zocalo

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Tuesday, June 10, 2014

On to Barcelona

This morning we went to one of the two train stations in Valencia to catch our 11 AM train to Barcelona.


This train was not a high-speed train, but it was still a very comfortable and pleasant journey.  It took about three hours, and for much of the trip we skirted the Mediterranean.  From the Barcelona-Sants Station we took a taxi to our hotel, "Aparthotel Silver", which is located in the pleasant neighborhood of Gracia, a short subway ride from the central city.

I assume that it is because of Barcelona's glamorous reputation and popularity as a tourist destination that its hotels are so expensiveWhen I travel, I generally try to stay at places that cost under $100 per night.  I am usually able to find a very pleasant place in that price range. (Our hotels in Segovia and Valencia were very attractive and reasonably priced.) Finding a nice, moderately priced hotel in Barcelona, however, can be a problem.

I discovered the "Aparthotel Silver" back in 2004 when I traveled to Barcelona with a friend.  At that time it fit within my preferred price range.  We had a very pleasant double room with a kitchen (that's why they call it "aparthotel") and a nice terrace.  

Four years later, the next time that I traveled to Barcelona, a weak dollar had made the Silver more expensive than I wanted to pay.  I ended up staying at an "hostal".   (An "hostal" is not a youth hostel, but a basic, inexpensive hotel that occupies one floor of a building.  Often in Spanish cities, you will find several "hostales" occupying different floors of the same building.)  My room was spartan and cramped and I paid nearly $100.  Admittedly it was located right on Barcelona's most famous boulevard, Las Ramblas.

For this trip I didn't want Phyllis to have to put up with "hostal" accommodations, so I looked into the Silver once again.  Our single rooms cost just over $100 per night, although they are not as spacious as the one I had back in 2004, and there is no terrace.  But the rooms are clean and comfortable, and for Barcelona the price is not bad.

 

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