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All-In [31657]
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Anyone been to Barcelona?
Mar 22, 2022, 6:25 AM
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I’m planning a trip for late July, soliciting suggestions. Will spend a week, would like to venture out, I don’t think I can spend a week in any one big city. Anyone been to Girona or any of the little towns along the costa brava? It should be warm, and I’m not opposed to just plopping on a beach. I’m thinking about renting a car and just driving around Catalonia like that, or alternatively taking a train from Barcelona and going to see Madrid.
Any of you wealthy industrialists have recommendations for España?
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Lot o points [156256]
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Please be sure to pronounce it with a Castilian accent.
Mar 22, 2022, 6:42 AM
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When you are back home regaling friends about your trip, wine in hand, it loses all sense of sophistication when you don’t pronounce it “Bar-thu-lona”.
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All-In [31657]
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Re: Please be sure to pronounce it with a Castilian accent.
Mar 22, 2022, 6:56 AM
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Will eat plenty of tapath
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CU Medallion [50635]
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i've never been to spain***
Mar 22, 2022, 6:45 AM
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Legend [15219]
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Have you been to Oklahoma?
Mar 22, 2022, 7:03 AM
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.
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All-In [32742]
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Dang - I am SLOW. Anyways - the ladies are insane there.***
Mar 22, 2022, 7:30 AM
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Legend [17407]
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And they sure know how to use it.
Mar 22, 2022, 7:39 AM
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Strange how some lyrics are embedded in your mind.
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All-In [32742]
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Thing is they never abuse it. Never gonna lose it - And
Mar 22, 2022, 8:09 AM
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I can’t refuse it - mmmmmm …….
lol - yeah - trapped in my noggin’ forever, I reckon.
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All-In [36450]
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Heisman Winner [120191]
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Yes, you will enjoy it
Mar 22, 2022, 7:09 AM
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Try to visit Valencia also
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CU Medallion [64837]
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Try their oranges.
Mar 22, 2022, 7:33 AM
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Oculus Spirit [83199]
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Yea, in 1984. Honestly don't remember much
Mar 22, 2022, 7:12 AM
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about it, other than it seemed much cheaper than Rome, Paris, Berlin etc.
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All-In [32742]
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Never been to Spain, but I’ve been to Oklahoma.***
Mar 22, 2022, 7:29 AM
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All-In [47966]
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In Oklahoma, not Arizona?
Mar 22, 2022, 8:51 AM
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What does it matter?
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All-In [36450]
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Never been to Spain.
Mar 22, 2022, 8:03 AM
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But based on my trip to Italy I would def spend half in Barcelona with some day trips on trains to smaller towns and then take train to Madrid and spend other half there w same day trips elsewhere. Prob only need one full day exclusively in Barcelona and Madrid to see all the sights in those towns. Then just use the hotels as a home base to travel around.
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All-In [31657]
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Re: Never been to Spain.
Mar 22, 2022, 8:18 AM
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This is exactly what I am leaning towards
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All-In [36450]
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My favorite day in Italy was a day trip to Verona
Mar 22, 2022, 8:34 AM
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Smaller town, barely any tourists there. 1.5 hour train ride there in the morning, spent the day there and hopped in the train back to Venice. Great town, food wasn’t touristy, prices for things lower.
Venice was like Myrtle Beach, def worth going there but tourist traps everywhere, over priced trash food, crowds of people.
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Hall of Famer [23048]
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Madrid sucks. Skip that and go somewhere more interesting
Mar 22, 2022, 5:27 PM
[ in reply to Re: Never been to Spain. ] |
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Visiting Madrid is like going to Charlotte for a vacation (though Toledo-Spain is nice)
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Heisman Winner [105934]
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CRule Honeymooned there, IIRC
Mar 22, 2022, 8:04 AM
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clemsonrulez08®
Go to Camp Nou, would be excellent to tour.
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Oculus Spirit [83199]
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Lot o points [163012]
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I think Bourdain rated Spain as second on his list for food
Mar 22, 2022, 8:21 AM
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Asia being first iirc.
I would definitely go search his two series to see those shows again, not that you will be able to do what he did, but he gives a great 'flavor' to the people and the food.
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All-In [40657]
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We spent two nights there on our honeymoon
Mar 22, 2022, 8:29 AM
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Did all the touristy things so nothing really particularly unique to recommend. We stayed at Hotel Bagues on La Rambla and had a private pool looking over La Rambla. We toured the Casa Batllo. Went over to La Sagrada Familia to try and tour it, but did not get tickets in advance, so we didn't get to do that. Had tacos and coronas Surf House Barcelona overlooking the Mediterranean. Had a good dinner and about three bottles of wine at Pla de la Garsa.
