TRAVEL NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2008
(C) Tanenbaum 2008
WHO ARE WE?
We are Steve & Pat, the Travelin’ Tanenbaums. We are the
authors of The Cheapskate’s Guide to Vacations and The Cheptskate’s Guide to Cruises (Citadel-Kensington Press)
Our CTN newsletter has published continuously since 1999. Steve is currently a ‘Budget & FREE Travel’ expert with AllExperts.com. Aside from our books we have written national magazine articles and have made numerous radio & TV appearances. We have somehow managed to globe trot 6 months per year since we early retired from our ‘day jobs’ in 1999. Pure and simple, we enjoy a love of travel and do our best to share travel related comfort, convenience and money saving TIPS with our loyal readership. We always encourage and appreciate reader input. Our travel ‘motto’ these many years remains: NOTHING BEATS FREE TRAVEL! ONLINE CTN A HUGE SUCCESS
MAKE IT FREE AND THEY WILL COME….
OK, so no surprise that CTN’s subscriptions TRIPLED with the advent of our new FREE online CTN. Still, this is the very best way to share our savvy TIPS n’ TALES with the traveling public. As we have always said…..nothing beats FREE!
HOW TO GET YOUR FUTURE FREE CTN EDITIONS: The BEST way: Since some edtions contain super time dated deals it is always best to receive the newsletter on the day it is published. To do this send us your email address and we shall add you to our subscription list. Rest assured, e-mail addresses are kept strictly private and are used ONLY to send you our newsletters. Send your free subscription request to: stevepatctn@yahoo.com
Or you may simply Google our CTN periodically for new issues.
THANKS TO ALL!
THIS ISSUE’S HIGHLIGHTS:
* UP TO 66% OFF ENTERTAINMENT 2-FOR-1 BOOKS
* $350 ROUND TRIP TO ANY HAWAIIAN ISLAND
* THE DOLLAR vs. EURO SOLUTION: RENT AN APARTMENT & SAVE $$$
* STEVE & PAT’S TOP TEN BARCELONA SIGHTS
* NOW 42,000 FREE MILES FROM UNITED AIRLINES
* GIZMO CORNER - FABULOUS CALENDAR MEMORIES EUROPEANS FLY FREE (almost) and SO CAN YOU! We had just completed two glorious weeks exploring the highlands of Scotland. Sadly it was time to fly to
London to catch our flight home. We faced the type of decision locals gleefully make. When it was time to purchase airline tickets from Glasgow to London we had to decide whether to pay: $1.50 PER TICKET FOR A WAY TO EARLY 6AM FLIGHT OR $6.50 FOR A 10AM FIGHT. When is the last time you were faced with such an ultimate cheapskate dilemma? Did we mention our much longer flight from Italy to Scotland, for a whopping $35 per ticket.
All readers should be aware of the ultra cheapskate prices Europeans pay for intra-Europe fights. Ride on any Paris Metro or the London underground and you will be face to face with huge posters announcing such unheard of low fares. This is the new European way of cheapskate travel. It is something to consider when planning your next trip to Europe. Consider our ‘side trip’ from Italy to Scotland and back to London for the total air fares of $41.50 each for BOTH flights.
For purpose of this article we shall introduce you to Ryanair, the airline we flew in the above examples. Ryanair also happens to be the oldest and largest of Europe’s cheapskate airlines. You may then explore the world of competitor airlines such as Easy Jet.
RYANAIR BACKGROUND: Ryanair is an Irish airline that operates its jet fleet of 163 aircraft to on least 520 routes to more than 26 European airports with most flights to and from its central hub at London’s Stanstead Airport. A sampling of European destinations include: Dublin, Brussels South Charleroi Airport, Cork, Frankfurt-Hahn, Girona, London Luton, Liverpool, Milan Orio al Serio, Pisa, East Midlands, Glasgow Prestwick, Rome Ciampino, Shannon, Stockholm Skavsta, Marseille Provence, Madrid Barajas, Bremen, Weeze, Belfast City, Bournemouth, Valencia, Alicante, Bristol, Reus, Edinburgh and Birmingham. Ryanair has been described as the third largest airline in Europe based on numbers of passengers. Here is a flight chart that gives one a good idea Ryanair’s extensive routes.
THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY: On one hand Ryanair supporters tout its fervent commitment to bargain basement air fares and relatively good, always safe flights. THIS IS WHAT WE EXPERIENCED ON BOTH OF OUR FLIGHTS.
Critics have asserted such as deceptive advertising, hidden fees, lack of in flight service and poor customer service. In October 2006, Ryanair was voted the world’s most disliked airline in a survey by the TripAdvisor website, and in November 2006, it was revealed as the subject of more complaints than any other airline. With this said Ryanair has more passengers compared to ALL but two major competitor airlines.
We had no problem with advertised prices. We knew that listed prices do not include taxes which are sometimes greater than the price of the ticket. Ex. Our $6.50 flight from Glasgow to London required that we pay about $15 additional in taxes. Since death and taxes are unavoidable we shall stick to the always paramount ticket price. After all Ryanair received only $6.50 from us!
