capo

Hi Marcy. Wonderful to read your highlights and impressions of Barcelona, a city I loved.

Si! The Palau de la Musica is incredible, isn't it? That's a must-see for any visitor. And Gaudi...what an imagination that man had!

Re: <i>There is a little wine bar ( I forgot to write down the name) right across from the front of the Santa Maria del Mar church, which has a very nice selection of wines by the glass.</i>

One of our favorite pintxo places, Sagardi, was very near to that. I loved the Santa Maria del Mar church, and the courtyard-type street behind it.

La Rambla is perhaps my favorite pedestrian street in Europe. I love all the book and flower stalls there.

marcy_

Thanks, capo,
I remember seeing Sagardi, but we didn't go in. Next time!

That was what we had to keep telling ourselves-- we WILL come back! I can imagine returning to Barcelona again and again.

capo

Marcy, did you drink from the Font de les Canaletes, at the north end of La Rambla? Folk tradition says that anyone who drinks from this fountain will subsequently keep returning to Barcelona. I did...and I will!

marcy_

Darn, capo, I didn't!
That's definitely something I'll have to do next time, just for insurance!

marcy_

Day 6-
Another great breakfast at the hotel- fresh-squeezed orange juice (the orange juice in Spain is the <b>best</b, assorted cheeses, fresh fruit, assorted bread.

One of the kinds of cheese they had was SO good, I had to ask what it was. It was Maroilles, from France. I hope I'm going to be able to find it at my local cheese shop at home.

Anyway, off in the car today again to Girona, since we didn't get to see everything we wanted yesterday.

First stop was the cathedral, which is reached by climbing a long flight of 90 stone steps. My DH and I joked that in some of these towns attending mass is truly a test of the faithful-- you have to be determined and in shape to go to church!

The cathedral was austere and impressive-- the largest gothic nave in the world.

The true gem here is the Treasury, with a very good collection of religious art, and the Tapestry of the Creation, which alone was worth the price of admission. There also is a beautiful Cloister.

Next we wandered along the archaeological walk, an area where the ruins of the old walls of the city have been preserved and turned into a beautifully landscaped park. We climbed all the way to the top for a great panoramic view.

We had lunch at a cafe on the Pla&ccedil;a de la Independencia, Ll_ _ _ ( I forget the whole name), where the specialty is banderillas-- all sorts of choices wonderful things (seafood salad, roasted peppers, cheese, ham) on a small piece of bread skewered with a wooden pick.

You choose want you want from a counter inside, then take it outdoors to your table. At the end of the meal they total up the number of picks on your plate to determine your bill.

There was more we could have seen in Girona-- Arab Baths, Archeological Museum, Cinema Museum-- but my husband was itching to drive in the Pyrenees, so off we went in the car.

We drove up on the toll road to cross the border into France. I was surprised that they weren't stopping anybody at the border, checking passports, or anything.

We got off the highway, and drove to the beautiful small town of Ceret, nestled in the mountains, with its streets lined with plane trees, and remnants of medieval walls. Once again, I can see why this town was a Mecca for artists.

We went to the Museum of Modern Art, which has a nice collection of works by Picasso, Chagall, and others, but honestly we didn't enjoy it as much as some of the other museums we had seen. Maybe we were just getting burned out on modern art by this point.

What I did really enjoy were the artworks exhibited along the streets, where you can stand and look at a picture of a famous painting, and at the same time see the actual view that inspired it.

This part of France was interesting, because it was such a mixture of cultures. You've got to love a place where you can get both crepes and tapas!

Really, the feeling was more Catal&aacute;n than anything else. All the signs were in Catal&aacute;n and French. The area is also a big cherry-growing region. I'd love to be there when they're in season!

We drove on up the winding mountain roads toward the small Catal&aacute;n town of Prats-de-Mollo, closer and closer to the snow-capped peaks. Beautiful panoramic views!

