Barcelona & Andalucia Trip Report - GREAT (but some bad luck)

Our last day in Seville. Woke up and headed for breakfast at 9am and we were the only ones there! It was a Sunday so we figured everyone must be sleeping late. We find out however, that it was time to reset your clocks so it was only 8am! Too bad because I would have loved to have slept another hour. Headed for Alacazar which is not to be missed, it is magnificient. I highly recommend the tour of the private rooms, - Banquet hall, billiards room, childrens room. There was an additional fee for this. Love to see how people lived in various times – whether rich or poor- (the Tenement Museum in NYC is a good example of how the poor lived) . Although I was feeling tired, again didn’t sleep well, DH was even worse and he was ready to leave after 1 hour so we didn’t spend much time there. We strolled through Maria Lusia Park (I believe it is called) – perfect on a Sunday afternoon. Here is where I noticed how well dressed the woman of Seville are. I saw many woman strolling in the park beautifully dressed in high heels and pretty dresses. No jeans, sneakers, hair in ponytail. And the men looked great as well. Everyone seemed to be out walking..why not…another sunny day and the park with its statues, fountains and tile work was the perfect place to spend the day (in our case a few hours.) Oh, look at the time! Lunch time! At home, I eat a sandwich standing up so I was determined not to miss any meals. Lunch at an outdoor (of course!) café in the Santa Cruz area that was filled with locals. It certainly looked that way to me anyway. It felt great to sit down and that beer sure tasted good. Tapas and a salad. Salad not great…tapas great. Afterwards headed to the Cathedral and Giraldo Tower. Incredible. Beautiful. Walked up the tower…fun and great views. Although you are walking up ramps, instead of stairs, it is still a strenuous climb but you are rewarded with the views. By this time it was 4pm we were dead tired so back to the hotel for a rest. Before dinner a walk around the Alcazar and the park. Dinner at a restaurant near our hotel better forgotten about. Sat in the piano bar at the hotel for a nightcap – a nice way to end the evening.
I think two nights in Seville would have been better for us than three. Seville is a small town and it seemed like we walked down every street at least three times. Having said that, I think if we went to the museums and spent more time at the Alacazar and Cathedral , three nights would have been fine. I loved the shopping here and thought the prices were reasonable and wished I bought those boots. Seville is a beautiful city to walk in and you can walk everywhere, which I love.

looking forward for the next installment..

RONDA

This was our travelling day to Ronda where we spent two nights at Hotel En Frente Arte. Our plan is to spend the first day exploring Ronda and the following full day exploring the white villages.

We rented a car with AVIS through Autoeurope. Picked up our car at the Seville train station about 11 am and headed for Ronda. DH wanted a VW Golf and that what we got so he was happy. I was anxious about the fact I didn’t know how to get out of the city towards Ronda, but the woman at AVIS was helpful and gave me a small map with directions out. I had a Michelin Andalucía map and knew the route I wanted to take to Ronda but not how to get out of Seville. The drive was great – no traffic, great signs, beautiful scenery. This was not stressful at all….it got stressful driving IN Ronda. Trying to find street signs (not all streets signs are posted), plus watching traffic, plus watching out for pedestrians, that is stressful. Anyway, things were going okay. I printed out detailed directions that I received from the Hotel and everything was going sooooo smoothly (we didn’t hit anyone) until we had to make a right turn. Construction was going on and we couldn’t make the turn. And I didn’t have a map. Uh oh. Actually, I did have a map of Ronda from one of my guidebooks but it certainly wasn’t detailed We knew what direction the hotel was in, but we just couldn’t get there. Either we’d hit a dead end or it was a one way street. I guess this is where tomtom would have come in handy. Anyway we drove round and round and round and decided to park in a lot in the town center and walk to the hotel with our luggage. The good thing is we pack light, the bad is that the streets are cobbled and it’s hard to wheel your luggage on it. I had to carry it. Since we knew the general direction of the hotel, it wasn’t a problem finding it – about a 7 minute walk.

My mistake was not to get detailed maps of the towns we were visiting before leaving. Town maps from the guidebooks don’t cut it. I also should have been more prepared with directions out of the Seville train station. My next mistake was not to tell the front desk about the construction and the correct way to drive there from the lot where we parked. It would be a problem later.

Although I loved En Frente Arte, I can understand why some people don’t. If you prefer elegant spaces with antique furniture or clean modern spaces, this is not the hotel for you. It is definitely quirky with some funky looking furniture and crazy room designs. We stayed in the Bamboo room which got some negative reviews on Trip Advisor due to the bathroom being downstairs. Since we were only staying two nights, it wasn’t an issue but if you need to use the bathroom a lot during the night, I would opt for another room. The flight down is steep and the steps are tiled, not making for a soft landing. Another issue is the fact that to get to the center of town, you need to walk up a steep hill. Not a problem for us I thought, but it turned into a problem later on. That being said, I felt very comfortable here and wished we had more time in Ronda. I would have loved to have bought some food at a market, grabbed a free bottle of wine and had dinner on their nice terrace overlooking the hillside. Or maybe in the room with the pond. I believe the rate was 100 euros with breakfast and free wine, beer, soft drinks or water.

Thanks and keep it comin' Sashie, we'll be there in 2 months.

Now you know why the Spanish called that town Ronda -- because you go ronda and ronda the streets, trying to find your hotel!

I agree, great advice on printing out good street maps of the towns. we will be there in december, and will be based in Malaga, still trying to decide if Seville is worth the visit when we only have one day to explore. You may have changed our mind.

Seville is very special and definitely worth the trip. Very beautiful....stay there for a few nights abut 6/7 years ago...