Here is a further short list of Pros and Cons:
Pros:
1. DIRT CHEAP
2. Great safety record
3. All our flights were on time
4. Huge fleet and flights to much of Europe
5. Airports are usually an hour or less away from the destination city.
Cons:
1. As you likely assumed there are NO meals included. Passengers may purchase $5 sandwiches and drinks.
2. No magazines, in fact no seat back pockets. Note the plastic safety cards imbedded in the seat backs in 
this interior photo of a Ryanair plane. Anyone for staring at the safety card during the entire fight?
3. Does not use major airports. Rather Ryanair uses lesser known nearby airports usually an hour or so from the destination city.
London Example: Ryanair uses Stanstead Airport which is 31 miles from central London with an average airport run taking about 75 minutes. Compare this to Heathrow which is 14 miles from central London with an average airport run taking 50 minutes. For most, including us, the price is certainly worth the use of smaller further afield airports.
Glasgow Example: We used Prestwick Airport which is 45 minutes by train from Central Glasgow.
Milan Example: From Milan we traveled 35 miles, an hour train ride, to Bergamo airport.
4. Lower baggage check-in weight of 42lbs versus 50lbs for major airlines. Surcharge of like $4 per overweight pound.
5. No Refund. Usually, these are use ‘em or lose ‘em tickets
CRAZY SALES: One recent promotion had Ryanair giving away 500,000 seats for one Euro cent (1 ½ U.S. pennies). This is separate and apart from day to day laughable prices such as our $6.50 tickets from Glasgow to London.
Lest you think Ryanair does not have a good sense of humor here are two Ryanair jets like none you have ever seen:
Currently, in April 2008, Ryanair is offering Glasgow to London flights for $40 round trip including all taxes and charges. That is almost to the dollar the same price we paid a couple of years ago. Ryanair is also selling the same $40 RT priced tickets to Frankfurt, Oslo, Turin, Shannon, Belfast and Dublin. Not all flights are this cheap. Example: A London to Venice one way ticket cost is $100 plus a whopping $50 in taxes and fees for a total price of $150. This is a bit lower than British Airways $180 price for a similar one way ticket.
See Ryanair’s colorfull home page for scores of similar amazing ten pound ($20) one way fares that include all taxes, fees and charges.
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryanair
One major competitor to Ryanair is EASYJETwith its bright orange planes. Easyjet calls itself the Web’s Favorite Airline with most bookings done via the internet.
Easyjet facts: Like Ryan, no free meals and uses non-major airports. In fact, Easyjet uses London’s Luton airport which is harder to reach that Stanstead (used by Ryanair).
NOW 42,000 FREE MILES FROM UNITED AIRLINES
When it rains it sometimes pours and that time is now when it comes to United Airlines. Our last Winter ‘08 CTN issue reported on United Airline’s 21,000 Free miles give-a-way for those applying for and obtaining United’s Mileage Plus Visa Signature card. That offer waived the $60 annual fee so that the 21,000 miles was totally FREE. To all those who followed our advice and obtained their 21,000 Free miles we say: HOW ABOUT ANOTHER 21,000 Free miles for a total of 42,000 Free miles! To all others we say: It is not too late to participate in both promotions to obtain the same 42,000 Free miles since the initial offer is likely ongoing.*(See below)
United’s new current offer: We now have a SECOND 21,000 FREE MILES give-a-way from United. How this came to my attention goes back to a favorite chapter in my first travel book titled “Junk Mail We Love.” My current United ‘junk mail’ arrived six weeks ago. By this time we know such envelopes may be anything but junk. The outer envelope announced 27,000 Free Miles Offer. Keep in mind that such mail offers are not always offered to the general public.
In short order we both participated in this new promotion and applied for new United First Mileage Plus Platinum Business Visa cards. Once again, these cards were 100% FREE since the first year $75 annual fee is WAIVED. When we made our first purchase we each received 21,000 miles. The additional 6,000 miles is given in one year if one renews and pays the $75 renewal fee. That is NOT a good deal and we shall be cancelling our card before the renewal date. The miles will be placed into the same United Airline’s accounts that received the 21,000 miles from United’s prior non-business Signature card offer for a total of 42,000 free miles via two offers over about three months.** This is more than enough to instantly qualify for a FREE RT ticket (only 35,000 miles is needed) for each of us to Hawaii, Mexico or Central America. OR we can add 8,000 miles using the cards for Free RT tickets for each of us to Europe (50,000 miles = a Free RT Europe ticket). As we say, NOTHING BEATS FREE TRAVEL.
Here is where YOU come in. I Googled this offer and found that an almost identical offer is now available to all readers. The current public offer requires also requires that you apply for and obtain a United Mileage Plus Platinum Business Visa card which is also 100% free since your first year $75 fee is WAIVED. Just as in our case you too will pay ZERO, NADA, NOTHING. There is one minor difference between our mail offer and your online offer. We got our 21,000 free miles after we made our first purchase. Your public online offer requires you make $250 in purchases with your card to qualify for the Free 21,000 miles. Sadly, these days that is like five gas station fill-ups, another words easily and quickly done.
