Barcelona-Madrid Trip Report Sept-Oct Barcelona
Oct 12th, 2005 | 10:47 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Barcelona-Madrid Trip Report Sept-Oct Barcelona
Background:
My wife and I are independent travelers who have made a number of trips to Europe. I do all the planning and reservations. We love the old cities and are especially interested in the architecture of churches, palaces, museums, etc. We look for the unique art and culture of the area and set a very high priority on dining and the local cuisine. I assemble information from a number of travel books, magazines, chat rooms, and other sources. I intentionally plan more than we are likely do each day knowing that we can adjust future day’s schedules or be content to not see everything; which can be a reason to come back. I want to thank all the posters to this board for providing me with information that was very helpful in planning a great trip.
Tue-Wed:
We flew Continental from Newark to Madrid (frequent flyer miles) and then Spanair to Barcelona (Spanair flight was 25€ each plus tax). Taxi to Hotel Continental Palacete; Rambla de Catalunya, 30 (2 blocks from Plaça de Catalunya on the edge of the Eixample district) cost about 20€. Hotel was a great find. We couldn’t use all the hangers, drawers etc. that were provided. Internet access was available at the front desk and the staff could not have been more helpful. Food and drink buffet was available 24 hours a day and you cannot beat having a coffee machine 5m. from our room. We reserved a Sun-Sol room which faced the street and was worth the premium to look out and watch the world going by on Rambla de Catalunya. The first order of business after checking in was lunch. The hotel recommended Costa Gallega; Passeig de Gràcia, 71, a couple of blocks from the hotel, to start our trip under an umbrella on the expansive sidewalk with paella and Albarino. We then wandered over to El Corte Inglés on Plaça de Catalunya to buy train tickets for our return to Madrid in a few days, to the TI for information about the ongoing Fiesta de la Mercè, and to the metro station to get our 10-trip tickets. We had dinner at Origens 99,9%; calle Vidriería, 6-8 which I picked because it was a couple of blocks from the hotel and did not close between lunch and dinner in case the jet lag got to us. We managed to wait until 2045 and arrived at the empty restaurant, which was packed when we left about 2215. We had an assortment of tapas and then an assortment of desserts and washed it down with a decent red wine. It seemed a little strange being in Barcelona and listing to “The Duke of Earl” and other great oldies as background music but they were playing the good stuff so it was great. Since Origens is also a market we picked up an assortment of yogurts (goat, cow, and sheep) to have with breakfast (the hotel had a refrigerator in the room).
Thur:
After a good night’s sleep and breakfast at the hotel, we took the metro to El Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, which was one of the reasons we had come to Barcelona. It was crowded and we had to wait about 30 minutes for the elevator to take us up one of the towers. Even though I have a problem with heights I was glad to get this perspective of the site. Antonio Gaudí must have seen the world differently from the rest of us because nothing was like you would expect it to be but it all seemed to work together. I had planned for lunch at Taktika-Berri; Valencia, 169 and did not think I would need a reservation if we arrived early – wrong, it was fully booked for lunch when we arrived at 1330 on a Thursday. However, we were able to sit on a bar stool and sample the great tapas as it came out of the kitchen, probably the best tapas on our entire trip. They total up the bill by counting the number of toothpicks on your plate. We then walked to Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and toured the roof and the apartment. I can’t imagine how you could construct a build this large without using a single straight line. We planned to finish our Gaudi day at Casa Batlló but the apartment closes at 1400 so we bought our ticket for a future day to avoid the queue. We were unable to make a dinner reservation where we wanted to, so we had tapas in the middle of Rambla de Catalunya at Ciudad Condal; Rambla Catalunya, 18 (recommended by the hotel) and then wandered down La Ramblas. At around 2230 we found ourselves between two dueling parades as part of the Fiesta de la Mercè with the Gigantes (giants) on one side of the street and the Correfoc (fire breathing dragons) on the other side of the street each with competing drummers.
Fri:
We stopped at El Palau de la Musica Catalana in the morning and bought tickets for the 1500 tour in English and then headed over to the Cathedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia which is hidden behind a wall of scaffolding but the interior was impressive. Behind the Cathedral is the Museu d' Historia de la Ciutat Barcelona where we saw the Roman city ruins underneath the museum which were quite extensive. We continued through the old city and came across an available terrace table on Plaça de Jacint Raventós of Taller de Tapas; Calle de l'Argenteria, 51 to sample some more good tapas and sit and relax for a little while. After wondering around the old city we returned to El Palau de la Musica Catalana and toured the amazing concert hall where no surface was left undecorated (I could not imagine the Muses, as described in Michener’s book Iberia, coming out of the walls of the stage until I actually saw them). We returned to the hotel to rest up for dinner. I had made a reservation over the internet for highly recommended Cinc Sentits; aribau, 58 and we had the best meal of our entire vacation. We ordered the Omakase (tasting menu) with wine pairings and experienced course after course of incredible flavors. We did not want the wonderful meal to ever end.
