# Spain and Morocco, May 14 - June 10 2008



## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

Galician coast of Spain, near Baos:


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## Aquarius (Aug 3, 2003)

This is not the coast.. is a dry dam...

are u a spammer-troll?


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## napolit (Feb 9, 2006)

I dont know how much cost going from Madrid to Cordoba on bus, but it costs only 20 euros on TGV and it takes only 1 hour and 40 minutes!. The only you need is to buy the ticket at least 15 days before (www.renfe.es, you have to click in "tarifa web", one way). I wouldnt recommend going to there in bus because prizes are similar. I think that it is the same with Barcelona-Zaragoza, Córdoba-Sevilla, etc. Train from Bilbao-Salamanca, 11.2 euros (not tgv), Madrid-Granada: 23.75 euros, Córdoba-Sevilla 8.50 euros, etc. I think that it is more comfortable than bus, cheap, faster (at least tgv's train) and safer .


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## tvdxer (Feb 28, 2006)

napolit said:


> I dont know how much cost going from Madrid to Cordoba on bus, but it costs only 20 euros on TGV and it takes only 1 hour and 40 minutes!. The only you need is to buy the ticket at least 15 days before (www.renfe.es, you have to click in "tarifa web", one way). I wouldnt recommend going to there in bus because prizes are similar. I think that it is the same with Barcelona-Zaragoza, Córdoba-Sevilla, etc. Train from Bilbao-Salamanca, 11.2 euros (not tgv), Madrid-Granada: 23.75 euros, Córdoba-Sevilla 8.50 euros, etc. I think that it is more comfortable than bus, cheap, faster (at least tgv's train) and safer .


I actually plan on going from Madrid to Granada and then from Granada to Cordoba.

Gotta see that Alhambra


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## tvdxer (Feb 28, 2006)

OK, SSC'ers, I leave in 5 days!

Here's my updated plan:

What do you all think? I'm really worried about the Morocco part, getting down to Rissani / Merzouga and all.

Day 1 (May 14th)

Arrive in Barcelona. 

Day 2 (May 15th)

Barcelona

Day 3 (May 16th)

Barcelona

Day 4 (May 17th)

Leave hostel; board train for San Sebastian (leaves 1230, arrives 2030). 

Day 5 (May 18th)

Day 6 (May 19th)

San Sebastian. Day trip to Hondarribia and Hendaye-le-Plage.

Day 7 (May 20th)

San Sebastian. Day trip to Bilbao and Bermeo.

Day 8 (May 21st) 

Bus to Madrid.

Day 9 (May 22nd)

Madrid

Day 10 (May 23rd) 

Madrid

Day 11 (May 24th) 

Madrid

Day 12 (Sunday, May 25th)

Bus from Madrid to Granada, afternoon

Day 13 (Monday, May 26th)

Granada.

Day 14 (Tuesday, May 27th)

Granada. Side trip to Guadix.

Day 15 (Wednesday, May 28th)

Granada. Side trip to Lanjarón and Pitres.

Day 16 (Thursday, May 29th)

Bus from Granada to Tarifa via Algeciras.

Day 17 (Friday, May 30th)

Morning ferry from Tarifa to Tangier, bus or train to Meknes.

Day 18 (Saturday, May 31st)

Meknes; Moulay Idriss and Volubilis. Then onwards to Fes in evening.

Day 19 (Sunday, June 1st)

Fes

Day 20 (Monday, June 2nd)

Get from Fes to Merzouga

Day 21 (Tuesday, June 3rd) 

Go into Merzouga

Day 22 (Wednesday, June 4th)

Merzouga to Marrakesh overnight

Day 23 (Thursday, June 5th) 

Marrakesh

Day 24 (Friday, June 6th)

Marrakesh

Day 25 (Saturday, June 7th)

Fly out of Marrakesh back into Barcelona.

Day 26 (Sunday, June 8th) 

Barcelona.

Day 27 (Monday, June 9th) 

Fly home in the morning.


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## Bitxofo (Feb 3, 2005)

^^You should go to Seville...

And I recommend you to take night train from Barcelona to Donostia/San Sebastián, you can save up 1 hotel night like this!
:yes:
I work at BCN airport: come to say hi.
:wink2:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Why don' you meet SSC members in Spain and Morocco ? 

Every time I traveled I met some SSC members. It's fantastic- I got free accommodation in their house , they paid most of the bills  , and most importantly I culd learn their culture and lifestyle better :banana:

Travellling solo or in groups without meeting or staying with locals are absolutely outdated and not the way of 21st century.. You get the most out of your trip by staying with a local.