We suggest you consider cancelling your card(s) before their first year anniversary IF you wish to avoid the second year $75 renewal fee regardless of the extra 6,000 miles they offer upon renewal.
WHAT? YOU DO NOT HAVE A SMALL BUSINESS?
No problem - be HAPPY - read the lead article in our Spring 2006 edition:
http://www.ctnspring2006.blogspot.com/
Within 6-8 weeks after you reach $250 in purchases the whopping 21,000 Free Bonus Miles will be credited to your United Airlines account. It is that easy.
Here is the LINK to the United Airlines newest Free 21,000 Bonus miles offer. IF for any reason the LINK does not work Google the words ‘United Airlines business visa 21,000′.
http://www.firstusa.com/cgi-bin/webcgi/webserve.cgi?partner_dir_name=united_bizcard_21k_afw&page=
* Note: Often, outdated web site offers are not taken down. The best way to be sure an offer, such as the Winter ‘08 United offer, is ongoing is to go to the web site, apply for the Signature card and see if your application is approved. Be sure to keep a copy of the web site application and THE FREE 21,000 MILES OFFER. Upon receipt of your Signature card you may call the number on the back of the card to confirm you will be getting your 21,000 FREE miles once you have made the required $250 in purchases
**Note: As always, when participating in such Free Airline travel offers one must first set up a frequent flyer account. All such accounts are set up at no cost. Simply call the airline involved, in this case United Airlines at 1-800-864-8331 and tell the operator you wish to set up a frequent flyer account. Most readers have long since set up such accounts with all major airlines.
UP TO 66% OFF ENTERTAINMENT 2-FOR-1 BOOKS
We have enjoyed using Entertainment 2-for-1 books for many years saving big $$$$ in the process. Many readers are familiar with these books which are available in most major U.S. cities. We always remind readers that Entertainmnt editions are also available for some popular vacation destinations such as Montreal, Vancouver and other Canadian cities plus Hawaii. The Hawaii book has listing for each major island with 70% of the book devoted to Oahu’s Honolu
lu area. Each year we buy our local San Francisco East Bay edition as well as a Hawaii edition. As the year progresses, from the September/October publication Entertainment publications emails various ‘price reduction’ offers. Early on the deal is $5 off plus free shipping. One week ago Entertainment was offering one of its top deals - 50% off all remaining editions plus a nominal $2.49 shipping.
HOT OFF THE PRESS: Today, just one week later, we checked the Entertainment web site to find their ‘NEW’ offer which is a flat $15 each for all remaining books with FREE shipping. With this flat price offer the savings ranges from 40% to 66%.
Examples of still available books: Las Vegas $25 reduced to $15 (40% off)
Orlando - $30 reduced to $15 (50% off)
Hawaii $35 reduced to $15 (57% off) Our favorite and now a SUPER DEAL. San Diego $45 reduced to $15 (66% off)
CAVEAT: Check the Entertainment site to confirm their current deal and availability of any and all books you may wish to purchase since popular editions always sell out.
The book’s 2-for-1 coupons and fine dining and other deals are good through November 2008 so there is plenty of time for using and SAVING $$$$. As it now stands we are planing a September visit to Maui. Since there are scarce deals for the Maui we always check the Entertainment web site before we purchase. The web site lists most of the contents for each of their books. Once again, in ‘08, we found our favorite $20 fine dining discount for the KOBE TAPPAN STEAK HOUSE. Kobe always offers a fun, flames at your table meal and is located smack in the center of Maui’s historic Lahaina town. This one discount is a deal maker since it pays for the book. Keep in mind that even brief vacations of 1-2 weeks, like our Maui trip, permit SAVINGS above the price of the book. Anyone going to Orlando, Montreal, Las Vegas etc. would do well to snap up a 40% to 66% off Entertainment book.
CONTACT: To review any edition and/or to place your order go to: http:/entertainment.com
$350 or LESS ROUND TRIP TO MAUI
NEWS FLASH: We were shocked to learn that both Aloha and ATA airlines went out of business within one week of one another. Overnight 3,000 seats daily to Hawaii vanished. While Hawaiian Airlines will be picking up some of these lost flights and seats it is expected, at least for the near future, that RT Hawaii tickets that previously cost $400 to $800 will now cost $600 to $1000. On the plus side, we do NOT use either of these airlines as part of our FREE travel strategies. This is all the more reason to FOLLOW IN OUR FREE TRAVEL FOOTSTEPS. FREE OR CHEAP TRAVEL TO HAWAII IS NOW MORE PRECIOUS THEN EVER.
Our recent Summer and Fall 2007 issues touted the ongoing Citibank FREE miles give-away. That promotion can deliver a FREE round trip Hawaii ticket to each participant at zero cost. What if you already have the various Citibank cards or for whatever reason are unable to participate in the Citibank promo? While our motto remains “Nothing beats FREE travel” there are times that we happily recommend cheapskate priced travel deals. The current Hawaiian Airlines promotion is just such a deal.
