Depressing Tour of Barcelona

Youtube ^ | 12/18/2020 | BookingHunterTV

[HartleyMBaldwin]

I visited Barcelona for a few days in 1973. It really is a beautiful place. Went to Los Caracoles for paella, and it was so good I went back twice.

[Clemenza]

Ban Chinese immigration including for spouses to the US. That includes Hong Kong (notice I didn’t say Taiwan).

On another note when I strolled the Ramblas back in 2007 it was filled with junkie tourist shops owned by South Asians and Trans prostitutes from Latin America.

[nutmeg]

In less than a month it will be Chinese New Year and once again Chinese by the millions will spread across the globe to visit friends and families in other countries. Will we be able to trust certificates printed in China assuring that these tourists are virus free?

Excellent point...

[Jolla]

How was Scotland, my daughter has been a few times and loved it. She and my son both say Dublin is fun also.

[sheana]

Loved Scotland. Beautiful. Wonderful architecture. Very friendly people. Everywhere we went people would just talk to us. We did Edinburgh, Inverness, and Glasgow. I’d go back to Edinburgh and Inverness in a heartbeat. Glasgow? Meh. Too metro for me.

[Bonemaker]

I hear they have nice beaches in Tenerife.😎

[Oshkalaboomboom]

We live on the Mediterranean side, 600 meters from the sea and 90 meters above sea level so we have a beautiful view. The only time we have been to the other side of the country was when I walked the Camino de Santiago plus a separate trip to Santiago with my wife to stay in the Parador and check out the finished restoration of the Portico of Glory at the Cathedral. We would like to see more of Spain but between the pandemic and my wife’s illness our travel plans have taken a big hit.

[Jolla]

Thanks sounds like a beautiful place you are in. How was the Camino de Santiago, I love to walk and it is on my bucket list but not sure how far or how much I want to do, where did you start?

[Bonemaker]

Depressing? Check out New York or any other American shithole city. I'd take Barcelona.

[Right Wing Assault]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX7CeTXoxyU

[Mears]

Mediterranean.....and trips to Córdoba mosque cathedral and Gibraltar.

wonderful..

.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

The minimum distance to get a Camino certificate is 100 kilometers. I started my walk from Sarria, the most popular starting destination because it is about 110 kilometers away. I did it in 6 days because I wanted to take my time and enjoy the scenery along the way. It isn't anything like where I live and it reminded me of walking through the English countryside. You could also start walking from Porto, Portugal and meet the requirement. I was going to do that but that's when the pandemic threw a monkey wrench into everything. You buy a Camino passport and get it stamped at different places along the way to use as your proof of the walk when you arrive in Santiago. It was enjoyable but there is no way I would want to walk the entire Camino because I wouldn't want to be away from my wife for that long. If you ever want to give it a go give me a PM, I may want to tag along.

Here is a picture of where I live, taken from our terrace. We are in the province of Granada, where the Alhambra is and I can actually see the point from my house where the Moors landed to establish a kingdom in Spain then left from the same spot 750 years later.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

The city itself wasn’t depressing. The economic ruin is what is depressing. None of it was caused by the stupid policies of politicians like it is in NYC.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Gibraltar is in total lockdown ATM. Cordoba and Seville are open but only if you live in Andalucia. We’ve been to Seville but haven’t made it to Cordoba yet. It’s within driving distance but not many people are traveling right now.

[Mears]

Thanks for the info,I loved Spain—we stayed at a parador for a couple of nights. My traveling days are over so I’ll never get back.

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[Jolla]

thank you both are on the plan. Is Gibraltar expensive?

[aposiopetic]

Pinging b/c of Spain.

[Cboldt]

Do Carcassonne

[Jolla]

Thank you, 110k would be doable. Beautiful spot you have, I lived on the beach for years much prefer the cliff views.

History is one reason I am looking forward to the trip, we get so little of Spain, The Moors or el Cid in our history.

You cook up your paella and I bring some good wine and we chat about the walk, maybe you do the Portugal route next time.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Thank you, 110k would be doable. Beautiful spot you have, I lived on the beach for years much prefer the cliff views.

Unless you live directly on the front line your view is only as good as what's in front of you. The part of Spain I live is the only part where the mountains come all the way down to the sea, which means they stack the houses over each other as you move up and everybody gets a good view. Plus it's a lot less noisy and crowded than the beachfront part of town. If you look a bit to the left of the hill in that picture you can see a bit of how they do it.

History is one reason I am looking forward to the trip, we get so little of Spain, The Moors or el Cid in our history.

See the 3 rocks jutting out into the Mediterranean? That is where the harbor used to be and it is where in 755 Umayyad Abd ar-Rahman I of Damascus, the founder of the Emirate of Cordoba, arrived from North Africa to establish his kingdom. The castle, which you can see just to the left of the top of the hill and had been there since Roman times, remained the stronghold of the city and the seat of government and its walls were strengthened. Extensive dungeons were built for those out of favour with local rulers and baths for the use of the upper classes. Those same 3 rocks are also where the Moors left Spain in 1489 having been defeated by Ferdinand and Isabella. There is a large cross on top of the first rock that was put there to commemorate the event. It is lit up at night so it can be seen far out to sea. So you can have a nice history lesson while you relax with a glass of wine on the terrace. But if you do feel like getting out of your lounger the Alhambra is about an hour away, Seville 4 hours drive and Cordoba is not far from Seville. Malaga airport is also less than an hour away and from there you can catch a flight to either Santiago or Porto for less than 30 Euros each way. If you choose to do the traditional route from Sarria you catch a bus straight from the airport and you're on your way.