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## MoroccanChica (Mar 20, 2007)

It looks like a good plan tvdxer, a little warning however, you mainly chose cities where the weather is hotter than Moroccan coastal cities. 

If I may suggest, you should visit Essaouira as well but it doesn't seem like you'll have time. When you are in Merzouga, don't forget to wake up a couple of hours before the sunrise and climb the highest dune around to have a clear view of the sunrise in the desert. It would be one of the most romantic sites you'd come across in your life. I don't know whether you already know about this but Merzouga has these cool "tent-hotels" that you get to using owners jeeps. I remember that mine was called Yasmina. Remember that the desert is freezing cold at night so remember to bring a sweater. 

Please let us know what your impressions of the trip were. You could also share some pics if you want


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## tvdxer (Feb 28, 2006)

Well, so far...

On May 13th I departed and spent about 24 hours travelling between leaving home for the airport and arriving at my youth hostel in the outskirts of Barcelona (it was VERY hard finding it on the metro, and a major pain too, holding both my backpack (not wearing it because of theft risks) and heavy suitcase.

When I did finally find it, wow, what a weird location. It´s off the Baixador - Vallevidrera station, a place where you´d least expect a Metro stop. It´s basically located in a valley, with some houses on the steep hills surrounding it on both sides. Not much else. The walk up to the hostel was probably about 1 km in length and up a steep hill. However, the hostel was nice, had free internet, and the bathrooms were very clean. 

The first few days in Barcelona I did very little because of jet lag. Then on Friday (my 3rd day), I headed out to see Gaudi´s Excellent Sagrada Familia and the local cathedral, also very beautiful, and later Montjuic with its beautiful views and scary cable car. Barcelona was very overwhelming...I had no idea exactly how gigantic it is. The younger locals were very helpful (read on), while the elderly there always had what seemed to be an angry look on their faces, though that might just be my North American perception of it. Could somebody help me out?

My last day in Barcelona was a bit stressful. I conquered jet lag the previous night by staying up to midnight or so, but I slept as late as 9 or 10 and laid in bed for some time not knowing how late it was. When I found out it was 10:30, I sprung out of bed, grabbed all my stuff, threw it in either my backpack or suitcase, and got the heck out, as my train to San Sebastian left at 12:30. I got to the Metro station, bought a ticket, jumped on the train, only to find that part of the line was under construction and that a ¨substitory bus service¨ was put in place instead. Well, that took longer (obviously), but some very nice local teenage kids helped me out. One, after asking me where I was from, told me he wanted to go the United States because it was ¨guapo¨. They were rather surprised or shocked that I was travelling solo not only through Spain but also Morocco and told me to ¨ten cuidad¨. I thankfully arrived at Sants train station on time, ran up to the window and asked the ticket guy if I could still get a ticket for the San Sebastian train leaving in less than 30 minutes, got it, albeit for a ridiculous price (about 38 € or nearly $60 USD!) and got to the train in good time.

The ride was very nice and comfortable and lasted a good 8 hours. I met some Eurotripping Americans who stayed out all night in Barcelona and missed their Paris-bound train, as well as a kid from Zaragoza. The scenery was nice, rolling through the coast near Barcelona, the plains of western Catalunya and Aragon, and the beautiful mountainous Basque country.

San Sebastian was great. The city was absolutely gorgeous, easily the most beautiful city I´ve ever been to. My first night I did not have a reservation (though I did for my next three nights), so I searched the Parte Vieja out for a hostal or pension that was not ¨completo¨. It took me a while, but I finally settled upon a rather expensive 41 euro ¨matrimonial¨ double in a place called Pension Amantz (note: their singles are only 25 euros). The owner took me to my room, which was small as one would expect, with very loud partying noise outside (it was a Saturday night). I think I even heard somebody out there puke. Outside, it was rather ridiculous, with a ton of drunk youth. I went to a bar and ordered a glass of txakoli (actually my first real alcoholic beverage) and a delicious pintxo, which I believe was squid in its ink. I had a bit of difficulty finding my pension (the street numbering was confusing), but when I did I slept well. 

I moved on to Pension Añorga the next day, where I had reservations. I sat for about fifteen minutes on the stairs before the mother of the lady who owned the place told me to press the little electronic buzzer thing. She did that, and a teenaged girl appeared, who if I comprehended her correctly was the friend of the owner´s daughter, and led me to my room, which was similar to Amantz but with lots of blankets. I later met the owner, who was absolutely pleased to see me and generally a very sweet lady. 

