Count me in. Paris and Barcelona are two of our favorite cities. We can go again and again to both. Always fun.

me 2!

Eagerly awaiting more.

Of course our arrival day is drizzling and on the cold side. It's Saturday and the time change has already taken place, so it gets dark fairly early. Who cares, there we were traipsing about the Marais picking up supplies, baquette sandwiches, the obligatory eclair for my husband and for me a stop at Gérard Mulot at 6, rue Pas de la Mule for my first, but not last caramal beurre salé macaron http://www.gerard-mulot.com/paris/macarons-patisseries.php We also stopped at Nicolas http://www.nicolaswines.net/ for a couple of bottles of wine and bought a wine bag that came in handy for picnics during our trip.

By now we were feeling the jet lag so we headed back to the apartment and as it was Saturday we had long ago decided to take a nap (something we never do on our first day)and wake up around 10 pm so that we could go to the midnight jazz jam at Duc des Lombards http://www.ducdeslombards.com/ Duc des Lombards has a great, free jazz session at midnight. People line up outside and at the bouncer's say so, get let in and find a great seat for some great music. You have to buy a drink, but you would anyway. Our apartment was located perfectly about 3 blocks away.

The Lukmil Perez quartet was running the show that night. From time to time muscians got up on stage and joined in. We didn't see our favorite pianist, Ahmet Gulbay, but we did see Helios Fernandez, a guitarist who we originally saw playing in Place des Vosges many years ago. On one of our past trips we saw him play in a club in the Marais and he recommended the jam session to us. This particular evening we "reintroduced" ourselves to him. He spoke very good english and said he remembered us (from Boston) and seemed surprised that we traveled so often to Paris. Another great evening of music at Duc des Lombards. Back to the apartment after a very full, first day in Paris.

I'm in!

Day 2 - Sunday, Nov. 4th

Woke up to a fairly sunny day, but one that threatened with rain clouds. We went round the corner to Le Petit Marcel on rue Rambuteau for our morning coffee and croissant. It was early for a sunday morning, 9:00, so the café was almost empty. It was a nice spot, but they didn't have the pain au chocolate that my husband craved. We didn't linger. We set off up rambuteau into the Marais. We like to take walks past all of our former vacation apartments. Since they have all been in the marais, this is very doable. That day we walked over to Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie past the apartment that we had rented almost ten years ago with our grown kids http://www.rentparis.com/en/apt-29-rue-ste-croix-de-la-bretonnerie-75004-paris.html It has a for sale sign in the window. We headed toward Place des Vosges weaving in and out of the different streets with our goal of ending up at the sunday market at Blvd. Richard Lenoir. I love to window shop and the Marais is a great area for that, especially on sundays. This walk took up most of the morning.

After being truly inspired by the previous night's music, we decided to take the metro out to Porte de Clignancourt to listen to some gypsy jazz at Chopes des Puces on rue des Rosier in the heart of the flea market http://www.lachopedespuces.fr/Accueil.html A few years ago we stopped in on a similar sunday afternoon, but didn't stay long. This day we grabbed a spot at the bar and inched our way toward the front as people came and went. The music of Django Reinhart is played there. Ninine Garcia and Rocky Garcia were playing when we arrived. They are excellent and have a truly authentic Gypsy history. An older gentleman stepped in and took the lead. He was really good and we were determined to fine out who he was. Which we did later on the internet. His name was Marcel Campion and it turns out that he bought chope des puces a few years ago and is a very famous entrepreneur of all things having to do with fairs and carnivals in Paris including the large ferris wheel at the Concorde. Later I requested a song of Ninine Garcia ("The GOod Life"). He didn't understand what I was saying (in english) and I was suddenly struck dumb and couldn't figure out how to say that very simple phrase in french, so he gestured for me to hum it. I did and I had that stuck in time feeling that oh, no if this continues I will feel like a real fool! Luckily he was able to figure out the song and he played it very graciously and it sounded great. I asked for the song because I had downloaded him playing it from Itunes and it always makes me think of Paris. Another great Paris moment.

We headed back to the apartment to rest up and get ready to go to the Edward Hopper exhibit. I had purchased tickets a few weeks before our trip for sunday evening. We arrived at the Grand Palais http://www.rmn.fr/english/les-musees-et-leurs-expositions-238/grand-palais-galeries-nationales-257/expositions-258/edward-hopper-2926 15 minutes early and waited in line while a musician serenaded everyone on the clarinet. The exhibit was really wonderful. I had seen many of the works in the US, but I also saw some that I had never seen before, even in books. There were other artists mixed in with the works to give some historical meaning to Hopper's life and works. It was a very popular exhibit and most of the people there seemed to be speaking french.

After the exhibit we took the metro over to the Pont Neuf stop and walked to Brasserie d'Isle St. Louis http://www.labrasserie-isl.fr/ one of our favorite spots for a casual dinner. I had what I always order the omelet mixte with pomme frites and a mug of mutzig beer. My husband ordered his favorite Choucroute Garni. We walked back to the apartment in the cool night air enjoying the lights and atmosphere of Paris.

Day 3 - Reims

Day 3 - Monday in Reims

When I was planning this celebratory trip I had decided to include my love of champagne and cava. I bookended our week in Europe with tours from producers of both. So on Monday we got up early, had a morning coffee at the bar at Le Petit Marcel and headed over to the Les Halles metro stop bound for Gare de l'est. I had purchased our train tickets exactly 3 months prior for the lowest price to Reims, 30 euros each rt. I was able to print the tickets online. We arrived a bit early at the station so that we could pick up our Paris to Barcelona tickets. Oh yes, I decided after researching and asking opinions on this website and others to take the train to Barcelona. It was the right choice. There was an American woman and her daughter at the counter trying to do the very same thing for their trip to Reims. She had neglected to bring her confirmation email (she said she had paid 200 euro for the trip!) and was almost forced to purchase new tickets when she found the email on her phone. Not sure why she didn't print the tickets ahead of time unless she had purchased them very recently with no access to a printer.

The train ride to Reims was quick, 45 minutes, and fairly unremarkable. It was cold, damp, and gray when we arrived in Reims at 9:45. I had reserved a spot on a tour of Charles de Cazanove for 11:00. It was located in Reims at Place de Republique, not far from the downtown and the station. I did this as I have recently been hindered with a foot issue and I didn't know how well I would be walking. We headed into the downtown area, which I found to be very interesting. It was old, yet clean and looked quite prosperous. We found our way to the cathedral and went inside for a look around. Of course I took pictures of the Marc Chagall windows, which are so popular. As cathedrals go it was impressive. From there we meandered around making our way toward Charles de Cazanove http://www.champagnedecazanove.com/uk/contact/visit-us.php for our 11:00 a.m. appointment. We were the only people on the tour so it began as soon as we arrived. The young man giving the tour greeted us and showed us to an upstairs room to watch the perfunctory video about the making of Charles de Cazanove champagne, which is owned by G.H. Martel. I have to say now that another reason for choosing this tour was the price was less and they served 3 glasses of champagne at the tasting.

