Questions re: being in Madrid, in early April
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s.k. diamond
Mar 11, 2013, 3:59:41 PM3/11/13
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| Hola, I don't think this email got sent. So I am sending it again. Susana San Francisco, California --- On Mon, 3/11/13, s.k. diamond <skdi...@yahoo.com> wrote:
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Roger Warwick
Mar 12, 2013, 7:11:21 AM3/12/13
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Hi,
I will answer some of your questions and hopefully others can chip in
to help with the others
> Do you recommend taking the hop on hop off bus in Madrid? I took it in Berlin for an overview of the city. > In Geneva, I took a half day guided tour of the city, same in most cities I have been to for the first time.
Definitely - this is a great way to quickly get to know the city, its
sights, attractions and monuments, and you can take note of points of
interest to visit with more time later.
> What about for overnight trips?
Not sure about overnight, but daytrips worth looking at are Toledo,
Segovia, Cuenca, El Escorial & Valle de los Caídos.
> I love going to Museums however because of all our business travel the past three years I have been in at least 30 art museums. Of course I will go to the Prado. I saw Guernica in the MOMA in NY many years ago. I remember it vividly.
Check out the Reina Sofia Museum, if only to see Picasso's Guernica,
although the rest of the museum is worth a visit too, as is the
Thyssen.
> Also, is there a monument or something to acknowledge the Abraham Lincoln Brigade?
Not sure about this brigade specifically, but there's a monument to
all International Brigades in the Complutense University. It was
actually erected without the proper licence and so its future is
currently uncertain, although the University Dean is at the moment
refusing to take it down. So see it while you can!
> Any comments on having lunch around 2pm and dinner after 9pm?
That's the norm, but there would be no problem to start your lunch
around 1 or 1:30pm, as some office workers do. It's true that many
restaurants will only open their doors for dinner around 8:30pm or
later.
Roger.
I will answer some of your questions and hopefully others can chip in
to help with the others
> Do you recommend taking the hop on hop off bus in Madrid? I took it in Berlin for an overview of the city. > In Geneva, I took a half day guided tour of the city, same in most cities I have been to for the first time.
sights, attractions and monuments, and you can take note of points of
interest to visit with more time later.
> What about for overnight trips?
Segovia, Cuenca, El Escorial & Valle de los Caídos.
> I love going to Museums however because of all our business travel the past three years I have been in at least 30 art museums. Of course I will go to the Prado. I saw Guernica in the MOMA in NY many years ago. I remember it vividly.
although the rest of the museum is worth a visit too, as is the
Thyssen.
> Also, is there a monument or something to acknowledge the Abraham Lincoln Brigade?
all International Brigades in the Complutense University. It was
actually erected without the proper licence and so its future is
currently uncertain, although the University Dean is at the moment
refusing to take it down. So see it while you can!
> Any comments on having lunch around 2pm and dinner after 9pm?
around 1 or 1:30pm, as some office workers do. It's true that many
restaurants will only open their doors for dinner around 8:30pm or
later.
Roger.
Linda Byard
Mar 12, 2013, 3:49:46 PM3/12/13
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Hi, I was in Spain for three weeks in October/November 2012 and this was my only experience in Spain. Here are my answers:
--
Linda Byard
le...@cornell.edu
From: s.k. diamond <skdi...@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: [travelspain] Does travelspain still exist?
To: trave...@googlegroups.com
Date: Monday, March 11, 2013, 12:41 PM
Hola, (Por favor, if you answer any of my questions, please write your answers by the questions. It will be much easier for you. I appreciate whatever info. you share.)
Yesterday I signed up for travelspain so I'm glad to know it exists. My husband and I will be going to Spain for the first time on April 5. He will be working near Madrid for 5 days. We need to stay in an AC Hotel near Plaza Castilla. AC Hotels are Marriotts in Spain. Has anyone stayed at the AC Aitana or the AC Santo Mauro? If yes, any comments?
We did not stay in any of the AC hotels mentioned but we did stay for several nights in the AC Madrid Recoletos. I don't know how similar the different AC hotels are, but our experience was very positive. The service was impeccable, and our room was modern and spacious, well-appointed with couch/table etc; and truly a pleasure to be in. The first night the hotel was full and we were close to the elevator which made too much noise for us. They moved us the next day without any hesitation. The hotel advertised that you could take what you wanted from the room refrigerator, and we checked on that, thinking we didn't understand that correctly, but it was true. All kinds of beverages, and you could have what you wanted.
There were a couple of downsides but certainly not deal breakers: free wireless internet only in public areas of the hotel, and the food on premises was very pricey. We would have liked to have breakfast, but I think it cost around 20 Euros.
I will be on my own while my husband is working.
My husband used to do the work thing, and I would be let loose in various European cities. So I understand what that is like. I never took any of the guided trips on offer so can't offer any recommendations yes or no. Mostly I walked to whatever I thought might be most interesting - shops, museums, historic places, whatever might be within a distance I might be willing to cover. Sometimes I would take a bus, but tried to keep the trips simple. The areas in Madrid we visited in October (after the big tourist crowds left) felt very safe, and I would have felt ok to be alone. People at the front desk in the hotels speak English and can usually make good recommendations, and can help with getting taxis etc;
Do you recommend taking the hop on hop off bus in Madrid? I took it in Berlin for an overview of the city. In Geneva, I took a half day guided tour of the city, same in most cities I have been to for the first time.
Any recommendations of tour companies for a half day trip in Madrid? for trips in Spain?
We took a day trip to Toledo, and did this via the train. There are many places that make a good "day trip" from Madrid, but since we only took the one, I can't compare it to any others.
What about for overnight trips?