In San Sebastian I walked the gorgeous beach, climbed Mont Urgull a few times, once enjoying the excellent museum inside the castle and the views above, the other getting locked in after closing, checked out the Parte Vieja and other center (Centro Romantico or something), ate pintxos and bocadillos, and took the not-so-impressive cable car up Mont Urgull with a group of aged riders. San Sebastian is a truly beautiful city, the architecture amazing, the urbanism authentic, and with cool little things like that underground market in Parte Vieja complete with a Lidl (where they had a huge bottle of pop for like 0.40 €). I also made a side trip to Hondarribia, an interesting bus ride, featuring American-style sprawl (even including a sign advertising large-sized clothes) which let me off probably a mile or so from the center. I had to walk part of the way on the highway. When I finally got there, I entered the beautiful casco viejo to find almost no activity. There was activity near the coast. The tourist information office was closed when I arrived, but open when I was left, and I picked up a nice plan of the city. Too bad I couldn´t have stayed longer. I did manage to cross the harbor into Hendaye-le-Plage, France, where I wandered a American-style residential district before finding my way back to Hondarribia and San Sebastian.

Rather than making my desired trip to Bilbao and Bermeo the next day, I stayed in San Sebastian and did a lot of sleeping. I was tired. I left on a rather uncomfortable but scenic bus ride down the Burgos highway to Madrid. The hills of the Basque country gave way to long fields flanked by mountains, to simply long fields, again to mountains, and then to the sprawl of Madrid, with ¨golf communities¨, a Hummer dealership, office parks, ugly apartment buildings near the highway, and lots of sprawl. It almost reminded me of taking I-35 into the Minneapolis - St. Paul metro from Duluth, except the highway was much, much busier near the city (while nearly dead in the long rural stretches).

The Basque people, or at least San Sebastian residents seem very hospitable and kind, more so than in Barcelona or Madrid. They also seem bigger in size. Is there a higher obesity rate there?

Madrid, I´m not quite as impressed. I have a very centrally-located hostel, but the city seems well, not that pretty. Some of the architecture is great, but I don´t know...there´s just something that I don´t care about in the city. I visited El Prado (great, but not much variety like the Metropolitan Museum of Art...but it was awesome to see that one famous Bosch painting, Garden of Earthly Delights, even with the tourist throngs surrounding it), the Palacio Real (my feet were hurting...), El Escorial (awesome to be in the mausoleum, and the chapter houses ceilings were gorgeous, but I had to leave), El Retiro (kind of a like Central Park, but not as good), Plaza del Sol (not as vibrant as I expected it to be, but an example of perfect design, with the arched ¨exits¨ to the streets looking like windows), the Cathedral (not up to old-world standards, but still very nice), and tomorrow I intend to go to the very interesting-sounding archaeological museum and maybe to El Rastro. My hostal, ¨Hostal Palacios¨ is a steal at 23 euros, but the bed is all weird and might be the cause of my shoulder pains. The scene right outside my balcony is great though and the bathrooms are clean.

I seem to be spending less money than expected, simply because Spanish portion sizes are large, and a menu del dia (for only 8 - 10 euros) can get me through the entire ¨dia¨, and also because I don´t have quite the energy to see all the sights I want to. 

One transport-related annoyance: the 10-ride ticket for the Madrid metro and the Barcelona metro´s 3-day abono turisticos are made out of cheap, crappy material, unlike the Metrocard, and lose their magnetic charge very easily.

Some other observations: Whoever said SUVs weren´t popular in Europe? There seems to be a ton in Madrid, even sizable ones like the Volvo XC90, Range Rover, Grand Cherokee, Montero, etc. I see far more SUVs here than I do Smart Cars. 

You´ve got to be careful around those underground parking exits - entrances when walking.

There are a ton of Americans in Madrid, but seemingly not as many as in Barcelona (which draws lots from all nationalities, especially German - Dutch) or S.S. (which is mainly French tourists, though also Brits). Lots of colleged-aged Americans in Madrid.

Large Spanish cities aren´t that diverese. Madrid seems more diverse than Barcelona, though, with a lot of Africans and Latin Americans, as well as Chinese (who run the omni-present ¨alimentación¨ places).

Madrid seems quite Americanized - Starbucks every few blocks, many English named places (¨Wash & Dry¨), the sprawl entering it, etc. I often feel like I´m in a large American city here. With its ¨Barri Gotic¨, on the other hand, Barcelona feels more ¨European¨. San Sebastian is just nice.

Radio is crazy in Spain. Not the stations themselves, but how many stations each city has and how close together they are on the radio dial. Here in Madrid I have to play with the antenna to get different local stations, of which there are a ton...probably way more than in any American city. Some have themes not found on the American radio dial (like ¨Radio Empleo¨), while others play a pleasant but unexciting A-C mix.