Sat:
We returned to Casa Batlló to tour the apartment and roof and were very glad we had purchased the tickets ahead of time because there was a long line at the ticket window but no line at the entrance. The uniqueness, attention to detail, and feeling of the space by Antonio Gaudí reminds me of similar feelings I have had at Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. The view out onto Passeig de Gràcia through the amazing front windows has to be seen to be believed. After the 1st floor apartment the tour goes out onto the rear patio and then up to the roof. We then took the Metro to finish our Gaudí experience at Park Güell, which is a pretty good walk through the neighborhood and up the hill to the park. The park was like no park we had ever seen before, but this has been our experience with all of Gaudí’s designs. We took the Metro back to Plaça St Jaume I to see the Teams of Castellers (human castles) in the packed square. We then headed down to the El Born district to get away from the crowds and find a place to sit down, rest, and eat. We stopped at Lonja de Tapas; Plaça del Palau, 7 where we ordered too many tapas dishes and were not able to finish, but what we ate was very good. After rest and fuel we continued through the Barri Gòtic enjoying the streets and alleys and ended up at the Picasso Museum which fortunately was free for the holiday. I liked some of his earlier works, but we keep trying to understand his later type of art, but it just doesn’t seem to click. Dinner was at another restaurant recommended by the hotel; El Mussol; carrer d'Aragó, 261 which was only a short walk and was almost all local diners. Communications are always interesting when you do not speak the language and sometimes we find out what we ordered when we get it, which is part of the charm. We had again over ordered so we were glad when some of it never came.
Sun:
We went to Plaça de la Seu in front of the Cathedral to see the traditional dance competition from Catalunya, La Sardana, which is very unique and I could just not get with the steps no matter how much I tried. After this we walked to Plaça Sant Jaume I to see more Castellers and continued onto La Ramblas and down to the harbor, out onto La Rambla del Mar and on to La Barcelonata. It was a beautiful day for walk along the beach to our lunch at Arola in the Hotel Arts; Carrer Marina, 19 -21 where we had a relaxing, fabulous meal in a gorgeous setting. This is the first time I have had pig cheeks or foamed potatoes and they were both great. We waddled to the nearest Metro station and went back to the hotel to pack and rest up for dinner. I wondered how far below sea level the Metro was since we were only a few blocks from the beach. Since it was raining that evening we walked back to Origens 99,9% for some more tapas and wine to finish our stay in Barcelona. This time the background music was Spanish.
Madrid Part II
My wife and I are independent travelers who have made a number of trips to Europe. I do all the planning and reservations. We love the old cities and are especially interested in the architecture of churches, palaces, museums, etc. We look for the unique art and culture of the area and set a very high priority on dining and the local cuisine. I assemble information from a number of travel books, magazines, chat rooms, and other sources. I intentionally plan more than we are likely do each day knowing that we can adjust future day’s schedules or be content to not see everything; which can be a reason to come back. I want to thank all the posters to this board for providing me with information that was very helpful in planning a great trip.
Tue-Wed:
We flew Continental from Newark to Madrid (frequent flyer miles) and then Spanair to Barcelona (Spanair flight was 25€ each plus tax). Taxi to Hotel Continental Palacete; Rambla de Catalunya, 30 (2 blocks from Plaça de Catalunya on the edge of the Eixample district) cost about 20€. Hotel was a great find. We couldn’t use all the hangers, drawers etc. that were provided. Internet access was available at the front desk and the staff could not have been more helpful. Food and drink buffet was available 24 hours a day and you cannot beat having a coffee machine 5m. from our room. We reserved a Sun-Sol room which faced the street and was worth the premium to look out and watch the world going by on Rambla de Catalunya. The first order of business after checking in was lunch. The hotel recommended Costa Gallega; Passeig de Gràcia, 71, a couple of blocks from the hotel, to start our trip under an umbrella on the expansive sidewalk with paella and Albarino. We then wandered over to El Corte Inglés on Plaça de Catalunya to buy train tickets for our return to Madrid in a few days, to the TI for information about the ongoing Fiesta de la Mercè, and to the metro station to get our 10-trip tickets. We had dinner at Origens 99,9%; calle Vidriería, 6-8 which I picked because it was a couple of blocks from the hotel and did not close between lunch and dinner in case the jet lag got to us. We managed to wait until 2045 and arrived at the empty restaurant, which was packed when we left about 2215. We had an assortment of tapas and then an assortment of desserts and washed it down with a decent red wine. It seemed a little strange being in Barcelona and listing to “The Duke of Earl” and other great oldies as background music but they were playing the good stuff so it was great. Since Origens is also a market we picked up an assortment of yogurts (goat, cow, and sheep) to have with breakfast (the hotel had a refrigerator in the room).