The Ronda Enfrente Arte is a place that has had ups and downs and change of names, it was very good at first, not so now. The location is not the best as it is indeed down the hill from the main places, and mostly all streets in Ronda are cobbled. Driving there can be even scary, streets are steep. Nothing to do with works, one day you find them in a place, the next in other. Future travellers, do not hesitate to ask here directions to your hotel, I know the town pretty well.

Thanks for your interest!

We dropped our bags in our room and headed for town. Up the hill – not a problem since we have been eating a lot(!) and could use the exercise. So we did a bit of exploring, making the famous Puento Nuevo bridge our first stop with panoramic views of Ronda. Walked by Parador Ronda –I that’s a gorgeous place with views to match. Nearby was Don Miguel Restaurant with a huge terrace on various levels. It was mentioned in one of my guidebooks as having good food but we didn’t eat here. I wish we did since one of the meals we had in town wasn’t great and it certainly didn’t have that view. Maybe one of you readers will go! After that we strolled the streets, checked out restaurants and did some shopping. More artisan shopping here than Seville which we both enjoy. Art, ceramics, as opposed to only clothing type stores. We passed by Casa de Rey Moro and said we would visit this our last day here. Loved walking here, not overrun with tourists, some areas very quiet… it’s like stepping back in time. Back to the hotel for a rest.

Explored the hotel again, small pool –open but wow the water is cold! Decided to sit on the hotel terrace with a bottle of wine (hey we’re on vacation) and enjoy the scenery and the sounds – there’s a farm nearby with goats, horses and chickens and they were very vocal. Out again and had a late dinner. A lot of restaurants have menus in English but the descriptions are basic – Veal, Chicken, Beef…. So I would get chicken in a gravy (good) when I was hoping for roasted chicken. We usually got potatoes but no vegetables and if you do get a vegetable, it’s cooked to death. So we were surprised a lot, but that’s ok. As I learned in the past, if you want to ensure having a good meal, do some research. After dinner we strolled over to the bridge – all lit up, and back to hotel. We are not late night people…usually asleep at 10 and up at 6:30. I was worried that we wouldn’t have many dinner options with the locals usually having dinner at 10 but there were always loads of places to eat anytime we were hungry.

Breakfast at the hotel was very good and included breads, crepes, hard boiled eggs, muffins, various cold meats, juices, cereal. Make your own coffee – loved that, like being in your own home. You would think I would hate that being on vacation- getting my own coffee? But the machine was fun to use and even better – it was fast!

After breakfast the plan was to explore some of the White Villages. The towns I had in mind were Arcos, Grazalema and Zahara. Again, a nice drive, good signs, no traffic, beautiful countryside with olive trees galore. Arcos was bit of a drive, about an hour, but a friend had gone there and loved it. We enjoyed it as well. A very, very steep walk up and I was huffing and puffing (and I’m in good shape!) but worth it as it was very pretty with lovely churches, shops, restaurants and amazing views. Loved the shops here, especially one that had a beautiful selection of etchings and tile. The woman in the shop painted the tile herself (she was painting as I was shopping) and I’m still kicking myself about not buying one (or two) of her tiles. I did buy four etchings though of vineyard scenes (we have a small vineyard on Long Island so I was thrilled to find them) – done by a local artist. Drove to Grazalema next, again an easy drive and easy to park here. The car park was right before the town (you will see the tour buses!) Hungry now so we decided to find someplace to eat. We ended up at the first place we saw, which was close to the car park. A hotel /restaurant with nice views – just don’t look down, then you will see the dirty swimming pool! I actually didn’t want to eat here… I wanted to walk into the town and pick a place where we could eat outside. I’m one of those people who can walk from café to café to café looking at the menus and picking the one I think looks best. This is not my husband and since I’ve been picking all the restaurants, I agreed. It’s a big place and we walked in and we saw the looooooong table with the tourists from the bus. And another looooooong table set up for the next bus. But never judge a book by its cover because the food was really, really delicious. I had venison with mushrooms and onions in a thick sauce (brandy?) with potatoes on the side. DH had broiled fish, can’t remember what kind, but he was very happy. And beer of course. This was the only big meal we had at lunch but knew we would be walking it off. Grazalema is a pretty town to walk through – but there wasn’t much to do. I didn’t see many restaurants or shops and the shops that we did see were closed. But shopping is not why I travel….like I said the town is very pretty and the photos I took were incredible. On to Zahara.


Not a problem driving to Zahara, but we weren’t sure where to park. We knew we wanted to see the 10th century Moorish ruins (tower) at the top of the hill but couldn’t find parking anywhere near so we parked all the way at the bottom and walked up. Now that was a steep and long walk but the views made it worthwhile. We were walking behind a couple with three kids (under the age of 9 I would say) and the kids didn’t whine or complain, seem to be having a fun time. And it was a STEEP climb! Again, not many shops, not many restaurants and not many tourists. The churches were not open. But again, a beautiful town.


Nice drive back as well but the big question is…….will we be able to find our hotel?

ttt

Wonderful narrative. Awaiting the next installment. This is helping me plan our day trips from Calahonda. thanks much.

josele - we 'll have one full day in Ronda - driving there. any must sees? where to park?

DH decided that since we did a bit of walking in town, it won’t be a problem finding our hotel this time. He had a plan and even knew what streets to go down. And we were doing really well until the last street had a “do not enter” sign. I told him to go through it, it was quiet, no police in the area!! of course he said no, and round and round and round we go and we park in the same parking lot. At least this time we didn’t have luggage. So we are a bit frustrated so we decide to have a drink at the hotel but there is no corkscrew. Aaarrrrgggghhhhh. So out for dinner at an Italian place in a large square (where we parked) and more wine afterwards at the hotel. The corkscrew was found ! We weren’t too crazy about the white wine so we mixed it with some red and created a very nice rose!

