We had such a great time on our vacation that my husband and I are thinking of canceling all the planned budgetary items that involve house improvements over the next few years in favor of going on more vacations. But where?

We definitely liked the city thing, that was perfect for us, and there are so many cities that I assumed we would have no trouble choosing destinations for however much time we have left, but this might not be the case. Today I happened to speak to a friend who visited Australia this summer, and she said it was impossible to get dinner or groceries there after about 8 PM, mostly because they don’t have enough people to work menial jobs and they very much do not want non-white people to enter their country. Even worse, the legal code treats Aboriginal people differently, as in they have different rights and are allowed to do different things compared to white people, by which I mean fewer things.

Countries that regulate residents by race are usually not on my must-visit list.

The same friend also felt that Germany was similar, at least in terms of closing early; I believe Germany is currently an enthusiastic recruiter of immigrants. I think Berlin might be a good fit for us, but not if it doesn’t have any nightlife. On the other hand, one of our sons went a few years ago and had no trouble finding nightlife so it may be specific to where one stays or what one seeks.

This leads one to think about what is it about a city that one really likes. Starting with myself as the first one, I would say diversity, energy, street life, fabulous public transportation, and a wide variety of interesting things to do and see. I like to take my time at home in the morning and then stay out late. I like for the city to be clean and well run, and for the neighborhood where I’m staying to be safe until at least midnight.

I guess we will be investigating the possibilities over the next few months or years.

Meanwhile, there’s always Paris and London, those work. Or we could even go back to Barcelona. Or maybe the Barcelona we experienced has already disappeared, like Brigadoon, and one can only savor the memories.

2 thoughts on “Beyond Barcelona”

  1. I was going to say (!), I agree London and Paris would be great choices, as would New York (my personal favourite). I don’t know exactly what your standard is for “safe” and “clean,” but those three are all pretty much on a par, in my opinion. Berlin is famous for nightlife and has been since at least the 1920’s (Cabaret is set there, after all!). I can only think that your friends must have been staying either in the ‘burbs, or in a commercial area where everything shuts after business hours. We stayed in Prenzlauer Berg, in what used to be East Berlin, which was very lively and cool.

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