Thur:
After a good night’s sleep and breakfast at the hotel, we took the metro to El Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, which was one of the reasons we had come to Barcelona. It was crowded and we had to wait about 30 minutes for the elevator to take us up one of the towers. Even though I have a problem with heights I was glad to get this perspective of the site. Antonio Gaudí must have seen the world differently from the rest of us because nothing was like you would expect it to be but it all seemed to work together. I had planned for lunch at Taktika-Berri; Valencia, 169 and did not think I would need a reservation if we arrived early – wrong, it was fully booked for lunch when we arrived at 1330 on a Thursday. However, we were able to sit on a bar stool and sample the great tapas as it came out of the kitchen, probably the best tapas on our entire trip. They total up the bill by counting the number of toothpicks on your plate. We then walked to Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and toured the roof and the apartment. I can’t imagine how you could construct a build this large without using a single straight line. We planned to finish our Gaudi day at Casa Batlló but the apartment closes at 1400 so we bought our ticket for a future day to avoid the queue. We were unable to make a dinner reservation where we wanted to, so we had tapas in the middle of Rambla de Catalunya at Ciudad Condal; Rambla Catalunya, 18 (recommended by the hotel) and then wandered down La Ramblas. At around 2230 we found ourselves between two dueling parades as part of the Fiesta de la Mercè with the Gigantes (giants) on one side of the street and the Correfoc (fire breathing dragons) on the other side of the street each with competing drummers.
Fri:
We stopped at El Palau de la Musica Catalana in the morning and bought tickets for the 1500 tour in English and then headed over to the Cathedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia which is hidden behind a wall of scaffolding but the interior was impressive. Behind the Cathedral is the Museu d' Historia de la Ciutat Barcelona where we saw the Roman city ruins underneath the museum which were quite extensive. We continued through the old city and came across an available terrace table on Plaça de Jacint Raventós of Taller de Tapas; Calle de l'Argenteria, 51 to sample some more good tapas and sit and relax for a little while. After wondering around the old city we returned to El Palau de la Musica Catalana and toured the amazing concert hall where no surface was left undecorated (I could not imagine the Muses, as described in Michener’s book Iberia, coming out of the walls of the stage until I actually saw them). We returned to the hotel to rest up for dinner. I had made a reservation over the internet for highly recommended Cinc Sentits; aribau, 58 and we had the best meal of our entire vacation. We ordered the Omakase (tasting menu) with wine pairings and experienced course after course of incredible flavors. We did not want the wonderful meal to ever end.
Sat:
We returned to Casa Batlló to tour the apartment and roof and were very glad we had purchased the tickets ahead of time because there was a long line at the ticket window but no line at the entrance. The uniqueness, attention to detail, and feeling of the space by Antonio Gaudí reminds me of similar feelings I have had at Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. The view out onto Passeig de Gràcia through the amazing front windows has to be seen to be believed. After the 1st floor apartment the tour goes out onto the rear patio and then up to the roof. We then took the Metro to finish our Gaudí experience at Park Güell, which is a pretty good walk through the neighborhood and up the hill to the park. The park was like no park we had ever seen before, but this has been our experience with all of Gaudí’s designs. We took the Metro back to Plaça St Jaume I to see the Teams of Castellers (human castles) in the packed square. We then headed down to the El Born district to get away from the crowds and find a place to sit down, rest, and eat. We stopped at Lonja de Tapas; Plaça del Palau, 7 where we ordered too many tapas dishes and were not able to finish, but what we ate was very good. After rest and fuel we continued through the Barri Gòtic enjoying the streets and alleys and ended up at the Picasso Museum which fortunately was free for the holiday. I liked some of his earlier works, but we keep trying to understand his later type of art, but it just doesn’t seem to click. Dinner was at another restaurant recommended by the hotel; El Mussol; carrer d'Aragó, 261 which was only a short walk and was almost all local diners. Communications are always interesting when you do not speak the language and sometimes we find out what we ordered when we get it, which is part of the charm. We had again over ordered so we were glad when some of it never came.
