A España

Princess Mindy is ready to make a visit to Spain.

One of the advantages to living in Europe is the ability to travel Europe for relatively low prices thanks to the wonders of budget airlines. Deciding to take full advantage of our Christmas holidays, Mindy and I set out for the Spanish coastal city of Barcelona. A little sun, warmer temperatures, fantastic food...we figured it was worth a shot.

We set off from Paris on Monday evening to make the two hour flight from Paris to Barcelona. The key to budget airlines is that they fly out of airports that are little further out of town then Charles de Gaulle. As a result, when we landed in Barcelona, we actually arrived in a town about an hour's train ride to Barcelona. So we stayed the night in the local Quality Hotel before continuing our journey in the morning.

Mindy on the early train to Barcelona.

We caught the early train and arrived at our hotel on La Rambla in Barcelona at about 10:30 in the morning (La Rambla is one of the main steets in Barcelona). Check-in is usually in the early afternoon, but the manager decided that we could use a little special treatment and checked us in on the spot. Our hotel features an open buffet with fruits, hot dishes, pastries, and beverages free of charge for the guests, so Mindy and I decided that a late breakfast on the balcony of our room overlooking La Rambla was in order. See our tour video at the end of the post for more.

Breakfast for two on the balcony.

After breakfast we decided to explore the area of town that we are staying in as La Rambla is known as one of the top tourist areas in Barcelona. It was beautiful day with barely a cloud in the sky and a balmy plus 13 degrees. We made our way down to the watefront where we viewed the monument of Columbus.

The New World is that way...I think.

At the base of the monument are some statues of lions, which of course we had to climb on and pose in front of before heading back up La Rambla to our hotel for lunch before we continue our Barcelona adventure.

Tackling a lion is no easy task.

Mindy does her best to look like Simba.

Welcome a España. Stay tuned for more...