided to go back down and proceed with the tour. What do you know, the tram ONLY accepts cash and we had run out of money. We assumed that Spain being a part of Europe will accept card everywhere; but sadly that was not the case. So we wasted time on the top of the mountain eating/drinking - until my patience wore off :| RBF mode was on.

Life Pro Tip : carry cash on you at all times. Do not swipe your card at all - use it only to withdraw money.

Luckily the girls got the hint and we took a cab and went back to the bus stop and headed to the beach.

Man, it was freezing ! thankfully it was not raining, but it was so damn cold !! I didn't want to eat any food and wanted to explore the beach. So I went - jacket, sweater, shoes, muffler, socks, jeans and a top; while there were women running in skimpy bikinis ...

After eating, we got back on the bus and went back to the hostel. En route we noticed where La Rambla street was and decided to head there tomorrow morning. The plan for that evening was to get NanGan sloshed given it was her last day with us on her bachelorette *evil smile*

Nothing of that sort happened. Like good girls we went to 4 different restaurants, ate and drank a bit in each before heading back to the hostel :D

Crashed peacefully and next day, along with NanGan's luggage we headed to Park Guelle. Frankly, there is nothing much to see. Brindavan gardens in Mysore is nicer. It's unnecessarily hyped up because a famous architect Gaudi designed it. Nothing great. After we finished seeing some bits of his garden, we headed to La Rambla - by this time Nandhini had left for the airport.

La Rambla is one place you definitely have to visit. There are all types of stores, all kinds of cuisines, all sorts of places to eat ... wow. Within La Rambla there is La Bouqueria - a market of sorts where you can buy all kinds of food and ingredients. It is a food lover's paradise. All raw material is priced at a max of 3 euros, and the for is prepared live in front of you.

Life Pro Tip : Keep cash on hand while going to this place as you will need it.

The morning side of SF

After we got done with this place, we headed back to the hostel to dump our shopping as we needed to go to Sarada Familia for the tour! I was super excited having heard so much about it during the bus tour and from Nandhini who had been there before.

The evening side of SF

Be prepared to be disappointed. I'm not saying it is ugly or not grand, but it is not worth the hype. yes, the building is beautiful, but so are others (Which are not so hyped).Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful - with coloured glass and columns built to look like trees ... But ... :|

The roof of SF

Here again we head head phones and need to go to different points within the structure where we get to know what Gaudi was thinking / feeling / imagining while designing the place.
The tourism part of the tour blew me away. The way they make tourists feel for the structure and give money to help with its construction is brilliant. Yes, you read me right. The money tourists give is what is used to continue with the construction of this place.

After we finished with the tour, we took a cab to La Rambla where we had dinner. Headed back to the hostel afterwards and I started getting a panic attack as I had a flight in 6 hours and was flying alone back to India....

Flights were fine - I ate a couple of pills Mad gave me for a fever (which would make me sleepy); and the flight passed by reasonably well :)

Did some shopping at Frankfurt sad-duty-free-terminal C and then got on the flight back to Bangalore.

Barcelona is a beautiful city. I feel that in order to cover it and do justice you need a max of 4 days.

Life Pro Tip : Carry cash with you because every time you swipe, you get charged that extra international handling fee, but later on a bomb is dropped into your bank statement
LPT2 : La Rambla has FCB and RM stores where you can buy original merchandise. In case you are planning, be prepared to shell out at least 100 euros for the jersey
LPT3 : take a lot of pics and be prepared to see people eating loads of weird stuff (like live lobsters)
LPT4 : carry some medicines on you just in case you get a cold. Meds there are super expensive
LPT5 : Have a small sling back that has a zip. A backpack makes no sense coz you have no control over it when it is hung on your back
LPT6 : Keep your belongings close to you. We managed the entire trip without an incident, but I have heard stories from friends who have been robbed in broad daylight

The Spain trip - what we did, where we stayed and how we commuted (2)

On 28th, we left Seville and began our road trip "across" Spain. We had not pre-booked anything and decided to go with the flow and rent a large car from the cheapest place available. Guess what car we rented.. AN AUDI ! :D *evil laughter*

We started from Seville around 9AM and drove down to Cadiz.