Sun:
We went to Plaça de la Seu in front of the Cathedral to see the traditional dance competition from Catalunya, La Sardana, which is very unique and I could just not get with the steps no matter how much I tried. After this we walked to Plaça Sant Jaume I to see more Castellers and continued onto La Ramblas and down to the harbor, out onto La Rambla del Mar and on to La Barcelonata. It was a beautiful day for walk along the beach to our lunch at Arola in the Hotel Arts; Carrer Marina, 19 -21 where we had a relaxing, fabulous meal in a gorgeous setting. This is the first time I have had pig cheeks or foamed potatoes and they were both great. We waddled to the nearest Metro station and went back to the hotel to pack and rest up for dinner. I wondered how far below sea level the Metro was since we were only a few blocks from the beach. Since it was raining that evening we walked back to Origens 99,9% for some more tapas and wine to finish our stay in Barcelona. This time the background music was Spanish.
Madrid Part II
Oct 12th, 2005 | 10:49 AM
#2
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Madrid Part II
Mon:
Taxi to train station, 5 hour train ride to Madrid, Taxi to Hotel Carlos V; Maestro Vitoria, 5 (right off Puerta del Sol, great location). Orientation walk around Madrid – Puerta del Sol (pick up Metro 10-trip tickets) – Plaza Mayor – Plaza Oriente. We stopped for Misto (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) on Plaza Oriente to relax. We made a reservation at Restaurante Botin de Madrid; Calle de Cuchilleros, 17 where the meal was exactly like the posts about the restaurant, full of tourists but very good food (the suckling pig and the meringue iced cake come to mind).
Tue:
We set up a successful routine in Madrid to drop off the phone number of the restaurant we wanted for dinner at the front desk of the hotel as we left in the morning and they would make the reservation for us later in the day. A number a years ago, we were in Portalegre, Portugal and were looking for a tapestry factory and after much difficulty finding it I was frustrated to learn that they had stopped giving tours, so when I found Real Fabrica de Tapices in Madrid, it was one of our first stops. Very impressive – hand knotted carpets which cost about 800 €/m2 and tapestries which cost about 8-12.000 €/m2 and during the tour you can watch the work of both in progress. When we later toured the palace and saw the carpets and tapestries that had been reproduced and restored by this factory we could really understand what was involved in the work. We then walked up to Parque del Buen Retiro but had to walk a long way to get around the wall at this end of the park which was not obvious on my map. We headed through the park back towards the hotel and stopped for lunch at Bocaito; calle Libertad 4-6 in the Chueca district. Great calamari, veal, and the best fries we had in Spain (different from the spicy potatoes). Dinner in the upscale Salamanca district at Combarro; José Ortega y Gasset 40 an excellent upscale Galician seafood restaurant completed our day.
Wed:
Started at the Palacio Real, which had been closed earlier in the week for an official function, which rates with the top palaces we have seen, with overwhelming size, details, chandeliers, tapestries, carpets, etc. We took the English guided tour and it was definitely worth the visit. Since my wife is a quilter, I find her a quilt fabric store in just about every city we travel to. Ca’ñamazo; Fernádez de los Ríos, 66 is in the Gaztambide district which is off the tourist maps. Using sign language we were able to buy pieces of a number of fabrics, which are different from what is available in the States. We then walked to the nearby wine bar Asturianos; Vallehermoso, 94 for lunch. We ordered two different menus of the day, which we were not sure what we had ordered, but for 10€ each got two great courses, wine, and a fantastic lemon sorbet for dessert. What a great value. We went to Las Carboneras; Plaza del Conde de Miranda, 1 for an OK dinner with a Flamenco performance. The show seemed pretty good to an outsider like us since we have nothing to compare it with, but it was enjoyable. The show lasted over an hour and consisted of two band members, two singers, and four dancers (3F, 1M), who each got a chance to really perform.
Thur:
The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía was our first stop where we bought the Paseo del Arte pass for admission into all three major art museums. There we saw the famous "Guernica" by Picasso and other strange stuff (see comments above about our feelings for modern art). We then continued over to the Museo del Prado and took what seemed like a fairly quick walk through a very large collection of very large paintings in a very large building. I get real excited when I come across paintings in person that I have seen in reference books, and there are a lot of them in this museum. As we were walking back towards the hotel we passed the Westin Palace Hotel and decided to step inside to see La Rotonda (stained glass domed ceiling over central courtyard). We were tired of walking so we decided to eat lunch with a great view of the glass dome. We had a wonderful buffet meal with cava and good wine. We especially liked the dessert table and the best vanilla ice cream we have ever had. The only problem was we had not asked about the price and the buffet turned out to be 45€ each. We chalked it up to experience having a great meal in a great setting for a little more than we had planned to spend. Restaurante Viridiana; Juan de Mena, 14 was our dinner choice for the evening and the decorating, attention to detail, relaxed service, and great food made this an exceptional choice. The restaurant is themed on the 1961 movie Viridiana directed by Luis Buñuel and is very tastefully done.
