Francebound in Barcelona
May 26th, 2014, 02:48 PM
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Francebound in Barcelona
Arrived in Barcelona from Vancouver via London Gatwick, on an uneventful flight with Vueling. If you travel with carry-on like we do be sure to check beforehand the size & weight restrictions for baggage. It's pretty restrictive. If you pay on-line before you go you pay less than if you just arrive at the airport.
Being cheap we didn't pre-book and pay for our seats so I didn't get to see the nice view of Barcelona from the air unless I leaned over the British chap next to me who was in the window seat. He was loudly sniffing and sneezing all the way from Gatwick. Hoped it was just allergies because picking up some virus on the first day was not part of the plan. Is it really too much to ask that people sneeze into their sleeve if they don't have a kleenex? He also seemed to be unaware of the etiquette rule I wrote that dictates the middle person in a row of three (ie. me) has the right to the arm rest.
Looking at the options before leaving we decided on the train/metro into the city. There's a free bus that takes you to the nearby train station and the train runs every 30 minutes. One metro ticket takes you the whole way in and you buy your book of tickets from the machine in the station. We got our first warning about watching our belongings carefully from the station attendant.
About pickpockets in Barcelona:
A lot has been written on this topic, so might as well tell our experience, for what it's worth.
We were aware of the problem because of the research we'd done, but also personally because our 27 year old son was robbed last year. He knew it was going to happen but couldn't do anything. He was walking alone, at night, and a woman took hold of his arm, and while he was quickly able to secure his wallet, the accomplice scooped his expensive mobile phone from his other pocket. He stupidly didn't have an immediate setting on his passcode so the thieves ran up $1,700 worth of calls to Somewhere-istan.
No doubt about it, they are professionals and good at what they do.
We took the following precautions and hoped for the best:
Only went to ATMs where we felt it was safe and one of us always watched carefully. We never carried large quantities of cash or our passports or if we had to we were super-vigilant.
We had back up copies of passport etc both printed and digital.
Didn't carry an expensive camera.
I did think a few times that "if I was a pick-pocket I would go for that person". Either they had put their purse down or had a wallet in their back pocket with a bit of it showing, or they just seemed vulnerable in some way.
Still wouldn't have skipped Barcelona for fear of being robbed. We took the metro everywhere and it was fine.
Being cheap we didn't pre-book and pay for our seats so I didn't get to see the nice view of Barcelona from the air unless I leaned over the British chap next to me who was in the window seat. He was loudly sniffing and sneezing all the way from Gatwick. Hoped it was just allergies because picking up some virus on the first day was not part of the plan. Is it really too much to ask that people sneeze into their sleeve if they don't have a kleenex? He also seemed to be unaware of the etiquette rule I wrote that dictates the middle person in a row of three (ie. me) has the right to the arm rest.
Looking at the options before leaving we decided on the train/metro into the city. There's a free bus that takes you to the nearby train station and the train runs every 30 minutes. One metro ticket takes you the whole way in and you buy your book of tickets from the machine in the station. We got our first warning about watching our belongings carefully from the station attendant.
About pickpockets in Barcelona:
A lot has been written on this topic, so might as well tell our experience, for what it's worth.
We were aware of the problem because of the research we'd done, but also personally because our 27 year old son was robbed last year. He knew it was going to happen but couldn't do anything. He was walking alone, at night, and a woman took hold of his arm, and while he was quickly able to secure his wallet, the accomplice scooped his expensive mobile phone from his other pocket. He stupidly didn't have an immediate setting on his passcode so the thieves ran up $1,700 worth of calls to Somewhere-istan.
No doubt about it, they are professionals and good at what they do.
We took the following precautions and hoped for the best:
Only went to ATMs where we felt it was safe and one of us always watched carefully. We never carried large quantities of cash or our passports or if we had to we were super-vigilant.
We had back up copies of passport etc both printed and digital.
Didn't carry an expensive camera.
I did think a few times that "if I was a pick-pocket I would go for that person". Either they had put their purse down or had a wallet in their back pocket with a bit of it showing, or they just seemed vulnerable in some way.
Still wouldn't have skipped Barcelona for fear of being robbed. We took the metro everywhere and it was fine.