More observations tomorrow.


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## Stifler (Apr 11, 2006)

Your comments are really appreciated. You are having a great overall perception of the country. Some comments.

Under my perception American are far warmer with strangers, so it's normal you got that perception of people to be angry. You should try younger people instead, since they are more used to deal with tourists.

I already told you San Sebastian was a must in this trip. Definitely a top-3 town in Spain IMO.


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## Booze (Jun 19, 2003)

Nice reading, I think you're getting quite a good vision and you're comments are really accurate kay: Yes, many people drive SUVs ^_^

Such a pity you wont come to the Balearic Islands xD

I've never been to Morocco, but Northern Africa is quite different in many ways. By the way, buy bottled water down there!


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## MoroccanChica (Mar 20, 2007)

What makes you say so? Did an acquaintance of yours have a problem because of the water in Morocco?


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## Booze (Jun 19, 2003)

I did in Tunisia :yes:

Anyway, I drink bottled water myself at home


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## tvdxer (Feb 28, 2006)

Stifler said:


> Your comments are really appreciated. You are having a great overall perception of the country. Some comments.
> 
> Under my perception American are far warmer with strangers, so it's normal you got that perception of people to be angry. You should try younger people instead, since they are more used to deal with tourists.
> 
> I already told you San Sebastian was a must in this trip. Definitely a top-3 town in Spain IMO.


I´ve found young people here to be nice, as well as most middle-aged people. It was the old folks in Barcelona who gave me that impression.

Anyway, last night after typing that I went first to the Plaza Mayor via the Metro and then walked down Calle Segovia all the way across the river to that metro station (forgot the name). I was expecting the Plaza to be filled with people, but it wasn´t. Maybe it was because of the temperature (about 10C, probably as cold to a Madrileño as 0C is to an Minnesotan), or maybe because it´s simply so large. I noticed that younger Spaniards tend to go out in gigantic cliques of friends. I think somebody long ago told me they were called ¨cuadrillos¨ or something like that. And they aren´t particularly classy or anything, they seemed quite drunk. Not that this is anything new for an American. American college students party all the time, just like others, but perhaps less on the street, because house parties predominate here. (We also have keggers, which take place in isolated wooded locations to evade police enforcement) The reason for this, I believe, is explained quite easily:

1) There are strict public drinking laws (though you´re unlikely to get arrested walking down the street drunk in a bar district). I´ve heard that Madrid has passed similar laws to curb disturbances from ¨botellones¨, but they probably aren´t enforced as strictly. 

2) Unlike Spaniards, or almost certainly Europeans in general, American college students normally move away from home to study and often (after their first or second year, when on-campus living is often required) into rented houses. Four 20 - 22 year olds + house = house parties. A 20-year old Spaniard isn´t going to throw a big drunken party with all their friends in the 

3) The drinking age in the U.S. is 21. Probably at least half the people interested in regular drunken Friday and Saturday nights are under 21. Once people turn 21 here, the thrill of drinking is lessened.

Anyway, Spanish sounds sooooo stupid spoken by intoxicated people. I also noticed many girls, on the street and subway, some very young looking (under 16) wearing very short shorts, what Americans would call ¨hot pants¨. I think they were going clubbing, though this was between 11 pm and 1 am. Either way, they looked really stupid, kind of like prostitutes, although the prostitutes here seem to dress more modestly (I´ve been propositioned at least twice, though that´s probably because of the neighborhood I´m staying in, which has a ¨grungy¨ feel). But then again, American girls, even in ¨under 18¨ clubs, do pretty much the same thing. 

Whatever the case, I really wonder if Madrid nightlife is overrated. Sure, it´s great if you´re with a group of friends, or at least one other person, but it´s not so great entering a bar over-crowded with people who know one another and have no need to talk with you because they have all their friends around. 

Today I went to the Archaeological Museum, which, although small, was awesome, and to mass at the Real Oratorio.


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## Obidos (Dec 23, 2005)

tvdxer said:


> I think somebody long ago told me they were called ¨cuadrillos¨ or something like that.


 "cuadrillas" is the name, but above all in Basque Country, here you may hear "pandilla" or something similar.
You are not very lucky with the weather, but from our point of view it is not too bad because rain is welcome nowadays.
You may go to Debod's Egyptian Temple, not far from Plaza de España.
And for a drink, if you want, send a pm to me. If you have time, I could manage to show you some places.
Anyway, enjoy your stay as much as you can, and do not miss Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (closed on Monday) and Reina Sofia Museum (closed on Tuesday).