Fri:
Since I have mellowed over time, I now schedule time for my wife to do a little shopping on our trips. In the past we have been in shopping areas only when they are closed or when we were rushing somewhere so we could not stop. We shopped for espadrilles, sewing kits, fans, fan stands, books, etc. For lunch we went to Juana la Loca; Plaza Puerta de Moros, 4 in La Latina district where we again had great tapas and a couple of desserts to go with our wine. By dinner we were ready for red meat, so we went to Asador Frontón; Tirso de Molina, 7 where the beef we ordered for two would have fed a family of six with leftovers and another exceptional dessert, panchineta (cream-filled puff pastry).
Sat:
We had yet to go to the third of the major museums - Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, so this is where we started the day. What a great museum. By starting on the second floor and working your way down, you follow the chronological development of painting from about the 11th C to the present through a very impressive collection. There were many paintings by major artists that we had never seen before or in books, and we really enjoyed this museum because it was not as overwhelming or as crowded as the Prado. We had planned to go to El Tempranillo; Calle de la Cava Baja, 38 for lunch but by the time we got there we couldn’t get in the door. It must be good judging by the crowd. We went around the corner back to Juana la Loca for another light tapas lunch and just happened to catch a table as someone was leaving. I had wanted a fancy dinner for our last evening in Spain so I had reserved, over the internet, dinner at La Terraza del Casino; Alcalá, 15. The setting on an open terrace on a beautiful evening overlooking grand buildings across the street couldn’t have been better. The meal was an experience as well as a great meal. We started with a pallet cleanser which was a spot to lick off a spoon, followed by a whiskey sour sorbet made table side with smoking dry ice. This was followed by faux orange caviar made from passion fruit juice dripped into a clear liquid from a group of hypodermic needles and then served in caviar tins. Since my wife and I had different courses because she wanted to avoid unusual shellfish (and I got to taste cockles) we were presented with two different menus of what we had when we left. We lost count of the many courses.
Sun:
Taxi from hotel to airport and our return to reality from a very relaxing vacation.
Comments:
I hope I haven’t provided too much detail, I just wanted to show what it takes to plan and travel on your own. The weather was sunny and 85°F/29.5°C almost the whole trip which was slightly above normal and the only rain we had was walking to dinner Sunday evening in Barcelona. We brought too much cool weather clothes and not enough warm weather clothing, but you never know what you will find this time of the year. I would have made lunch and dinner reservations in Barcelona if I realized that it may be too late by the time I had arrived. We also did not realize that with the Festa de la Mercè falling on a Saturday, all the stores would be closed on Friday and Saturday and do not open on Sunday, which meant that anything we saw window shopping we were not able to follow up on. Even I could not plan that well.
I had planned to go to both Toledo and Segovia, but my wife had some motion sickness problems on the train so we decided to just spend the time in Madrid and save them for another time. We walked between 6 and 8 miles a day (my wife bought a pedometer a few trips ago to show me how far we walking on our trips) which was normal for our city center vacations, and this was with extensive use of the Metro. There are a considerable amount of postings about pickpockets for Barcelona and Madrid so we were prepared with our money belts and double zippers. However, we did not experience any problems other than a couple of women who were trying to pin flowers on us near the opera house in Madrid, who we quickly walked away from. We would not have any problem recommending any of the restaurants we went to, which is a result of planning almost all of them ahead of time. I now have to decide where to go next.
Let me know if you have any questions or how I can help your next trip to be a success.
Mon:
Taxi to train station, 5 hour train ride to Madrid, Taxi to Hotel Carlos V; Maestro Vitoria, 5 (right off Puerta del Sol, great location). Orientation walk around Madrid – Puerta del Sol (pick up Metro 10-trip tickets) – Plaza Mayor – Plaza Oriente. We stopped for Misto (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) on Plaza Oriente to relax. We made a reservation at Restaurante Botin de Madrid; Calle de Cuchilleros, 17 where the meal was exactly like the posts about the restaurant, full of tourists but very good food (the suckling pig and the meringue iced cake come to mind).