The following day we leave for Granada. Another beautiful day in Ronda- not in a rush and were able to get a late checkout. I wanted to spend a bit more time in Ronda, beore heading out to Granada. I left my map in the car so we decided to walk to the car with one piece of luggage, pick up the map (so we can check our route to Granada), drop off the luggage and then off to do more sight seeing. The only problem is that we couldn’t open the car. The clicker (car opener – whatever you call it) didn’t work or even worse, the car battery could be dead. My first thought – this is going to be a big problem.

nanbug

hahahhahahaha

I am enjoying your report. Keep writing!

We couldn’t open the car manually because there was no keyhole. Looked and looked. No keyhole. I had my cell phone with me but I didn’t have the telephone number for Avis . I had added VISA, Amex, chase, etc, to my cell phone but didn’t think of AVIS. We decide that I would walk back to the hotel and DH would stay with the luggage in the square (luckily there were benches). Found the numbers and called AutoEurope instead of AVIS so I could speak to someone in English. A very nice man put me in touch with AVIS Granada and was told I needed to get them garage name and telephone #. OK. Back to car park. Up the steep hill. Down to the car park. Of course the man at the car park doesn’t speak English and doesn’t understand Auto Dead or Auto Morte. So I say auto and then slash my finger across my neck…I think he understands but then starts speaking to me in Spanish. Luckily someone was able to translate and I got the number. Back to bench with DH and I call Avis Granada but number I got is not working. Try again but nothing. So I call AutoEurope and speak to someone different, explain the whole story, and ask them to try and call. Busy. They suggest calling road assistance and connect me to them. They need license #, registration # and voucher # on my contract. The contract is at the hotel. Get this information and call back they say. So I decide to call autoeurope to get the contract number, they don’t have it and connect me to Avis Seville since I can’t get in touch with Avis Granada. I speak to a woman, tell her the whole story and she said that she will get in touch with AVIS Malaga, since it is the closest AVIS center to Ronda and they will call me on my cell. I give my cell number and wait. DH has to go to the bathroom, so he goes back to hotel and I sit and wait for my phone call with the luggage. Wait, wait, wait. No phone call. After 15 minutes I try and call but I realize I no longer have service. How can that be??? I had service 15 minutes ago! Now I have to wait for DH and that takes 40 minutes total because while at the hotel he does some packing. So once he comes back, we walk back to the hotel, down the steep street, with one piece of luggage.

It’s amazing I’m calm and not crying.

what a story...

I need a drink just reading this!

Sometimes there are benefits to using public transportation
Great trip report. Hope the next installment finds you with a working car.

"Sometimes there are benefits to using public transportation "

Every time we go to Spain we think about renting a car , and every time we end up not doing it. There are benefits to both!

wow. what a pain.

So we are back at the hotel and explain everything to Natalya at front desk and gives me the hotel phone to use to call AVIS. Busy. Call AVIS Seville, Granada and Malaga – busy, busy, busy. Natalya faxes a note to Malaga – busy. Busy for over one hour. FINALLY I get hold of the woman I spoke to and she said the Malaga office tried to contact me but with no luck. I told her my phone had no service. She wasn’t clear if we had been able to get in the car and I told her no there is no keyhole. She asked: What kind of car is it? Me: VW Golf with no keyhole. She: There must be a keyhole!!! Me: We don’t see a keyhole!!! So she speaks to other people in the office and it is determined that the keyhole is under the handle. Ok we will look but I told her that we think the battery is dead because the key clicker lit up when we pressed it. No she said, it is not the car battery it is the clicker. She insists the car battery is fine. Ok back to car park. Up the steep street. Down three stories to car. We find the keyhole – under a cap (the cap needs to be removed) to the right of the handle. (why hide it??) DH gets in the car, I have my fingers crossed and the car doesn’t start. Natalya was nice enough to lend us her cell phone but we were unable to get in touch with AVIS.

Back to hotel. Down steep street. Call Avis. Busy, busy, busy. Finally get AVIS and the woman I spoke to before. Told her the battery was dead. Her plan? One of us will be picked up by AVIS, driven to Malaga, pick up new rental car, drive back to Ronda , pick me up (I’m not driving) and we are on our way!! ARE THEY KIDDING? No, not kidding. I said a better plan would be for both of us to go to Malaga and then drive to Granada from there. She is not sure, speaks to her supervisor, find out we don’t have much luggage and it’s a plan and they will pick us up in 40 minutes at the car park. I told them we won’t have a phone. They said no problem.

Back to car park. Up steep street with luggage.

(Probably the best solution would be to get a jump however, DH stalled out a few times (been a while since he drove a clutch) and we were afraid we would be stuck again. So we waited. )

I think we waited for about ½ hour when DH decided to put a sign on the car saying “auto Kaput”. I am unclear about what happened next, but road assistance showed up, and jumped started our car. The man spoke no English but somehow DH understood that we were suppose to take the car. So he didn’t know what to do. what if it stalled again? The road side assistance man is on the phone with someone (his boss?AVIS? ) and handed the phone to DH. He spoke English and said to take the car. It is 3:00pm now. When we discovered the problem with the car it was 10:30 am. We took the car and headed to Granada.

That was another problem.

I hope you finish this tonight as I have to get to bed! LOL!

The drive from Ronda to Granada was beautiful…we passed some white villages as well as olive groves and solar wind turbines dotting the hillside. Personally, I thought the turbines looked beautiful. Like sculptures from afar. Getting to Granada was not a problem, again good signs and I had a good map. The problem was once we were in the city of Granada that the problems started.