Half way through the video we heard someone come in and sit in the back of the room. This person turned out to be a young Chinese student who spoke perfect english and was living in the Burgundy region on a student visa studying wine production. We were then shown the storage areas underneath the building. This is a fairly new facility, but the tour was interesting and we did learn about the making of champagne. The Chinese student was taking lots of pictures and asking lots of questions. We were then brought to the tasting room which consisted of several large round tables. The three of us sat and quietly awaited our 3 different flutes of champagne. Well as you all know alcohol can loosen your tongue. We began polite conversation amongst ourselves which turned into almost an hour. We discussed everything from, "Have you been to other champagne houses?", he had, and he didn't like them, "Just pretty houses" to "yes, Mitt Romney does wear special underwear". We parted our ways with handshakes and au revoir's to the tour guide and crossed back into the downtown area to eat mussels at Le Grand Café http://www.le-grandcafe.com/ I had the champenoise mussels and my husband had the provence mussels. We both thought I had made the better choice. Instead of champagne we had beer with our meal. Not a gourmet restaurant, but comfortable and very tasty.

We had time to kill before our 5:00 train back to Paris so we walked back through the downtown area and I stopped in to my favorite kids clothing store DPAM http://www.dpam.com/?gclid=CNyNgpfI57MCFQvznAodq2EAqg to buy something for our granddaughters. Our next stop was the Musee de Beaux Arts http://www.ville-reims.fr/index.php?id=895 There was some sort of renovation going on so a very small section of the museum was open to the public. That was fine with me. It was now raining in earnest and we needed a place to get in out of the rain and this was perfect.

After the museum it was time to get back to the train station but we did have time for a coffee in a café not far from the station. I excused myself to go to the ladies room, which was located in the basement. It had the floor to ceiling door, which all bathrooms seem to have in Europe. I closed the door, locked it and upon leaving couldn't get it to open. Momentary panic set in and visions of me pounding on the coffin like door yelling in my very limited french for help briefly flashed into my mind. Fortunately for me, the lock clicked open and a very relieved me went upstairs to join my husband and walk over to our train.

Back in Paris I had the best intentions of taking a night tour of Paris by metro, but my feet and the steady rain kept us from doing that. I wasn't sorry, I needed to just take it easy. We walked over to L'as du Falafel http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/france/paris/review-52420.html and picked up a couple of falafel pita's to bring back to the apartment and then get a good night's rest for our last full day in Paris.

From the sublime to the more sublime IMO Cava!! Nectar of the Gods...spain here they come!!!

Great/fun report!

Thanks all for reading and commenting. Today I am up in Portland, ME with the granddaughters who got the clothes from DPAM. It's the annual weekend away doing all the crazy things you can't do at home with your parents. when I get home I plan to pick up where I left off with my trip report. It helps me to relive and remember what we did. It's part of the whole trip experience. It begins with the planning and it wraps up with the trip report.

I'm enjoying your report. We love checking out jazz spots in Paris, have been to Duc des Lombards a few times. Thanks for the recommendation of Chope des Puces. I'll put that on our list for our next visit. Looking forward to Barcelona1

Day 4, Tuesday - Last day in Paris; Election day in U.S.

We awoke to a sunny, brisk day. It was a good omen for our last full day in Paris. This morning I planned for us to go to André Cleret in the 1st for breakfast. This is a spot that we happened upon our first or second time in Paris. We love it and attempt to stop in at least once each visit. However it seems that every other trip it is closed for vacation. They are a small boulangerie with an area to sit either inside our out. This particular morning we chose to sit indoors as it was pretty chilly out. My husband finally got his pain au chocolat and I had a huge flaky croissant with a delicious cafe creme. From here we walked over to the river along the Quai de la Mégisserie where the pet stores and plant stores are located. It's something I totally avoid in the U.S. The animals seem so pathetically sad in their cages. But in Paris, I (hold my nose) and step inside the half dozen or so stores and look at all the tiny breeds, yorkies, french bull dogs, and increasingly larger dogs like cocker spaniels, golden retrievers, and this time even a beagle.

Our last morning we are on a souvenir hunt for our granddaughters. We always make a point of picking up souvenirs with their names on them as they have names that are not on any similar items in the U.S., but are very popular in Europe. We struck it rich over on rue Rivoli by the Louvre. The man we bought them from was so excited to sell them to us that he threw in several eiffel tower key rings for "Eva and Elodie". So happily, our quest for personalized stuff was successful and we didn't have to think about it the rest of the trip.

We headed back to the apartment walking back the way we came and cutting up so that we could walk past the fontaine des innocents in the 1st http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontaine_des_Innocents We make this part of our stop at André Cleret. It has an interesting history. We dropped off the sandwiches and pastries that we had purchased at Cleret's for our dinner and upcoming train trip and took the metro up to the Anvers stop. It was such a beautiful day that we decided we would like to get a view of Paris from Sacre Coeur. We skipped the funicular, despite my foot problems, and walked up the long, steep steps. The graffiti on the buildings alongside was an art show. I took several pictures that I will try to post later. I couldn't resist picking up one more name souvenir for the girls when we were up there.

to be continued.

Enjoyed your take on Paris, looking forward to Barcelona.

Enjoying your trip report!

Still waiting somewhat impatiently for the pop of the cava cork!!! great report!!!

Still Day 4 - Tuesday in Paris

I totally forgot to include our lunch on our fourth day. I will have to backtrack a bit. I didn't do a good job filling in my trip journal. I just jotted down notes this time and it wasn't always in chronological order.

Before we hit up Sacre Coeur we actually took the metro over to the 7th and walked up rue Dominique to Café Constant http://www.maisonconstant.com/cafe-constant/ We got there a few minutes past noon as they don't take reservations and it fills up very fast. We have only been there once before, but really enjoyed it, so thought we'd try it again. My husband ordered the special of the day. I wish I had. I wasn't adventurous enough. The plat was a blood sausage patty on a deliciously seasoned, melt in your mouth mashed, whipped potato with a sauce. The starter was a really wonderful scallop soup. They placed a bowl with scallops and other various ingredients (?) in front of my husband and poured a creamy rich broth over them. I knew immediately that I had gone wrong by playing it safe with a chicken dish. My dinner was tasty, but tame; not nearly as good. I did enjoy a nice wine of the day, which I have forgotten what it was and they served a basket of very fresh, and chewy bread (in a good way). We sat upstairs in a table overlooking the street below. It's a popular restaurant and we definitely weren't the only American's there, but it also was filled with locals.