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## tvdxer (Feb 28, 2006)

Obidos said:


> "cuadrillas" is the name, but above all in Basque Country, here you may hear "pandilla" or something similar.
> You are not very lucky with the weather, but from our point of view it is not too bad because rain is welcome nowadays.
> You may go to Debod's Egyptian Temple, not far from Plaza de España.
> And for a drink, if you want, send a pm to me. If you have time, I could manage to show you some places.
> Anyway, enjoy your stay as much as you can, and do not miss Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (closed on Monday) and Reina Sofia Museum (closed on Tuesday).


Why, thank you for the offer. Unfortunately, I can´t take it up, as I´m leaving today. I intented on leaving around 2 or 3 pm, but ALL the buses to Granada were FULL until 11:30 pm, which sucks. So now I get to miss out on the scenery between Madrid and Granada, or at least get to see it obscured in darkness ... err .. Though I did get to try some _morcilla_. Not bad...


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## Obidos (Dec 23, 2005)

That is a real loss, landscape on the way may be nice with these rains... and mountains entering Andalucia as well...


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## willo (Jan 3, 2005)

tvdxer said:


> Anyway, Spanish sounds sooooo stupid spoken by intoxicated people. I also noticed many girls, on the street and subway, some very young looking (under 16) wearing very short shorts, what Americans would call ¨hot pants¨. I think they were going clubbing, though this was between 11 pm and 1 am. Either way, they looked really stupid, kind of like prostitutes, although the prostitutes here seem to dress more modestly (I´ve been propositioned at least twice, though that´s probably because of the neighborhood I´m staying in, which has a ¨grungy¨ feel). But then again, American girls, even in ¨under 18¨ clubs, do pretty much the same thing.
> 
> Whatever the case, I really wonder if Madrid nightlife is overrated. Sure, it´s great if you´re with a group of friends, or at least one other person, but it´s not so great entering a bar over-crowded with people who know one another and have no need to talk with you because they have all their friends around.



well it's true that the girls wear too hot clothes 

Let me guess about the street you were propositioned by prostitutes. Calle Montera?¿¿?¿ a well-known prostitutes street right next to Puerta del Sol


About Madrid nightlife is better to come with someone.i think that's the same in all cities.you'll enjoy more a night partying with at least one or two friend than a night partying alone


And what did you expect from Madrid's cathedral¿?¿ it was ended in 1992  there a lot of better historical churches (like ''San Francisco el Grande'' for example.

Did you visit any part of the city besides ''Centro'' district?¿'

i hope you're enjoying yor trip:cheers:


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## tvdxer (Feb 28, 2006)

willo said:


> well it's true that the girls wear too hot clothes
> 
> Let me guess about the street you were propositioned by prostitutes. Calle Montera?¿¿?¿ a well-known prostitutes street right next to Puerta del Sol
> 
> ...


I had a better day since I got off the computer. Maybe I was just having internet withdrawals 

I walked around most of the center today, from over by the Plaza Mayor up all around the Retiro (which seemed much nicer today for some reason) and back down to some neighborhood that I don´t know the name of, although it´s by the Atoche station. I looked for interesting, cheap food along the way...got a ¨chiquito¨ at one bar and then went to (gasp) a Starbucks to see how different their Vanilla Bean Frappuccino tastes here. I accidentally ordered in English, and then the girl working there spoke to me in English and told me to ¨Have a nice day¨. This next door to a KFC and down the street from a Burger King. Americanization anybody? What kept it a little bit Spanish was the couple making out in the couch near the window. That´s another thing I´ve noticed - lovebirds making out here all the time in public. In the U.S., we call that a ¨public display of affection¨ and it´s generally frowned upon. I wonder what the reason for this is - maybe here in the U.S. we make a stronger association between such kissing and what it often leads to (intercourse), and I doubt public intercourse is viewed as acceptable here. 

Some other observations...

Virtually all cars are manual. Of course, it´s pretty well known that most in Europe are that way. I wonder why automatic transmission vehicles aren´t as popular here? They seem easier to drive.

The showers I´ve seen here function a little bit differently from most of those in the US I´ve used. In the U.S., there´s generally one dial that goes from ¨cold¨ to ¨hot¨. Here in Spain, you seem to mix the two.

Resource conservation seems much more implemented here in Spain than in the U.S. Only a small part of the toilet has water in it here. Hallway lights are turned off at night (I doubt this is the practice in large hotels though). When you turn a TV on, you have to press the channel button for the screen to come on (this happened with all three TVs I´ve used, IIRC), probably a power mode thing designed to save energy. Businesses do not seem to keep as many lights on at night as they do in the U.S. All of these things are laudable. 