When I read previous trip reports regarding dropping the car off at the train station in Granada, they always wrote “so easy”…”not a problem” “couldn’t believe how simple”. This, to me meant “great signs for the train station on the highway”. Although I had several maps of Granada, none had the train station on it so all I knew is that it is on Avenue Andalucia. It was totally by sheer luck that we ran into the Avenue. Somehow we are not on Andalucia anymore. Uh oh. So at the light I ask the man in the car next to me “es-sta-tion Ren-if-e” … the man is looking at me strangely.. “Renife, Renife“ I say!!….DH is laughing at my pronunciation – ok, so my Spanish is not that great. Finally after DH helped me with my pronunciation, a very nice gentleman pointed us in the direction of the train station and there was AVIS.

At the time I was never so happy to get rid of a car before. But I have to say that the drive through the countryside and to the white villages was wonderful and we really enjoyed ourselves. We just had some bad luck.

Thank you! Glad you were able to finally dump the car!

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

GRANADA

Granada was a shock when we were driving around, a lot different from Seville and Ronda. The city is large, noisy, cars, taxis, people everywhere, graffiti everywhere..we loved it! And glad from the start that we were spending two nights here.

We stayed at Roommate Miguelettes, another great hotel in a can't be beat location - near cathedral. I believe it was 115 euros a night, breakfast included, and we had a private walled in patio with an amazing view of the Alhambra (especially lit up at night). The Hotel itself is on a pedestrian only street, so very quiet at night, and we felt very safe. The hotel surrounds an open courtyard that has an awning protecting the inside from the elements. It had a Moorish feel – dark woods, white stucco and tiled/cobbled floors. Elegant and cosy sitting room but I saw no bar, although there is a mini bar in the room. The room was very comfortable (#25), clean, great bathroom, small room. DH hated the bed saying it sort of caved in in the middle. I slept well. Front desk helpful. The only negative is that there was no air conditioning in the room. I was told I would be able to turn on the heat - she said that once it hits a certain date air conditioning is no longer available just heat. But we kept the patio door open and it was fine. I would definitely stay there again. Loved it.

It was about 7:30 now, hungry so we decided to take a walk and find a place to eat so we headed up Carrera del Darro where everyone seemed to be going but then ended up going back and having dinner near the cathedral at a restaurant called Meson Andaluz. We actually ate inside tonight and didn't mind since it was so comfortable and looked like an old world spanish tavern. Very happy with the menu - DH had the usual pulpo (octopus) with potatoes and I had shrimp with garlic in a tangy sauce that was really, really yummy (shrimp scampi with a bite). Nice Spanish wine. Two appetizers, two entrees, and a bottle of wine and water $74.65. I recommend this place.

7AM wake up call for Alhambra.

We were at the breakfast room (lower level) at about 8AM and were the only ones there. Good breakfast, no eggs, but meats, cheeses, cereals, breads and the strongest coffee yet. DH loved it. It is make your own coffee – easy and fast – and you can make cappuccino – and it was good.

I ordered Alhambra tickets online for 10AM entrance. And I was told by everyone from the guidebooks to fodorites to get there early, even the woman at the front desk said you must be there one hour before! So my plan was to leave at 8:30. I read that the walk, although not far (maybe 20-25 minutes) is a steep climb up. Since I knew we would be doing a lot of walking that day, we decided to take a cab and we were glad we did when the cab started the climb.

Picked up tickets at the machines…couldn’t be easier. Press button for English. Swipe your credit card (ONLY the one you used to purchase the tickets online) and that’s it. Man there to help. I didn’t see any long lines, even the line to purchase the tickets. Great signs with guards pointing you in the right direction. What can I say about the Alhambra that hasn’t been said? It’s a must see, another “how did they do this?” how many people this it take to do this? We didn’t do the audio tour and I regret that but even so we loved it. At about 9:30 we approached the line for the timed entrance for the Nassrid Palace. The line was long and we were told to come back closer to 10. We had taken the tour of the adjacent Palace with wonderful views. A man next to me pointed to the hills and told his friend – that where the gypsy caves are. Sacromonte. We went, but that’s another story. At this time we just waited around and I thought that maybe leaving the hotel at 8:30 was a bit too early. But we rested on a bench with some cats and enjoyed the sun with them.. We are big animal lovers so wished we had brought them some salami.

Back on the long line at 10 and thought for sure it would be so crowded while visiting the palace but it wasn’t bad at all, everyone sort of spread out. Although the palace was just an incredible piece of artwork, the gardens and fountains were my favorite and I would have loved to have a picnic dinner with DH, just the two of us. Instead we were with two groups of kids (one from Germany, another from the UK) and they cracked me up. One poor girl was told to step back a bit by her friend who was taking her photo and yes, you guessed it, right in the fountain! Another one stepped in dog or cat you know what. But they were all smiling and laughing and having a good time. You couldn’t help but smile as well. Loved strolling through the gardens and towards the end it was quiet and almost felt like we had the palace to ourselves. When we left it was already 12:30. We are fast walkers and don’t stay in each room for 15 minutes and take fast photos. So I can see how some people can spend the whole day there. So if you are planning, plan for the whole morning or whole afternoon.

Really enjoying your report. Glad you were able to work out a stay at Casas de Juderia. We loved that hotel too and I would book it for any return to Seville. I can sympathize with both your early arrival to an empty breakfast room on the day the clocks changed back (has happened to us several times because that time of year is our favorite time to travel)and with your car problems. We spent a whole day out of one of our trips getting our car fixed on a Sunday when DH put regular gas into our deisel car. I love your attempts at pantomime to put your point across. It's the only foreign language I know well.

Thanks for reading!