We stopped and strolled through Prats-de-Mollo (If you can call it strolling-- those streets are STEEP!). There is a musty old church, which is unfortunately too dark inside to see much, and a big fortress on top of the hill, with tunnels leading to it. You can tour the fort, but we didn't have the time or the energy to do it.

Back to our hotel for another dinner-to-die-for! Canelones with bacon and truffles, small vegetables stuffed with carmelized onions, mushrooms, or tapenade. Then some wonderful hake, and rice with lobster.

The dessert may have been the best I've ever had! I had a hazelnut cremoso (this is baked so that the outside forms a shell, and the inside is a hazelnut cream) accompanied by a small scoop of sherry ice cream. I've got to learn how to make this!

Once again we thought we had died and gone to heaven- just another day in paradise!

Next......The hanging houses of Cuenca.

artlover

Marcy,

I know just how you feel, and reading your trip report is putting me back there too!

Capo,

Thanks for sharing. Even though I didn't, I will next time as well!

capo

You're very welcome, artlover.

Here's a nice website on La Rambla, which shows the five different sections in different colors, and which mentions the Font de les Canaletes. Drinking from this fountain is the equivalent of throwing a coin over your shoulder into the Trevi Fountain in Rome. And it makes me wonder what, if any, similar folk traditions other European cities have for &quot;assuring&quot; your return.

http://www.bcn.es/turisme/english/tu...llocs/05_0.htm

marcy_

Day 7-
Woke up to pouring rain! Oh well, we're spending a good portion of the day in the car today, driving to Cuenca. It's a long way, and not really on our way to our final destination of Madrid, but it was a place that I thought sounded intriguing.

We reluctantly said goodbye to the Mas de Torrent and hit the road-- south on the autopista toward Valencia. The road is very good, but it was still raining pretty heavily. We stopped at a service plaza near Valencia and were amused to read a sign boasting 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, while we were standing in a downpour.

After turning inland toward Cuenca, the terrain is pretty desolate-- high mesas, lots of windmills. I was hoping to see some old-fashioned Don Quixote-type windmills, but they were all the big modern electricity-generating ones.

As we arrived in Cuenca, the rain cleared up, but a cold front had come through and it was freezing! (Maybe in the upper 40's)

Cuenca is amazing! The old town was built overlooking a deep river gorge, and there are breathtaking views from above. We stayed at the Parador (one of the government-sponsored historic inns) which is on a promontory on the opposite side of the gorge from the old town, and to access the town you cross a narrow pedestrian bridge.

The Parador is a restored 16th century monastery, and I thought it was a bargain for &euro;113 a night. Our room had a great view of the hanging houses across the gorge, and was very large. The public areas are beautiful, with large halls surrounding the central courtyard.

We walked across the bridge to the town, and WOW, it is not for anyone afraid of heights! It is a LONG way down to the ravine with boards that move underfoot when you step on them. I had to walk in the middle without looking around or stopping, and definitely not looking over the side!

There is a little archeological museum that we found interesting. I hadn't been aware of the wealth of ancient artifacts found in the area, from prehistoric to Roman times.

Mostly, though, we just wandered around the town, looking out from all the overlooks, and taking lots of pictures.

We returned to the parador to relax for awhile, and have a drink before dinner, then crossed the bridge AGAIN to go to dinner at the Mes&oacute;n Casas Colgadas. The restaurant is in the most famous of the &quot;hanging houses&quot; perched over the gorge and has dizzying views. We had a table by the window, and watched as the sun went down. Beautiful!

We had the men&uacute; t&iacute;pico - the tasting menu of traditional foods of the region (&euro; 29 per person). First hearty bread with a spread of potatoes, cod, and garlic, a pat&eacute; of rabbit and partridge, and pisto (a Spanish version of ratatouille). The main course was roast suckling pig and lamb, followed by assorted desserts and two kinds of local liqueurs.

Our host recommended a red wine from La Mancha to go with our dinner and it was very good.