Here is the deal: Pay $50 to obtain a Hawaiian Bank of America Visa card and use the card to make any purchase. In return Hawaiian Airlines will give you a whopping 20,000 miles.
TIP: Hawaiian is one of the very few airlines, like British Airways, that permits a family account where miles of family members and/or friends can be pooled. . Pooling is the key to using this promotion to your best advantage.
Example: Both of us applied for and received our Hawaiian Visa cards and each of us received 20,000 miles placed by Hawaiian into our two Hawaiian frequent flyer accounts. Then, we requested that Hawaiian pool the miles so that all 40,000 miles were placed in one of our accounts. We now qualify for a 35,000 miles Hawaiian award good for one FREE round trip ticket from the U.S. mainland to any Hawaiian island any time of the year. The lowest current cost of two round trip coach tickets on Hawaiian is at least $1,200 before taxes. In this example we would be paying a total of $600 for one ticket plus $100 ($50 each for our two visa cards). The net cost: $350 each for two round trip tickets to Maui or any other Hawaiian island. You will also receive a 50% discount companion certificate for travel between the Mainland U.S. and Hawaii.
TIP: If you plan to visit a neighbor island during a visit to Hawaii such tickets cost $50 to $75 each way. In the above example you would have 5,000 miles remaining after using 35,000 for one round trip Hawaii ticket. That 5,000 miles qualifies for a free one-way inter-island ticket saving you up to $75.
Here is another way to save: Example: Spend $50 for just one Hawaiian Visa card and receive 20,000 miles. You may use those miles for TWO FREE inter-island tickets that would otherwise cost up to $300 for a solid savings of $250.
CONTACT: Hawaiian 20,000 miles promotion: https://wwwa.applyonlinenow.com/USCCapp/Ctl/entry?sc=FAB43K&mc=A000002MPD
Or you may Google ‘Hawaiian Airlines 20,000 miles’
THE DOLLAR vs. EURO SOLUTION: RENT AN APARTMENT & SAVE $$$
As savvy consumers we share a major common goal when shopping. We want to pay less or even better we would like to get MORE FOR LESS.
In today’s world of the shrinking Dollar vs Euro (the Euro was $1.35 last Summer and is $1.50 today) European travel is more costly than ever. Now may be the time for many to follow in our footsteps and save big time while also getting more room, more amenities and greater comfort by renting an apartment rather than booking a small hotel room.
Example: A family of five is heading for Paris. Hotel Sunny, a typical but highly rated 2-star hotel has standard small sized double rooms with private bath and TV. What other amenities, you ask? Sadly, NONE. Forget about a mini-frig and daily breakfast is NOT included. Welcome to the world of most low priced Parisian hotel rooms. Our family of five will need two rooms, a double and triple. The tab will be 82 Euros for the double with shower (not bathtub) and 118 Euros for the triple room for a total of $300 per day. How about breakfast you ask. Add $45 per day for the family for a new total of $345 per day. And don’t expect any more than a nice continental breakfast, croissants, coffee, jellies/jams and fruit. Here is a photo of Hotel Sunny’s typically small double room.
While our Summer ‘07 CTN reported extensively on our Summer ‘07 Paris apartment we offer this brief recap for new readers:
*1,016sq.ft. The size of a small American house
* 2 BR’s plus sleeper in dining room (with private doors that close it from all other rooms).
* Full size kitchen with microwave & use of all condiments (saves $$$)
* Owner furnished (owner’s off to south of France for Summer vacations)
* Full bath with tub
* Washer/dryer
* Full entertainment center with cable TV/DVD player
* Formal dining room plus full living room
* Kitchen breakfast bar with stools
* Elevator building, dead center Paris, 100 ft to metro
* Balconies, french doors and windows and awesome views
Apartment COST: We paid $77/day for a six week lease. Good news, bad news and more good news. Good news: this apartment is available for rentals as short as one week. The bad news: the price jumps way up to $252 per day. More good news: Even at the higher weekly rate the apartment is worth every Euro, read on to see why.
How to compare? The average 2-Star hotel room is 12 sq. meters or 123sq. feet. This apartment is, amazing as it seems, equals in size to EIGHT DOUBLE HOTEL ROOMS. I leave it to you to estimate the increased level of comfort. Savings on meals, from breakfasts to dinners to pack lunches may run into HUNDREDS of dollars not to mention the comfort of having all breakfasts and many other meals at the apartment. Add to this the pure luxury of choice to sack out in one’‘s bedroom, kitchen, dining room or living room.
AND ALL OF THIS FOR 15% LESS THAN THE COST OF THE 2-STAR HOTEL ROOMS.
HOW TO RENT A EUROPEAN APARTMENT:
Unlike Paris, where we were repeat customers using well known apartment agency NYHabitat.com, we had neither experience nor contacts when it came to Barcelona. As first time visitors to Barcelona we were clearly in virgin rental territory. We did have one ‘heads up’ from Patty’s adventurous son John who adores Barcelona and lived there for over a month. John uttered one key word…..GOTHIC. The city’s ancient Gothic neighborhood was smack in the center of all the sightseeing action and became the prime choice for our apartment hunting efforts.
