Celebrating in Paris & Barcelona
Dec 4th, 2012, 02:43 PM
#43
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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.
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.
Dec 4th, 2012, 04:51 PM
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https://picasaweb.google.com/1148196...eat=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.
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.
Dec 4th, 2012, 05:09 PM
#47
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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!
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!
Dec 5th, 2012, 01:24 AM
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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&ba...ed=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.
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.
Dec 5th, 2012, 02:38 AM
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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.
Dec 5th, 2012, 03:58 AM
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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!
Dec 5th, 2012, 06:54 AM
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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.
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.
Dec 5th, 2012, 09:27 AM
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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.
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.
Dec 5th, 2012, 11:06 AM
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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.
This time we picked a hotel north of Retiro in Serrano-Salamanca. Enjoyed the location very much.
Dec 5th, 2012, 05:12 PM
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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_d...at_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.c...ark-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
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_d...at_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.c...ark-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
Dec 7th, 2012, 01:27 AM
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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.
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.