The proprietors were very charming and friendly, and our meal was wonderful. I highly recommend this place!

Then one last trip over the bridge (not quite as scary in the dark) back to the parador.

Next...... Madrid

LaurenSKahn

Ah, I see you got to Ceret, Marcy. That town holds many memories for me. I was there once for several days and stayed with a host family. It was part of an exchange visit because Ceret was twinned with Vienna, Virginia. I have no idea if that twinning is still going on. I was in a French conversation group run by a guy from Perpignan so he was the prime mover in the arrangement between the towns.

I did like the small museum in Ceret, but, then, I did not get to see some of the big ones you saw elsewhere on that trip. You do know, Picasso lived and painted in Ceret at one time, don't you?

On that trip, I ate lunch in Figures, Spain. So, I get to say that I once went to Spain for lunch. The frontier ran right down the middle of the town. I am sure the EU ended the duty free trading there but it was fun at the time.

Great views of the Pyrenees mountains in that area!

marcy_

Lauren,
I imagine that Ceret would be a lovely place to stay.

It would be hard to miss the fact that Picasso lived and painted there-- his picture is emblazoned on huge signs around town proclaiming the fact, and there is a plaza named after him. I think he's the town's main claim to fame.

marcy_

Day 8--
We were awakened this morning promptly at 8 AM by very noisy construction machinery right under our window! They're apparently doing some work on the roof of the parador.

I guess it's just as well, because we're eager to get on the road to Madrid. But after being in Spain for awhile, you really get used to a later schedule. When dinner doesn't start until 10 PM, it's hard to get started quite as early as usual in the morning.

Driving through Castilla- La Mancha, I was again struck by how empty and deserted it is-- no towns for miles and miles, just dry, high plains that remind me a lot of the southwest of the US.

We drove easily into Madrid and dropped off our luggage at the hotel, then went to return the rental car, and took the metro back.

It was great to be back in Madrid! We were just there a little less than a year ago, and have very fond memories. We stayed at the same hotel, the Villa Real-- perfect location, nice rooms, helpful staff, good bar-- no need to look further.

We decided to just &quot;hang out&quot; this time in Madrid-- not go to the museums or see anything in particular, but just relax and enjoy the city. We wandered over to the Plaza Santa Ana for lunch at Vi&ntilde;a P. It was pretty cold, but at a sheltered table it was warm enough to sit outside. We had esp&aacute;rragos a la plancha (grilled asparagus- the best!), gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic), and chulet&oacute;n de buey (ox).

The ox meat was brought to the table raw, in thin slices sprinkled with coarse salt. The waiter brought an extremely hot terra cotta plate, and put the slices on the plate, where they cooked right at the table. We just took them off the plate when they were cooked as much as we liked.
It was delicious, and super tender.

After lunch we walked to the Salamanca neighborhood, just strolling and window-shopping. Lots of beautiful high-fashion clothes, with seemingly every major designer represented.

We were looking for gifts to take home, so we bought some wine and soaps at El Corte Ingl&eacute;s department store, and then some chocolates at Mallorca, a fabulous deli along the lines of Dean and Deluca.

On the way back to the hotel, we walked along the Paseo de Recoletos, where there was a book fair, and browsed in the bookstalls. We found a great reproduction of an antique ABC poster in Spanish for our grandson's room.

We had to collapse for a while back at the hotel after all that walking. I don't know how many miles we had gone, but it was a lot!

That evening, we revived enough to go out for dinner in the Cava Baja area-- first a glass of wine at El Tempranillo (nice selection of wines by the glass), then tapas at the Taberna de los 100 Vinos-- great wine selection, and really terrific gourmet tapas. We had planned to go to more places, but it was so good that we just ordered more things there.

Back to the hotel, tired but content.