So now getting back to exiting Sacre Coeur. From there we went over to the Cité de la Musique up by the Parc de Villette
http://www.citedelamusique.fr/anglais/default.aspx We were there specifically to see the Django Reinhardt exhibit. Django Reinhardt is and was the king of gypsy jazz. The exhibit was well done. It was of course all in French, but I was able to figure out much of what was written and some of what was said. There was alot of audio involved. They had booths set up around the exhibit where you could sit and watch movies and listen to music. At one point I found myself being serenaded to sleep, but nodded back to reality. The day had been long and my feet were killing me, but on a vacation like this, I just had to put that all in the back of my mind.

Back at the apartment we drank a half bottle of Charles de Cazanove champagne and ate our baquette sandwiches from Andre Cleret; tomato/mozzarella, rillettes with cornichon, and another I can't remember. We also had our pastries, the eclair for my husband and a luminette for me. We watched some tv and scanned the internet for news of the election. We spoke with our kids and sadly packed our bags for the next morning when we would be leaving very early for Barcelona.

Day 5 - Wednesday - On our way to Barcelona

I didn't sleep much our last night in Paris what with the US election and worrying about not waking up in time for our train. We had a 7:15 a.m. train from Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants, a 7 hr 45 min. trip. It proved to be longer, but that will come later. We awoke and turned on the tv for news and the internet for more news. Our candidates won so we were happy for that. We called our kids back in Massachusetts and congratulated one another and got more insight from them on what was going on.

We were already packed and the apartment was neat and clean, so off we went saying au revoir, until we return. It's always so sad to leave. I know we will be back asap. The weather as usual was not so wonderful, but bearable. We had already figured out exactly where we were going to get on the metro and which line to take. The Les Halles area is so torn up with all of the construction going on, that many of the metro entrances have been closed. We used Line 14, the driverless line and we had to go only one stop to get to Gare de Lyon. The Gare was busy with people waiting for their train to come up on the board. We had time for a coffee and croissant from the Paul at the station. Our train was called and off we went. I had booked tickets 3 months earlier. They were 144 euro for two of us. It was a bit more than flying, but you would have to factor in the cost of getting to and from the airport and the stress of the security hassles and the weight of our carry on luggage. We only have carry on and I didn't want to have to abide by the very restrictive weights on carriers like Easy Jet or Vueling.

We chose a high car to see better. We settled ourselves in and were almost ready to go when a nice looking couple came by to tell us that although we were in the right seat we were in the wrong car. It was slightly embarrassing, but we just bundled up our stuff and thanked them, smiling and hurried off to the next car and plopped down in our correct seats, correct car. The train went at a slow to moderate speed leaving Paris, and didn't really get to the speeds that I thought it would. Announcements started to come on at a fairly regular interval and I knew something was up. It seems that they were saying that due to a problem with the train, we would be arriving later. Of course we had to change in Figueras, Spain for the train to Barcelona. I just hoped that we would be able to catch another if ours didn't wait. We asked and they assured us that they would hold the Figueras train.

The scenery was pleasant going down through Burgundy and then the train climbed up into the Pyrenees and the scenery changed and then we saw mountains and towns and rivers and then there was snow on the mountain caps and they seemed close on one side and further on we saw what definitely had to be the Mediterranean and pink flamingos!! What a beautiful sight, flamingos on one side of the train and snow capped mountains on the other. There were palm trees and beaches. We did stop at Nimes, Narbonne, Perpignan and probably a couple of other places, but I can't remember before stopping in Figueras. In Perpignan we sat in the station for some time before we became aware that they hadn't let anyone off the train or on. The platform was filled with heavily armed policemen. They finally let the people off slowly, checking them, I presume, and then they came aboard and searched the train. So of course now we were even later. I wondered if this was the real reason that the train had been going slowly, giving the police in Perpignan time to formulate whatever plan they had. But now it sounds as if I am writing a crime mystery. Anyway, nothing came of it that I could tell. The train took off and a couple of police stayed aboard and looked through the train for something, but what we never knew. My first thought of course was a bomb of some sort.

The train from Figueras to Barcelona was slower, but did breeze through some of the stations with people waiting on the platform and looking up at us as we sped by. We got into Barcelona and passed through many underground stations, Passeig de Gracia being one of them. We would have to back track to that station on the metro. So we arrived and we weren't even going to be late for the arrival at our apartment. I always allow more time than necessary and this time it proved to be necessary. We switched over to the metro buying the T10 tickets from the machine and one change and a few stops later we were on Passeig de Gracia. The weather was warm and sunny and it seemed like ages since we had been in Paris.

I did forget to mention that we brought our sandwiches from Andre Cleret on the train and they were delicious. My husband bought another from Paul, in case ours weren't fresh. So we had more than we needed. We did have wine, but the train just didn't seem the place to be drinking wine. We were surrounded by families, so we stuck to water and drank the French wine on our balcony in Spain soon after we arrived.

Fabulous! My husband and I are doing this trip (in reverse and with one extra night in Paris) in May. We, too, decided to take the train after weighing the pros and cons, and are looking forward to it.

We love Gypsy Jazz and Django - never heard of La Chope des Puces, but I think it's going on the list! Too bad we'll miss the exhibit.

A trip bookended by bubbles - I love it.

Great report - looking forward to the rest.

Day 5 continued - Barcelona

We stepped off the metro at the Diagonal station. This was the stop that we had used on our first visit and we knew that it was a short walk to the Passeig de Gracia apartment that we were renting from habitatapartments.com We started down Rambla de Catalunya a lovely promenade of a street that is on the very upper ramblas and nothing like the lower ramblas that is written about so often on this forum. Our first apartment is on this street. We loved that one, but it had it's problems, so we decided to try an even nicer looking apartment with the same agency. Here is a link to our first apartment, that I would recommend, but it did need some minor upkeep. http://www.habitatapartments.com/en/barcelona/apartment/view/pedrera.htm The agency was very good to work with on both of our stays. We looked up to the huge window that we used to love to sit at and look out at the passing stream of people below and there was a man sitting there doing exactly the same thing. I posted a report back in 2009 about our first Barcelona trip. Here's the link to that. http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/our-first-trip-to-barcelona-but-not-our-last.cfm

We arrived at our new apartment http://www.habitatapartments.com/en/barcelona/apartment/view/paseo-de-gracia-a.htm on Passeig de Gracia and were met by a representative of the agency. He greeted us in perfect english and showed us into the apartment and familiarized us with everything, especially the tricky lock to get into the second upstairs entry door. It was a very secure building with a concierge in the lobby, not sure what the name for the building super is in spanish. The rep told us that in his opinion it was the best apartment that the agency rented. It was really fantastic. The balcony with it's view was breathtaking. The Casa Batllo directly across the street, the Mediterranean to the left and the hills and mountains of Barcelona with the Tibidabo amusement park and church next to it to the right. I knew it was going to be a very comfortable stay.