Most important of all we began our apartment quest fully 7-8 months prior to our May 1st departure. This gave us a shot at the very few apartments that met all or most of our price and amenities requirements. Next, we put together an all important list of our apartment criteria which included such as:
1. Very good city center location OR has excellent Metro connection to the city center.
2. Elevator building OR ground floor or maximum of one flight of stairs. NOTE: Since Europeans may use different definitions for ground, first and second floors be certain to confirm the apartment location in terms of street level and number of flights of stairs.
3. Very good to excellent neighborhood.
4. Bath tub (especially for longer rentals).
5. Sufficiently large, not cramped, apartment. Determine sq. meters
6. One BR apartment with A/C since Barcelona can get very HOT.
Note: Unlike Paris we did not have guests visiting us so no need for a 2BR apartment.
7. In the Gothic neighborhood and within blocks of the famed Rambla pedestrian street.
8. Full size kitchen and dining area.
9. Rental cost of $100 or less per day.
Optional goodies: Telephone with free local calls, washer and/or dryer, balcony, cable TV with CNN, BBC.
At the outset of any search it seems there are a vast selection of apartments. On closer inspection that is not usually the case. Think of a pyramid with scores of all types of apartments at the base. Once we excluded all those that did not meet our above requirements we were down to just three apartments at the very top of that pyramid. Those were our target rentals.
The agency offering those three apartments was City Siesta. How did we decide on the City Siesta rental agency? Selecting a new rental agency took patience, hours of web research and a good amount of savvy. Scores of internet rental sites were bare bones and lacked key information such as apartment size & details, maps and/or photos. Other web sites catered to high rollers willing to pay $300 to $800 per day for luxurious digs. Many are not customer service driven and do not have multi lingual staff you can both email and call on the phone to answer questions.
WHY CITY SIESTA: City Siesta’s web site, which is geared to Barcelona and Seville, has extensive listings plus necessary details and multiple photos. The site is available in no less than five languages and touts that they specialize in both tourist and executive rentals. Next, they provide their physical office address, email and telephone numbers. Several pages of General Conditions cover all aspects of rentals. There are a dozen FAQ’s for such as How does one make a reservation? Their waiver of a cleaning deposit is another money saver. City Siesta encourages phone calls and we discussed the listed apartments in detail with various City Siesta employees who were knowledgeable, courteous and able to answer all our questions. One may also request bank or other references. For all these reasons we selected the City Siesta rental agency.
RISKS: Nominal Once we found the perfect apartment the only payment in advance was a 25% reservation deposit made online by credit card (which protects one against fraud). The balance is paid at the apartment on arrival day
Here are two current examples of City Siesta’s 2008 offerings:
The Barcelona apartment we enjoyed last Summer is #149. Here is the LINK to its page:http://citysiesta.com/accom_description.php?AccomNr=149
We paid $97 per day for this apartment last Summer. The current low Summer price, after 10% discount for 7+ days and adjustment for our dollar devaluation, is still a bargain at $115.
Here is our details/amenities list for the apartment:
1. Elevator
2. 482 sq.ft.
3. Full kitchen - microwave - dining area
4. Sleeps four (2 in BR and LR futon)
5. Air conditioned
6. TV (no cable)
7. Washing machine
8. NO phone
9. Super location 2 short blocks from the Rambla
10. 2 blocks to metro
11. Dead center of ancient Bario Gotic steps away from such as:
the Rambla, the “Boquería Market”, the Cathedral, and the Picasso Museum, Roman Ruins, Grand Theater El Liceu, fine arts stores
Final comment: Yes, it was a huge step down from our double sized, owner furnished Paris apartment to an ‘ordinary’ rental unit. However, we always look on the bright side and this apartment was the very best available within our budget. After a few days we fully appreciated that even this smaller apartment was light years better than a more costly 2-star hotel. And, once again we had many of the comforts of home that only an apartment can deliver.
Example #2 shows the importance of doing one’s apartment shopping homework. City Siesta is now offering a lower priced 1BR apartment #137 found at:
http://citysiesta.com/accom_description.php?AccomNr=137
#137 is the same size as our #149. While it is listed as being in the same Gothic neighborhood the map shows it to be outside of but nearby to the Gothic district and a good 15 blocks from the famed Rambla. Also, #137 has neither A/C nor elevator. For all these major differences the savings is only 10 Euros ($15) per day for a daily rate of about $100 after the 7+ days 10% discount.
We must also mention the fine agency we have used twice for great apartment rentals in Paris. Their web site is one of the best with full apartment details plus scores of photos. One must alsways factor in their agency fee that may be as high as 30%. In the end, as noted by our $77/day Paris 2007 1,016sq.ft. 2BR rental, their offerings include ultimate cheapskate prices.
CONTACTS:
http://citysiesta.com/
Visit: http:/nyhabitat.com
.
Congratulations. You have now graduated from European bargain apartment hunting #101.
