There was a time before everyone had their own websites, or were hooked up to giant search engines, when vacation decisions could be made on the fly. I remember traveling through Turkey, when I was in college, never knowing what town I'd go to next. Never buying train tickets in advance. Never reserving a hostel or hotel room in advance. It was the summer, tourist season...we were surrounded by Germans on one of their never ending holidays, but there was no stress about where we'd be sleeping; about getting from point A to point B.
But these days, when every tiny pension has its own website, set up with the same calendar feature allowing you to book up to 6 months in advance (and the earlier you do it, the cheaper it will be...and book now since there are only 5 rooms left - even though the place may only have 5 rooms), vacation planning has become necessary and stressful.
Right now, Leo and I are planning our trip to Spain. On an impulse we bought a plane ticket to Barcelona, then out of Seville 10 days later - sounds easy enough. But for the past few weeks I've been agonizing over the smallest details - train times, car rentals, ferry schedules, routes to get us to where we need to go, where we're going to be each night, then trying to find a place to stay. Plus, with everything being done on the internet, three months in advance and some of the places I've been looking at for us to stay are booking up (I bet it's the Germans). So far, we have a hotel for 3 nights in Barcelona and 1 night in Seville, and that's it. And I'm stressed and need a vacation.
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Just got back from Barcelona after seeing the Formula One race there. Recommend Bar Pinotxo in the La Boqueria market for their salt cod salad, garbanzo beans and the pot that had the pork cheek "stew" (sorry, our Spanish was not so good and do not know the real names). Also go to PassadÃs del Pep. It is tucked away in a small unmarked passage. They give you Cava and then start bringing food out plate after plate. And yes, travel planning is stressful and even more stressful if you throw a few more people into the mix. Look forward to hearing about your holiday.
thanks for the recommendations! sounds like you ate well on your trip. how many days were you there?
6 days. We were with friends from the States that had sticker shock on prices in Spain. We told them that London is even more expensive! Since we have no plans to get back to the States any time soon, we shopped!
i cant give you more than the name of the restaurant [dont know the address and it may not still be there], but i had the most amazing [and ridiculously cheap] meal at this place called ra. the gazpacho was the best i've ever had and they had this duck over watermelon dish that somehow worked wonderfully. the restaurants by the harbor area are more touristy and not as tasty, but the restaurants more in town and away from the las ramblas strip are definitely worth popping into-- and so is the farmer's market, which was incredible.
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