We headed down Passeig de Gracia to Placa de Catalunya and the very large Cortes de Ingles department store with the grocery store in the basement. We had shopped at the store in Madrid and knew we could pick up some staples for the apartment. The apartment did come with everything we needed, such as soap, paper towels, sponges, dishwashing soap, washing machine soap (it even had a separate dryer). So we really only needed to buy food and drink. Back at the apartment we sat out on the balcony and had a snack of wine and cheese admiring the wonderful view and getting used to the sensation of sitting out on this very open balcony 6 european flights up.

After resting up a bit in the apartment we went back out and walked over to Ciudad Condal for tapas and cava (Codorniu)http://www.feedmebarcelona.com/restaurants-barcelona/item/48-ciudad-condal.html We loved this place on our last trip and we still enjoyed it this visit. Of course we had the patatas bravas, also grilled prawns, and escalavida a tasty concotion of goat cheese, eggplant, and pepper. After all of this drinking and eating we needed to walk off some of the calories so we headed down into the Ramblas in search of the small music club the Harlem Jazz Club. http://www.harlemjazzclub.es/ Again, on our last trip we had been to this club and had heard some great music from a trio with guest singer by the name of Mala junta trio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx0Df2-HEuo I only wish they had been playing around this trip. We did go back later that evening and the group playing was sort of like the jazz band at your local high school. I felt kind of sorry for them and actually for me as now we had to politely make our exit without seeming too conspicuous as there were only a handful of people present. We waited until the set intermission and left. We walked back to the apartment through the back alleys of Born up into the Place de Catalunya avoiding the Ramblas this time and up to the apartment for a much needed sleep.

Tomorrow Day 6, our first full day in Barcelona.

Yankygal, I envy you and your husband. I could do this trip again right away. I told my husband that I wanted the same trip for Christmas; that's not happening, maybe next fall.

Great view from that apartment!

Nikki, the view could not be topped. I will have to put together an album of my pictures and post them.

Day 6 - Our first full day in Barcelona was sunny, bright, and on the warm side. How different from Paris! We had a great nights sleep and what a shower in that apartment. It was a rain shower and the water was hot and the pressure was strong. It was therapeutic after all of the walking we had been doing. If only my shower at home in my back of the woods country house would be so nice.

We planned months ahead that we would have breakfast every morning in Barcelona at Mauri, http://www.pasteleriasmauri.com/swf/home.html a combination of many things; a pattiserie, a salon de té, a charcuterie, and a restaurant. It was a quick walk from our current apartment and only one block up from our previous apartment. We looked forward to it every morning for their coffee and morning pastry. We also purchased a variety of their special finger sandwiches for picnics during the trip. I highly recommend stopping there if you are up in the Eixamplé.

After breakfast I purchased the obligatory postcards for the family right out in front of our building at the news kiosk, and found a souvenir for our soccer playing son-in-law, a miniature Messi key ring. We even managed to find the post office around the corner and purchase stamps, although I guess we cut the line as they had a system in place that to me was confusing, but to any native Barcelonian, made perfect sense. Everyone was very nice about it, however.

This was the morning that we would do the tour of Casa Batllo, the beautiful Antoni Gaudi designed house directly across from our apartment. http://www.casabatllo.es/en/ Gaudi was so innovative in his design, everything with a purpose. We had already visited Casa Pedrera on our last trip so we could compare. They were different in their own way. Casa Batllo is privately owned and it appeared as in the Pedrera building that parts of the building were being used for business or even residential. My husband took several pictures of our apartment from the roof so that we would have that perspective of our stay. Day and night tourists flock to the Casa Batllo to take pictures of the tiled building as it is so unique. The whole block is interesting with buildings designed by various modernisme architects. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illa_de_la_Disc%C3%B2rdia

The day was getting even nicer, weather wise so we hopped on the metro at Passeig de Gracia and went down to the nearest stop to Parc Ciutadella http://barcelona.de/en/barcelona-parc-ciutadella.html http://barcelona.de/en/barcelona-parc-ciutadella.html We brought our picnic of Mauri sandwiches and pastries, and a bottle of wine all in our handy Nicolas wine bag from Paris. As happens often to us we walked up the metro stairs and got turned around in our directions, but no problem when you're on vacation and don't mind taking in the sights. We walked around and covered the same ground a couple of times, but ended up at an entrance to the Parc Ciutadella. It wasn't crowded, but there were people all around, walking, playing, lying on the grass; kids in groups going to the zoo, and even a couple of two rowing on the very small parc "lake". We found a bench to sit on that was a bit away from people and near to the Modern Art Museum. My husband noticed some green birds flying from tree to tree and he said that he thought they were parrots and sure enough they were and they were all over the place making loud parrot noises. I wondered if they had escaped form the zoo and started a colony, but I'm thinking they must be native to the area.

We strolled all around the parc. We thought we might go to the zoo, but it was too expensive and we thought better of that. I wanted to try to see at least one new area of Barcelona while we were there so we began our long trek through Poble Nou. I had read some detective mysteries by a Spanish author that had the main character living in Poble Nou http://italian-mysteries.com/mystery-Gimenez.html

The walk took us far away from the usual tourist route and into the regular working class neighborhood of Poble Nou. It was interesting to see, but my feet were beginning to wear out so we began to look for the nearest metro which turned out to be not near at all. We were headed in the wrong direction and once we got ourselves turned around decided to just keep walking until we got to the Glories metro stop. We walked right past the torre agbar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_Agbar a building that stands out in every view of Barcelona. I was surprised to see that it was fully functional as an office or residential building. It is deceptive from afar and you don't notice the windows that are hidden by the facade. So back to the apartment to rest and sit on the balcony with a snack and figure out how to use the washer and dryer and the dish washer.

Hey Opaldog...great report. Planning a Barcelona trip for March and considering the apartment you just stayed in. Had a couple of questions I'm hoping you could answer...did the apartment have good WiFi and TV (habitat's website doesn't mention TV). Is the main bed big enough for 2 fairly big people (I'm 6'3" and from the pictures the bed looked a little small). Thanks in advance for your help.

Oh, great memories for us....I love Gerard Mulot! We had a terrific meal at Cafe Constant on our last trip to Paris...missing Paris!

Love the apt in Barcelona -- what a view!

Appreciate all of your comments.

Nikki: we originally rented from habitat based on your La Pedrera review, thanks.

clemson91: The wifi was very good, no problems. The TV was in spanish only so we just turned it on to see what the spanish stations were like, but didn't really watch. The weather was great and we were out most of the time. As for the bed, I am 5 feet and my husband is 5'10. He didn't complain and I thought it was comfortable.

yestravel: I hate to let the secret out about the apartment, but it was too good to keep quiet about.