Tue:
We set up a successful routine in Madrid to drop off the phone number of the restaurant we wanted for dinner at the front desk of the hotel as we left in the morning and they would make the reservation for us later in the day. A number a years ago, we were in Portalegre, Portugal and were looking for a tapestry factory and after much difficulty finding it I was frustrated to learn that they had stopped giving tours, so when I found Real Fabrica de Tapices in Madrid, it was one of our first stops. Very impressive – hand knotted carpets which cost about 800 €/m2 and tapestries which cost about 8-12.000 €/m2 and during the tour you can watch the work of both in progress. When we later toured the palace and saw the carpets and tapestries that had been reproduced and restored by this factory we could really understand what was involved in the work. We then walked up to Parque del Buen Retiro but had to walk a long way to get around the wall at this end of the park which was not obvious on my map. We headed through the park back towards the hotel and stopped for lunch at Bocaito; calle Libertad 4-6 in the Chueca district. Great calamari, veal, and the best fries we had in Spain (different from the spicy potatoes). Dinner in the upscale Salamanca district at Combarro; José Ortega y Gasset 40 an excellent upscale Galician seafood restaurant completed our day.
Wed:
Started at the Palacio Real, which had been closed earlier in the week for an official function, which rates with the top palaces we have seen, with overwhelming size, details, chandeliers, tapestries, carpets, etc. We took the English guided tour and it was definitely worth the visit. Since my wife is a quilter, I find her a quilt fabric store in just about every city we travel to. Ca’ñamazo; Fernádez de los Ríos, 66 is in the Gaztambide district which is off the tourist maps. Using sign language we were able to buy pieces of a number of fabrics, which are different from what is available in the States. We then walked to the nearby wine bar Asturianos; Vallehermoso, 94 for lunch. We ordered two different menus of the day, which we were not sure what we had ordered, but for 10€ each got two great courses, wine, and a fantastic lemon sorbet for dessert. What a great value. We went to Las Carboneras; Plaza del Conde de Miranda, 1 for an OK dinner with a Flamenco performance. The show seemed pretty good to an outsider like us since we have nothing to compare it with, but it was enjoyable. The show lasted over an hour and consisted of two band members, two singers, and four dancers (3F, 1M), who each got a chance to really perform.
Thur:
The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía was our first stop where we bought the Paseo del Arte pass for admission into all three major art museums. There we saw the famous "Guernica" by Picasso and other strange stuff (see comments above about our feelings for modern art). We then continued over to the Museo del Prado and took what seemed like a fairly quick walk through a very large collection of very large paintings in a very large building. I get real excited when I come across paintings in person that I have seen in reference books, and there are a lot of them in this museum. As we were walking back towards the hotel we passed the Westin Palace Hotel and decided to step inside to see La Rotonda (stained glass domed ceiling over central courtyard). We were tired of walking so we decided to eat lunch with a great view of the glass dome. We had a wonderful buffet meal with cava and good wine. We especially liked the dessert table and the best vanilla ice cream we have ever had. The only problem was we had not asked about the price and the buffet turned out to be 45€ each. We chalked it up to experience having a great meal in a great setting for a little more than we had planned to spend. Restaurante Viridiana; Juan de Mena, 14 was our dinner choice for the evening and the decorating, attention to detail, relaxed service, and great food made this an exceptional choice. The restaurant is themed on the 1961 movie Viridiana directed by Luis Buñuel and is very tastefully done.
Fri:
Since I have mellowed over time, I now schedule time for my wife to do a little shopping on our trips. In the past we have been in shopping areas only when they are closed or when we were rushing somewhere so we could not stop. We shopped for espadrilles, sewing kits, fans, fan stands, books, etc. For lunch we went to Juana la Loca; Plaza Puerta de Moros, 4 in La Latina district where we again had great tapas and a couple of desserts to go with our wine. By dinner we were ready for red meat, so we went to Asador Frontón; Tirso de Molina, 7 where the beef we ordered for two would have fed a family of six with leftovers and another exceptional dessert, panchineta (cream-filled puff pastry).
Sat:
We had yet to go to the third of the major museums - Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, so this is where we started the day. What a great museum. By starting on the second floor and working your way down, you follow the chronological development of painting from about the 11th C to the present through a very impressive collection. There were many paintings by major artists that we had never seen before or in books, and we really enjoyed this museum because it was not as overwhelming or as crowded as the Prado. We had planned to go to El Tempranillo; Calle de la Cava Baja, 38 for lunch but by the time we got there we couldn’t get in the door. It must be good judging by the crowd. We went around the corner back to Juana la Loca for another light tapas lunch and just happened to catch a table as someone was leaving. I had wanted a fancy dinner for our last evening in Spain so I had reserved, over the internet, dinner at La Terraza del Casino; Alcalá, 15. The setting on an open terrace on a beautiful evening overlooking grand buildings across the street couldn’t have been better. The meal was an experience as well as a great meal. We started with a pallet cleanser which was a spot to lick off a spoon, followed by a whiskey sour sorbet made table side with smoking dry ice. This was followed by faux orange caviar made from passion fruit juice dripped into a clear liquid from a group of hypodermic needles and then served in caviar tins. Since my wife and I had different courses because she wanted to avoid unusual shellfish (and I got to taste cockles) we were presented with two different menus of what we had when we left. We lost count of the many courses.