STEVE & PAT’S TOP TEN BARCELONA SIGHTS
Having experienced our first ever visit to Barcelona, for seventeen days, we can now say: (1) we instantly fell in love this amazing city; (2) we are by no means experts and (3) we are eager to share some Barcelona sightseeing highlights with readers. Following is Barcelona sightseeing ‘Part One.’ We shall conclude with part two in our next early Summer CTN.
TIP: When it comes to Barcelona words alone are never sufficient. Hence, we include LINKS to Steve’s relevant, fun and informative Barcelona YouTube videos.
TIP: Before we begin with our first pick here is a neat interactive Barcelona map that lists many of the major sightseeing locations:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/maps/barcelona.htm
Our Gothic neighborhood apartment was on Boqueria street itself a medieval, carless pedestrian side street just two short blocks from the Rambla.
1. BARCELONA’S RAMBLA: 
The Rambla is quite possibly the city’s most popular tourist destination. It is a 1 ½ mile long pedestrian mall that strectches from the huge, pictoresque Plaza de Catalunya to the Columbus monument which is just steps away from the harbor. Strolling along the Rambla one finds newspaper kiosks, colorful flower shops, vendors selling small animals, seniors gathering to chat and/or have lunch, open air restaurants, metro entrances, an amazing assortment of street artists known as the city’s “human statues” and hordes upon hordes of people.
Caveat: The Rambla is known as the pickpocket center of Europe. Take special anti-pickpocketing care.
This is where we invite you to take a ramble down the Rambla, WITH US, via our Ramblin’ the Rambla YouTube video. This special video begins with Steve’s birds eye Rambla view from atop the Columbus monument:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZRjHyPa2zwc
Of course, you may Google the Rambla to your heart’s content. For starters here is a nice Rambla article: http://www.barcelona-on-line.es/eng/turisme/bcn_rambla.htm
The BOQUERIA MARKET: No visit to Barcelona is complete without at least one visit to this ‘best in Barcelona’ market. We include the market within our Rambla selection because the market is found just one block off the Rambla. Since our apartment was just three blocks from the Boqueria AND we had that full kitchen we purchased all our fruits, vegetable and meats there. Boqueria was a marvelous, unique, colorful, fun, money saving, delightful place to shop. Note: We always took precautions against the hordes of ‘bumping’ shoppers.
Boqueria is a smorgasbord of sights, sounds and smells. Food prices are up to 50% less than regular market prices and the variety is almost endless. We savor the joys and challenges of differing cultural customs such as found at Boqueria. Where our own local supermarket would sell, for example, Bing cherries at one price the Boqueria vendors often sell three or four differing levels of quality cherries with prices that ranged from $5 per pound down to as little as fifty cents per pound. We purchased great steaks, cut to order, for about $5lb. A deli counter sold 3lbs of cold cut ‘ends’ for $3. Here are three nice views of the Boqueria. Better yet , take Steve’s VIDEO TOUR of the Boqueria via our YouTube video via the LINK found just below the photos.
Steve’s Boqueria market YouTube LINK: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ifNEHnlveZg
2. THE MEDIEVAL GOTHIC DISTRICT 
Explore, explore, explore the entire Gothic neighborhood. This is awesome medieval FUN and is easily done by foot.
Expect to find:
The beautifully preserved 13th-14th century Palau Reial (royal palace) in the Plaça del Rei (Perfect Squares) The very palace where Ferdinand and Isabel welcomed Columbus after his 1492 voyage to the Americas. Above ground Roman ruins and walls, an ancient underground Synogogue, medieval churches, museums galore and the special Museu d’Historia de la Ciutat which has one of the largest underground excavations of Roman ruins on display in Europe. We walked down steel cat walks that descended through thousands of years of ancient history. Then, we were face to face with fully excavated streets and shops. Amazing.
Check out this informative web site:
http://www.barcelonaconnect.com/showlevel1.asp?pid=8573
STEVE’S ‘GOTHIC’ YOUTUBE VIDEOS:
Possibly the oldest European Synogogue: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DOZVNXHmIgE
Giant’s parade at a medieval church just one block from our Gothic 16th century apartment building:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qahvd72zNhY
3. Ciutadella Park:
The Ciutadella Park is fun place for open air, relaxation and quiet. It was built on the site of the old Citadel fortress which was destroyed in the 19th century. One of the park’s big draws is Gaudí’s statuesque fountain. You may also visit Barcelona’s Zoo or one of the Natural History Museums. In the center of the park is a large lake where visitors can hire boats to row around the lake. The park is walkable from either the Rambla (a bit longer walk) or the harbor (closer) see the above map.
http://www.aviewoncities.com/barcelona/parcdelaciutadella.htm
4. BARCELONA’S HOP ON - HOP OFF TURISTIC DOUBLE DECKER BUS
We love hop on-hop off city bus tours. Barcelona’s Bus Turistic’s colorful, open air, double decker buses are reasonably priced and offer three routes, with English narration, that cover most sights and important neighborhoods in the city.