Wonderful TR.

denisea: I forgot to say that I have followed your trip reports about Paris and enjoyed all of them. I feel the same way about Paris that you do. I'm getting that feeling about Barcelona!

Yes, this is making me want to go back to Barcelona.

I like Cafe Constant too (on my visit there in March, by the way, I was given a menu in English).

Nikki: They gave us a French menu and then when it was apparent that I didn't speak much French they offered us an English menu, but at that point I knew what I was ordering. I kind of hate to admit that I could benefit from an English menu so I muddle through with the French one.

I was there with a group of people from this message board for a get together. We were speaking English so they gave us English menus.

Sometimes it is easier to tell what you are ordering from the French menu then from the English translation.

I am using my smart phone but it isn't smart enough to know the difference between then and than.

Thanks opaldog...haven't made it to Barcelona yet but hope to. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

Enjoying your report. We went to Barcelona several years ago, and to Paris this past summer, & love both cities, so appreciate re-living our trip via your report. I love Casa Battlo, even more than La Pedrera. We stayed in Eixample, too, & really like that neighborhood. You had a great location!

thanks for the report...I love Mauri - what a classy spot.
Rambla de Cataluya is such a lovely street.
I am going to Barcelona in April... ( it will be seventh time)
and Paris( lost count)
Two fabulous cities!

I'm so enjoying your report - thank you!

We'll be traveling to Barcelona, San Sebastian and Paris this May. I think our hotel in Barcelona, the Murmuri is quite close to your breakfast spot. I'll definitely have to try it!

Thanks Kwoo; danon - I'm following your pattern of travel; Vonse, you are correct the Murmuri is right near Mauri's.

Continuing on to Friday and Daytripping to Sant Sadurni d'anoia where they produce wines and cavas. We had in mind a tour of the cava producer, Cordoniu. http://www.codorniu.com/home.html?wlang=en We had booked a tour online that would begin at 11:30. So after another breakfast at Mauri's we got ourselves over to the Sants station for a train to the town of Sant Sadurni d'anoia. It was about 45 minutes northwest of Barcelona in the Penedés area of Catalonia. The landscape was striking. It was hilly, mountainous with ravines, and browns and greens everywhere. It was also quite industrial looking in some towns heading toward our destination. Here's a link to the town http://www.santsadurni.org/index.php?tpl=landscape&sec=195 We ended up taking a short cab ride to Codorniu as the directions we got at the train station had us walking along the highway over some very high bridges and that just didn't seem quite right. On our way there we saw a couple that I guessed to be walking toward Codorniu and I was right. We walked back to the town and train station after the tour.

The building and grounds of Codorniu were beautiful. They were designed by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch in the modernisme style. Of course the original family had lived in the buildings until late in the last century. It is still family owned. There were two other couples on the tour with us. One couple from England (retired professor from Oxford) and one couple from Germany, although the woman was from Austria. Once again at the end of the tour after the champagne began to flow, the talk did as well.

We were given a tour of the grounds first and then in to the building. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about all things cava, champagne, and wine. We went underground to the old and new storage areas. We were taken on a tram ride through the long narrow tunnels. Something that would never happen in the U.S.; a class of elementary school children were on a tour at the same time. They were very excited and as they passed us in their tram they screamed with excitement and yelled hola at us. I am assuming they were served grape juice at the end of the tour. They were leaving the tasting room as we were arriving.

At the end of the tour of course we were shown to the shop. We purchased a reproduction poster of Codorniu cava when they were allowed to call it champagne and 3 small bottles that would be perfect for our planned picnic on our last day. We asked the Austrian/German couple the walking directions back to the town and then strolled back. It was raining slightly, but it didn't keep us from walking. The town was very interesting and had some really old modernisme style buildings. Wineries were scattered all about, but they were closed and then we began to realize that everything was closed. It seemed that all stores, restaurants, wineries closed from 2-5. So back to the train station we went to find food in Barcelona.

We changed to the metro at Sants station and went to the Diagonal stop and walked down to C. Mallorca for some tapas at Cerveceria Catalana http://www.bcnrestaurantes.com/eng/barcelona.asp?restaurante=cerveceria-catalana the sister restaurant of Ciudad Condal. The inside was packed and we would have to stand. Outside on the sidewalk the tables were full. We waited a minute and a table opened. I asked the waiter if it was available and he gestured for us to sit. We ordered several tapas, way too much, and a beer. A family of 6 adults sat next to us. They didn't speak spanish, but asked the waiter to speak to them in english. It turned out they were Greek. They were very interested in what we were ordering, so we got to talking and pointing and gesturing at menus and food and speaking bits of english. They ordered everything we did and much more. It was another nice moment on vacation in Europe. That day alone we had spoken with people from England, Spain, Austria, Germany, and Greece.

We walked back to the apartment, rested up and then walked back down to the El Cortes de Ingles to buy something for our granddaughters. It had to be something small, easily packable, with something indicating it was spanish. I finally found two small stuffed dogs with collars that had names in spanish on them, perfect. So foot weary we walked back up to the apartment and rested for the night.

I have forgotten so many small things about our trip and have remembered things that would be so out of context. Next trip I'll have to keep better notes.

Next - our last day in Barcelona

Opaldog, we've really been enjoying your report of two of our fav cities. We, too, enjoyed staying in the Eixample area of Barcelona. We're looking forward to the account of your final day!

tomarkot, glad you're enjoying the report. It is definitely helpful to get the positive feedback. It makes me want to keep going.

On another note, I've created a web album using google and I would like to embed it in the report, but I'm not sure if by doing so it allows access to my google account, not just pictures. I imagine it wouldn't be it's hard to tell by all the info and the "trying" it out I've been doing. Does anyone have an answer for that? Thanks.

opaldog, we ate at Cerverseria Catalana twice while in Barcelona. It was our favorite restaurant! Great food & reasonable prices.

Great report!

I am loving your report about two of my favourite cities. And great find on the new Habitat apartment, especially the view. We also stayed in your previous Habitat apartment (twice) and understand how wistful you felt looking up at the window. It's such a great location and could be a truly wonderful apartment. Our friends stayed there in August, relatively last minute, and they had quite a few problems. I would definitely rent w/Habitat again but probably not that particular apartment until it's sorted out.

We will be in Paris for New Year's and will definitely use some of the recs from your terrific report - thank you! Looking forward to seeing your photos too.

Great report - I was in Barcelona for four nights two weeks ago - my second trip there - what a great city! Thanks for sharing!
And I love Paris as well - am overdue to re-visit there!