Next...... Labor Day in Madrid

Mary_Fran

Marcy,

We're loving your trip report. This morning the newspaper didn't arrive on the front porch, so we printed your trip report and read it aloud over our ritual morning coffee. It filled the newspaper void nicely.

marcy_

Thanks, Mary Fran,
I was sort of afraid no one would read it, because I forgot to post it under the topic of &quot;Spain&quot;.

Even if nobody else reads it, though, I found that the experience of keeping a journal for the first time helped me remember and reflect on my trip in a way that enhanced my enjoyment of it.

marcy_

Day 9--
Our last full day in Spain, and we woke up to miserable cold rainy weather. It wouldn't have been so bad, but it was May 1st, Spain's labor day, and all the museums and shops were closed.

My plan had been to spend lots of time in the Retiro park, have a nice lunch preferably at an outdoor cafe, and then ride the MadridVision bus (upper deck, of course, to see better).

Obviously we were going to have to come up with Plan B!

Another thing up my sleeve was to visit the Arab baths, which I'd read a little about in the NY Times.

This is a tradition style Hammam, where for &euro; 25 you go through rooms with pools of three different temperatures ( cold, warm, and hot), a steam room, aromatherapy, and have a 15 minute massage. Bathing suits are required, and silence is supposed to be maintained. Upstairs is an Arab tea salon, and restaurant.

Sounded perfect for a cold rainy day! I had thought about reserving ahead, but hadn't done it, so of course they were completely booked for the entire day. Darn!

So we decided to venture out in the rain and see what was happening for Labor day. As it turns out, there was a parade! It was formed of different labor groups carrying signs (and umbrellas) and shouting slogans, protesting the closing of local factories, and that sort of thing. It was really more of a demonstration than a parade. It ended at the Puerta del Sol, where there was a stage set up, and music.

(My DH's comment about it was-- Well, I don't think too much of the floats and the marching bands! )

It was interesting to see that Spain's Labor Day is truly about laborers, whereas in the US, it's just a day to be off work and have a long weekend. Here at home no one seems to think about its significance.

After trudging around in the rain for awhile, we stopped at Los Gabrieles, a tapas place we had been wanting to visit. The walls in it are covered with fabulous old tilework depicting various scenes. It really is worth a visit just to see these incredible tiles.

Unfortunately we had our only encounter of the trip with someone treating us rudely-- a waitress who snapped at us over a misunderstood order. She did come back a little later and sort of apologize, though. I think she was just having a bad day. ( But at that point, so were we, and her rudeness just added to it.)

We stopped by the Arab Baths to check it out and see if they had any cancellations, and they didn't, but it looked really nice. I definitely would like to go there the next time we're in Madrid. The tea room looked like an interesting place, too-- lots of cushions, and exotic fabrics draped on the walls.

The rain finally stopped, so we got on a Madrid Vision bus, and rode it around the city. You get headphones, and can listen to a recorded commentary about points of interest as you pass by.

It made us realize that we hadn't done too badly in seeing the city on our own, but the historical background was interesting.

We were freezing now, so we headed back to the hotel to warm up by having a cup of coffee at the bar.

That evening, we went back to the Cava Baja area for tapas. We started in a place called ENE, which was very trendy and modern-looking, with full-length cushions and pillows, so that people could take their shoes off and recline while having their drinks. (Not as comfortable as it sounds-- try eating and drinking while lying down!)

Then we found another place that was packed with people, so we went in to check it out. It was Taberna Almendro 13, and it was a blast!
Everybody seemed to have the same thing-- thin sliced potatoes with eggs and chopped ham on top, and a large ring-shaped sandwich with meat or cheese on it, and either sherry (manzanilla) or beer.

My DH managed to get a sherry and a beer for us from the bar, fighting through the crowds, and then there was a separate window where you walk up to order your food. Even after looking at the menu, which only had a few things, I couldn't figure out what everybody was eating. So finally I just told the guy taking orders that I would have the same thing as the man in front of me.

