close-up of the Columbus Statue

Barcelona, AKA my first train ride

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October 16th 2005
This weekend I got to visit Barcelona. I was pretty excited because this is the first time I had gotten to use my rail pass and travel outside of France. It was a real adventure, as I have never taken a train anywhere before. One tip about trains: you have to watch those train ticket salesman . . . they are kind of like airline people, and will sell you a more expensive ticket than you need. They ... read more

Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Barcelona

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Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in ... ... read more