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Europe Travel Assistance

For those of us heading to Barcelona (you are welcome):

Inspired Gastronomy
Tickets (Avinguda Paral.lel 164) Albert Adria’s superb creative tasting menu; reservations on line one month ahead; up and coming neighborhood
Pakta (C/Lleida, 5. Tel: 93-424-81-52. Online reservations only info@riasdegalicias.com) also by Albert Adrià in Poble Sec artful blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines; drink pisco sour
Comerç 24 (Carrer Commerç, 24. Tel 93 319 21 02)
Saüc (now in the Hotel Ohla Barcelona, Via Laeitana, 49, 34-993-020-927) Also has a Gastronomic Bar opened for breakfast
Alkimia 79 Carrer Industria; 34-93-207-61-15
Igueldo (c/ Rosselló 186, 93-452-25-55) Basque cuisine and incredible selection of wines
Cinq Sentits (c/ Arribau 58, 93-323-9491)
Dos Palillos (C/Elisabets, 9. Tel: 93-304-05-13 next door to Casa Camper) former El Bulli chef de cuisine Albert Raurich,refined Asian tapas and tasting menu
Hisop (9 Passatge Marimon; 93-241-32-33)
Toc (Carrer Girona 59, 93-488-1148) brilliant modern Catalan cuisine with an outpost at the beach (sea below)…can be dull when the chef and his wife aren’t around
Coure Passatge Marimon 20, 932 007 532
Colibri has changed its name to Cesar Pastor, to reflect chef/ownership (Casanova, 212; 93 443 23 06)
Some people would add Hoffman to this list…I find it too old-fashioned


Bistro Catalan Cuisine
Fonda Gaig (c/Corsega 200. tel. 93-453-2020)
Gresca (c/Provença 230. tel. 93-4516193)
Bohemic (C/Manso, 42. Tel: 93-002-94-25) intimate bistro run by young chef with an El Bulli past
Vivanda in Saria, terrace, very local.

Classic Local Cuisine
Señor Parellada c/ Argenteria, 37 Tel.: 93 310 5094
Els Pescadors (Plaça Prim, 1. Tel 93 225 20 18) Expensive, delicious local seafood
El Merendero de la Mari (pl. Pau Vila 1. Tel. 93-221-31-41) relocated beach shack gone upscale
Kaiku (Pl/ del Mar 1, 34-932-219-082) A former beach shack overlooking the marina, great menu del dia in Spanish/Catalan; very limited hours; great for a Sunday lunch
Botafumeiro Gran de Gràcia, 81 very expensive classic Galician seafood house in Gracia
Cal Isidre Flors, 12 and Casa Leopoldo Sant Rafael, 24 both in the Raval
Taverna Can Roca (C/Gran de Sant Andreu, 290. Tel: 93-346-57-01. Easily reached by metro, famous traditional Catalan sit-down breakfasts from 9 a.m


Tapas
Tapaç 24 (c. Diputació 269, 93-488-0977) Open all day; great breakfast and progressively more touristic as the day goes, but quality stuff
Cal Pep (Plaça de les Olles, 8. Tel: 93-310-79-61
Estrella de Plata Pla de Palau 6, (34) 93 268 0635
Quimet I Quimet Poeta Cabanyes, 25 Tel: 934 423 142 Standing room only, in the Poble Sec
Agullers C/ Agullers, 8 Tel: 93 268 03 61
Bar Cañete (c/ de la Unió 17, 93-000-4494) within sight of the Rambla, chef-level tapas with locally sourced ingredients every day from noon to midnight.
Casa Lucio (c/ Vialadomat 59, 34-930-244-401) Deeply deeply traditional; no English spoken
Suculent (Rambla del Raval, 43. Tel: 93-443-65-79) partnership bet. Carles Abellan of Comerç 24 and young chef Toni Romero in spiffed-up tiny ancient eating establishment
Bar Celta (c/ de la Mercè 16, 34-933-150-006) A pulperia that specializes in octopus done in the Galician manner; serves albarino white wine in thick white bowls
Bar Seco Passeij de Montjuic 74 933 296 374

Vermut a gogo (some overlap with above)
Mam I Teca C. Lluna 4 934 413 335
Bodega del Poblet Sardenya 302 93 656 691 186
La Confiteria C. Sant Pau 128 (93 443 04 48) Old-fashioned décor, fun vibes very local
La Vermuteria del Tano C/ Bruniquer, 30
Casa Mariol c/Rosselló 442, tel: +34 93 436 7628 important owner
Bodega 1900 c/Tamarit 91, no phone Albert Adria’s new place
El Xampanyet c/Montcada 22, tel: +34 93 319 7003
Bodega Marín c/Milà i Fontanals 72, tel: +34 93 213 3079
Morro Fi c/Consell de Cent 171 (corner c/Comte Borrell), no phone
Taverna L’Espinaler c/Camí Ral 1, Vilassar de Mar, tel: +34 93 759 1589 accessible by local train