Sun:
Taxi from hotel to airport and our return to reality from a very relaxing vacation.
Comments:
I hope I haven’t provided too much detail, I just wanted to show what it takes to plan and travel on your own. The weather was sunny and 85°F/29.5°C almost the whole trip which was slightly above normal and the only rain we had was walking to dinner Sunday evening in Barcelona. We brought too much cool weather clothes and not enough warm weather clothing, but you never know what you will find this time of the year. I would have made lunch and dinner reservations in Barcelona if I realized that it may be too late by the time I had arrived. We also did not realize that with the Festa de la Mercè falling on a Saturday, all the stores would be closed on Friday and Saturday and do not open on Sunday, which meant that anything we saw window shopping we were not able to follow up on. Even I could not plan that well.
I had planned to go to both Toledo and Segovia, but my wife had some motion sickness problems on the train so we decided to just spend the time in Madrid and save them for another time. We walked between 6 and 8 miles a day (my wife bought a pedometer a few trips ago to show me how far we walking on our trips) which was normal for our city center vacations, and this was with extensive use of the Metro. There are a considerable amount of postings about pickpockets for Barcelona and Madrid so we were prepared with our money belts and double zippers. However, we did not experience any problems other than a couple of women who were trying to pin flowers on us near the opera house in Madrid, who we quickly walked away from. We would not have any problem recommending any of the restaurants we went to, which is a result of planning almost all of them ahead of time. I now have to decide where to go next.
Let me know if you have any questions or how I can help your next trip to be a success.
Oct 13th, 2005 | 03:48 PM
#3
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,204
Likes: 0
Thank you so much for posting this wonderful trip report. I enjoyed it so much (even if I don't agree with you on Modern Art, which is my favorite, but I sure share your passion for Gaudi--infact I'm looking at my La Pedrera poster right now!).
Just curious--you said you paid 20 Euros at Hotel Continental? Was that a typo? We stayed there and it was a lot more than that! Also, is that wonderful Great Pyrenees still there? I didn't like the hotel (though for 20 Euros I might have liked it more), but I LOVED that dog!
Just curious--you said you paid 20 Euros at Hotel Continental? Was that a typo? We stayed there and it was a lot more than that! Also, is that wonderful Great Pyrenees still there? I didn't like the hotel (though for 20 Euros I might have liked it more), but I LOVED that dog!
Oct 13th, 2005 | 05:28 PM
#6
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 268
Likes: 0
Thank you for a very good report. You don’t need to apologize for the detail. That’s what makes the report so good.
I went to Barcelona a long time ago. I remember very clearly the circles of dancers in front of the cathedral. I also tried unsuccessfully to imitate those light steps that made the dance unforgettable.
I went to Barcelona a long time ago. I remember very clearly the circles of dancers in front of the cathedral. I also tried unsuccessfully to imitate those light steps that made the dance unforgettable.
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Oct 14th, 2005 | 07:29 AM
#10
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
Just excellent. Very impressive. Just shows what someone with intelligence can do with proper planning and research.
I am glad you found the Royal Tapestry factory. That is really something special that most travellers don't find the first time.
I am glad to know that the price of the hotel in Barcelona was more than 20E. Well, not really glad to know it, but I would like to know of such a great buy...even if I missed it last year.
BTW, the way I love the detail. Thank you so much.
I am glad you found the Royal Tapestry factory. That is really something special that most travellers don't find the first time.
I am glad to know that the price of the hotel in Barcelona was more than 20E. Well, not really glad to know it, but I would like to know of such a great buy...even if I missed it last year.
BTW, the way I love the detail. Thank you so much.
Oct 14th, 2005 | 07:35 AM
#11
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
P.S. I love the report of that little misstep. The buffet in La Rotunda under the beautiful stained glass dome. I always go in to look but never consider eating. Now I know the price in case I want to splurge. It was memorable, right?
Oct 14th, 2005 | 07:39 AM
#12
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
StephenG,
I have found wines in European restaurants to be much more reasonable than in the States. Most wines, which I had the restaurants recommend since my knowledge of Spanish wines is limited, were around 35 euros.