Here are important details:
1. Total of 44 stops on all three routes
2. North & South routes are 2 hours and Forum route is 40 minutes
3. 20 Euros ($30) for one day ticket; 26 Euros ($39) for 2-day ticket
TIP: Without doubt the 2-day $39 ticket is the BEST BUY. There is no better way to get a great overview of the city with time to hop off and explore some of the city’s major sights. Check out Bus Turistic’s web site:
http://www.barcelona-on-line.es/eng/reserves/bus_turistic.htm
TIP: Last Summer the very same Bus Turistic offered a special night panoramic city tour. We have not been able to confirm that this tour will be available this Summer. When you buy your day tour ticket be sure to inquire about their Barcelona night tour. Here is our YouTube video of MONTJUIC’S DANCING WATERS shot during the most popular stop on the night tour:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=u-T0uAs25mg
5. ENJOY A BARCELONA BEACH
During our visit we headed for Barceloneta Beach which is the closest beach to Barcelona’s city center. If you walk to Colombus monument, at the end of the Rambla, you are a 15 minute walk from the beach.
TIP: Arrive at about 1pm and pay half price for umbrellas and chaise lounges.
6. BARCELONA’S BEST DAY TRIP:
MONTSERRAT MONASTERY
A short, easy one hour train ride, using a combo ticket that includes the funicular car going up the mountain, gets you to Montserrat Monastery, one of the highlights of any visit to Barcelona. The spectacularly beautiful high on the mountain monastery offers some of the most spectacular mountain views of Catalunya.
TIP: There are at least two restaurants. The included lunch (with the combo ticket) is offered by the restaurant that is atop a hill near the arrival point. It appeared closed but was not. You may be surprised by the filling, multi-course, tasty cafeteria style lunch with great selections. Make sure you get all the courses including one of their great deserts.
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/tour/montserrat-spain.html
7.PARK GUELL BY ANTONI GAUDI
This parc, like most in Barcelona is admission free. It was commissioned by Eusebi Güell who wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona’s aristocracy. It is often called Antoni Gaudi’s park owing to his many contributions including the park entrance’s Dragon adorned in beautiful colorful tiling , large stone columns, many amazing stone structures and fantasy buildings. Many consider the park Gaudi’s magical place. Here is the famous Gaudi DRAGON:
TIP: If you’re visiting the park by metro be prepared for at least a 20 minute walk with the last 600 feet up a steep hill. Bus information is available at the tourist information office at Placa de Catalunya.
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/gaudi/park-guell.html
8. THE (huge) PLACA de CATALUNYA
The plaza was built in 1927 by the architect Francesc Nebot and is over 500,000 sq. ft. making it comparable in size to Saint Peter’s in Rome. There are fountains, gardens and sculptures.The plaza is also the beginning of the Rambla. The plaza offers a ‘bonus’ especially for those who enjoy shopping in foreign stores. It is home to Barcelona’s largest mega department store.
El Corte Ingles
This huge department store, seen on the right, offers the best shopping in town. DO not miss their downstairs supermarket. While not a true food court the market never the less sells many gourmet quality items from prime steaks to their delicious BBQ chickens packed with side dishes. Numerous dedicated food counters add to the fun food ambiance.
9. BARCELONA’S HARBOR
So much to do in this recently refurbished area of the city. A brisk walk on the Rambla from Catalunya plaza to the harbor may take 20-30 minutes. Since our apartment was dead center we often strolled the easy ten minute walk to both the harbor and the plaza. Things to see, do and enjoy at the harbor:
1. Bring lunch and sack out on a bench facing the Marina.
2. Walk the new pedestrian bridge to the also new mega shopping center. Forget the movie complex unless you enjoy films in Spanish.
3. A 35 minute inner harbor tour leaves every 30 minutes for the bargain price of $8. On day one of our visit we strolled the Rambla to the Harbor and hopped on the delightful mini harbor cruise boat. The self portrait below caught one of our many fun harbor cruise moments.
http://www.lasgolondrinas.com/angles.html
4. The Columbus Monument
The monument was erected for the Universal Exhibition of 1888. It sports eight iron heraldic lions and eight bronze bas-reliefs depicting Columbus’s principal accomplishments. There is also a corinthian column which represents Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Atop the monument sits a 25 foot statue of none other than Christopher himself.
TIP: Best of all take the very teenie elevator to the top for marvelous 360 degree views including one of the Rambla.
Here is Steve’s Rambla video with it’s opening scene shot from atop the monument:
10. VISIT GAUDI’S FAMED BUILDINGS INCLUDING
AT LEAST ONE INTERIOR PLUS A ROOFTOP WALK
TIP: Above is a page from our custom-made Shutterfly 18 month calendar. It uses their nifty overlapping four photo template. See Steve’s Gizmo Corner article below.
Not to be missed are:
1. Temple Sagrada Familia: A massive Roman Catholic church designed by Gaudi with construction commencing way back in 1882. Gaudi worked on the project for FORTY YEARS until his death in 1926. The amazing aspect of Sagarad Famili is that it has continued ‘under construction’ to this day with completion scheduled for 2026..
Be sure to see it both during the day and at night.