Wine and Cocktail Bars
41 Degree Chic spot attached to Tickets now is “tasting menu” only
Món Vínic (c/ Diputacio 249, 34-932-726-187) chichi and upscale but terrific choices from seven sommeliers
La Vinya del Señor Plaça Santa Maria 5 011-93-310-33-79
Calders Carrer del Parlament, 25 (933 299 349) Gin joint with fashionable crowd
Fun and inexpensive
La Paradeta (c/ Commercial, 12, along the Born Mercat. Tel 93 268 19 30 Fried seafood by the pound; no reservations, cash only
Granja Elena (Passaj Zona Franca 228. Tel. 93-332-0241), an immensely famous bar-cum-breakfast-joint beyond the Plaça d'Espanya
Xemei (Pasg. de l'Expositió 85, 34-935-535-140)fun Venetian restaurant on a steep street just below Monjuic's Greek Theater

For the location/the atmosphere
La Boquería produce market off La Rambla; Quim and Bar Pinoxto
Can Majo strategic location overlooking the manrina; ok paella for a Sunday lunch?
Restaurante Somorrostro C/ de Sant Carles, 11 Cute, cramped young bistro in the Barceloneta away from the tourist drag but disappointing save for the appetizers and the inexpensive wine
Cafè de l'Acadèmia (C/ Lledo, 1. Tel: 93-319-82-53)
L'Orangerie in Gran Hotel La Florida (Ctra. Vallvidrera al Tibidabo, 83-93. Tel 93 259 30 00) Sunday brunch with a view
Las Arenas, historic bullfighting ring transformed into flashy shopping mall with great views of the city; fun food court and casual restaurants a gogo
Casa Delfin Passeig del Born, 36 (Born-Ribera) Sidewalk café with good menu del dia; popular with the locals
BarRaval Hospital, 104 decent menu del dia on the Rambla del Raval
Cafè Salambó Torrijjos, 51 Popular institution in Gràcia, great after a movie on c. Verdi?
Birreria St Moritz Ronda de Sant Antoni 41 Interior by Jean Nouvel
La Cantina de la Marnina Seca Puerto del Forum Menu del dia and yatchmen?

Boutiques Gastronomiques
Jamonísimo (c/ Provença 85, 93-493-08-47)
Vila Viniteca (Carrer dels Agullers, 7. 93-902-327-777
La Botifarrareria Santa Maria (c/ Santa Maria 4, 93-319-91-23)
Can Ravel Aragó, 313 in the Eixample Dret;: cheese and delicacies; also popular at lunch (very expensive) with local toffs

Desserts
Espai Sucre (C/ Princesa, 53. Tel: 93-268-16-30)
Caelum (Palla 8, 93-302-69-93) Everything is made in various convents
Pasteleria Escriba (Gran Via 546. 93-454-75-35 and on the Rambla, near the Boqueria)


Worth the Trip
El Celler de Can Roca in Girona
Restaurant Sant Pau (C/ Nou, 10. in San Pol del Mar Tel: 93-760-0662)
La Cuina de Can Pipes (Barri Canyelles in Mont-Ras, Tel: 972-30-66-77
Toc al Mar Platje Aiguablava, 6, Begur 972 113 232
 
Thoughts on Ireland? We fly into Dublin and will do 2 nights there (plus one at the end). Thinking after that hitting Kilkenny, Cork, Kilarnney, Galway, maybe Dingle. Got 10 nights total.
 
Thoughts on Ireland? We fly into Dublin and will do 2 nights there (plus one at the end). Thinking after that hitting Kilkenny, Cork, Kilarnney, Galway, maybe Dingle. Got 10 nights total.

Ireland is awesome. One of my favorite countries.

In Dublin, you obviously have to do the Guinness Storehouse - the Guinness really does taste 100x better in Ireland. We also did the tour at the Kilmainham Gaol which was interesting, lots of stuff I didn't know about Irish history, the Easter uprising, etc. and the old Jameson Distillery which was ok but nothing special. Trinity College to see the library and the Book of Kells is a good stop too. Dublin is a super walkable city, and most places that are too far to walk can be easily reached by the luas (tram) which is pretty cheap. You could spend days just wandering around and stopping in pubs - my favorite was the Stags' Head.

If you're going to be driving around the country, Blarney Castle is a must-visit. The grounds are beautiful to walk around and of course you have to kiss the Blarney Stone. We spend a night in Kinsale, which is a pretty little seaside town down on the south coast about an hour from Blarney Castle. We did the Cliffs of Moher as well, which were breathtaking. Highly recommended.

One thing to keep in mind if you're driving is that once you get off the main highways, the roads are often VERY narrow. We made it through with only some minor scratches on the rental car, but it was certainly an adventure at times.
 
