Call me crazy. Loca. Fou. 疯狂 Verrückt. Gek. Pazzo. шально. 미친. Luoca. τρελλός. 狂気 …OK, stop! lol In any language, I may be opening myself up to serious injury, disease, disgust, ridicule, discomfort, poverty, digestive complications, even, Heaven forbid, boredom. No, I doubt boredom. If, by taking suggestions from my readers on where to go, what to see, how to get there, what to eat, I could ever get bored, we need to rethink this relationship!
Caracoles in Seville, Spain aka Escargot...aka Snails!
Here’s what I’m proposing: I’ll post ahead of time when I’m planning to travel somewhere, and I’ll take “suggestions” , via comments on here, on what to do there, where to eat, play, drink, sight-see, adventure, on your behalf. They should be out-of-the-ordinary excursions apart from the obvious greatest hits of a locale. Either tell me your favorite thing you did there or convince me of something you’ve always wanted to do and can at least enjoy vicariously! I’ll pick at least one activity to perform or food to sample, etc. and report back in blog form, including photos for evidence and confirmation. 🙂
Zorbing in Rotorua, New Zealand
Consider this an exercise in broadening my travel spectrum. Every place is new, but the methods by which we travel tend to follow similar patterns. I’d like to enlist your input in shifting those patterns a little bit. Coax me to try something out of my normal comfort zone. One of my favorite – well, memorable – adventures was hooking up with some wild Aussies in Seville and allowing them to coax me into imbibing in all sorts of concoctions, including hot, spicy snail juice. Really. This is NOT meant to encourage a barrage of dares to down dangerous dishes! lol But I’m willing to tread in new territory where time, funds and personal safety allow 🙂
Next stops: Seville and Barcelona, Spain
Arrival: 6th of March, 2010.
Plans for Sevilla: I am quite familiar with this Andalusian city and plan to see flamenco at some local spots in Triana, dine at the home of friends, enjoy tapas and sangria, tour the Cathedral, the Alcazar, the old quarter, etc. so any fresh ideas are welcome!
Plans for Barcelona: I have visited before and only scratched the surface. I want to share Casa Batllo and other gorgeous glorious Gaudi sites with my nephew. We’ll hike up to Tibidabo for the views, stroll on the Ramblas and of course, meander through the old quarter. I am hopeful for either insider tips or just plain silly suggestions.
Next Stops: Currently in Santa Barbara in May 2011. Suggestions? Dares? 😉
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Barcelona…one of my favorite cities of all of Europe. Do take in all the street artists that you can. Rambles at all hours and the sea walk at dusk!!! There is an awesome Catholic thrift store in the old quarters. Good for fans and jewelry, easy to pack in home bound luggage. Enjoy! I so envy you!
The sea walk at dusk…now there is something I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing here…thanks so much for your suggestions, Patty…I’ll keep an eye out for the thrift store, as well. Great input! Thank you!
Are you in Seville yet? I passed through in 2008, and had lunch in the Japanese restaurant behind the Alfonso XIII hotel. The grounds were nice, but the food was average. Worth a quick look.
Thanks Garo! I’d love to take a peak at nice gardens…if the timing is right, maybe I’ll sample some Spanish sushi! <<< I love alliteration 😉
If you’re able to do it catch Jose Merce at Gran Teatro del Liceu on Sunday night and if you arent able to do it I’ll think of something really silly for you to do
I would…if I were in Barcelona that day. Thanks so muuchly for the suggestion, T1!
If you’re up for it there’s a museum in Barcelona thats completely dedicated to erotica. It even has a 7 foot tall wooden statue of wood so if you’re willing to do it and completely embarrass the person you’re with you should go and check it out.
http://www.erotica-museum.com/en/filosofia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Barcelona
As for Barcelona, the harbor/beach district of Barceloneta may not be as nice as it is in August due to the RECORD SNOWFALL on Monday … Should at least be sunny by the time you get there. Be sure to stroll the Rambla/la Rambla/les Rambles, and drop in at the Antigua Casa Figueres (at C. Petxina) for pastries and coffee; yummy.
A lot of the social life for both tourists and locals goes on in the old Gothic Quarter, the area along Las Ramblas… It’s also easiest for you to get to without traipsing all over the city, so I’ll focus in mostly there..
1. When I lived there I loved the Cafe/bar “El Bosc des Fades” in the “Barri Gòtic” (the old Gothic quarter)-It had an amazing atmosphere with trees sculpted into the walls and pillars all around you – it was a magical forest made more magical by the yummy Sangria – add random “rainstorms” (don’t worry you don’t get wet, but rain does fall) and you have a super fun time! http://bit.ly/aHPXWr
2.Also L’Ovella Negra was a fun long wooden bench style seating, pitcher of Beer or Sangria kind of bar with a younger crowd (university students). Very old building (most of them are) with wooden tables and old stone floors. In another back alley tucked away from Las Ramblas of course.