¨Smart Cars¨ are often used as commercial vehicles with advertising plastered all over them. In the U.S., small cars (though not Smarts, which just came out here and are probably too expensive) are used in a similar fashion: I´ve seen NAPA use a fleet of some small car for part delivery, and Best Buy uses VW Bugs for its ¨geek squad¨. 

So far, I´ve seen few non-Spanish license plates: only French, Portuguese, and I believe Morocco (the old-fashioned kind starting with an ¨M¨ are Moroccan, right?).

I think I got out of the center...I walked around the ugly area surrounding the Alonso Martinez metro - bus station after consigning my luggage and walked all the way up Fuencarral from my hostel by Gran Via to past the Cuatro Caminos station. 

There is a glass window between customer and customer service personel in many places, which surprises me.

Two types of businesses which stand out, especially in Madrid: ¨locutorios¨, immigrant-oriented places to make international calls which double as what we call internet cafes (and often provide very cheap access...the one I´m at now is € 0.60 for 30 minutes) and those omnipresent crowded ¨alimentación¨ shops, selling food, pop, water, etc., and often bread. These must be very nice for residents, being able to walk about 10 meters and get whatever you need. They seem to be Asian-run most of the time and for some reason always advertise ¨frutas secas¨ (dried fruit). 

Spanish TV, I´m not really ready to make a judgment yet. TVE 1 and TVE 2 don´t seem too bad, and they had a REALLY cool trivia game show with the word ¨Cadena¨ in it on Cuatro (can´t remember the full name). Man those questions are hard! On the other hand, they have these really crappy cheap channels selling either phone sex lines or psychic lines, with live psychic videos in a quarter or eighth of the screen and the rest filled with trashy advertisements. Reminds me of the movie ¨Idiocracy¨ (no offense to Spaniards...I doubt that any more than a few watch this crap, but somebody has to). 

And girls here don´t seem to dress to immodestly other than the ones I saw last night, or really too much differently than American girls. Well, a little bit more nicely.


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## Stifler (Apr 11, 2006)

tvdxer said:


> 1) There are strict public drinking laws (though you´re unlikely to get arrested walking down the street drunk in a bar district). I´ve heard that Madrid has passed similar laws to curb disturbances from ¨botellones¨, but they probably aren´t enforced as strictly.
> 
> 2) Unlike Spaniards, or almost certainly Europeans in general, American college students normally move away from home to study and often (after their first or second year, when on-campus living is often required) into rented houses. Four 20 - 22 year olds + house = house parties. A 20-year old Spaniard isn´t going to throw a big drunken party with all their friends in the
> 
> 3) The drinking age in the U.S. is 21. Probably at least half the people interested in regular drunken Friday and Saturday nights are under 21. Once people turn 21 here, the thrill of drinking is lessened.


You are right. Madrid is one of the most strict Spanish cities towards drinking in the street, but it's still very usual and we like to visit several pubs/clubs in one night.

In Northern Europe youngsters tend to move away soon, but in Southern Europe it's usual to live with your parents until you get your first serious job.

Not long ago, the drinking age in Spain was 16 and it's usual teens start drinking alcohol when they are 14-16 years old. Everybody knows a supermarker (mostly Chinese) where they don't ask for their age.



tvdxer said:


> Anyway, Spanish sounds sooooo stupid spoken by intoxicated people. I also noticed many girls, on the street and subway, some very young looking (under 16) wearing very short shorts, what Americans would call ¨hot pants¨. I think they were going clubbing, though this was between 11 pm and 1 am. Either way, they looked really stupid, kind of like prostitutes, although the prostitutes here seem to dress more modestly (I´ve been propositioned at least twice, though that´s probably because of the neighborhood I´m staying in, which has a ¨grungy¨ feel). But then again, American girls, even in ¨under 18¨ clubs, do pretty much the same thing.


Yup, drunk teens, girls below 16 looking like whores... It's our next generation hno:. 



tvdxer said:


> Whatever the case, I really wonder if Madrid nightlife is overrated. Sure, it´s great if you´re with a group of friends, or at least one other person, but it´s not so great entering a bar over-crowded with people who know one another and have no need to talk with you because they have all their friends around.


I guess you have been unlucky, since most of the tourists I have met remarked they were impressed how lively the city was and how diverse and big was its nightlife.

It could be explained by several factors:
- It's exams time at universities (so a large amount of the people between 18-25 must be studying).
- The weather sucked big time, and Madrilians are not used to rain and cool temperatures in this time of the year.
- You weren't adviced by a local (which knows what areas and clubs are trendy).