May 26th, 2014, 03:02 PM
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We were booked for 4 nights in a nice B&B in the Modernista area of Barcelona, close to the Gaudi houses and within easy walking distance of most everything. It was a really nice area.
After settling in we found a nice corner restaurant nearby and had our first taste of tapas along with a bottle of delicious rose. Following this a nap was in order for me whereas DH went wandering about and got the lay of the land, exploring by foot for a couple of hours.
We had been invited to join a group from the B&B for a Flamenco show at a theatre nearby starring Joaquin Cortes and other dancers and musicians. Although we were pretty jet-lagged it seemed like an opportunity we couldn't pass up. Our B&B host said that this would be better than the usual and there would be lots of people from Barcelona there (at least the ones that were in town - it was a long weekend).
After settling in we found a nice corner restaurant nearby and had our first taste of tapas along with a bottle of delicious rose. Following this a nap was in order for me whereas DH went wandering about and got the lay of the land, exploring by foot for a couple of hours.
We had been invited to join a group from the B&B for a Flamenco show at a theatre nearby starring Joaquin Cortes and other dancers and musicians. Although we were pretty jet-lagged it seemed like an opportunity we couldn't pass up. Our B&B host said that this would be better than the usual and there would be lots of people from Barcelona there (at least the ones that were in town - it was a long weekend).
May 26th, 2014, 03:35 PM
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It will be helpful if you explain how you transferred from your Vancouver trans-Atlantic flight to Vueling, which doesn't fly across the ocean. I presume you had to reclaim your luggage and check back in with the no-frills airline. If not, it will be news worth reporting.
May 26th, 2014, 04:35 PM
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We had booked flights separately to connect in London Gatwick. Air Transat from Vancouver-London Gatwick and Vueling from Gatwick-Barcelona. Our bags qualify as carry-on for the first leg but not the second. Our plan was to clear customs and then walk from one terminal to the other to check-in with Vueling and we allowed lots of time to do this.
Not a good plan.
Everything went awry when our flight from Vancouver had a schedule change which resulted in a miss-connection in London. Our choice was to either re-book another later flight to Barcelona incurring the additional expense or leave home one day early and overnight in London. We ended up doing the latter, using some hotel points and making the best of a bad situation by heading to Brighton for the day, having some fish and chips and a coming back for a good night's sleep before flying to Barcelona on Vueling the following morning.
Not a good plan.
Everything went awry when our flight from Vancouver had a schedule change which resulted in a miss-connection in London. Our choice was to either re-book another later flight to Barcelona incurring the additional expense or leave home one day early and overnight in London. We ended up doing the latter, using some hotel points and making the best of a bad situation by heading to Brighton for the day, having some fish and chips and a coming back for a good night's sleep before flying to Barcelona on Vueling the following morning.
May 27th, 2014, 06:21 AM
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Our only experience with flamenco was a performance we attended at home that we left at the intermission. We thought it was a lot of angry faced stomping around and it left us not wanting more.
This was different. The Tivoli Theatre was full, there were 20 musicians on stage and a number of dancers besides Joaquim. The theme of the show is "gypsy" and it's about going back to his roots. Anyway, the music and the dancing were fantastic, especially that of the two female flamenco dancers. You can see clips on youtube to get an idea - it's hard to describe but what an emotional experience for the audience.
There were lots of "ole's" from the audience and back and forth calling from audience members to Joaquim. All in Spanish of course, and I'm pretty sure some of the females were shouting out the equivalent of "take your shirt off", as he is very handsome. At the end there were many curtain calls and he seemed to relish each and every one.
Afterwards we headed to a restaurant for dinner. We found it not as difficult as we thought it might be to get used to the Spanish meal times. That night we sat down after 11pm for dinner and the restaurant was still very busy.
It was fun to share the experience with other guests from the B&B. We were quite an international group: Canadian, Australian, Dutch, Malasian, American, French & Czech, in addition to our B&B hosts who were from Spain and Colombia.
This was different. The Tivoli Theatre was full, there were 20 musicians on stage and a number of dancers besides Joaquim. The theme of the show is "gypsy" and it's about going back to his roots. Anyway, the music and the dancing were fantastic, especially that of the two female flamenco dancers. You can see clips on youtube to get an idea - it's hard to describe but what an emotional experience for the audience.