It looks like Cerveceria Catalana is also near Hotel Murmuri! It sounds like the perfect place for dinner our first jetlagged night.

https://picasaweb.google.com/114819620217784365460/ParisBarcelonaNov2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKWj_KHqhtTeVA&feat=directlink

This is a link to my google web album of some of my pictures. I didn't do such a great job taking pictures this trip. I blame it on the little point and shoot I have, but it's more likely me. I hope the link works correctly. I can't tell what is actually viewed when others click on this link. I'm hoping it doesn't open my entire google account. I'm a novice at this sort of thing.

thanks for the report..and the pics.

Cerveceria Catalana is usually jammed (even at the early hour for dinner - like 8:30)
I had an easy time finding a seat
between lunch and dinner ...una caña and a few tapas
made a perfect late afternoon snack!

How am I ever going to get to Barcelona when Paris is beckoning and Rome is also calling me? Not enough money and not enough time!

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. do you know the address or cross streets of the "famous door on Rapp St in you photos? Don't believe I've ever seen it.

yestravel: here's a link with map of the address of 29 rue rapp (near the Eiffel Tower) http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bpcl=39468505&biw=1920&bih=947&q=29+rue+rapp+paris&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x47e66fdfc8c2fb93:0xb1b9c6453b934ec6,29+Avenue+Rapp,+75007+Paris,+France&gl=us&sa=X&ei=Oh6_UODLDOXQ0wHQx4DQDw&ved=0CCwQ8gEwAA

denisea: I feel your pain. I try to combine Paris with every European trip but it's not always possible. Paris and Barcelona was very doable.

danon: you are so right about the crowds at Cerveceria Catalana. We were there for the late afternoon/early evening snack that was more than enough food for me to call dinner.

Vonse: see the comments about Cerveceria Catalana and expect dinner crowds if you eat at the normal Barcelona dinner time.

Mara: We left right before you were in Barcelona. The weather for November was beautiful. November in New England can be terrible, however it's not so bad this year.

mvor: thanks and I think I recall reading comments you posted about habitat and La Pedrera. We were really in love with that location and really liked the apartment, but found some things to be lacking with the condition of the bathroom for instance; leaky pipes, plumbing, and the heating set up wasn't the greatest for cold nights. Other than that we were happy with it. Sitting in the window and people watching with a glass of wine was an enjoyable past time. The new place was pretty spectacular however with the view and balcony. Definitely rent it while it's still new and updated.

kwoo and bubblywine: thanks for reading and commenting.

I still have my last day to get to and hopefully I will finish that up this week with some afterthoughts.

Really enjoying this report. We love Barcelona, second only to Paris, for longer stays (love Venice too, but not for more than 5 days or so) Unfortunately our last visit to BCN was marred by having to leave town on a day of a planned national strike complete with tires burning on the freeway and human chains preventing freeway entrance. Managed to get to airport through all of that and be on one of the 20% of planes that left that day but feel a bit goosey about returning very soon. Did you have any problems with demonstrations, strikes, etc? I would assume that might be hitting up again with the Catalunyan secession push.

JulieVikmanis: Thanks for the compliment. We were in Barcelona and actually left, right before a planned strike. We had no problems whatsoever. I would have to say it was a perfect stay in Barcelona. We plan to go again and each time we visit will walk another area/neighborhood. I would love to be there in weather mild enough to swim at the beach!

Nice shots, opaldog. Love the deco and modernisme stuff.

Love your photos. The "famous door on Rapp St" reminds me a little bit of Gaudi's work.

opaldog,
If you go to Barcelona when the weather is warm ,
Sitges is a good place to go to the beach....(only 40
min.fro P de G).
BTW, one will rarely find more fantastic beaches than ones in Valencia. Also, it is a beautiful city - I highly recommend it ( about 3 hours by train from BCN, half that time from Madrid). We stayed in Valencia for a week at the end of Oct. this year. Loved it.

kwoo: Thanks. We remarked to one another that the door on rue rapp is quite spectacular, but "stuff" like that is all over Barcelona.

danon: Good to know about Valencia. We have thought about a visit there. We liked Madrid and would be looking to combine it with another city.

we flew into Valencia, took AVE to Madrid and stayed 4 nights ( our forth visit), back home from Madrid.
This time we picked a hotel north of Retiro in Serrano-Salamanca. Enjoyed the location very much.

Saturday - Last Full Day In Barcelona and of Trip

Saturday was the day to do everything we talked about doing in Barcelona and hadn't done yet, plus more. Following our pattern we had breakfast at Mauri's and bought some sandwiches to bring with us to Parc Guell.

We dropped the food back at the apartment and headed to the Flea Market Els Encants near the Torre Agbar http://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_directory/monuments/mercat_del_encants The city is building a new location across the street from the current location. It definitely could use some new space, but then I suppose the "charm" of the flea market will change. It was packed. We wandered around looking for scarves for me (and my daughter) and a Barcelona Football shirt for my son-in-law. The scarves were easy and I picked up a couple of those for 2 euro each. The shirt was harder to locate. At the official Barcelona store the shirts start at around 65, 70 euros. We found a shirt that looked good to us and to the average person they couldn't really see much of a difference accept for the 20 euro price tag. Good for a souvenir. We enjoyed looking around but didn't linger once we made our purchases. Back to the apartment to pick up the sandwiches, the chocolate tart, and the small bottles of Codorniu that we had purchased after our tour.

Earlier I had looked up the bus routes and decided that we should take the bus up to Parc Guell http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/gaudi/park-guell.html and enter from the top of the Parc and leave from the bottom. It's very hilly around the Parc and I didn't want to trudge up the streets to get there. We picked up Bus 24 right outside our apartment on Passeig de Gracia. It was a long time coming and it was packed with people, like sardines. It took us up though the Gracia section of Barcelona and began to climb the hills making at least 15 stops before we got to the eastern entrance of Parc Guell. I would definitely recommend doing this, especially if you have already been as we have and it doesn't matter if you go in the front entrance.

We walked all over the parc looking for a picnic area for our lunch. It was Saturday and fairly crowded with people doing the same thing. Different musicians played here and there. Lots of vendors were selling cheap jewelry and small souvenirs on blankets spread on the ground. The views from anywhere in the Parc are spectacular. The Mediterranean was bright, blue, and sparkling with ships and sailboats scattered around.

We came to a designated picnic area and my husband chose a picnic table that we shared with other people and no one spoke. It was a bit awkward and not what we had in mind so after one small finger sandwich we packed up and looked for a better spot to enjoy our cava. We found a spot overlooking the back of the parc and the mountains. We sat on a bench near a young family who very firmly told their son, Pablo that he could not go near the cat who was hanging about the bench. I very much wanted to share some of my sandwich with this Barcelona cat, but didn't want to flaunt this in front of the parents. We snuck bits of food to the cat who although very aloof as cats can be, enjoyed the picnic with us. Pablo made one last attempt to engage the cat and the cat warned him off with a hiss and swat of his paw. Pablo's parents yelled at him some more and he yelled "malo" at the cat and off they went.

