My sister and her friend (60 somethings) will be arriving in Barcelona by ship and flying home six days later from Madrid. What to do in between and how to get there is the question. Thanks in advance!

I was in Barcelona in May. It's a wonderful city, and I'll go back again the first chance I get.

Since you're asking about cool places to hang out, I suggest:

1. Guru BCN

* It's on Josep Anslem Clave, right off of La Rambla
* The vibe there is really cool. There's good music and out-going attractive people (staff included)
* This lounge/club has the best Mojitos ever!
* There's a guy who works there named Mauricio. He's real open, and he'll take you around and introduce you to everyone.

2. La Fonda--Restaurant

* It's on Escudellers, right off of La Rambla
* Hands down this is the best restaurant in Barcelona. The food is great, the atmosphere is trendy/classy (yet you can wear what you want), and the prices can't be beat. (Try the goat cheese salad w/ salmon)
* The place is very popular so the line can be long, but trust me; It moves fast, and it's worth it to wait.

3. Passeig de Colom

*On this street which is just across the way from Port Veil beach, there are several really great bars.
* There's one bar that serves Sex on the Beach in a HUGE mug, and 6 people can get drunk on the one drink. I can't remember the name of the place, but if you walk down that street at night, you can't miss the people sitting at the outside tables w/ 32 oz. mugs.

4. Fat Tires Bikes

* It's on Escudellers, further up the street from La Fonda
* They offer great and inexpensive city bike tours. It's cool to take a tour early on in your stay. You'll find many things to do and see on the tour so when you're alone, you know what places to check out and what to get into.
* Ask for Ivan. He's great! He's from California, but has been in Barcelona awhile now.

5. Tablao de Carmen

* If you're interested in an authentic Flamenco show and a nice dinner, this is the place for you and a date. Even if you just want drinks and a show, you can do that too.
* It's located in Poble Espanyol

Have fun!

Ciao,
teneriqueza

P.S. Don't ask anyone for the time. One night I was walking down Avinguda de Parallel, and I asked the first person I saw for the time. Long story short...I got cursed out in Catalan by a 6'3 drag queen prostitute with a lisp. *-)

Wow those ladies are going to have quite the time in Barcelona if they take the advice of teneriqueza! A slightly more sedate option might be the hop on / hop off tourist bus - covers the major sights. There is a wonderful church - La Sagrada Familia and other Gaudi architcture. To get from Barcelona to Madrid the train would do the trick. Hopefully they will spend a day or two in Madrid also, tho it doesn't have as many sights (IMO) as Barcelona. Several good art museums - The Prado is the most famous.

The fastest rain Barcelona-Madrid now takes only 4.5 hours; by air it is about 1H and 5 minutes.

Do check both the Iberia (www.iberia.com) and Spanair (www.spanair.com) websites before making a decision since these two airlines compete <b>heavily</b> on this route so that one-way flights can be amazingly economical if you book far enough out.

Iberia has almost hourly service between these two cities.

<b>However</b> please remain very aware of the chyecked luggage weight restrictions with all airlines flying within Europe; as a general rule they will allow no more than 20 Kg (44 lbs) per person of checked baggage in Economy.
Since you are coming off a cruise I suspect this could be an &quot;issue&quot; for you.

Sorry...that should read the fastest <b>t</b>rain...