Keep your comments coming. Your views are really interesting.


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## MoroccanChica (Mar 20, 2007)

^^ A trip to Spain, Portugal and Morocco is pretty ambitious. A road trip along Spain and Portugal took me over a month before and I still had to miss out on so many nice places. A decent road-trip along Morocco should take three weeks I think.


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## MoroccanChica (Mar 20, 2007)

double post


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## tvdxer (Feb 28, 2006)

And for my last experiences in Barcelona...

On Saturday, I did very little of note, other than find my hostel and walk around the neighborhood. I also went to the marina area (Barceloneta), but didn't spend much time there.

Sunday: I thought about going to the beach, but didn't. Got a late start - all that travel fatigues you. First I walked from my hostel down Margall to the Torre Agbar. What a strange structure - just standing in the middle of nowhere it seems. Than I took the metro to Diagonal, where I went to see Casa Milla or "La Pedrera", Gaudi's apartment building job. Quite cool how they had that one story furnished in typical 1920's bourgeois style. Also, I loved how the roof opened up like that from the first floor. Living their must have had been a true pleasure. Too bad there aren't more architects like Gaudi today, creating something that is both modern, but not machine-like, and beautiful. The roof was, well, OK, nothing too special. I tried exiting through the entrance ramp until told not to by the security guard. Then I just sat down, exhausted and fatigued, for about 10 minutes before leaving the place. Worth the 5.50 EUR, especially considering you get an audioguide FREE - and not only an audioguide, but a NICE one, with headphones - not the annoying speaker design preferred at other places, where you have to hold the box to your head. 

After Pedrera, I rode the metro aimlessly before returning to the Margall area to attend mass. Got off at a metro station that was by a VERY wide street ... like 8 lanes! Avinguda Meridiana, I believe. In the U.S., this probably would have been a limited-access highway. I don't think I've ever seen an urban street that big. Got to church a little late, unfortunately, after going in the wrong direction a little bit - it can be difficult finding addresses in Spain, even with a map, when you're accustomed to the numbered grid system simplicity of American cities. After going to mass I explored the neighborhood, probably the most enchanting part of the day. It was very un-touristic, just narrow streets, locals doing a _paseo_ or whatever, and pretty much the epitome of a nice, human-scale neighborhood. This neighborhood was around Carrer de les Monges. Anybody know how old it is? I'm guessing early 20th century. 

After that, I looked around for a dinner. I wasn't that hungry, so I wasn't too "in need" of something to eat, but it would have been nice to have a way to spend my last euros. In one bar I asked for bocadillo, and they told me "We don't have any bread" ! Oh well. I headed back to the hostel, and went on the internet for some time. Too very drunk and loud Australian guys entered, looking to take some girls out drinking with them. They probably should have switched to Coke much earlier, as one of the hostel staff members had to tell them to quit being loud (they blamed it on us!). When one of them said "What's your name, love?", I stupidly said "Me?" Then the bigger one (I think) of them came up to me and started rubbing my back, saying "Are you a girl, love?". Around that time I met a Canadian girl of El Salvadoran birth and a Finnish girl, who happened to meet one another on the train and were travelling with each other. I had a nice conversation with them.

The next morning I woke up at about 6 a.m., went on the internet to do some final browsing, grabbed my stuff, and disembarked. It was a long way down the winding streets and hills of my neighborhood to the metro, but it was not necessarily unpleasant. There's something beautiful about Barcelona when the sun is just rising over the metropolis, when it is still quiet and peaceful, when commuters are just beginning to leave for work.

The ride to the airport, via Sants, was pretty much uneventful. Unfortunately, I found a gigantic line at my departure gate upon arrival, and it took quite a long time for it to reach my turn. I met a nice couple from Colorado who had just finished a Mediterranean cruise, the husband of which was complaining incessantly about the value of the euro. Our plane was delayed by 1 hour, which was not going to help my already tight 1 hr 40 minute connection at EWR (Newark). 

The flight over was actually quite nice. I must say that although flying overnight saves hotel expenses, flying during the day is more enjoyable. Either that, or we were just in a nicer plane. (The Boeing 737 we flew over in DOES NOT make a good Transatlantic passenger jet) I slept a fair part of the ride, seeing ships far out in the sea, thinking how long their journeys must be. Food served included a choice of chicken or beef with pasta and salad, and later, a nice-sized sandwich wrap. We made decent time at EWR.

