sharbear84

I wish we had time to do a road trip like that - my husband works during the week so we only have the weekends, hence why we may do the guided trip so we can cram a lot into one day, which normally isn't the way I like to travel.

sharbear84

And, I meant to say, we chose to take one long weekend trip (and for him to take days off) to go to Marrakech, Morocco. Now I wonder if we should have just done a trip here in Spain, but I've always wanted to see Morocco.

zeppole

Sharbear,

Have you thought about buying some of the kitchen stuff you want? You might wait until you get to Paris and see if you have more of what you need there, but it is a pretty good bet that if you are renting in Bologna, your kitchen won't be well equipped. You'd be surprised how little space a large plastic bowl takes up in a suitcase (you can fill it with socks). Same with a blender. Don't buy good knives, unless you are checking luggage from place to place or taking trains.

Also, if you haven't already, figure out how to use the shortest setting on your washing machine. Even if it says "Delicato", it will be enough to get your clothes clean. Again, investing in a bigger or second indoor drying rack eventually comes to less than a dollar per day. I'm usually able to hang a full load of laundry onto an Italian indoor drying rack.

Hope you will visit Vic as a daytrip while you are in Barcelona if you are interested in Catalonian culture. Don't miss the museum there.

sharbear84

Thanks zeppole (love the name)! We might buy some stuff, although our landlord here did bring us a mixing bowl and a hand blender. I also bought some aluminum baking tins, and plastic silverware, so we are making out ok at the moment.

As for the laundry, we definitely need another indoor rack. I hung some of our sheets on the outdoor rack out the window, and a bird pooped on them again!! But I look around, and everyone has stuff hanging out the window, and no one else has bird poop on their stuff. I give up.

sharbear84

Parc de Montjuic and Parc de la Ciutadella: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...iutadella.html

CarolJean

I am enjoying this so much. We will be in Barc in the fall and I can't wait. Thank you so much. Continue to enjoy your stay. CJ

sharbear84

Thanks CJ!

Kwoo

Just read your post & saw your lovely photos of Parc La Ciutedella. It wasn't on my radar screen either when we were in Barcelona; my daughter, who was studying there at the time, brought us to the parc to see the La Cascada Fountain & we just loved it so much. I wish we had more time to spend there. The fountain is amazing!!! It is definitely one of our favorite parts of Barcelona.

We also took the cable car to the top of Montjuic & went inside the fort. We didn't have time to visit the museums. Reading your blog brings back warm memories of our trip.

sharbear84

Kwoo - I realize now that I read your trip report to prepare, and I loved it! I didn't make the connection until I clicked on your name - so thank you for the help. And for reminding me of the name of the fountain...did it actually have flowing water when you saw it?

sharbear84

La Sagrada Familia was as amazing as I thought it would be! http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...a-familia.html

sharbear84

Another food post with lots of restaurant suggestions: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...n-part-ii.html

sharbear84

A break from the usual for a post on what things cost here: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/0...na-budget.html

Kwoo

Hi sharbear,
I remember there was water in the pool, but I don't think there was flowing water.

On another note, I just finished reading your Paris blog from May 2011. We are planning a first-time trip to Paris this summer, so I have a few questions. Do you remember what time you woke up on the day you went to Versailles, and what time did you arrive at Versailles? Was the Paris Museum Pass worth it? If so, how many museums do you need to visit to make it worthwhile? I posted these questions on the France forum, too.
Thanks.

sharbear84

HI Kwoo - Ok let me think. I know it was the earliest we woke up on our trip, I think we were up around 7 am, but I can't remember exactly what time we got to Versailles...by 10 maybe? I remember thinking it was good timing bc we seemed to beat some of the crowds. I'm sorry I don't remember more exactly. I do remember that we got on the wrong train though, so you might want to read up on that a bit more than we did...
The museum pass was worth it for us I think, especially because it allowed us to skip lines (although not at the Musee d'Orsay). I did all the calculations back then on how many you needed to see to make it worth it but now I don't remember..my husband, who pays more attention to those things, remembers it as a good deal. And there was more we could have done that we didn't do...

sharbear84

Pictures of Casa Batllo: http://www.eatdreamtravel.com/2012/03/casa-batllo.html
A must-see in my opinion!

sharbear84

(And sorry for replying about France on here, meant to do that on the Paris thread..my bad folks!)

anandnesan

Pictures look awesome! I have booked a tour of Casa Mila (the only option available) with ContextTours for my upcoming trip in May. Did you happen to see this place yet? Is the experience very different from Casa Batllo?

One other question was about the Flamenco show. I am contemplating booking tickets after your glowing review. Is there a dress code (similar to an Opera)?

Thanks in advance sharbear84!

Kwoo

Anandnesan, if you can, plan on seeing both Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. They are very different from each other; we liked Casa Batllo better, but the rooftop of Casa Mila is amazing. We bought audioguides; didn't need a guided tour.

anandnesan

Thanks Kwoo! Out guided tour is titled 'Gaudi In Context' and I just went back and read the description again. It clearly states that we will be visiting both the Casas (although the billing statement indicated just Casa Mila). I am glad I checked.

sharbear84

I assume the tours go inside right? Because that's definitely important! Also the audioguides are generaly very good..not that uou shouldnt go on a toir just seconding kwoo.
We dressed nicely for the flamenco..but we saw all types of dress so not as fancy as opera.