Barcelona

Recently, I returned from a whirlwind holiday to Barcelona.  I don't know if I can ultimately call it a holiday, as I was there to attend a conference, but it was an amazing glimpse into a completely different world.  In North America, we are blessed to be able to speak English, no matter where we go, whether it is in Canada, America, or even Mexico.  

In Europe, you can be speaking Portuguese in Portugal, Spanish in Spain, and French in France.  And that's all in one day.  In Canada, we can travel for days, weeks or even months and still not get out of Canada.  In Europe or the United Kingdom, you can hop on a train and be in a different country in less than two hours.  

And that's not even mentioning the other differences we will encounter.  In Barcelona, the standard fare for breakfast was bacon, eggs and chips.  (That's fries for those of you not versed in the British word for fries.)  But don't think that obesity is an epidemic over there.  With Bicycles for rent by the hour, day or week, you don't need a car to get around this city.  And driving is not for the faint of heart, with one way streets with only inches to spare.  As they used to say in London, an inch in between vehicles and another one can sneak in.

While I was blessed to visit the other sights, which I will touch on, in another blog to come, the differences are what makes traveling such a blessing.  Learning what we admire about our own country, by experiencing others.  What better way to discover a new way of appreciating all that is outside our own doorsteps.