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All-In [31657]
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Re: We spent two nights there on our honeymoon
Mar 22, 2022, 8:39 AM
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My brother stayed on La Rambla too, seems to be the best way to be in the center of everything & walkable to most stuff
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All-In [40657]
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Its definitely the tourist trap...
Mar 22, 2022, 9:07 AM
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BUT its a great central point to be to explore. It is louder in the evenings, so if a great nights rest is what you are looking for... maybe look somewhere else.
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CU Medallion [64837]
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Okay, yea sure. Now tell us what REALLY happened.
Mar 22, 2022, 8:41 AM
[ in reply to We spent two nights there on our honeymoon ] |
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What cool places did you go hang out at while your old lady was getting her very own "Running of the Bulls" in the honeymoon suite?
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All-In [40657]
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I made a few trips to Pizza Circus during that***
Mar 22, 2022, 9:08 AM
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Oculus Spirit [85963]
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As a kid, we took a family vacation to
Mar 22, 2022, 8:47 AM
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St. Augustine, Florida which has a very strong Spanish influence. It was actually the capital of "Spanish Florida" for like 200 years.
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Heisman Winner [105934]
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I'm going there Friday
Mar 22, 2022, 8:59 AM
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and leaving Sunday. It'll be a quickie.
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Oculus Spirit [85963]
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CU Medallion [64837]
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A free tip if you want to go to the old fort...
Mar 22, 2022, 9:09 AM
[ in reply to I'm going there Friday ] |
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Run through the line saying that you're looking for a missing kid - you get in for free.
Have your kids wait a few minutes an say that they need to run in to find a missing parent... also free.
Boom - I just saved you about $50!..... heck, for you, it could probably save you hundreds.
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Heisman Winner [105934]
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Kids ain't going so me and the misses could pull this off
Mar 22, 2022, 12:22 PM
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without a problem.
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Heisman Winner [138346]
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Si, few times for work.
Mar 22, 2022, 8:59 AM
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Think most people have covered the basics. They siesta like Hispanics in the Americas, so don't expect to see most restaurants even open for dinner until 7 or 8pm. Just get on that schedule, and expect to wrap dinner up at 10pm or later every night (vacation, so what else are you doing anyway?). Good fuggin' food.
Look at guided tours for Gaudi's work. His stuff is littered all over that city, and it's really fascinating--wish I'd had time to do that instead of working. And your wife can ask why he didn't use more shiplap, which really would have made La Sagrada Familia pop, nomesayin'?
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Heisman Winner [136804]
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I find his work rather Gaudi
Mar 22, 2022, 9:08 AM
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I prefer my castles and cathedrals muted and understated
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All-In [40657]
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The siesta/sleeping thing was wild for us
Mar 22, 2022, 9:10 AM
[ in reply to Si, few times for work. ] |
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We would "sleep in" until about 9am after late nights and when we got out of the hotel and started to wander, we were still the first folks out in the morning. Then theres another round of quietness between around 4pm and 7pm as you said.
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Heisman Winner [138346]
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First time I went was a redeye that got me in at 7 or 8am on
Mar 22, 2022, 9:16 AM
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a Sunday. Cabbie took me to my hotel, and I decided to walk around after dropping my stuff off. It was like the first episode of The Walking Dead, but no zombies.
The very first people I saw, young couple with an infant...she pulled out a (nice) titty to feed the kid, as we were passing each other. I'm like "this place is weird af AND awesome."
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All-In [40657]
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Yep
Mar 22, 2022, 9:18 AM
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When we flew out of Madrid back to the states, we had to leave at 5am. We made a massive mistake in not scheduling a ride to the airport. It took us 30 minutes to even see a car, no taxis available. Had to find an uber last minute.
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CU Medallion [60261]
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All-In [43335]
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Yes went to Barcelona and Sitges 30 years ago.
Mar 22, 2022, 9:10 AM
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It was beautiful and good food but we were broke and stayed in ###### places. Good times. Eat at SuperPollo.
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CU Medallion [53517]
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Re: Anyone been to Barcelona?
Mar 22, 2022, 9:14 AM
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All-In [26735]
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If you got time, spend a day or two in Valencia.
Mar 22, 2022, 11:58 AM
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Cool little city, and there are lots of historical things to see during the day and lot of bars on the beach for the end of the day.
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Hall of Famer [23048]
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Flights across Spain/Portugal are stupid cheap
Mar 22, 2022, 5:25 PM
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Spend a few days in Barcelona, fly to Lisbon (or any other town for a few days), then fly back. No customs checks so easy in/out of airport.
I spent a 12 day vacation Lisbon-Seville-Granada-Algarve-Lisbon-Barcelona-Lisbon that was awesome
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