A couple of years we were in a fancy restaurant in Florence and I asked for a recommendation for a local wine and they recommended a Chianti Classico. They served a 1967 vintage wine that was wonderful. I was amazed when I got the bill that the cost was about $28.
KIp
I have found wines in European restaurants to be much more reasonable than in the States. Most wines, which I had the restaurants recommend since my knowledge of Spanish wines is limited, were around 35 euros.
A couple of years we were in a fancy restaurant in Florence and I asked for a recommendation for a local wine and they recommended a Chianti Classico. They served a 1967 vintage wine that was wonderful. I was amazed when I got the bill that the cost was about $28.
KIp
Oct 14th, 2005 | 09:03 AM
#15
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
great write-up! as i mentioned on another thread, we left for madrid/andalucia/barcelona a year ago today and i'm feeling nostalgia...
i'm really curious about the restaurant modeled after viridiana (which i hadn't seen at the time i visited last year, but i saw earlier this year on TV) - how exactly is it modeled after it? does everyone get to trash the place before they leave?
i'm really curious about the restaurant modeled after viridiana (which i hadn't seen at the time i visited last year, but i saw earlier this year on TV) - how exactly is it modeled after it? does everyone get to trash the place before they leave?
Oct 14th, 2005 | 10:09 AM
#16
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
Also restores one's appreciation of fellow posters after a post like that. It never ceases to amaze me that some have the audacity to post something like: I was thinking of going to Madrid next month. I wonder what there is to do there? Posters here and on other sites are incredibly knowledgeable and generous, and I guess is what the "talk" is all about, but I would imagine they would first google some general knowledge, go to the library or the bookstore. Well, you helped a lot of people. Also, this site has a search so one doesn't need to keep asking the same question. They can search and get your great report.
Oct 14th, 2005 | 10:17 AM
#17
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
fastnbulbous
Restaurante Viridiana decor: The wall are lined with with stills from Buñuel films, the check is presented in what I believe was a pewter 60's man's hat, and the check has printed movie sprockets on it. The color scheme is black and white on a yellow background.
I haven't seen the movie, is it worth tracking down?
Kip
Restaurante Viridiana decor: The wall are lined with with stills from Buñuel films, the check is presented in what I believe was a pewter 60's man's hat, and the check has printed movie sprockets on it. The color scheme is black and white on a yellow background.
I haven't seen the movie, is it worth tracking down?
Kip
Oct 14th, 2005 | 10:23 AM
#18
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
BELLE0516,
It is very difficult to choose between Madrid and Barcelona. Madrid is similar to many other cities in Europe, and if I had to choose, I would say that Antonio Gaudí gives Barcelona a slight edge in uniqueness.
However, I will probably go back to Madrid to see nearby Toledo and Segovia and also as a gateway to southern Spain. I will most likely not go back to Barcelona since it is a big world out there and I can only do so much.
Kip
It is very difficult to choose between Madrid and Barcelona. Madrid is similar to many other cities in Europe, and if I had to choose, I would say that Antonio Gaudí gives Barcelona a slight edge in uniqueness.
However, I will probably go back to Madrid to see nearby Toledo and Segovia and also as a gateway to southern Spain. I will most likely not go back to Barcelona since it is a big world out there and I can only do so much.
Kip
Oct 14th, 2005 | 11:01 AM
#19
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
Thank you for that excellent report! I am headed to Madrid and Barcelona myself in just a few days so the timing is good.
One question: Where are you, and everybody else, finding these little cheap airfares on Spanair between the cities? Their website shows 146 Euros and up for that one hour flight, and I can't find anything cheaper on the others or on travelocity. It's very frustrating to keep reading about others getting these bargain airfares and I don't know where to look for them myself, apparently, since I keep finding ones almost ten times a high instead!
One question: Where are you, and everybody else, finding these little cheap airfares on Spanair between the cities? Their website shows 146 Euros and up for that one hour flight, and I can't find anything cheaper on the others or on travelocity. It's very frustrating to keep reading about others getting these bargain airfares and I don't know where to look for them myself, apparently, since I keep finding ones almost ten times a high instead!
Oct 14th, 2005 | 11:05 AM
#20
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,087
Likes: 0
Enjoyable trip report.
I've only been to Barcelona so far, and your writing brought back memories, in particular of Taller de Tapas on Argentaria - I stayed in a tiny calle just beside it and we used that place as an extension of the apartment! I had forgotten the name though, so thanks for reminding me.
I've only been to Barcelona so far, and your writing brought back memories, in particular of Taller de Tapas on Argentaria - I stayed in a tiny calle just beside it and we used that place as an extension of the apartment! I had forgotten the name though, so thanks for reminding me.