Despite making decent time, I had to run! Immigrations and customs went smoothly, but the security line was long and obnoxious, with the agents constantly yelling instructions. I asked some woman about getting into the rapid line, and she told me to ask the man right next to her (the one processing that line), who was busy. This while my line was moving. I eventually got through, only to have to RUN across the gigantic terminal to gate C82. When I got there, the flight had already boarded, and "Toronto" had replaced "Minneapolis" on the display. I asked the woman about this and she tried calling the plane (I think) on her little phone thing, but it didn't work - so she had to run over to the window and see if the plane was still there! She ran in and asked if there was still room, and indeed there was. How lucky was I. 

That flight seemed like nothing compared to the TA flight, and fast enough we were out of hot New York (which was forecast to hit a very unusual 100° F or 38° C that day) and into nice, cool Minneapolis (which was at about 74° F or 23° C at landing). I had a long 4.5 hours until my Duluth flight departed (home is just a little over 2 hours driving distance from the airport!), so I hopped on Minneapolis's excellent (if not yet extensive) light rail towards downtown. I thought of heading to the Mall of America and relaxing at the Barnes and Nobles bookstore with a frappuccino, but I had to do the hard thing and go to the wonderful Indian snack bar Bombay 2 Deli instead. Riding the light rail was an odd experience - so much space, so much green, and the gas station signs had a shocking "$4.099", vs. "$3.599" in Duluth when I left (and that seemed pricey!). 

Getting off at downtown with no idea of what bus to take, I crossed the bridge over the Mississippi and caught a bus on Central Ave. NE, where Bombay 2 Deli was located about a mile up. The path the bus took was not ideal (I should have taken a different route), and dropped me off about four blocks away. It was nice to be on an American street in an American residential neighborhood again - boring but peaceful. The cool, fresh air, the bicyclists gliding across the almost empty streets, and then Central Ave., which was a bit of a disappointment after Spain. The streets of the Spanish cities I visited had plenty of automotive traffic, but also a great amount of pedestrian activity. Now there were cars, SUVs, and pick-up trucks flying by, but few people actually walking on the sidewalks. And Bombay 2 Deli was closed, but I went across the street to a small, seemingly authentic (judging from the clientele) Indian restaurant, where I ordered "aloo palak" (spinach and potatoes), somehow thinking it was "aloo methi". Very spicy, but not what I wanted. But it was cheap - so much cheaper than in Spain, where I paid ridiculous prices for Indian food. The curry, $4.99. The rice, $1.50. The pop, $1.50, refills from the tap, free. The goat meat samosa, about $1.75. Sure beats that place in Madrid where I asked if the rice was included with the curry, and they said "No, it's not", and I found the rice they gave me was 5 EUROS! Some things Spain does better ... other things, the U.S. does better, and ethnic food is one of them.

I returned on the correct bus route, with a very friendly bus driver who talked with his passengers and said "Hello" to everybody. Another thing about home I love (but sometimes becomes a bit annoying when taken too far). The light rail ride back was fine. Two cops walked down the aisle, checking tickets. The Minneapolis light rail is odd - access to the train platform is completely uncontrolled. You buy a ticket ($2), valid for 2.5 hours on buses and trains, unlimited, and are entrusted to have a valid ticket when entering the train. Otherwise, the police might do a random ticket check, and you'll be charged something like $50. My time was almost up, but this was not an issue with the officer, who checked his watch before moving on. 

Getting to the airport I discovered a small problem - I left my boarding pass in my backpack, which was in a locker! The TSA guard was nice about it and told me to have NWA (the airline) print me another, and that they did with no problems. After that, I had trouble finding my locker, but did indeed find it with a comfortable amount of time before take-off. The flight back was great, and in true MSP - DLH fashion, I ran into somebody I knew from middle school on the plane back (I don't know if she recognized me, though). Getting home was nice, even if at times I still have that desire to return.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Excellent and detailed reports, thanks.

Yeah, the ethnic food in Spain isn't very good in my experience, i've never had Indian there but i've had a couple of very mediocre chinese meals.

€5 for rice is an absolute rip-off unless it was a michelin starred restaurant!! mg:

Still, that's a minor point, I don't go to Spain to eat Chinese food! It's a wonderful country with many great features.


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## Stifler (Apr 11, 2006)

Glad to read you finally arrived home without serious delays. You must have spent 2 days sleeping after the journey.

Casa Mila is a masterpiece IMO. You are right we don't have a very good offer of ethnic food. Good places tend to be way too expensive and it is hard to find them out of the major cities. Maybe it's because our main inmigrant groups (Latin Americans, Moroccans...) hardly ever open these kind of business here.

Hope you have enjoyed your trip as a whole. It seems an interesting adventure.


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