From Toronto, it took me almost 24 hours to end up in one of the smallest hotel rooms I had ever seen: Hotel Prisma, Barcelona. Not too far from the action, it was, I must admit, clean, fresh and new. The women at the reception desk seemed to have been in a constant state of emergency – were they a reflection of Spain's population? I doubt.

The first thing I did was to rent a bike – good move. Barcelona is a very large city, modern yet conservative, cultivated, Starbucks-infected, smoke-free (most of the time), and safe. The city has extremely large streets, endless biking paths, hundreds of places to visits, tons of outdoor restaurants, millions (almost) old buildings to admire, friendly people and of course... the Mediterranean Sea.

While I am not an exhibitionist (or am I?), having a nude afternoon at the beach was just a fantastic liberating experience. All the ones you always wanted to see naked were there, and the other ones too. After a while, you get into the beat and enjoy the freedom.

I would certainly go back for an afternoon swim and for one of those very late warm night dinners, outside, on a large street, between old buildings. Charming, it was!

What’s next? A train ride to Nice – the worst night ever...