Newbie here, what is "bump"?

[QUOTE=udaan]I will be there during the big BCN fiesta so wouldnt want to miss that. QUOTE]


Oooo, what's the BCN fiesta?

In this case it's to bring a post back up to the top of the board. Most of the bumps you see mentioned on FT are when people want to get bumped off a flight and compensated.

One thing you must do in Madrid is go to the restaurant Botin. Roast suckling pig is their main event. This place is one of those restaurants that you will always remember
and will go back to every time you visit Madrid....

Straight to Toledo?
 

Upon arrival in MAD at 9.30am on9/23, I'd like to go directly to Toledo. Does anyone know the best/quickest way to do this?

Also, if you had to choose between one day in Segovia or one day in Toledo, which would you choose?

ok it's getting close to the time of my trip... 9/28-10/5... and i'm starting to get a little nervous since i haven't made any plans at all yet.

seems like everyone i've spoken with has Barcelona at the top of their list of places to get to... but I also really wanted to check out Alhambra in granada. I'm not sure that I'd be able to do both those places considering the distance, and the time involved... plus I really don't want to spend all my time traveling and not get to enjoy myself.

what do you guys think?

if i give up on barcelona... would it make sense to maybe rent a car and drive down to granada and then maybe also check out Malaga and seville and then head back to Madrid for a day or two before heading back home?

Other recommendations? Sounds like a few other will be on my flight from flyertalk... we should have a drink when we arrive (although i guess it will be a bit early in the morning. :)

Final question... on the way back, I'm assuming we'll actually go through customs in Newark not Boston... if that's the case, what's the chances I can just take my bags and stay in Newark. I've heard even if it it is possible there might be some negative consequences?

I've already bought my ticket from philly to boston, but i haven't bought a return yet and i need to make a decision pretty soon :)

If you don't have much time, Spain has a few high-speed trains. Perhaps take the 2.5 hour train to Seville. However I think you could be happy spending all your time in Madrid. I visit often for business (I'm typing this in Madrid right now) and I always look forward to it.

Also take jet lag into account. It may work to your advantage by sleeping during the late afternoon/early evening. That's why I'm up at 6:30am typing this now. ;)

Alanw is right on about some of the assumptions made. Madrid is a big city and has lots of different people living here. So you can eat at all hours of the day and the small bars are usually a treat. In fact I love to watch a football match in those small bars. Also I don't know any professional level worker who lives and works in this city that takes siestas during the business day. All my colleagues work the whole day through. If you want to participate in the business world, you can't sleep during the business day. The only difference I see from other Euro cities in this respect is that the business day doesn't start til 10 or sometimes 11 and lunch is mid-afternoon.

My advice is to stay away from the overly touristy areas such as Plaza Mayor. I prefer to wander a bit off the beaten path. However the museums are well worth the visit. Make sure you see the El Bosco (Heironymous Bosch) exhibit at the Prado.

Definitely Segovia. If you have a chance the suckling pig at the restaurant at the foot of the aqueduct is highly recommended. I can't think of the name, however, everyone knows where it is. Great evening ambiance as well.

In Madrid, to quickly get around take advantage of the Madrid Vision (red double decker) buses. Get a day pass and you can go all day hopping on and off. It was a time and money saver for us. Plus you get to see the areas you may want to have more time to visit after getting an overview.

I'm off in a little less than a week (9/28-10/4) and I've only started planning a bit in the last day. I'll be staying at a youth hostel to save $, and i'm still a "youth", so why not?

Anyone else get in on the Air Europa mistake fare that's going next week? I know there were a _lot_ of people that got the fare, but I haven't seen much posting about it. Impromptu DO? Meet for dinner/drinks?

I'm actually getting concerned that I'll run out of things to see in 5 days. Any suggestions beyond what Lonely Planet and Frommer's is telling me?

Mesón Cándido was the single worst meal we had in Spain this summer. Granted, we didn't eat the suckling pig, but we paid well over $60 for one gazpacho, two atún escabechado (cold pickled tuna -- DH had it as a first course and I had it as my main course), one roast something (veal?), which consisted of 2 thin slices of meat covered in gravy and a few (6-8) peas for garnish, one glass of wine, one bottle of mineral water. And nothing -- not even the bread :eek: -- was good. The gazpacho was acceptable. And we were almost as hungry after eating as before :rolleyes:

Just my opinion, YMMV of course! ;)

Schmitzig - I believe that you, mocharaia and I are all on the same flight to MAD. I sent you a PM regarding meeting up.

BostonBali.

We're just starting to plan as well. We're flying 9/28-10/5.

I think we're going to try and do a bit of a whirlwind tour. Arrive Thursday morning, take a day trip to Toledo on Friday, Saturday high speed train to Seville. Sunday in Cordoba to see the Mezquita. Monday in Granada to see the Alhambra. And then possibly an overnight train back to Madrid to spend the final full day.

That's our current thinking anyway, though it seems like it might be a bit too much for such a short trip. The Granada part is what's really killing us. Everyone says to go see the Alhambra, but there doesn't seem to be any convenient way to get there that doesn't involve at least a 4 hour trip.

Everyone also seems to have Barcelona at the top of their list of places to visit, so I'm a little disappointed we aren't going to make it out that way.

Hello all -

I´m in Madrid now (solo) and leaving on 9-27. A full week without any knowledge of Spanish, go figure. Sorry I´ll miss you.

I did a day trip to Segovia. Beautiful, and I recommend it. The bus is faster than the train because it goes directly while the train stops at every little town along the way. Approx US$5 each way, bus or train. The bus is a clean greyhound'type bus.

Here´s my itinerary¨
Day 1 - Walking around the city. Finding the major gathering spots. Sleeping in.
Day 2 - Day trip to Segovia.
Day 3 - Thyssen and Prado museums. Beautiful. Wandered around the Royal Gardens next to the Prado.
Day 4 - Royal Palace. Lunch nearby. Then spent the afternoon drinking at the Plaza Mayo and reading.
Day 5 (tomorrow) - Day trip to Salamanca, college town. ç
Day 6 - Day trip to Toledo
Day 7 - Reine Sofia museum. Resting before long trip home.

You´ll have lots to do in 5 days if you do a day trip or two.

Cheers!

Where are you staying Oceangirl? Any place worth recommending?

I´m staying at Hostal Gonzalo. Rick Steves recommended it in his Spain 2005 book. ¨Hostals¨ are not what we Americans think hostals are...they´re little family run places, like a B&B. Mine doesn´t have breakfast. Very plain, hard bed, no hotel services (restaurant, bar, ice machine, etc), but for $45euros per night it´s fine. Cute, little neighborhood, near the two major museums. 1 block from the Thyssen museum. Nice owner, he speaks English. Starbucks around the corner. Walkable distance to everything. So, I would recommend it if you don´t plan on spending any time, other than bathing and sleeping, in your room, and are used to roughing it. While I do not regret staying here, I would not stay in a little place like this again but only because I´m prissy and like big soft beds.

Hope this helps!