It turns out that the potato dish is just called huevos rotos (broken eggs), and the ring-shaped meat sandwich is a Rosca de lomo. Not exactly gourmet or health-food, but delicious, and lots of fun! Previously, I didn't think I particularly liked sherry, but there it tasted pretty good.

We ended up sharing a little stand-up counter with three well-dressed middle-aged men-- one Spaniard and two Italians, and striking up a delightful conversation with them, in a funny combination of Spanish, English, and Italian. The other thing that they had to eat that was delicious (they gave me a taste), was the Porra Antequerana (sometimes known as salmorejo)-- a hearty cold tomato and garlic soup similar to gazpacho.

When we left, one of the Italian men gave me a hug and kissed me on both cheeks, and the same to my husband! I don't know that he had ever experienced that before!

We stopped at another bar on the Plaza Santa Ana, Miau (as in meow--like a cat), and had profiteroles and a glass of dessert wine- very good.

Then we had to get going, because we had reservations for Flamenco at Casa Patas at midnight. We really enjoyed the Flamenco show- excellent guitar playing, singing, and dancing. We had seen a Flamenco show before in Sevilla, which we liked, but we felt like at Casa Patas they were pouring their heart and soul into it more. It was incredibly smoky in that room, though.

We stayed until 2 AM, and it was still going strong, but my husband was falling asleep in his chair, so I reluctantly had to leave!

Next.......Homeward bound.

marcy_

Day 10--
Slept in after our late night the night before, packed, and took a taxi to the airport (about &euro; 20), getting there with plenty of time before our flight.

I didn't mind being there with extra time-- the Madrid airport has some <b>great</b> duty-free shopping!

I think we could have skipped shopping for gifts to take home at all until we arrived at the airport.

The fancy deli, Mallorca, has a shop there, with all sorts of great food products, the Museu/ Musei store is there shop is there, as well as a store from the Prado. There's Cartier, Hermes, all sorts of fragrances, CD's, you name it.

Another uneventful flight home on USAir. Something I hadn't seen before on the plane were language lessons to listen to, in Spanish, French, Italian, and German.
So I had fun brushing up on my French--- already thinking ahead to our next trip, this summer.

And of course, we definitely plan to come back to Spain as soon as possible!

JJBhoy

Marcy,

Your report is !Fantastico! too.

Jim

marcy_

Thanks, Jim.

And thanks to everyone on this forum whose information, trip reports, and advice helped us plan our trip.

marcy_

Just a few additional observations about Spain:
The metro was easy to use and safe in both Barcelona and Madrid.

I had forgotten to bring some prescription medications, so we went to a pharmacy, and were able to get them without any problem by just writing the name on a piece of paper.

For the fashion-conscious among you: brown seems to be &quot;the new black&quot;.
We saw lots of earth tones, brown leather jackets, and brown shoes. (For the women, with pointed toes and heels)

People in general dress very nicely, but you see everything, including jeans.

As far as wine- the Riojas were good, but we also had some good Priorato, and Ribera del Duero. (we like reds)

The schedule really is as different as people say. Restaurants don't even open for dinner until 9 PM. 10PM is a more popular time for dinner.

The Vodafone store in the Madrid airport where I had bought my Spain SIM card for my mobile phone on our previous trip seems to be gone, but there are lots of stores for Vodafone and other carriers all around Barcelona and Madrid.

If anyone is going to Spain this year and has an unlocked GSM phone, and would like a SIM card for Spain with about &euro; 9 left on it (and you can buy more talk time at El Corte Ingles or news kiosks), I would be glad to mail it to you. You can email me at [email protected].

m_kingdom2

The browns I feel were leftover from fall/winter 03/04 - chocolates and earthy tones were everywhere, I doubt they will reappear nearly so much next season.

This spring, colour's are back, as well as whites and blacks, which will always be classics.

marcy_

m_kingdom, you may be right about the earth tones. It was so cold-- everybody was wearing their winter clothes!
The stores had lots of bright colors, including lots of pink and bright pastel ties for men.