2. Paella of course- sometimes (more so in in summer) you can find people cooking paella out near the sea walk (and that is very beautiful at dusk- maybe cold still) and that can be very yummy…
3. There are several good restaurants off of Plaça Reial – near las Ramblas… Don’t know if my favorite is still there “Les 15 Nits”- the food there used to be great, the ambience too. It’s pretty popular with everyone including locals so sometimes you can have a wait or it can run a little slow- but in my experience (several years ago) the food was well worth the wait.
4. There Are all sorts of little shops tucked along the side streets of the Gothic quarter- not too far from Las Ramblas- most of them higher quality and less touristy crap than along Las Ramblas itself.
5. Also make sure to grab so the delicious hot chocolate from one of the local coffee shops… yummy. Or if you want a pick-me-up visit a “Bracafe” (kind of like their Starbucks, but focused around Brazilian coffee with a Spanish twist) and sample their thick coffee/chocolate hybrid drink- I forget what it’s called. Be careful though- it REAALLY packs a caffeine punch. Do Not consume anytime after lunch unless you want to party the whole night! 😉
6. A good tapas place. Note- not every bar or place that serves tapas is a good place… 😉 ask around…
7. As much of Gaudi as you can fit in. If nothing else La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. (You already know that though!)
8. I went on a tour of spanish wine/champagne cellar Freixenet near Barcelona a few years back- it was neat and if you’re in the mood for some beautiful countryside and bubbly then it can be fun! http://www.cellartours.com/spain/spanish-wineries/freixenet-winery.html
9. Sitges is a gorgeous little party/resort city and is a short train ride from Barcelona on the coast. It hosts Carnival sometime in February- Darn you just missed it- awesome floats and costumes- even the crowd dresses up! A great time… Darn, well, next time. Still overall worth a visit….
Ok I’d better stop the brain dump now, since I’ve already given you a couple weeks worth of stuff… But trust me I could keep going- Barlcelona is full of wonders!
Enjoy!
Muchos besos y abrazos 🙂
Oh yeah- the Aquarium out at the end of the pier is also very cool! 🙂 http://www.aquariumbcn.com/AQUARIUM/index.php?wlang=en you can also check out the Imax theater near there if you’re in the mood…
Wow…or better still Guau! Thank you so much, desertsnail, for the plethora of ideas and tips..I shall go forth boldly to enjoy this, our last day 🙂 I’ll report back! Saludos
I suppose this note is a little late being that you are already back from Spain, however I thought I’d suggest it for your next trip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W09MhqpdMoM
The King’s Walkway situated at El Chorro, near Alora in Malaga, Spain. (I have never been, but it looks interesting if not a little horrifying).
Wow Christine! You’re just mean!!! haha kidding! *smooch* I MIGHT make my way up to the point where the trail is completely GONE and you have to walk precariously over a 2″ pipe! There, I would stop. Eeeeek!
And, not too late at all my dear, as my next locale to visit in Spain just may BE Malaga! No kidding…I’m writing for a company based out of there and we have discussed my future “need for material” about Spain…as in another visit! :)) Thanks so muuchly for the suggestion. Bliss you!
fantastic idea…
buen viaje!
Thanks! I'll post when I have my next trip planned. The Santa Barbara one is an open-ended one as find myself there quite a bit. San Diego, too, come to think of it! 🙂 Happy travels to you as well. Saludos! G
Gina,
Great meeting you on the bus yesterday. I would tweet you my DC recommendations but I am a clandestine Amishtant (you call individual Catholics a Catholic and individual Protestants a Protestant, do you call individual Amish 'an Amish'?) so I'll just post them to your blog.
Since you enjoy the story of the race to the South Pole, I would spend some time at the National Geographic Museum. They also currently have on display a collection of some of their best unpublished pictures from 2011 that come highly recommended for photography buffs.
The National Cathedral speaks for itself. One doesn't expect to see such a commanding place of worship in DC, it belongs in some medieval town square on the Continent. Look for the uniquely American blending of secular and religious themes including a bust of Darth Vader one one of the church towers.
The bar I would go to for a great view of the nerve center of power is Point of View bar at the W Hotel next to the Treasury Building (I think that's 14th St NW). From their roof deck you can see the White House and other sites of political interest. Another spot for good views is the roof terrace of the Newseum. My favorite secret spot for a drink while watching the sunset is the Kennedy Center roof terrace. Go for a free concert at 6 pm and then head up to the terrace cafe for a glass of wine and 360 degree views of Washington and the surrounding areas. If you're like me and want to save money, I usually bring my own booze because no one really pays attention to what you're doing up there (at least the snipers watching you don't care about your open container).
Lastly, you cannot leave the greater DC region without checking out Old Town Alexandria. It's quaint East Coast Main Street architecture at its finest with a dash of good restaurants and shopping spots.
Enjoy your stay and good luck in Italy!
Warm regards,
George
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