Hola Barcelona...

Barcelona, Spain

October 25, 2007
N41°23.190
E002°10.480

The train glided along the coastline from Nice to Montpellier. At times, when we looked out the window, all we could see was the brilliant blue Mediterranean, the water so close to the tracks it gave the illusion we were skimming effortlessly across the water. We headed inland to reach Montpellier, our transfer point, where we waited for two hours to board another train to our final destination—Barcelona.

It has been ten years since I last visited Barcelona, but the vibrant city by the sea captured my attention, has lived in my dreams and currently resides at number two (after San Francisco) on my all time favorite cities list. Barcelona is a lot like San Francisco in terms of weather and proximity to the water. However, in Barcelona the culture is centered on enjoying the company of family, friends and community, at times until the wee hours of the morning.

Marc has heard me talk about Barcelona for the past nine years. He heard over and over how beautiful it is, how much fun it is, and how badly I want to go back. Not only has he heard the hype from me, he’s heard it from almost everyone who has visited Barcelona. For some reason it has never been on one of our previous itineraries. I guess we were saving it until now.

Luckily, we have 13 nights in this beautiful city and I am confident Marc will see the city for its true qualities, not for all the hype it has received from travelers just looking for a party scene. At the same time, the city has changed so much in the last ten years; I think I may fall in love with it all over again.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see…