There were lots of "ole's" from the audience and back and forth calling from audience members to Joaquim. All in Spanish of course, and I'm pretty sure some of the females were shouting out the equivalent of "take your shirt off", as he is very handsome. At the end there were many curtain calls and he seemed to relish each and every one.
Afterwards we headed to a restaurant for dinner. We found it not as difficult as we thought it might be to get used to the Spanish meal times. That night we sat down after 11pm for dinner and the restaurant was still very busy.
It was fun to share the experience with other guests from the B&B. We were quite an international group: Canadian, Australian, Dutch, Malasian, American, French & Czech, in addition to our B&B hosts who were from Spain and Colombia.
May 27th, 2014, 07:43 AM
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Hi Maitaitom - I've so enjoyed your trip reports! We stayed here:
http://barcelonabb.com/
We had originally booked the Hotel Colon but as the euro rose and the Cdn dollar fell, I started looking for other options. Would rather spend our $ on other things (like great wine - can you relate?)
I found barcelonabb using google and it was listed as one of the best budget b&b's in Barcelona. We really liked it a lot. The bathroom is across the hall and so you do run the risk of running into someone in the hallway while dashing to your room wrapped in a towel (this happened to me).
Everything was great, we really liked it. Kiku and John are the best hosts ever!
Not sure I would go in the heat of summer as I didn't see any air conditioning and if you left the window open there would be too much traffic noise for me.
http://barcelonabb.com/
We had originally booked the Hotel Colon but as the euro rose and the Cdn dollar fell, I started looking for other options. Would rather spend our $ on other things (like great wine - can you relate?)
I found barcelonabb using google and it was listed as one of the best budget b&b's in Barcelona. We really liked it a lot. The bathroom is across the hall and so you do run the risk of running into someone in the hallway while dashing to your room wrapped in a towel (this happened to me).
Everything was great, we really liked it. Kiku and John are the best hosts ever!
Not sure I would go in the heat of summer as I didn't see any air conditioning and if you left the window open there would be too much traffic noise for me.
May 27th, 2014, 07:48 AM
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Thanks to guide books and advice gleaned from this forum we made our plans to see the following sights during the course of our 4 days in Barcelona. What worked for us was to pre-book tickets where we could, and we tried to keep to one pre-reserved sight per day in order to keep our plans flexible.
La Sagrada Familia
Casa Battlo
Park Guell
Palau Musica
La Bouqueria
Barceloneta
The Musical fountain
Citadel Park (actually we didn't plan on this, just happened upon it, which is one of the reasons it's fun to be flexible and wander about without an itinerary sometimes)
Day 2, Sunday:
Casa Battlo - no set time but if you pre-book your tickets and get the fast pass you can skip the line. Our first introduction to the genius imagination of Gaudi.
Barceloneta - we planned to have a nice Sunday lunch at one of the many restaurants on the beach, but without a reservation forget it. Many families out enjoying a sunny Sunday made it impossible. We wanted to go to Ca la Nuri and we did end up going for dinner later in the week and enjoyed it.
Magic Fountain of Montijuic - we wanted to see this and had to go tonight (Thurs - Sun during May). Took the metro and then walked up. Really fun and lovely night-time views over the city. The inexpensive Tapa Tapa (yes it's a tapas chain and you see them lots of places) near the metro station afterwards was good.
La Sagrada Familia
Casa Battlo
Park Guell
Palau Musica
La Bouqueria
Barceloneta
The Musical fountain
Citadel Park (actually we didn't plan on this, just happened upon it, which is one of the reasons it's fun to be flexible and wander about without an itinerary sometimes)
Day 2, Sunday:
Casa Battlo - no set time but if you pre-book your tickets and get the fast pass you can skip the line. Our first introduction to the genius imagination of Gaudi.
Barceloneta - we planned to have a nice Sunday lunch at one of the many restaurants on the beach, but without a reservation forget it. Many families out enjoying a sunny Sunday made it impossible. We wanted to go to Ca la Nuri and we did end up going for dinner later in the week and enjoyed it.