We sat for a bit just soaking up the weather and the scene around us then made our way down the winding path to the main tiled bench area. There was a couple having their wedding photos taken. This is the much photographed area of the Parc that you always see in pictures of Barcelona. We stopped at souvenir places outside of the parc and picked up a couple of cheap shirts before arriving at the metro all the way down to the Barceloneta metro stop down near the marina and the beach.
So here we were going from the mountains to the sea in just minutes.

To Be Continued

Thank you, very-very full descriptions... it seems like there is no more secrets in visiting Paris(

Continuation of Last Day in Barcelona

Once we got our bearings coming out of the metro stop we crossed over to Barceloneta walking along the marina area with all of the seafood restaurants. Our destination was the beach. We wanted to put our hot, tired feet into the Mediterranean. We took a left and walked into the Barceloneta neighborhood into a small and quiet square/plaza. People were gathered at cafés and kids were playing about. We felt as if we had entered a different universe from the crowded marina area. We headed in the direction of the water, passing a small pet shop which was having a sale. I thought I would buy a souvenir for my daughter's Boston Terrier and spotted an inexpensive dog sweater. We went inside and although the proprietor didn't speak English we managed to communicate. They only had grande sizes left so on we went.

We came across a construction area and a well worn path that led to the boardwalk in front of the beach. There was a wide part of the boardwalk with restaurants and outdoor seating on one side. The day was sunny and warm and perfect for the opportunity to cool off our feet. The water was cold, but warmer than Gloucester, MA in the summer. I felt at that moment that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. Then I discovered sea glass scattered all about. I've become somewhat addicted to the mindless past time of looking for seaglass when I am at the beach. Now I had glass from Barcelona to add to my collection.

After relaxing on the sand and drinking a beer purchased for 1 euro from a guy hawking them on the beach, we reluctantly put on our shoes and walked back toward the marina area. We came across a crowd gathered around a band called "Los Made in Barcelona" C:\Users\Cindy\Pictures\Europe Trip Nov. 2012\MOV05070.MPG a fun scene with the crowd dancing and clapping and throwing money in the hat. We bought a cd when they passed them around, as a souvenir of our visit to what is rapidly becoming one of my favorite destinations in Europe.

We walked toward the Ramblas along a different boardwalk that was filled with strollers, skateboarders, bike riders, and dogs, dogs, dogs. It seems that Barcelona is almost as crazy about their dogs as Paris. One man had 5 French bulldogs walking alongside of him unleashed and particularly well behaved. They weren't interested in people at all, just the food that they might have with them. I have a Boston Terrier, who is also food obsessed.

From the beach we walked up Ramblas toward Placa Catalunya, stopping along the way at a free Catalonia table selling shirts and stickers. We bought a couple of each. We got back to our apartment after a very long, in a good way, full day of activities and began the sad task of packing our suitcases. Dinner that night was to be at Cerveseria Catalana, this time at the bar. It wasn't the same dining experience as the previous one, outside, but all in all tasty. We were feeling that feeling that you get when you've been on vacation for awhile and eating and drinking way too much, overfilled.

Back at the apartment it was 11:00 p.m. and we were getting ready to try and get some sleep for our morning departure, I noticed some men on the street below setting up their knock-off pocket books on a sheet on the sidewalk. People were stopping and looking and I was thinking it would be nice to look at them, but not wanting to make the effort. With just a little encouragement from my husband we changed back into clothes and down the elevator we went and ran across Passeig de Gracia to bargain with the vendors for the knock-offs. I had seen these guys with their bundle of bags all over the city, mostly picking up and running. Here people were bargaining and buying. I ended up with two bags, one for me and one for my daughter. We got back up to the apartment. I looked out the window and they were gone, vanished, picked up and ran.

The next morning came quickly and I used the rain shower one last time, drank our last cup of coffee on the balcony, ate our left over from Paris Bonne Maman Madeleines that we bought at Monoprix and said good bye to the luxurious apartment on Passeig de Gracia. We took the train to the airport. The Passeig de Gracia station had a stop for the airport train. It's a bargain and gets you there quickly. This trip we were in the older terminal 2 which you can walk to from the train. It's a dreary place compared to the new terminal, but we didn't have to wait too long before they were boarding us on our Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. I looked out the window of the plane at our last views of Barcelona and we took off flying over the Mediterranean, City, and Pyrenees toward Dublin. You can be sure that we will return for new experiences in Barcelona and to relive some old ones.

Next up - Finishing the trip and some after thoughts.

I tried to post a link to a movie of the street musicians we had seen in Barcelona but it didn't work so just ignore that and if I can figure out a better way to do it I will.

"The water was cold, but warmer than Gloucester, MA in the summer."

Damning with faint praise.

Nikki: I'm sure you know what I mean. The water was probably about equal to Block Island, RI in the summer.

What a wonderful report, opaldog. I have a mission now for our May trip: not glass, but to find a rock the color of the Mediterranean on the beach in Barcelona. I did that in Nice (the last time I stuck my feet in the Mediterranean, too long ago) and we ended up painting our living room that color (and Home Depot calls the paint "Riviera blue" - apparently for a reason!).

Thanks again. Your report was a nice mix of good, practical info and impressions/feelings. I like that - makes it more personal.

Thanks, YankyGal. I appreciate your comments. My mission is to find an airfare I can live with for our next trip, at this time - destination unknown. I do let the airfares choose the trip for me sometimes. It might be Lisbon, never been there.

Here is a you tube link for Marcel Campion and Ninine Garcia at Chope des puces http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU1Mb8qKmII and here is a link for "Los Made In Barcelona" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtjwO1aCT_w
From an earlier trip to Paris in 2011 I have a link to a jam session at Duc des Lombards featuring Ahmet Gulbay on piano http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJAhmSmaZGo

You probably all know how it is when you return from a successful trip to Europe (or anywhere for that matter). After you rest up, you're ready to plan another. I think the older I get the more I feel compelled to travel now and not wait.

This last trip I enjoyed train travel more than I have before. I recommend it when you have the time for it.

I enjoyed music in both Paris and Barcelona at a very low cost, free. Of course that doesn't count the cost of refreshments, which I would have had anyway.

I tried some new things, but enjoyed the old familiar things as well. There is that excitement you get when you are doing or seeing something for the first time and there is that warm, kind of comforting feeling when you experience familiar places that now seem kind of like, old friends.

I went against my advice of not sleeping the first day and took a nap in the evening so that I could get up and go to my favorite free midnight music spot, Duc des Lombards. We actually got right into the time zone after that. I think I'll plan all my Paris vacations that way.