Cadiz is a beautiful place - there is nothing much to do apart from take pics at a fort sort of thing facing the waterfront. Now, because it was not raining, we made it a point to take pics without our jackets (mind you, it was still cold). And it so happened that all of us were in shades of black or white :D

We had food at a very sad restaurant in Cadiz. We basically walked along the promenade and did not find any place that we liked. We started walking back to where we had parked the car and went through a street which had these small cafes - and as we were famished and needed caffeine, we decided to plonk ourselves there.

Life Pro Tip : If you do not like potatoes and are a vegetarian; my deepest sympathies are with you, my friend.

After recharging ourselves, we started to drive towards Gibraltar (that was the route we had planned. Seville - Cadiz - Gibraltar - Granada).

Goofing' around in Cadiz. They form a signal :P

Gibraltar - funny story I tell you. Nandhini Ganesan told us that she has been to Gibraltar in the past and that we definitely need to see the place. So we packed our bags and started to drive down there. En route, we noticed that one side of the road had a LONG LONG LONG queue of cars waiting (on the right side lane) - and they were on the way to Gibraltar. Having no clue why they were waiting like that, we took the middle lane and continued driving. What fools, right ? There is an empty lane to go.

Little did we know that we were on the "no customs declaration" lane. We saw it a little further ahead and wondered - what customs rubbish ? We are within Schengen territory, absolutely no issues at all. Then Madhuri's T Mobile internet told us that we are crossing borders. Wait, what ??? Crossing borders ??? We then saw a notice board telling us that we are entering British Overseas Territory and need to have a valid visa. OMG OMG OMG ! We didn't have any visa for London; we could not take any u-turn because there was no place to take one. Accepting our fate we proceeded. I mean, what is the worst that could happen ? we would be asked to leave and exit the country. Sheesh !!

Life Pro Tip : Make sure you check routes before you decide to take them.

LPT2 : In the future, DO NOT trust a friend who claims to have been to Gibraltar but does not remember that you need a bloody visa to the place.

Thankfully, we were able to enter thanks to our Schengen. We got our passports stamped with an entry into Gibraltar which was valid for a day. Cool right ? Got to visit 2 countries while in Spain :|

Anyhoo, we roamed about at the lighthouse at the tip of Europe, and then proceeded to drive to Granada. We managed to book a house over there to stay, as our flight to Barcelona was from there the next day. It was a quaint little place, kind of in the heart of the city, near this college - due to which the eateries were mindblowingly yummy. We decided to grab dinner at this place closely; where I had the most delicious drink of my life. I had Mead - a sweet version and .. oh. my. God. It tasted exactly like juice and was sooooooooo tasty ! The food was also quite good - a Lebanese sort of place. Had a felafel wrap, while the others tried different stuff.

We almost passed out at the house after we returned. The lady was very nice, and the funniest bit is that she spoke 0 English, while we spoke 0 Spanish (Even though Nandhini went for Spanish classes and passed some exam - so she claims). We actually used Google translate on her phone to communicate :D
The next day, we had some time to kill. We checked out of the house, paid some 250 odd Euros to the lady and proceeded to explore Granada. The place is gorgeous ... We went to this place called Alhambra - it's an old structure that exists within city limits and has some beautiful architecture. This place took us around 2 hours, post which we went to the city, had lunch and then proceeded to go to the airport where we needed to return the car. While going back we noticed those orange trees! And decided that we were going to pluck an orange - each of us :)
We did so, but then some men started shouting at us and I freaked out thinking we did something illegal. Turns out they were telling us not to eat those oranges as they are bad ... Guess that explains why the trees were full of them and no one was plucking and eating/selling them.

The Veuling flight to Barcelona was uneventful, and peaceful (thank God for that). I sat with Madhuri (those hands I held every now and then during slight turbulence).

Life Pro Tip : Do your web check in before reaching the airport. This gives you time to do some window shopping, chill, have a drink and relax before boarding.

We landed in Barcelona around 830PM - and it was still quite bright :)
We had booked a hostel called The Hipstel. It cost us around 19 bucks per head and is in the main road of Barcelona - Passage De Garcia.

Life Pro Tip : While booking hostels, you will need to make a choice between high rating - location - good pics.