Magic Fountain of Montijuic - we wanted to see this and had to go tonight (Thurs - Sun during May). Took the metro and then walked up. Really fun and lovely night-time views over the city. The inexpensive Tapa Tapa (yes it's a tapas chain and you see them lots of places) near the metro station afterwards was good.
May 27th, 2014, 07:51 AM
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Day 3, Monday:
La Sagrada Familia - pre-booked admission and guided tour.
We loved this sight and spent most of the afternoon here, exploring and taking photos on our own and then joining up with an English speaking tour. I had hoped to book the "tower visit" upon arrival as it didn't seem to be an option when booking, but was told there was nothing available that day.
We were looking foward to our tour but we both agreed our tour guide was not the best. Either she was having a bad day or needed a good night's sleep (yawning), but we did not learn anything that wasn't in the basic literature available on site. We were not the only ones in the group who found her, for lack of a better word, boring. When, at the end, she asked if anyone had any questions there was a resounding silence and everyone quickly slipped away.
Parc Guell - again we pre-booked tickets. We took a city bus up which worked out well as the bus let us out right by the gate. The park was packed with tourists, mostly Russian. (lots of Russian tourists in Barcelona when we were there - I think they have special holiday packages available that do not require the expense and trouble of getting a visa - some arrangement between the two countries we heard).
We climbed up to a park above Guell with incredible early evening views over the city and liked that a lot. Better than the crowded park actually. You would be amazed how many people want their photo taken on that lizard.
La Sagrada Familia - pre-booked admission and guided tour.
We loved this sight and spent most of the afternoon here, exploring and taking photos on our own and then joining up with an English speaking tour. I had hoped to book the "tower visit" upon arrival as it didn't seem to be an option when booking, but was told there was nothing available that day.
We were looking foward to our tour but we both agreed our tour guide was not the best. Either she was having a bad day or needed a good night's sleep (yawning), but we did not learn anything that wasn't in the basic literature available on site. We were not the only ones in the group who found her, for lack of a better word, boring. When, at the end, she asked if anyone had any questions there was a resounding silence and everyone quickly slipped away.
Parc Guell - again we pre-booked tickets. We took a city bus up which worked out well as the bus let us out right by the gate. The park was packed with tourists, mostly Russian. (lots of Russian tourists in Barcelona when we were there - I think they have special holiday packages available that do not require the expense and trouble of getting a visa - some arrangement between the two countries we heard).
We climbed up to a park above Guell with incredible early evening views over the city and liked that a lot. Better than the crowded park actually. You would be amazed how many people want their photo taken on that lizard.
May 27th, 2014, 08:18 AM
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Day 4 - Tuesday:
Bouqueria Market -
If you like photography and you like food, this is the place. Crowded though and probably pick-pocket heaven.
Las Ramblas -
Fun to walk down this busy pedestrian street but it is full of tacky tourist shops selling junk- just our opinion.
Palau de Musica - guided tour reservation booked in advance.
This is probably one of the most beautiful buildings in Barcelona and to see the inside you need to book the tour I think. This time our guide was interesting and engaging.
Citadel Park and Arc de Triomf - we didn't set out to find this but ended up enjoying our walk through this area down to Barceloneta. Can you tell we like to walk a lot...
Summary:
When I was telling my best friend about our plans to visit Barcelona for the first time she reminded me that I had, in fact, already been, back in 1972, on our "Europe on $10 a Day" tour. Apparently I hated it and couldn't wait to get out of the city but we got stuck there because of a rail strike. Good thing one of us still has some memory left.
Fast forwarding to 2014 and a more forgiving budget my DH and I thoroughly enjoyed Barcelona and found it a wonderful city, beautiful and very clean. I'm sure it helped that we had lovely spring weather. I'm not sure I'd love it in the height of summer but then I tend to wilt in big cities in extreme heat.
Food: I did not note the name of any restaurants other than the above mentioned Ca La Nuri and Tapa Tapa. There was one other: Pomarada on Passeig de Gracia. At Pomarada we enjoyed a fixed price lunch that included a glass of cava, starter, main (including a glass of wine), dessert and coffee at a very reasonable cost. It also serves non-stop from 1pm until 1am, so if you happen to be looking for a really late lunch or early dinner it is perfect.