We did picnics in Barcelona, in the parks and on our balcony that were among the most relaxing and enjoyable food experiences of our trip. Now I have my handy wine carrying bag from Nicolas in Paris, I'll be having more picnics.

So I got a chance to go to some of my favorite spots:
Andre Cleret in Paris
Brasserie I'sle St. Louis
Duc des Lombards
Cafe Constant
Monoprix
Chopes des Puces
the streets of Paris
the metro and trains of Paris and France
the Seine
Parc Guell
Ciudad Condal
Mauri's
the Mediterranean of Barcelona
the streets and vistas of Barcelona
and I got to experience new things and have left so much undone that of course I need to return to explore and experience more.

I'm in the planning stages for a trip to ? for next October. I will let the airfares guide me for the most part. Right now Istanbul for $818 rt on Swiss is looking tempting. I'll keep on looking and then when the right trip and the right moment comes along, I'll click the mouse and start some serious planning.

thanks again for your interesting report.

Wonderful! Please travel again soon.

Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement to travel. It doesn't take much to get me to travel.

Enjoyed your trip reports.
Do you mind to share the website names where you searched for airfare almost 10 months ahead?
Thanks.

I usually start out with Kayak.com to get an idea of what the airfares are going for. I also look at itasoftware.com for the same reason. However the fares aren't always correct or available on those sites so if you have the time you should check with the individual airline sites. In the case of the fare we got for BOS to CDG; BCN to BOS ($642) I saw it on Kayak and then went to the Aerlingus site and booked with them. I like to book with the airline directly whenever possible. I've had a couple of negative experiences with consolidators. Perseverance is the key. I check daily and if I'm bored, more than once a day. So far it's paid off.

Thanks. Those are the two sites I checked airfare too, only I did not check so far ahead, and did not check as often.

Opaldog, I must thank MaineGG for directing me to this excellent report.

My husband plays in a gypsy jazz band in St. Louis and has been itching to get to some jazz manouche joints in Paris. He thinks Django hung the moon, was excited to hear about the Cite de la Musique exhibit; thank you for that tip. We're planning to go to Chopes des Puce, and also try to hit some of the places where they might let him sit in.

We're also staying in the Marais, so might try to hit some of your recs.

stokebailey: Here's a link to another bar/restaurant in Paris that has good Jazz manouche music http://www.ateliercharonne.com/ A couple of years ago we saw Angelo Debarre play. You can do the dinner or just try to grab a spot at the bar. It's in the 11th arrondisement, easy walking from the Marais. Definitely do the midnight jam session at Duc des Lombards; Friday or Saturday or both. It's not manouche, but it's great music. Also, I'm not sure when the Django exhibit closes. When do you plan to be in Paris?

Thank you, opaldog! We will check out Atelier Charonne definitely and Duc des Lombards, too. We'll be looking for something jazzy to do NYEve, since our daughters have something lined up with friends. We like your price range for music, too, but might have to unpeel a bit more for that evening.

The Cité de la Musique link you provided says Django there till the 23rd, and we leave this Saturday. So should be fine. We want to go up that way anyway and to an area excellently documented by Kerouac:

http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=paris&action=display&thread=6245&page=1

Wonderful report by Kerouac. We have gone to some of the neighborhoods reported on by Kerouac. Most recently, the area around the French Biblioteque https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&ved=0CEcQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bnf.fr%2F&ei=I_jQUJWWIYrM0wH4_IDoDQ&usg=AFQjCNGH70bi6kmquU193_youiCbiuz_aw&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.dmQ

I am also putting Atelier Charonne on my list; I hadn't seen that one before.

This is rapidly turning into my gypsy jazz vacation in Paris. Here is a link to a new film that is now playing in Paris about 4 gypsy jazz musicians (documentary). One of the musicians is Ninine Garcia who I spoke of earlier in my report. www.lesfilsduvent-film.com

And Opaldog, you do know that Paris Combo is playing in Boston in May?

Nikki, I see that at Berklee. We saw them the last time they played in Somerville. I'll have to look into that. The guitarist in that group, Potzi, plays in his trio in Paris and also plays in that movie I put a link to.

Yup, that's why I mentioned it. I was looking at your link to the Atelier Charonne and I saw Potzi on the schedule. I remember when you saw them in Somerville and then we went the next year.

I didn't remember that they played again. They were great! We went to Paris not long after we saw them and the poster of their newest CD was everywhere. I'm glad to see that they have regrouped.

I so enjoyed your trip report Opaldog! We were in Paris for our first time near the time you were and loved every minute. We then traveled into the French Alps, Provence, ending in Nice! Now, we are planning to visit Spain in 2013 and so excited after reading your report about Barcelona! Have a big question, hope you will answer . . . We have a great apartment booked through vrbo at the top of the Raval near the Museum of Contemporary Art! After reading some posts, I am wondering if this is an area we should worry about safety? We love being in the neighborhoods with real people, and because we have never visited Spain, we may not have researched enough! Please any and all responses, comments will be appreciated!

BFD: I just saw your post. We did go to the Museum which isn't far into the Raval, but I have also read that it isn't the greatest area. I wouldn't choose it for a first visit to Barcelona. We stayed in two different apartments both in Eixample. I would also stay in the Born area. The Eixample is big and bright and Born is old, with narrow streets and darker. After staying in a similar area in the Marais we chose the bright broad streets of the Eixample and loved our apartment. We rented with habitatapartments.com and were very satisfied. Do you have a link to the apartment? I'm not a huge fan of the lower Ramblas and the Museum is not far off of that.

I just saw this post and I was thrilled to read it.
We are taking our daughter, son-in-law and 6 year old grandson to Paris in June and plan to take the train to Barcelona, where we will board a Disney cruise to Italy. Some folks have suggested that we stay near the Gare de Lyon station due to the fact that we are traveling with a young child. I have found several hotels but have not booked anything yet,( I am not comfortable with waiting) but I am unable to book train tickets at this time. We want to travel during the day and right now all that is coming up is an overnight. I spoke to Rail Europe and I was told to keep checking and the schedule should be posted within the next few weeks.

I too enjoy the planning stages and since our daughter speaks fluent French and has never been to Europe this trip is very special. I want everything to go smoothly and as always appreciate and feed back that I can get from fellow travelers.

I do see that the train schedule in June is only showing night trains. If you look at the schedule in March and April they do show the day trains. I'm not sure if they aren't posting yet or they are not having the day trains in June due to what I don't know. I booked through the french sncf site. I know that Rail Europe can be more expensive, but isn't always. I would check both sites for the price. This is the link I used to get to the SNCF site http://www.voyages-sncf.com/billet-train/horaires I did have to pick up my tickets in Paris at the train station. We just did that a few days before we took the train to Barcelona and it wasn't a problem. Good luck and have a wonderful trip.