Paris, France & Barcelona, Spain
November 10th - 16th, 2005

Like many vacations, Johnna and I took this one with our great friends, Dan Lee and Mia Pham.  We spent one day in Paris on the layover from Houston and then four days in Barcelona with one final day in Paris.  During this time of year both cities were cold and rainy.  The weather did not affect us other than the last day in Paris where it was very cold and wet.

Barcelona was inexpensive compared to Paris.  The best food we had were at two restaurants.  In Barcelona, the "Citrus" Restaurant was the best with a close second in Paris at the "Au Pied De Cocbon".  Both are famous restaurants in the two respective cities with reservations an advantage.

Dan Lee was able to achieve one of his lifetime goals which was to race in a Formula 1 Car.  Many Americans are acquainted with the Indy 500 or NASCAR, but the rest of the world follows Formula 1, which arguably is a racing sport with more fans, money and athleticism required.

To get around in Barcelona and Paris required very little Spanish and French.  I can speak a little Spanish and only know a few social words in French.  No matter the difference in language, we had no problem getting directions and food.  Maps were available to highlight tourist attractions.  We found the peoples in both cities to be very "tourist friendly" with it being helpful to start all conversations with hello in their language.

Having gone to the two cites, we look back and realize a tourist needs only a few days in Barcelona to see it's sites and most likely a full week in Paris to see it's attractions.