Not being a coffee drinker, I'd opt for a small bottle of champagne and small container of OJ to have a mimosa or two while watching sunrise! Have done that in many places over the years! ��

@ joannyc -- you, too, make a good point! :-)

(except, of course, it would be a small bottle of CAVA.)

joannyc that is possibly the best tip I have ever heard on Fodors :)

YOU ROCK.

(of course, if I take that advice, I may find myself rocking in quite a different sense of the word!)

Kja, as long as you are not driving or hiking on any rugged paths/cliffs that morning!

rialtogrl, thanks! It is quite a lovely experience... toasting a new day in a new, wonderful place. I've done it from Long Island to Turkey and many places in between!

:-)

And no reason not to savor both experiences -- a lovely mimosa or two, and then some delicious coffee.... One could do far worse!

So true! :-)

kja, when googling something else I found this cool blog about the Girona flower festival - http://solotravelerblog.com/solo-tra...ower-festival/

(I didn't even know about this blog, did you?)

I also looked up the dates and they will be May 9-17. Sadly I will miss it :(

@ rialtogrl - thanks so much! I knew about the festival (I think you told me :-) ) and like you, regret that I will miss it. :-( Looks beautiful, though! And no, I didn't know about that blog - thanks for bringing it to my attention!

BTW, my apologies to <u><b>all</u></b> for the rant I posted during a recent moment when all my (clearly limited) faculties of wisdom and tact and gratitude (etc.) seem to have taken a vacation. :-( My thanks to the moderators for agreeing to my request to delete it. And <b>many</b> thanks to all who saw it and choose to give me a pass. :-)

bookmarking

@ kimhe -- If I'm reading correctly, both the Tablao Cordobes and the Tablao del Carmen offer an option to have dinner before the show -- do you think either worthwhile? If not, are there restaurants near either tablao that you (or others!) partcularly recommend?

Thanks again!

anyone have a driving itinerary, thru southern france perhaps,
san sebastian to girona
length of time
requisite small towns to see along the way
place to stay in girona area -easy to drive in/out preferable.

how is drive gironoa/barcelona AP

"place to stay in girona area -easy to drive in/out preferable."
What is your budget?
how is drive gironoa/barcelona AP
It is a highway, flat, uninteresting.

@ 5citiespatty - for driving routes, see viamichelin:
http://www.viamichelin.com

You could do the drive in one long day or take several days to enjoy the experience from both sides of the Pyrenees.

@ Pvoyageuse &
@ Robert

I appreciate that you are following this thread and providing helpful input -- thanks!

<Tablao Cordobes and the Tablao del Carmen offer an option to have dinner before the show --do you think either worthwhile?>

Haven't had dinner in any of them, but some friends were quite happy with the full package at Tablao de Carmen about a year ago. Here you will also have free access to Poble Espanyol which could be fun in itself: http://www.poble-espanyol.com/en

The Tablao de Carmen is situated where Carmen Amaya made her serious public debut in front of king Alfonso XIII during the 1929 world expo: http://www.tablaodecarmen.com/histor...rcelona/en/93/

Here are two of the greatest flamenco dancers on the current scene performing in Tablao de Carmen.
El Junco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sENoCuTQYPs
Paloma Fantova: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqVpOQeVZDQ

If you go for the Tablao Cordobes on Las Ramblas, I would perhaps recommend to have dinner first at close by Can Culleretes from 1786, the oldest restaurant in town. Then go for the 23:30 performance. Can Culleretes is old world atmosphere and good, traditional Catalan food served by a bunch of excellent grown up women who don't vaste time on small-talk. Still very popular with locals, and opens at 9pm.
http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/s...leretes-430716 http://www.culleretes.com/en/home
This gives you an idea of the place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y13bzAcoUtg

@ kimhe – Once again, thank you so much!

I’m pleased that you suggested dining at Can Culleretes before the show at Tablao Cordobes – after I posted my question, I realized how close they were (you had recommended both before) and was thinking of doing exactly what you suggest! Your description of the service also sounds perfect to me.

And I had also concluded that I would enjoy visiting Poble Espanyol, and possibly buying some crafts there. I’m generally not fond of shopping, but while in Barcelona, I hope to buy some good quality handcrafts (preferably light weight!) as the shops there. If you have other suggestions for a place where I might find good quality crafts with little shopping effort, I’d welcome them!

Awesome videos – as always!

I am in your debt. :-)