Nice walk back down to Carrera del Darro where we decided to have lunch at an outdoor café we discovered yesterday and then spend some time exploring the Albaicin area and afterward the cathedral. Lunch was great, another sunny day, good food, squid and, yes…… pulpo. A man played his guitar in the background. Very nice. After lunch walked the streets of the Albaicin. We walked down narrow, dark, medieval looking streets, very quiet, most of the time the only ones there. Loved it, like being in another world – not for DH. We ended up at various plaza’s and a medina-like shopping district which sold lots of Moroccan type goods – mostly clothing but some pottery as well. We walked down Calle Elvira, once an artisan street and read it was worth a look, but it looked like every other street in the Albaicin area. Maybe I missed something. We walked to the Cathedral and Capalla Real but it was closed at the time. We were dead dead tired anyway and headed back to hotel for a nap.

Back out again, walked around and had dinner at a large square where there were loads of restaurants with outdoor seating . Round and round we went (that sounds familiar) and of course we (I) pick the worse one. DH usually doesn’t want to have anything to do with picking restaurants, less he makes a mistake. This area was definitely touristy but somehow I get drawn to them….”look how pretty with the pretty umbrella and the nice white tablecloths”. Bad food, good wine.

Ok, so the dinner wasn’t good, let’s go see Flamenco!!! And since I did no research, let’s go to Sacromonte! Yes, I know it’s touristy and Maribel said don’t go at night, but let’s go. What’s Sacromonte?, inquires DH. Caves where gypsies perform Flamenco! DH has a pained look on his face, “it’s your birthday, whatever you want.”

love it!!

Let’s walk. It was a nice night so we headed up Carrera del Darro (again) it was about 9pm and lots of people were out and about. Made a left turn on Cuesta del Chapiz, I believe, and walked up a very, very steep hill. Walk, walk, walk and thinking to myself maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Not because of the steep climb but because after making the turn, it was very quiet. There were less and less people the farther we walked. Until there was just us. DH said nothing. Before we actually saw the sign for Sacromonte, there were two men on the corner whispering to us “want to see Flamenco, Flamenco?” I would have felt really uneasy but for the fact there were two police officers across the street. That tells you something right there. No thank you, I said, “we are going to our hotel.” We made the right turn onto Sacromonte. The guide book said “loads of visitors descend on these caves…” …. We were the only ones there. Where are the crowds of tourists? Gypsies or the owners of the caves/flamenco cafes were standing outside inviting us in, but I felt uncomfortable, saw no one inside and we decided to head back. So we leave the street and are heading down Cuesta del Chapiz, when a bus stops and loads of 20 something kids (I would say no older than 22) get off and it looks like they make a turn onto Sacromonte. Can’t really tell since we are down the hill now. What to do? Maybe they are going to see Flamenco! No DH says, 20-something people are not going to see Flamenco but are probably going to their hostel or to a club. But how about if they are going to see Flamenco! I say…. So I run up the street to see where they are going but once I get there, they’re gone! Boy they're fast. I’m all alone again. So I run back down to DH. OK, let’s go back to the hotel, I say. DH is happy.

At least I got to see the caves, but if you didn’t tell me they were caves, I don’t think I would have realized it or maybe I wasn’t looking carefully because I felt so uneasy.

Tomorrow on to Barcelona.

hi sashiez,

FYI, the bus that goes up to the alhambra from the main square on the way back runs all the way to Sacramonte, about 1 bus in 3. so you could have got the bus there from the main square.

we never got to see the flamenco in Granada either; not because we couldn't find it but because by the time we'd toured the alhambra at night, and had dinner, we were too tired! I think that the problem is that it starts MUCH later than some of us can cope with.

talking of octopus, did you find the tapas bar that sells only octopus in the street of bars just off the main square? it was called a pulperia I think, and had a fantastic variety of octopus and squid dishes.

loving your report,

regards, ann

Hi ann

no, I never heard of it,DH would have loved it!

BARCELONA

We had an 11:50am flight to Barcelona on Vueling. On time, comfortable flight and we didn’t have to check our bags. We pack light but I had a shopping bag with a framed print I had purchased,so I thought for sure I would have to check my stuff. Took a taxi into Barcelona.

Hotel Pulitzer, near Placa de Catalunya, a great location. Another winner. 160 euros a night for Friday and Saturday and 120 euros for Sunday night, breakfast not included (19 euros – we went elsewhere). This was the largest hotel we stayed at, very modern, clean, comfortable rooms, quiet.
My plan for today was to walk down Ramblas and over to Port Vell and Barcelonetta. I’ve read many posters saying don’t go to Ramblas and it’s a waste of time, but we enjoyed it. We were careful with our cash, DH had a small pouch he wore around his neck since we arrived in Spain and I had something similar, although I did carry my handbag and had my camera. Nothing valuable in my bag, but I always have a bag with me – besides I was carrying a small guidebook and my map and a small flashlight with attached magnifying glass. That really came in handy – COME ON SPAIN- turn up the lights in the rooms!! and down in some of the restaurants.

Anyway walked down Ramblas, watching the street performers, tourists, bought some plant seeds for back home (a problem) and some pretty watercolors. I think everyone should walk down the Ramblas once, although we were on it quite often. Walking down Ramblas is a good way to get to a certain area, such as Barri Gotic, El Born or to the Market. And we would always end up on Ramblas somehow. But to continue, we walked to the end and walked over the bridge to Port Vell, lots of shopping and cafes but didn’t want to shop or eat so we walked near the water and tried to head over to Barcelonetta. We got a little mixed up and I think at this point, tired of looking at the map and trying to figure out “how to get there” so we just walked. We both have a terrible sense of direction (especially me) so it probably takes us longer to get somewhere than one who is not “challenged”. Headed over to the El Born area. Narrow streets, small shops, lots of cafes and restaurants, a great walking district. Loved it….DH not so much. Reminded me of some of the streets in the Albaicin area in Granada. I can just walk up and down these streets for hours without seeing a shop or café and be very happy. it’s unlike anything in the US and as I said before, felt like I was in another world.

