I was in Spain last year (on business) but I had some time free for myself.
If you ever get a chance to go there, it is a worth-while place to visit.

1.  Barcelona is fascinating.  The Gaudi architecture is something you 
    will remember.  (Do you recall the cathedral with the many spires 
    which was featured on many olympics photos?)  (The cathedral is a 
    potential Grex topic all by itself)

2.  The countryside, at least in Catalonya, is beautiful.  There are 
    castles throughout the country which are strategically placed and
    are fixed up as first class hotels (approx us $50/night).  It would
    be great to rent a car and drive from castle to castle and see the
    country.  

17 responses total.

McPoz, I spent a year in Barcelona and loved it.  I dream about 
returning, though I know it has changed in the last 17 years.
My parents came to visit me, and I put them up in a room in the hotel
on the Cathedral Plaza, with shutters that opened onto a 
mini-balcony to see the people dance the sardana on Sun am.

I used to know the Barri Gotic like the back of my hand!

Did you make it to the Picasso Musuem, and the Dali museum in
Figueroa?

I had better quit before I go on and on.  I still correspond with the
family I lived withthere.

Sweet Pea, I was there on a business trip, but I had evenings free.  We 
saw the Gaudi cathedral (Walked up one of the spires), and many of the 
other Gaudi structures.  I could not believe the street layout, wide streets,
and how they cut the streets at 45 degrees at each intersection.  We walked
a lot in the old city.  We had a fabulous meal in an ancient restaurant which
was family owned for 200 yrs and was built in many adjoined townhouses in
the old city.  To get to the restaurant, you had to walk through the kitchen
with a huge grill/oven/boiler which was coal fired.  The dining rooms were
accessable through various arches, winding stairways, etc.  We had Paella
(sp?) and many, many, plates of appetizers.  (Shrimp, oysters, squid, 
and snails - spain does snails different than other places).

Dinner in Spain starts around 10:00 pm or later.  I took tons of pictures
even of the neat restaurant and the city at night.  

I would go back to Barcelona in a flash ! !  ! !  !  

Oh yes, the people in Spain are without a doubt the most polite & 
hospitable of any country I have ever seen.

A very practical question to those of you who have lived/been to Spain. . .
Don't you get heartburn when you eat dinners so late at night and then go
to bed?  I would love to visit Spain and Barcelona but am concerned about
having to eat so late.  As it is, if I eat dinner after 7:30, I have heartburn
throughout the night and it isn't pleasant.

I have never been bothered by eating late.  It appeared to me that the people
in Barcelona stayed up until the wee hours - allowing time for the food to 
clear their stomach.  I think the hotels had good restaurants with food at
6:00 pm or so.  The exclusive restaurants tended to open at 9:00pm or even
10:00 pm.  

Does anyone go to work there?  Or is everyone on vacation?  Another thing
I can no longer do is stay up to the wee hours of the morning.  Not if I
want to be able to function, that is.  Maybe if you're young and eat from
10 to 12, then go dancing till three or four, you'd have no problem.  I'd
have a BIG problem.
.

I think they work from 9 or 10 in the morning until 1:00 pm.  They take 1-3
off and work again from 7-9:00 pm.  Some of the larger manufacturing companies
have around the clock operations and get stuck with shift-work.  

Oh, yes.  August is vacation month in Europe. 

For the family I lived with, the wife cleaned gov't offices from
approx 5 am - 7 am or so.  The husban worked in a glass facctory,
and worked from approx 9 am- 1, and  from 4-7.  

We lived only about 5 blocks from the old university, walking
dstance from the Plaza Catalunya.  I had Gaudi's architecture as
the backdrop for my playground!  

Yes, people dine late.  Even if a restaurant is open at 9 pm, you'd
be all alone.  But don't forget how the pace is more relaxed...this
isn't your 15-minute quick meal on the run.  You are less likely to
be all stressed out, and thus less likely to get heartburn.  Also, Being
in a lovely old city, you would probably walk after supper, and maybe stop
for a cafe in a small bar.  

If you are at home, the main meal is at midday, and you would have time to
digest that a bit (walk, read the paper) before going back to 
work or school.  (Tho' I did sleep thru a few afternnon classes
til I got the hang of the schedule!).  Supper, around 10 pm, might
be what we'd consider a snack...a light sandwich, an egg, or just
some cheese and fruit.

