Paris to Barcelona

I´ve finally made it to Spain... it has been my dream to come to this country for years and years... ever since I can remember. I have 4 nights in Barcelona (the weekend mind you!!!) and then 3 nights in Madrid. According to Lonely Planet, Madrid has some of, if not, the best nightlife in the world. I have a few bars and clubs lined up but will rely on other backpackers in finding out the hidden gems of these two cities. I developed an immense interest in Spain ever since visiting El Caballo Blanco when a child... I can remember the bull fights vividly. It is also the Spanish people I´ve met over the years who I have adored greatly.

Playing Beach Volleyball in Paris

My last day in Paris was left roaming the streets and I was pleasantly surprised as to what I came across. I focused on the St Michael area, which encompasses a whole load of interesting buildings and sights. I didn´t want to leave Paris without trying at least one coffee in a proper cafe so thoroughly enjoyed devouring my 6 euro ($10) cupuccino which was absolutely superb and left me in such a great mood for many hours after. (PS... I blew the budget totally and had two!). The crowds weren´t as bad today probably due to the weather... it was very cool and overcast today.

Walking through the Louvre

One side note for future reference... with men´s fashion, I´ve noticed a lot of men wearing business shirts with vertical stripes on darker colours (i.e. browns, blues etc.), without a tie, and a huge investment in stunning suits. I´ve thoroughly enjoyed observing the fashion here in Europe... for the Europeans are truly stylish. In terms of casual wear, white pants are definitely a goer... accessories (i.e. stylish belt and watch) and shoes also make a difference... and long shorts that pass the knees are common. The French and Italians probably get my vote for being the best styled. Makes me want to go clothing shopping even more, and ditch these traveller clothes forever more! The lack of good clothing in my backpack kind of turned me off the nightlife here for you REALLY do need to look the part and go all out in getting styled... not like Thailand (except Bangkok maybe) where thongs, a tank top and board shorts get you into anywhere (PS... I prefer the latter but it´s always good to get dressed up now and again).

My train left Paris at 8.35pm and arrived into Barcelona 12 hours later. This train was a rip off... 43 euro for a seat, on top of the eurail pass. But I did meet Andres from Bogota, Colombia who was great to talk to... he confirmed that South American people, on the whole, are a lot warmer and welcoming than that of Europeans so I look forward to that. Andres is taking a break from his study as a mechanical engineer to travel around Europe for a month. He has 4 days in Spain before returning to Colombia. He assures me that it is not as bad as we are thought to believe! I envy Andres´ ability to speak fluent Spanish AND English... I think our education system has a lot to learn from the superb education systems of other countries (especially here in Europe) that produce citizens that are fluent in countless languages. I know we don´t really need it in Australia but it would be very good if every citizen could become fluent in at least one other language. In terms of my own experience, I learnt Italian and French in school but know very little of either. My travels have, however, increased my appetite to go back to language school and to become increasingly fluent in at least Spanish... the problem is becoming fluent through practise which is hard to get when you don´t know anyone that speaks the language! Shame that I can´t be truly immersed in the culture for an extended period of time like 6 to 12 months. The Europeans have the advantage that they have to be fluent in a number of languages if they expect to converse with their neighbouring countries.