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Ahh, Barcelona.  It was a must-see city on my second ever swing through Europe in early 2009.  Now I just need to go back in Summer for the full experience.

So I’m lounging on my couch after two late nights of partying in Medellin, waiting to be picked up by some new friends to spend the night at a finca (country house) for the first time, when Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations comes on the TV.  It’s an episode on Spain, and the second segment is [...]

 
 
Thankfully not my Capital One credit card, which I had left in my money belt back at the hostel (locked in the top part of my backpack, which I didn’t bother to put in the hostel locker). And it wasn’t really a wallet I’d been using. I had purchased a small [...]

 
I’m on the bus to Madrid. 8 hours – a long haul. About last night…
 
I got a bit of rest at the hostel and took the metro to the stadium – Camp Nou. It was pretty easy. Got to the gate at 8pm, but they didn’t open until thirty [...]

 
I took the metro to La Sagrada Familia, the grandiose yet unfinished cathedral of architect Antoni Gaudi. Upon exiting the metro station, I turned around to catch my first glimpse of the northern facade. Aye caramba – it was hideous!
 
 

 
 
I walked around the exterior to the southern entrance where [...]

My train arrived in Barcelona at 11pm as scheduled. I took the metro a few stops, and walked five minutes to the nearby family run, year and a half old, Mambo Tango hostel. They pride themselves on a friendly, peaceful, clean, respectful environment. The young, dreadlocked Spanish owner, Toti, warned me about [...]

 
12:45 pm
I’m on the 7.5 hours train to Barcelona via Narbonne in southeast France. The weather has turned, the sky now gray and cloudy. We all slept-in this morning. I showered around 10am, enjoyed a croissant, indulged in another pastry – champagne and white chocolate mousse, and sipped hot chocolate. [...]