FUN-travel: Chiva to Barcelona, Spain
September 14, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Chiva to Barcelona, Spain
Trip Day 51 – Thursday, August 30 – Chiva to Barcelona, Spain
Placa de Catalunya
What I LIKE
Casa de lesPunxes
- our neighbor called to see if we were back yet & to tell us everything was fine & they were leaving to go to Hawaii
- 9:00 – ready to go to hit the road for Barcelona
- 11:00 – starts raining
- 1:30 – arrive airport Hertz
- didn’t have any accidents in Spain
- TI @ airport finds us a **** room in Eixample for only $137 Euro
- 3:00 – taxi to downtown $30 Euros
- Gallery Hotel is in great location – big comfy room
- 7:15 – nice big walk to ECI – El Corte Engles for provisions
- you can get an additional 18% vat tax back on items you don’t consume
- 8:45 – dinner Tenorio – tomato, mozzarella, tuna belly salad & broad beans with ham & shrimp – mushrooms & duck with fried egg on top & tomato bread with parmesan slices – Pagode los Capellanes, Ribera wine is young & fruity
- 10:15 – rain stops – only short walk back to hotel
Placa de Catalunya
What I DIDN”T LIKE
- cell phone rang @ 6:20 am
- now worried something might be wrong back home
- can’t get coffee until 7:00
- don’t have a room reservation
- ECI gives non-residents 10% off everything and no one told us until now
- walk out and it’s pouring rain – no umbrella
FF (FUN-fact) – Barcelona is Spain’s second largest city and their motto is, “You’re not in Spain, You’re in Catalunya!”
FUN-travel: Barcelona to Rome Cruise – 7 Days – Seabourn
August 4, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Barcelona to Rome Cruise – 7 Days – Seabourn
Trip Day 18 – Cruise Day 1 – Friday, July 27 – Board Ship in Barcelona, Spain
What I LIKE
- board ship 1:50 pm
- our first Seabourn cruise – have heard many good things
- brand new ship – 1 year new
- nice bottle of Champagne in our suite
- having people that speak English
- lots of salads & veggies & arugula
- food is the best we’ve ever had on a cruise ship
- book excursion for tomorrow
- 4:45 sail away party on pool deck
- dinner @ patio grill – really thin crust pizza – fresh fish
What I DON’T LIKE
- wine by the glass selection not as good as Regents 7 Seas
FF (FUN-fact) – If you book another cruise on board the ship you save 5% in addition to any other discounts you receive through your travel agent.
FUN-travel: Northern Spain – Alcaníz to Barcelona, Spain
July 31, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Northern Spain – Alcaníz to Barcelona, Spain
Day 18 – Friday, July 27 – Alcaníz to Barcelona, Spain
Parador Courtyard
What I LIKE
Church in Parador
- chose Alcaníz stop to shorten drive back to Barcelona
- only 200 kms drive today
- don’t need Garmin & maps for next two weeks!
- breaking up the driving with cruising
- having someone else in charge of where we go
- caught thief attempting to “pinch” the backpack off top of luggage yelled & he dropped it
- got my “wake up call” to never, ever look away from belongings
- get a taxi to ship terminal
- arrive 1:40 pm
What I DON’T LIKE
- takes more time – only 2 lane roads through small towns
More Parador
- not having street signs that match Garmin directions
- a bit difficult finding Hertz in downtown Barcelona
- almost got backpack stolen in front of Hertz – only thing in it were passports
FF (FUN-fact) – Spain is the size of Nevada & Utah combined.
TIRA – (Things I Remembered After)
- San Sebastian has a “mini Rio” feel with statue of Christ high on the hill overlooking the bay & city.
- When ordering Spanish wine the degree of quality ranges from –
- Crianza – then Reserva – then Gran Reserva
- 4 glasses of wine with 8 tapas & water only costs 9 Euro in Sigüenza.
Northern Spain Trip Recap – The major roads were great to drive on and well marked. Everyone is very nice & helpful (especially when we needed directions in town). The cities were clean and well maintained. Food & beverages were very reasonably priced. Pamplona was fabulous with its civilized debauchery – Santiago Cathedral was spectacular – Segovia’s main plaza was magical with the authentic local experience.
FUN-travel: Northern Spain – Sigüenza to Alcaníz, Spain
July 31, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Northern Spain – Sigüenza to Alcaníz, Spain
Day 17 – Thursday, July 26 – Sigüenza to Alcaníz , Spain
Our Parador
What I LIKE
- breaking up the long drive back to Barcelona
- only takes 3 hours
- Garmin still works!
- Parador is at the top of the hill overlooking town
- dinner here is quite good again
What I DON’T LIKE
- kind of on Castle, Palace, Monastery, Church overload
- feeling a bit sequestered up here so don’t venture down to town
FF (FUN-fact) – A cafeteria in Spain is a cafe that serves food all day.
FUN-travel: Northern Spain – Barcelona to SOS Del Rey Catolico
July 13, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Northern Spain – Barcelona to SOS Del Rey Catolico
Day 3 – Thursday, July 12 – Barcelona to SOS Del Rey Catolico, Spain
Church Bells in SOS
What I LIKE
Afternoon Walk
- took another sleeping pill and slept great
- 8:00 am turn on TV to see live feed of today’s running of the bulls!
- got rental car and drove away fully armed with directions
- Road Atlas + Garmin + Google maps almost guarantees hassle free driving!
- nice roads – but you pay for them – 28 Euros to go 350 miles
- arrive 4:30 pm – nice walk through town takes an hour
- staying at Parador – once an Aragonese mansion – hotel is located in the centre of this charming medieval walled city on top of a hill – (looks like Italy)
- sipping a nice cold beer on balcony patio with symphony of birds chirping & views to the Pyrenees
- sunsets @ 9:30
What I DON’T LIKE
- having to double check everything – Hertz reservation was screwed up – took 30 minutes to straighten out
- unemployment rate @ 25% makes us potential targets for thieves
Church Entrance
FF (FUN-fact) – Paradores are luxury accommodations in Castles, Palaces, Fortresses, Convents, Monasteries and other historic buildings. There are also modern hotels, built in traditional style, in areas of outstanding beauty.