I read a lot regarding mealtimes in Spain and I have to say it made me a bit uneasy but after reading Maribel’s dining guide to Barcelona with all her wonderful restaurant recommendations (open all day!) I was happy! So our first night in Barcelona we decided (I decided) to go to Teller Tapas on Passag de Gracia. This was great! Not a fancy place, very bright (now they turn up the lights!) so if you are looking for romantic, this is not it (there were tables upstairs, and it looked like it had more atmosphere but no one was dining up there). Grilled asparagus (vegetables!), fried artichoke (sooooo good), tomato bread, whole fish (can’t remember what kind – NOT pulpo) and potatoes with a delicious sauce. Very good, reasonable price, nice wine selection. The only thing is they missed an entrée we ordered, one of their specials, but thank goodness because we were full.

hi again sashiez,

we were in Barcelona too recently, but didn't like las ramblas too much - when we found it! DH kep saying he wanted to see it and when we found it, it turned out we'd already been down in without noticing!

we didn't have many problems there, but we did on the metro - DH thought that somone tried to dip his back pocket but years of travelling on the tube in london meant that he evaded her. it could have been paranoia on his part i suppose, or an unlikely interest in his posterior!

glad you had a good time,

regards, ann

Enjoying your report a lot. We hope to go to Spain next fall so I will be following this for every detail. I feel your pain with the car problem. Ugggg - having to waste nearly a whole day, plus the agravation and worry.

Hi SashieZ - I am heading to Madrid and Barcelona in June and am very interested in your trip. Your report is fun to read and I love the details.

Susan

annhig, I am SURE it was not paranoia on his part! But maybe an interest in his posterior.. don't know.. could you post a pic?

not on a uncensored website I couldn't!

ann...wait and see what happens with my DH...

thanks everyone for reading

We decided to go out for breakfast since the buffet at the hotel is quite expensive, but we ended up paying 10 euros each anyway for a buffet breakfast on Ramblas that wasn't that great(I know, I know, don’t eat on Ramblas). It would have been better to eat at the hotel.

I had planned to spend most of the day in the Barri Gotic area and the following day (Sunday) in L’Eixample. We started by walking down Ramblas and making a turn onto Carrer de Portaferissa, a shopping street that I had read about. More for younger shoppers. Headed towards the Cathedral and Placa del Rei. The Cathedral was beautiful, incredible - what can I say? Loved the interior garden with the pretty statues and of course, the ducks (they don't eat them, do they?) We had so much trouble finding Placa del Rei which is right next door (told you we have no sense of direction) and asked a number of people which way. Finally found it! Went to Museum d’ Historia de la cuitat to see the underground ruins. Interesting to see the wine-making rooms with pottery vats still there and some mosaic floors still intact. Spent some time in the upstairs museum.

Great shopping in this area. There were two stores I liked especially: “Sala Pares” specializing in work by Catalan artists and “Art Escudellers” – beautiful ceramics and glassware. I spent a good deal of time in Sala Pares on a street called Petrixol, known for its art galleries. There was a wide variety of lovely art at reasonable prices (starting at 50 euros, I think). But I couldn’t decide what to buy, so I said, let me think about it and come back. You know how that goes. The same with the ceramics store. Beautiful and large selection, hard to choose. I did find dinner plates (gorgeous) I wanted to buy, but shipping was 100 euros. If you are looking for art or ceramics, I would stop at these stores. I also saw them written up in my guidebook.

Afterwards, strolled around, listened to a guitarist, Javier Van Velthoven, and bought his CD. Listening to it now as I write this, very nice. Although we weren’t able to see Flamenco, there were guitarists playing on the streets in all the cities, and we enjoyed stopping a bit and listening. The best performance was in Seville, a group of young men in costume (medieval?), playing guitar, singing and drinking at an outdoor café.


Walked to the La Boqueria, the market and decided to have lunch here. Impossible!! It was Saturday and everyone had the same idea. Some aisles looked like Rockefeller Plaza at Christmas! So we decided to try the other market in El Born, Santa Caterina. Not nearly as crowded but just as appealing. Found one food bar that had a few empty seats and sat down. "Two cervezas por favor". There were a number of delicious looking dishes layed out on the bar to choose from. We started with what looked like cod with spinach in a light tomato sauce. And then, pointed to our neighbors plate…grilled squid. Biggest squid we ever saw. Open kitchen so we were able to watch the cook make it, very simple – grilled it- then added olive oil, parsley and sea salt at the very end. Very good. DH’s favorite meal. Sometimes simple things are the best.

Afterwards walked a bit in the market and decided to go back to the Barri Gotic area where we ran into DH's new girlfriend, the gypsy woman.

We were at Boqueria today - Thursday - around (our) lunchtime, which was 1pm'ish. It's not nearly as crowded as you described, but Pinotxo is at least 2 rows of people deep. We ended up buying various food (bread, cheese, jamon serrano, olives, arugula, tomatoes) and brought back to eat at our apartment.

Keep your report coming!

We walked around the Cathedral a bit more and headed towards a store that looked appealing. As we we were walking there, a gypsy woman approached DH holding a sign begging for money. We ignored her but she was very persistent and walked along DH’s side, not leaving. Looking back I should have turned around and said “NO” or “go away” but since we had our money in pouches around our necks, what’s the big deal? However, after hanging around a bit too long, we ducked into a store to lose her. Gypsy woman is gone and that’s when DH says “she robbed me!” How can she rob you when you have your money in a pouch around your neck? It was around your neck in Seville, Ronda, Granada and yesterday in Barcelona. You practically have to strip to get your money out. “I didn’t use my pouch today. I decided to keep my money in my pocket.” I say nothing but DH continues, “You have to admit, she is talented… she took 120 euros, left my credit cards and I didn’t feel a thing!” No comment, but then “120 EUROS!!!” Another thing, he was wearing his favorite pants, loose with side pockets. This would not have happened if he were wearing jeans and kept his wallet in his front pocket. Could be wrong. After that, DH didn’t carry any money at all. I carried the money, credit cards, map, guidebook and camera. DH considered the episode a learning experience, I told him there was nothing to learn, we were warned by friends, family, and guidebooks. And warned by Fodorites – and I hope they yell at you.