Any comments about the Vietor 4 day trip to Seville, Cordoba and Granada?
I love going to Museums however because of all our business travel the past three years I have been in at least 30 art museums. Of course I will go to the Prado. I saw Guernica in the MOMA in NY many years ago. I remember it vividly.
Madrid has such an amazing collection of museums. I regret I did not do a little more home work in this area so that I could spend more time seeing what I wanted to see. My favorite, was the Thyssen and I also liked the museum of Decorative Arts. The Prado is of course also wonderful but there are lots of collections there I have little interest in seeing. Museums are not all open the same days or hours.Some charge admission; some don't. Some that do have a few free evening hours but only on certain days. So make a plan!
Also, is there a monument or something to acknowledge the Abraham Lincoln Brigade?
If you don't know about the ALB, I suggest you google Abraham Lincoln Brigade since it was an extraordinary group of Americans that fought against Franco in the Spanish Civil War? I met some of these folks who died about 20 years ago.
Any other recommendations of favorite places to visit in Madrid? Tapas restaurants?
This was our first time in Madrid, and we went to the things mentioned in guidebooks, and we did not do as much poking around as we might the next time.
Any comments on having lunch around 2pm and dinner after 9pm?
Meals were not always easy for us. Usually and especially when we tour, we like a big hearty breakfast. These were not really available. People seemed to have very small breakfast like coffee and a pastry, or sometimes you would see "American breakfast" but that was a sad imitation. So we ended up buying fresh fruit, and sometimes do things like go to a bakery where they will warm up a piece of "Spanish omelet" or pizza or quiche for you. We weren't there long enough to find an excellent breakfast solution for ourselves. Lunch was available everywhere we went, and there were always three course specials. Often we considered that dinner. We tried dinner out but usually we were too tired by the time the restaurants opened for dinner. Things tended to be a la carte, and if you ordered fish, that is what you got, so it can get pricey to add on salad etc; Tapas worked better time wise, and we ate some very interesting foods. Sometimes if we had a heavy lunch, we went to a place close to our hotel which sold sandwiches, quiches, salads, everything, and we just would bring back a picnic to our hotel room. In general, we liked the food, and personally I could eat a different kind of paella for every meal.
I hope I haven't asked too many questions in one email. I hope that some of you will answer a few of them or at least one.
Yo hablo un pequito en espanol. Can one be o.k. exploring in Madrid without knowing Spanish. In Paris I spoke French and in Italy I spoke mostly Italian.
My husband and I know just a few words of Spanish, not enough to engage in conversation. Enough people spoke enough English so that it was no trouble getting by. I do know a small amount of French and Latin which helped with signs.
--
In Seoul, Korea in Sept.2011, I had a hard time without speaking Korean. Even though English is required in Korean schools, most Koreans I tried to speak with in English were too embarrassed to speak with me. I had a similar experience in Beijing and in Tokyo.
I also have several questions about being in Barcelona. Is it o.k. for me to ask them in another email?
Muchas Gracias for answering at least one of my questions. I am very excited to have located this googlegroup. I haven't had this opportunity for any of our travels in the past few years.
Ciao,
Susana
--- On Mon, 3/11/13, Sandy <sandy...@mchsi.com> wrote:
From: Sandy <sandy...@mchsi.com>
Subject: RE: [travelspain] Does travelspain still exist?
To: trave...@googlegroups.com
Date: Monday, March 11, 2013, 8:25 AM--Thanks, everyone, for letting me know that travelspain still exists J I was beginning to wonder if the list was defunct.
Sandy
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Linda Byard
le...@cornell.edu
Linda Datria
Mar 12, 2013, 7:20:08 PM3/12/13
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Hola Susana! Yes we did recieve your request, sorry we have not got back to you sooner!!!!we were in Spain for three weeks last summer, but not Madrid, Sorry, But we did stay in A C hotel in Barcelona. Very Good experience!!! Not your typical Marriott, very small, But very cozy, excellant service, and yes take anything from fridge, no charge.
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:59:41 -0700
From: skdi...@yahoo.com
Subject: [travelspain] Questions re: being in Madrid, in early April
To: trave...@googlegroups.com
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:59:41 -0700
From: skdi...@yahoo.com
Subject: [travelspain] Questions re: being in Madrid, in early April
To: trave...@googlegroups.com
| Hola, I don't think this email got sent. So I am sending it again. Susana San Francisco, California --- On Mon, 3/11/13, s.k. diamond <skdi...@yahoo.com> wrote: |
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s.k. diamond
Mar 12, 2013, 9:02:34 PM3/12/13
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| Hola Linda, I would very much appreciate the name of the A.C.Hotel in Barcelona. How was the location? If you don' remember you can google www.marriott.com, then Barcelona, and you will get the list of the AC Hotels in Barcelona. Thank you, you'll be helping me right now. Susan --- On Tue, 3/12/13, Linda Datria <lk...@hotmail.com> wrote: |
Linda Datria
Mar 14, 2013, 9:33:17 AM3/14/13
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Hi Susan, we stayed at the ac hotel Irla. We like to walk alot, so it was fine for us, many restarants, walked to catalunia, & las Ramblas every day, also to montjuic! But that was a little far. This hotel, does not have a pool, if that is important to you. the breakfast was so so & very expensive don';t recommend it. the AC Hotel diplomatic is not to far away center of city, and it has a pool. The AC Hotel Forum I believe is down by Port. That is not close to anything.
We very much liked the Irla, just being their in July & all the walking we did , we could have enjoyed the pool. Hope this helps, Caio
We very much liked the Irla, just being their in July & all the walking we did , we could have enjoyed the pool. Hope this helps, Caio
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