So that's my report on Barcelona. Thanks to the posters on Fodor's who helped me make my travel plans.
Now I must think about doing my next report in the France forum where we spent the following 2 weeks.
Bouqueria Market -
If you like photography and you like food, this is the place. Crowded though and probably pick-pocket heaven.
Las Ramblas -
Fun to walk down this busy pedestrian street but it is full of tacky tourist shops selling junk- just our opinion.
Palau de Musica - guided tour reservation booked in advance.
This is probably one of the most beautiful buildings in Barcelona and to see the inside you need to book the tour I think. This time our guide was interesting and engaging.
Citadel Park and Arc de Triomf - we didn't set out to find this but ended up enjoying our walk through this area down to Barceloneta. Can you tell we like to walk a lot...
Summary:
When I was telling my best friend about our plans to visit Barcelona for the first time she reminded me that I had, in fact, already been, back in 1972, on our "Europe on $10 a Day" tour. Apparently I hated it and couldn't wait to get out of the city but we got stuck there because of a rail strike. Good thing one of us still has some memory left.
Fast forwarding to 2014 and a more forgiving budget my DH and I thoroughly enjoyed Barcelona and found it a wonderful city, beautiful and very clean. I'm sure it helped that we had lovely spring weather. I'm not sure I'd love it in the height of summer but then I tend to wilt in big cities in extreme heat.
Food: I did not note the name of any restaurants other than the above mentioned Ca La Nuri and Tapa Tapa. There was one other: Pomarada on Passeig de Gracia. At Pomarada we enjoyed a fixed price lunch that included a glass of cava, starter, main (including a glass of wine), dessert and coffee at a very reasonable cost. It also serves non-stop from 1pm until 1am, so if you happen to be looking for a really late lunch or early dinner it is perfect.
So that's my report on Barcelona. Thanks to the posters on Fodor's who helped me make my travel plans.
Now I must think about doing my next report in the France forum where we spent the following 2 weeks.
May 27th, 2014, 01:19 PM
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Great report. Lot's of good details. We'll be heading to Barcelona for our first trip (and yes, it will really be our first trip - lol) in October. These reports will help tide me over for the 4 long months until we leave.
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
May 28th, 2014, 10:46 AM
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You saw Joaquín Cortés at the Teatre Tivoli. Here a young Cortés dances in Carlos Saura's classical state of the art movie "Flamenco" from 1995: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhI0MtDkLM
The two "bailaoras" were
Gema Moneo (Jerez de la Frontera, 1991): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcrLxNSqkAk
and Saray Fernandez "La Pitita" (Granada): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4CEqGqxUJg
Both clips are from the best tablao in Spain in recent years, Casa Patas in Madrid.
Carmen Amaya from Barcelona (1918-1963) was the greatest flamenco dancer ever. She lives on in the city's flamenco culture, not least through her grand-niese Karime Amaya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BibV3tYo0U
The two "bailaoras" were
Gema Moneo (Jerez de la Frontera, 1991): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcrLxNSqkAk
and Saray Fernandez "La Pitita" (Granada): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4CEqGqxUJg
Both clips are from the best tablao in Spain in recent years, Casa Patas in Madrid.
Carmen Amaya from Barcelona (1918-1963) was the greatest flamenco dancer ever. She lives on in the city's flamenco culture, not least through her grand-niese Karime Amaya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BibV3tYo0U
May 28th, 2014, 02:28 PM
#16
"When I was telling my best friend about our plans to visit Barcelona for the first time she reminded me that I had, in fact, already been, back in 1972, on our "Europe on $10 a Day" tour."
I think I was with you on that tour.
I think I was with you on that tour.
May 29th, 2014, 01:41 AM
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<I have a new appreciation for the art of flamenco and feel very lucky to have seen these amazing performers in Barcelona.>
Glad you did. The difference between seeing the real deal and touristy or not very good flamenco is enormous. There is nothing in between in flamenco. If it don't works, it almost looks and feels embarrassing. When it works, it's huge and very hard to explain to other people.
Glad you did. The difference between seeing the real deal and touristy or not very good flamenco is enormous. There is nothing in between in flamenco. If it don't works, it almost looks and feels embarrassing. When it works, it's huge and very hard to explain to other people.
