Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Roger wilco Smeds. We're trying to look at finances to decide (two car crashes and a timeshare purchase have an impact). We were thinking maybe November time, with the start of Christmas at DL.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Gorgeous time to go! Christmas decorations go up fully right around Veteran's Day - November 11th. Earlier than that you are getting the mix of Halloween coming down and Christmas going up. ;>
Originally Posted By Lisann22 I'll email you guys my time frame in Spain - maybe something could work out?! ;>
Originally Posted By smedley Yes it would be great if we could put it together I've not visited any of the places being suggested either, which adds even more to the appeal November time for California is pretty much what I was thinking of too Dave, as you know with DH's job it's our preferred travelling time... Obviously both still remain dependent upon the work thing being resolved....
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Well I think for the Baloos - April in Paris and Spain would be great, with November in the Bay Area, Yosemite, and Orange County. Now just to convince the boss - Sarahwith
Originally Posted By Lisann22 If you come to the Bay Area/Yosemite in November I'm pretty sure T&L Travel will be there to help you along. :>
Originally Posted By smedley Ooooooh, it might have to be done just for the tamales then That's pretty much exactly what we're planning on if we get to go Dave, so we're going to be following each other around (who's gonna be stalking who? )
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo The worrying thing would be if UKFAN were to end up there at that time. Afterall, DLP and WDW on 3 occassions may be a coincedence, but California as well!!! MMMMMmmmmm I miss tamales. Virtually nonexistant in Europe. Heck, I think Tortilla only made it into the stores 15 years ago (and they take too long to make from scratch when you're out of practice).
Originally Posted By Lisann22 I'm booked!!! Every hotel confirmed in each of the cities we are visiting. All I have to do now is watch airfare!!!! Woohoo! It's real!
Originally Posted By LuLu Congratulations!! Keep your eye on airfare - I put plans on hold for a few months and when I got back to planning, airfare had shot up! It was worth it to me to pay the minimal fee to a travel agent to find me the best fare. I was able to get a reasonable rate by her getting me tix thru a consolidator.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Thanks LuLu I'm considering a travel agent for my airfare and car. I've heard autoeurope.com is the way to go but I'm not sure.
Originally Posted By tiki tiki tiki tiki Hi Lisann, I´ve been wanting to send you info but since mid-last week we´ve all spent most of our time in the hospital with a family member who´s not doing too well. I hadn´t forgotten about you but, dang, you´re fast at bookin´ it all!! lol! What hotels did you get for Sevilla & Cordoba? Good rates? I could send you rate info on car rentals but from personal experience, it is probably much cheaper booking from the states. (don´t forget that a mid-size car in Spain is like an Chevy Aveo out there!) I´ll get you some info on in-between town visits later this evening when I get back home. And sorry about not getting back to you before.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 No worries tiki!! I had to seize the moment. I ended up changing my itinerary quite a bit. We decided we are going to drive from Toledo to a town called Itrabo 40 minutes below Granada. I found a wonderful Bed & Breakfast there through a friend. I believe at this point, nine days into the trip, we will need a break from the pace. So we will settle in there for three nights. We will drive into Granada to tour Alhambra and the other sites as well as maybe drive the coastline one day. Check it out... <a href="http://www.itrabohills.com/" target="_blank">http://www.itrabohills.com/</a> From there we will turn in the car in Granada and bus/train to Sevilla. We are going to stay four nights in Sevilla instead of trying to stay in Cordoba and there. So we will day trip to Cordoba. Something had to give and Cordoba was it. We just can't see it all. I think I'd rather have the flexability to explore than be on a tight schedule. So at this point we are spending no less than two nights in each city, some three nights and Sevilla four nights. When looking for hotels in Sevilla I kept getting back "you need to confirm quickly" as we are selling out. So I felt I needed to book. I think I researched 50 hotels. LOL! We want to stay in Santa Cruz so I did the best I could - Hotel Alcantara. <a href="http://www.hotelalcantara.net/" target="_blank">http://www.hotelalcantara.net/</a> It fit our budget and seemed to get excellent review on tripadvisor, lonely planet and several guide books. So we went for it. I'm not into paying a ton of money for a place that I'm only really going to sleep in and that is no bigger than my kitchen. ;> In Madrid we are at Hotel Europa. In Avila right now we are at Palacio de Los Velada. In Toledo Hotel Santa Isabel. I'm pretty satisfied with all my choices unless you come back and say a choice is a flea bag. ;> Yes, I know the cars are tiny. I'm trying to find out more about autoeurope.com and if it's really that good to be true. I'm worried about insurance as my insurance doesn't cover international travel so I have to pay for it. Ugh!
Originally Posted By Lisann22 I meant to say please let me know about restaurants, sights to see, anything you deem worth our time. I'd really appreciate it. I love helping people with San Francisco and the Bay Area so I'd love to hear your choices of things to do in Sevilla and the region. I can only take so many churches and museums, my mom and I really want to be out and about amongst the people, the culture and pulse of the cities. ;>
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Hi Lisa, Sorry about the slack response, work has been heaving. We will be looking at whether we can hook up in Grenada or Seville. I am awaiting some paperwork from Interval International, so I probably will not know whether we can do it until November :-(. I will keep you posted.
Originally Posted By tiki tiki tiki tiki Itrabo is a new one for us. (with so many towns out here, impossible to know all of them!) I also looked it up in <a href="http://www.todopueblos.com/" target="_blank">http://www.todopueblos.com/</a> and it looks very nice, small and relaxing and really tucked away into the hills. I am now intrigued to visit! You do have the coast pretty close to you. I can´t tell you anything about Granada´s beaches since they´re the only ones I haven´t seen in AndalucÃa. Granada looks about an hour away by car. Hope you can get to see the Alhambra & Generalife in one day, it´s just so big and so much to see! Don´t forget that in Granada you get a free tapa with your drink. The few times we´ve been there, we´ve scoped out a good looking street with various bars on it and have gone bar hopping ordering a beer or two at each one and getting free tapas to eat. When you´ve hit 3 or 4 bars, voila!, you´ve had lunch/dinner and cheap. Of course, by this point you also have to go pee like 10 times and are just about ready to fall on the floor or dance a sevillana in the middle of the street from the effects of the cerveza! Anyway, I´ll let you know about good places to eat in Córdoba since DH visits weekly and has to have lunch in between client´s visits. I have driven by the Hotel Alcántara a thousand times, I know exactly where it is but I swear I can´t picture it in my mind. But from the pics it looks just fine. The location is perfect! You´re in walking distance from just about everything. I´ll also let you know about must-visit bars in the area, there are so many in Santa Cruz but it´s important to know where to go and where not to, I´m sure you already know there are many that will trick a tourist if they can. I´ll be sure to keep my eyes and ears open on sights, bars, and goings-on for all your destinations.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 We have 2 days in Granada, 3 if we go to Sevilla in the late afternoon. The Alhamabra is my priority. The owners of the B&B told me that Granada is 40 min to 1 hour away through the mountains. LOL on the free tapas. Yes, please any info on places to eat. I spent an enormous amount of time studying the dang maps to find the right locations so Hotel Alcantara BETTER be central. LOL! I'm sure you can tell me where to catch a Flamenco show too. ;> I hope we can get together when we are there tiki!!!! Thank you, 249 more days to discuss Spain. ;>