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Sagrada_Familia.html
2. Casa Batllo: Was built during 1905 to 1907. It is described as: This was a remodelling job on a building built in the 1870’s. Gaudí designed a new facade, added a fifth floor, and altered the interior of this apartment building and residence for the textile industrialist Josep Batlló i Casanovas. Even balcony railings seem twisteIt was built as an expressionist or art nouveau style apartment building.
Location: No.43 Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona. Metro “Passeig de Gràcia” (Green Line, L3) Calle Aragó-Rambla Catalunya exit. http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Casa_Batllo.html
http://www.casabatllo.es/
3. Casa Mila - Most commonly known as La Pedrera it is a residential building designed by the Gaudi and built in the years 1906–1910 (officially completed 1912). 
La Pedrera is classic Gaudi and is one of his most visited buildings in all of Barcelona. The building tour includes the ‘must see’ Gaudi designed ‘fantasy’ rooftop. It is called such as expressionistic, fantastic and organic with an undulating facade and roof line. light court.
Location: 92 Passeig de Gràcia
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Casa_Mila.html
Admission is Daytime: 9,50 euros and nights: 10,90 euros
VIEW STEVE’S ‘COMBO’ LA PADRERA and CASA BATILLO
YOUTUBE VIDEO INCLUDING ROOF TOP TOUR OF LA PADRERA:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oZgHUR-oDOY
TIP: LA VACA PACA 
It goes without saying that visitors to Barcelona have every opportunity to enjoy Tapas bars and restaurants found on almost every block. On the flip side the very different La Vaca Paca restaurant deserves mention for these reasons:
1. It is located on the very same block as Gaudi’s famous Casa Mila so every visitor can easily check it out.
2. It serves Brazil style BBQ meats cooked on skewers and then sliced and served on a buffet
3. One of the few buffet restaurants in Barcelona
4. One price for the entire meal that includes all one cares to eat, one drink (soft drink, coffee or beer) and desert.
5. Buffet variety includes: 8 types of barbecue meats, salads, pizzas, pasta, soups, stews, rice, paellas, fideuás, croquettes, lasagna, fruits and more.
6. Cheapskate priced at $14.50 for lunch and $16.35 for dinner (at the current Euro exchange rate)
Note: We had two meals at La Vaca Paca. The first dinner was very good with nice choices of lamb, beef, chicken and pork plus all the trimmings. The second dinner was somewhat wanting. The cook was slow to re-fill various BBQ meats plates hence it took a bit of hovering to snag the BBQ goodies. Regardless, the overall meal was well worth the bargain price. Best to go 5-7pm when it is less crowded though the restaurant, as most in Barcelona, keeps late hours.
Details: Located at Passeig de Gràcia, 21. One block from Passeig de Garcia Metro.
Web site: http://www.lavacapaca.com
GIZMO CORNER: AN AMAZING 18 MONTH
CALENDAR USING YOUR BEST TRAVEL PIX
I spotted an ad for a photo calendar that permitted up six pictures per page. WOW, I thought, this might be interesting. Then, I learned the ad was wrong and only four pictures maximum per page could be used. This started me Googling. The result was SPECTACULAR. Shutterfly’s calendar offers TEN different templates for one, two, three, four or NINE photos PER PAGE. At 18 months, unique for a calendar, this permits one to use UP TO 162 favorite travel photos. Extraordinary, I thought.
I spent the next 3-4 days working furiously designing the different page layouts with many nine picture pages and some four picture pages. More good news. Shutterfly tells you if any picture is below optimum resolution. There is also Shutterflys iron clad 100% satisfaction guarantee. I completed my project and ordered ONE calender. I assumed the photos would be OK but likely not as good as they appeared on my PC. I also assumed Shutterlfy would use the usual thin glossy calendar type paper. The finished product BLEW US AWAY.
Note: Above is the cover page of our 18-month Shutterfly calendar using their two-photo template. In addition to our favorite picture of Max cat the smaller insert is a shot of us on the Grand Canal of Venice.
Awesome quality. The photos looked every bit as sharp and clear as they appeared on my PC and the pages are extra high quality triple thick so that overall the calendar quality left us speechless. The first calendar price was $24 and additional calenders cost $18 BUT Shutterfly always has special deals on it’s web site so that your price may be less.
Without further adieu we shall display two favorite pages and offer a LINK to our calendar cyber album where you can view all 18 of our calendar’s pages. Also, due to the ‘custom’ nature of the calendar you may choose a personal background design, select a color choice, create your own unique title for each page and personalize the calendar pages to include special events (birthdays etc.) and holidays.
TIP: Once the calender is created online the project remains there for future changes or new orders. AND you may start the newly ordered calendars to begin any month you wish, so NO WASTED MONTHS. Our family and friends who received them were thrilled and totally impressed that they run well into year 2009.This is truly one of my most FUN Gizmo Corner recommendations.
http://www.shutterfly.com/shop/product_c10014/Calendars
Here are two of our travel related pages:
Here is the LINK to all 18 pages of our Shutterfly calendar:
http://imageevent.com/worldromer/calendar
TO ALL READERS:
HAVE HAPPY, SAFE and CHEAP TRAVELS!
