Spain in August

[Xericx]



Sounds good. Remember a good paella place will only serve paella at lunch and will have a minimum order of two people. They should bring out the paella in the pan for you to look at before portioning it out onto your plates.

First, there is no AVE from Barcelona to Valencia. Second, I don't think a pass will work out well for you, if I understand your timing correctly...IMO makes more sense to just buy the tickets individually.

Yeah, there's some good beaches that are accessible from barcelona on the "suburban" trains, called Cercanias...that's what most people who live in the city would use to get out of town on the weekend. The beach in Barcelona is good for meeting girls and getting your wallet stolen (srsly), but going in the water in August is kinda

It's awesome. Really. Madrid and Barcelona are two of my favorite cities in the world for nightlife. The one thing I have to say is that IME Spanish women can be very attractive and very interested in American guys but closing the deal is much, much harder than with other nationalities. Total generalization, but if you're really looking to take a girl home I'd focus on other tourists.

Good god these posts look long in the new system.

awesome, thanks for the tips. still need to read a few more information before i get there. there are 3 of us total travelling.

 

[culverwood]



Is the Dali Museum worth a day trip from Barcelona?

If you mean the Theatre Museum Dali in Figueres I would say yes, if you have done what you want to do in Barcelona. I love the place but the last time I went was many years ago and I was staying locally.

 

[DLester]

hola from Fuente De, going to Segovia then Madrid tomorrow.

 

[Xericx]

i heard people kind of look down upon wearing shorts there in spain? its going to be hot as hell...but I have some linen pants, etc.....

true?

 

[DLester]

I avoid shorts in the big cities but have seen them around a lot. Not all cities are hot as hell btw, depends on where you are.

 

[zoneahead]

You definitely won't see too many Spanish men wearing shorts except at the beach, but you probably won't be accosted on the street if you decide to. Most tourists will be wearing shorts if it's hot.

 

[Xericx]

I'm thinking of taking a day in Valencia and taking one of the out of town "paella tours" (probably a bus ride). only problem is my free day for this is a Monday and many of them might be closed.

anyone have experience with the Paella tours in El Palmar, etc? I heard the ones in Valencia itself aren't that great. Ideally I wanted to go to the one that Batali went to in "On the Road again"......its called La Mantandena...its gotten mixed reviews online though...might be a tourist trap.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/f...3636/Valencia-finding-the-perfect-paella.html

 

[Kent Wang]

In Madrid, I can recommend this tapas tour. Very good wines.

 

[culverwood]

I would never wear shorts in a Spanish city or town even a small town unless it was by the sea. Shorts will not only mark you as a tourist but probably as a mark too. Just take some lightweight trousers.

 

[Xericx]



In Madrid, I can recommend this tapas tour. Very good wines.

nice, in my itinerary.

 

[Xericx]

OK....

would you rather watch:

1. Real Madrid soccer match
http://www.onlineticketexpress.com/event/real_madrid_vs_athletic_bilbao_tickets

or

2. Traditional Bullfight at Las Ventas
http://www.ticketstoros.com/ingles/teyci.html

they are both on the same day (sunday night).....looking at the schedule, won't have a chance to see another big soccer match..is it really that cool to see live? but i think the bullfights would probably be more unique to spain...i might get bored after the 2nd bullfight though.

 

[culverwood]

I would go to the bullfight. You will not be bored and you can always see another football match somewhere else when you are travelling in any big European or South American city.

Not that I am biased but you would see better football on Barcelona.

 

[TheIdler]

La Matandeta would be a really good place to try an authentic paella. It's no more/less touristy than other restaurants around there. Not my favorite in terms of decor but definitely good rice dishes. I don't really know what a "paella tour" is, though.

I'd vote to see a bullfight. I personally think they should be outlawed but they are something unique and I really doubt you'll get bored.

I think the wearing shorts thing also depends on how old you are. Mid-thirties and up very few men wear shorts, but if you're a younger guy I don't think you'll stand out.

 

[Xericx]

any recommendations for unique stores to visit?

All I have is the Zara outlet store called "lefties" i might check out. also some spanish cologne store called Alvarez Gomez that I saw in some magazine. Interested in getting some good soaps or something I can't get here in the US.

 

[impolyt_one]

you're gonna go to Spain.... to check out a Zara outlet store?