by Lu Sobredo The Dark Side of Barcelona “Unfortunately, the Catalonian capital also bears another, more dubious honour: Barcelona is the pickpocket capital of the world.” ~ Phil Sylvester  When I began my travel blog in 2016, I pledged to use the pages to spark interest in those who are less likely to consider traveling because of personal limitations. I wanted the narratives, which celebrate the beauty of the place and its people, to jump out of the pages. I told myself: Let your words and the words of guest writers highlight unique experiences that exhilarated the senses. And I also vowed to tell the truth and share a multi-dimensional story including the infrequent yet ugly side to travel. So this essay is about pickpockets in some of the most beautiful places in the world. May the stories serve as reminder to many to take vigilance without paralyzing one’s sense of adventure. As one of the travel gurus in my youth once wrote: “Europe is safe when it come

by Lu Sobredo It’s not surprising...tourists, especially first time visitors to Europe, often choose for their destination: Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Paris and Nice in France, Munich and Hamburg in Germany, Rome and Venice in Italy, and so on. These well-known and often-written-about cities boast iconic landmarks. These places are historically significant. In my experience, throngs of tourists descend on these cities especially during spring and summer. As in most major cities in Europe, and for that matter as in most major cities in the world, expect to pay high prices, unless you’ve done some homework beforehand. I started this five-part series about small towns in Spain to make a point. Small towns for the most part are the antithesis of large cities. They offer similar comforts but in a more peaceful and slow-paced setting. They have much to offer a venturing soul who loves to uncover the less explored corners of the globe.  A Photographic Exploration of Foz