I gained TONS of weight there...had to do with walking past 3 
bakeries on my way to school and stopping in each...and three on the
opposite side of the street on the way home.  

I loved the food in Barcelona...they have the best chocolatiers
in the world!  Excellent cooks, sophisticated cuisine, and 
wonderful wines, not to mention sherries!

Baarcelona is also only 30 min by train (once the train comes) to
a wonderful beach town of Sitges.  Tho on the same latitude as NY, 
beach season for me ran from Mar-Nov!

One of my favorite city spots was the Parque Guell, one of Gaudi's
creations.  Another was wandering along the Ramblas...they were 
safe then.    In fact, all of Barcelona was safe then.  

I gotta admit, it was easier at 20/21...dinner at ten, and out on 
dates at 11:30 pm!  Couldn't do it so well now!

Everything you mention makes me want to go back.  I really was in love with 
walking the old city and looking at whatever I could take in.  I took a lot
of jokes because I took a lot of pictures of doors and windows, but they had
class.  I have a daughter in college who had a semester abroad studying in 
Spanish, and I tried to talk her into Barcelona, but she chose Quito, 
Ecuador, instead.  I am sure it is just as interesting.

A friend of mine went to Colombia and loved South America.  I have been
dying to go back to Spain w/husband and kids, and I even have friends for
the kids to stay with.  But 5 airfares over have always been too steep :(


Oh, my friend did a semester in Colombia, not jsut travel.
And it's hard to learn castilian in Barcelona these days...regular
college courses are in Catalan.  Only some are in Castilian.

Right now my daughter and my wife are in Quito, Ecuador.  My Daughter, Jenny
has been there for 5 months going to school.  My Wife, Nancy, went to visit
Jenny during her last week.  Jenny will show her the sights then they will
come back together, this Friday.  Jenny loved Quito.  She also spent 3 weeks
on the Amazon and another 10 days in the Galapagos Islands as part of her 
school.  While Jenny was there, Ecuador had a border war with Peru, but not 
a lot of mention was made in our press.  I read up on it on Compuserve. 

Wow, the Galapagos!  One place I have always dreamed of!  I am
definitely jealous!

You better get to the Galapagos soon. The government opened the
surrounding waters to sea cucumber fishing, and so many fisherman took it
up that the sea cucumber population became threatened. The government then
banned the fishing, to allow the population to recover, but by that time
the fishermen had moved in large numbers to the islands, and had families,
and they didn't want to give up a lucrative (though diminishing) income.
Therefore, to fight the ban, they threatened to slaughter the land
tortoises. Last year 80 Galagagos tortoises - one of the reasons for
visiting the island - were slaughtered in the "cucumber war". 

Rane, I did not hear any of that!  Thanks for the info.  Boy, what a 
mismanaged thing.  I suppose I will get some first hand info on that by
next week-end as my Galapagos adventurer will be back.  She was there
to study biology.  

I just read "the thumb of the Panda" (or was it "The Panda's thumb" by
Steven Jay Gould.  He makes a lot of references to the Galapagos.  At
the time of Darwin, there was a tortoise (I don't think it is the huge
one) which had differentiation based on which island it came from.  The
natives could identify the island of origin for each type of tortoise.

My (latest) information on the cucumber war came from Audubon 
magazine (May-June, 1995).

That's really sad, but I'm afraid I can't hurry up and get there.
Money being a somewhat significant object, the Galapagos will have to 
remain on my wish list.

Hi folks !,  we both are from  "the best city all over the world", and are
definitely glad that your commentaries are so flattering. We'd like to point
out that our normal time for dinner is around ten o'clock pm. Then we meet
at about midnight to start enjoying Barcelona's night life, one of the main
things we are really proud of as far as this city is concerned, since it is
so difficult to find such places in the rest of Europe, let alone the rest
of the countries...Ah!, something really vital for you guys. Have you heard
of the rivary between what is supposed to be the Capital of spain and what
really is the best place in the peninsule ? Well, try it out and shout "Visca
Catalunya" when you are in "La puerta de Alcala" , madrid...
Barcelona is also knowed for having the best soccer team in the universe.Real
madrid  soccer team are only the best of his city ...

I'd recommend Barcelona to anyone!

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