120 euros is not going to ruin our vacation, but it left a bad feeling…DH was fine. Another thing I forgot to mention is we had some difficulty getting money out of the ATM’s. I read about this on various posts and we brought cash just in case, but “Santander” was the bank/ATM where we were always able to get money. So when the woman stole the money, we needed to find an ATM.

I spent a lot of time on this trip worrying about my bag, my camera, and where I kept my valuables. At restaurants or outdoor cafes I would always have my bag on my lap, my money in a pouch around my neck (in my shirt), camera hidden to the best of my ability. You try not to look “like a tourist” but how can you not? My map is out all the time, as is my camera and guidebook from time to time. You have to be on guard all the time and I really hated it. You are not careful one time and they’ll find you!!

YK - lucky you! I often think how nice it would be to live near a market like that. It was a great experience having lunch there and for those of you travelling alone, a great place to dine solo, IMHO.

Hi SashieZ, I don't live here! (I wish...) I'm on vacation with my sis-in-law and we're renting an apt in Barcelona for a week. We leave early next week.

Sorry about the pickpocket.

oh, sashiez, so sorry that your DH got caught like that.
what is it with blokes? how many times have I told DH not to put his credit card wallet in his back-pocket.

It remains to be seem whether his experiences having his posterior examined too closely on the Barcelona metro will make him change his ways.

YK - that's the next best thing! Have a good time.

Ann - my DH likes having his posterior looked at!

We put that incident out of our minds…there was nothing we could do and we only have one more full day left in Barcelona.

We headed back to the hotel and rested near Placa Catalunya. DH stated he was done so he decided to head back to the hotel and since I wasn’t ready, I went to the Picasso Museum. Wish I thought of this earlier as I had to do some backtracking. I decided to walk to the Placa Reial area, nice cafes and walked over to Carrer de Ferran, passing some nice shops and Placa’s and just enjoying being in Barcelona (yes, even after what happened – it could have been a lot worse). This street eventually turns into Carrer de la Princesa then then I followed the sign to the museum. The museum is in an amazing building. I’m glad I got the chance to visit, as it had a lot of his early work and got a kick out of seeing his sketch of Hercules done when he was 10. But I was starting to fade and had a long walk back.

Decided to have dinner at Set Portes, mentioned by Maribel and various guidebooks. We were both kind of disappointed. We were asked if we had a reservation, when I said no, we were put in the back room. Nice, but would have preferred the front room which seemed more lively. Nothing appealed to me on the menu. DH ordered prawns and he had to peel them himself and he wasn’t happy about that. And how do you do that exactly in a restaurant? With a fork and knife? Not too easy. My entrée was chicken in a brown sauce, good but not what I expected. But my appetizer, a SALAD – my first salad in a week was GREAT. No tomatoes or cucumbers….just a beautiful mix of lettuces (frisee, arugula) and mustard vinagrette (sp??) Again, simple.

DH complained about the restaurant from the time we left and we just started walking, walking walking. Uh oh…. Where are we? I believe the Raval area, where Maribel said to avoid at night. Yeah, I kinda see why. Get out my map and little flashlight and yes, we are in Raval. How did we do that? Finally figured out which way to go and we end up at……the Ramblas! Time for bed. One more day to go.

and DH wants to know if he can please use the computer for one minute..how long does it take to write a trip report? He has no idea...a big thank you to all of you who have written trip reports - time consuming!!

DH ordered prawns and he had to peel them himself and he wasn’t happy about that. And how do you do that exactly in a restaurant? With a fork and knife? Not too easy.>>

priceless, Sashiez.

I think the spanish would use their fingers.

<<Where are we? I believe the Raval area, where Maribel said to avoid at night.>>

we walked though it during the day and didn't much want to be there. it was very "colourful". I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be there at night.

thanks you for taking the trouble to post your TR,

regards, ann

I had diner at Set Portes in March and did not like it at all
- seemed like a tourist trap.

thanks danon - I feel better - thought it was me.

Glad you got off for only 120 euros with the gypsy lady. They have such a great business set up..

SHE probably stole nothing. She had accomplices behind you and on both sides.

.. but even yesterday on TV supposedly the city is trying to get laws passed to be able to fine the on-street prostitutes AND clients like they are now doing in Granada.

Barcelona has a world-wide reputation of PUTA CITY, and of course, wants to clean up the act.

Hopefully this will bring the entire country and government to some decisions on what type of country we really want for our children, and take a more disciplinarian stance against certain prevalent activities.

Once there are more police on the streets hopefully this petty crime of pick-pocketing will be reduced.

In the meantime.. protect yourselves while you are enjoying the country.

Great report.

prawns in Spain are, 99% of times, served unpeeled. It´s good manners over here to peel them with your hands...some people suck the inside of the heads, too!

I wish he knew that Mike, I think he ended up eating a lot of the shells! DH knows that if he starts sucking the inside of the heads, I'm leaving the table.

Last day to be continued

DH ordered prawns and he had to peel them himself and he wasn’t happy about that. And how do you do that exactly in a restaurant? With a fork and knife? Not too easy.>>

priceless, Sashiez.

I think the spanish would use their fingers.

