Hotel Barcelona Princess - 5*

I have to say, my recent stay in Barcelona was made amazing by the incredible staff at the Hotel Barcelona Princess. They were attentive, and helpful through everything, including setting me up with internet in my room, free of charge, as well as borrowing me an adapter so that I could charge my camera to keep taking my hundreds of photos as I toured through the city.

They even helped pay for my taxi when I arrived at the hotel, walletless after being pick-pocketed on La Ramblas. They were friendly and remembered me, even with the large conference that was going on in the hotel, making me feel right at home - no matter how many people had looked at me strange as I attempted to speak Spanish!

The food in the hot breakfast buffet was incredible, although slightly different from what we are used to over here! Cold cuts, cold toast (it's the way they eat it over there), fresh fruit (rather than fried breakfast items) and a large selection of juices were only a few of the things that were there, ready to tempt the taste buds and keep me going for my long days wandering.

The rooms were incredible, with comfortable beds, black out blinds that made sleeping incredibly easy, and some of the nicest showers that I have found through all my European trips. It even made my shower at home look weak in comparison!

I would highly recommend this hotel for anyone looking for a hotel in a quieter part of Barcelona with excellent metro access, and a fairly affordable taxi ride home. A 5* in my books all the way.

(As per other reviews on TripAdvisor, the hotels are remarkably slow, but this is a small price to pay for the incredible service and amazing accomodation.)

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.