Everywhere I've ever been they are served with shells and you use your fingers, England, Scotland Italy Spain etc.

That's good to know. I don't remember ever getting prawns with shells on here in NY.

DH just read this and he said he used his fingers....I think he started with a fork and knife and then gave up. I must have been too busy eating my food to notice!

Here you go...!

http://helenpidd.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/what-i-love-no-27-a-pint-of-prawns/

I think the spanish would use their fingers. >>

irony, alihutch, irony.

I can't imagine esting prawns and not using my finger, sucking out the heads, etc.etc.

but I didn't want to frighten the OP with my uncouth habits.

I guess there are no Americans on this particular thread...

Our last day in Barcelona, we planned to visit L’Eixample and have an all Gaudi day. We were out by 9:30 and headed North to Sagrada Familia. A nice walk, quiet morning, not as long as I thought. We were just walking along when we saw the top of the cathedral! First thing I think: we are moving in the right direction and second: what an amazing building. After seeing the line to get in the cathedral, (very long) I told DH that I would be happy to see the outside only. But after asking the guard how long the wait was, 20 minutes, we decided to wait. The line wrapped around the corner and all the way down the street, but, like the guard said – it was 20 minutes on the dot. The line for the elevator to the top, however, was another 60 minutes. So we skipped that. I heard some people complain they never would have waited on line for this! I’m not sure what “this” was…construction? Yes, there was construction, but since it was Sunday, no workers, so no noise. But we were glad we waited. Although unfinished, the inside was magnificent. On to Casa Mila, passing Manzana la Discordia – took some photos – but didn’t stop. There was another line for Casa Mila, which didn’t surprise me since it was Sunday. Not a long line, not nearly as long as Sagrada Familia, but a longer wait of about 35 minutes. As I mentioned before, I love to see how people live, so seeing the apartment was a highlight for me. Beautiful rooms. And the rooftop!!! That Gaudi, what an imagination!

Being Sunday, most of the stores were closed, too bad since it looked like great shopping. Passed by a number of Tapas places, looked at the menus and decided to pick one for dinner afterwards.

We had dinner at Nxapela right on Passage Gracia. Your placemat is your menu, showing pictures (with a description in Spanish) of about 50 (or more) different Pinxtos to choose from. Since we weren’t sure of the size we started with about 5 Pinxtos, and we split them. We discovered this was hardly anything, so we ordered more and more. The waiter always seemed to be around when we were ready and we had a nice selection of bites. I can’t remember what we ordered, sorry, but there was a nice variety, fish, meat, potatoes etc… the only one we didn’t care for was also the most expensive, melted brie (I believe) with toast. Enjoyed the food and ordering a variety of small bites is a great idea. Not expensive and liked the wine.

Looking back now, I would have planned my Barcelona days differently - exploring more of the city – such as Montjuic, Barcelonetta and Park Guell. Although I loved the Barri Gotic, El Born and L’Eixample areas, we had enough time to do more. My original plan was to take the HOHO bus to get an overview of the Montjuic area one day and another day to L’Eixample to include Parc Guell. I especially wanted to do this after reading a trip report from a poster who used various routes on the HOHO bus and had great things to say about it (except for everyone trying to push onto the bus at once!)

"...I guess there are no Americans on this particular thread..."

why do you say that? I'm trying to figure out .. is it something about the prawns?

oh no definitely not the prawns...as a matter of fact I had a pint of prawns with a gypsy woman last night...

Now I'm curious why you would say that, because in fact several Americans did post in this thread. Nonetheless, I am enjoying your report.

SashieZ. thank yuo for a great trip report. Re the 120 euros.we were on a crowded bus in Naples and after travelling one stop my D H had his wallet stolen 2000 euros,(for appartment bill ) plus cc,s he had it down the inside of his shirt.I think they watched him pay our restaraunt bill & followed us , someone suggested that the waiter could have been a accomplis.he would have seen the notes in the wallet & where he hid ??? it. so like your D H he no longer isallowed to carry money.

Jean - how terrible. So sorry, now 2000 euros I would be crying....by the way are you american? do you suck the prawn heads?

Interesting about the lines at Sagrada Familia and Casa Mila. My sis-in-law went last Friday, and she encountered no lines at Sagrada Familia (i was surprised too). I think she got there just around 9:45am and NO LINE to get in; NO LINE to go up the tower around 10:15am! But it was getting crowded by around 11.

She then went to Casa Mila around (our) lunchtime and there was a very short line to get in.

Can't explain it. I would have loved to have gone up to the tower but wasn't about to wait another hour. I went on a Sunday so maybe there were a lot of weekend visitors.

Are you still in Barcelona YK? Enjoying it?

by the way are you american? do you suck the prawn heads?

I am an American citizen born in England.no I do not suck on prawn heads but I know people who do.
The way I dealt with the loss is that at least D H was not injured! hence my saying "If it only takes time & money to fix,it can be dealt with"

Jean.

Sadly, we leave tomorrow morning!

Just wanted to add that it is a good idea to find out what terminal you are flying out of. We told the taxi driver Continental airlines, but he wasn’t sure what terminal, looked in some book and took us to the wrong one. After walking around and not seeing it, we asked some airport employees and they had no idea but luckily we found the information booth. But the guy there wasn't sure himself. He looked it up and yes, wrong terminal. We had plenty of time, but had to take a courtesy bus to the other terminal. I'm not sure, but I believe one of the terminals is new?

Also had no idea that you’re not able to take seeds out of the country. I was a little unsure of packaged meats but when we had to declare, we didn’t lie. Inspectors went through my bags, took my duty free salami(dumb on my part) and plants seeds and sent us on our way. Also, if you plan on buying pottery at the airport, forget it, nothing there and I knew I should have bought it when I had the chance.