I've been to Dublin and Cork and my wife has been all over the country -- it's her favorite place. We were going to do Spain this summer then Ireland next but tickets to Spain were very expensive. I read that when booking to Europe nowadays you should focus on a handful of airports to fly into --Frankfurt, Dublin, Milan, Amsterdam--then buy a cheap ticket on Ryanair or something to your destination. I found cheap RTs to Frankfurt while surfing on my phone at work coupled with a $100 RT to Madrid on Lufthansa. I went home to book and the flights to Frankfurt went up like $300. So I found relatively cheap flights to Dublin, but the flights to Spain from there were more expensive, so we're sticking with Ireland.

We will probably hit most things on that list but might skip the Blarney Stone as we've both done it.

Is Limerick worth visiting?
 
When I studied abroad it always blew my mind that I was using a post office will bullet holes in the facade from the revolution years.
 
I've been to Dublin and Cork and my wife has been all over the country -- it's her favorite place. We were going to do Spain this summer then Ireland next but tickets to Spain were very expensive. I read that when booking to Europe nowadays you should focus on a handful of airports to fly into --Frankfurt, Dublin, Milan, Amsterdam--then buy a cheap ticket on Ryanair or something to your destination. I found cheap RTs to Frankfurt while surfing on my phone at work coupled with a $100 RT to Madrid on Lufthansa. I went home to book and the flights to Frankfurt went up like $300. So I found relatively cheap flights to Dublin, but the flights to Spain from there were more expensive, so we're sticking with Ireland.

We will probably hit most things on that list but might skip the Blarney Stone as we've both done it.

Is Limerick worth visiting?

I've always found Skyscanner (http://www.skyscanner.com) to be very good at finding multi-airline flights like the ones you mentioned, especially for Europe. You can also throw in your airport and "anywhere" for a destination and it will show you all the cheapest flights available to you in the world for the dates you selected, which is awesome. I found a super cheap round trip to Toulouse for last weekend doing that, didn't even know it existed.
 
I've always found Skyscanner (http://www.skyscanner.com) to be very good at finding multi-airline flights like the ones you mentioned, especially for Europe. You can also throw in your airport and "anywhere" for a destination and it will show you all the cheapest flights available to you in the world for the dates you selected, which is awesome. I found a super cheap round trip to Toulouse for last weekend doing that, didn't even know it existed.

yeah i got turned on to it when I studied abroad in Spain in 2006. I think it predates Kayak, plus it includes the cheap Euro airlines.
 
Galway was my favorite place in Ireland (with a day trip to the cliffs). There is a horserace in Galway around the end of July/early August. I also enjoyed Belfast a bunch too. My brother and I just took the bus (Bus Eire?) around Ireland for 2 weeks in 2009.

Seriously, just stay in Galway as much as possible.
 
Galway is last stop on the itinerary. Thinking:

Dublin 2 nights
Kilkenny 1 night
Cork 2
Kilarnney 2
Galway 2
Dublin 1
 
I can only speak to Dublin, Cork, and Galway on that itinerary. There was a really good burger place in Cork, Gourmet Burger Bistro I think based on a quick google search. Cork was (too) quiet in the summer though, but we only stayed there one night.
 
Someone bumped this so I'll respond! We ended up doing Sorrento --> Rome --> Siena --> Florence --> Venice. Fantastic restaurants in Sorrento and Siena, I'll recommend some to anyone who wants to know. Hotels as well, but we were living kind of large.

We're doing Marrakech --> Portugal --> London (ending there to visit friends mostly) next Labor Day, so I'll probably try to find this thread again, if I even remember.

Headed to Sorrento and Florence for honeymoon in a couple of weeks. Care to share the restaurants you recommend?
 
Galway was my favorite place in Ireland (with a day trip to the cliffs). There is a horserace in Galway around the end of July/early August. I also enjoyed Belfast a bunch too. My brother and I just took the bus (Bus Eire?) around Ireland for 2 weeks in 2009.

Seriously, just stay in Galway as much as possible.

TITCR
 
My friend is going to Germany (Stuttgart) for work for ~8-9 months or so and I was trying to figure out what to do if/when I visit, plane tickets, etc. He gets a good amount of vacation so we could travel around the area together or I could split off for a day here or there. I was trying to figure some stuff out on my own, but help/advice is always welcomed.

-I was trying to list out places to go and there's so many options. The Alps look so gorgeous between Switzerland and Innsbruck-ish area but I don't know the best places to focus on. There's also Austria and Czech Republic and of course the rest of Germany
-Nuremburg doesn't look too far, we can always go to Munich (and from there, just a little further to Salzberg), but exploring Switzerland or the northeast portion of France (Alsace) seems like a decent option as well. Switzerland and the Alps has always intrigued me, but something is going to have to get cut if I'm only staying for a week/week and a half. Stretching it to northern Italy seems like a little much.-I can't figure out if I want to fly directly to Stuttgart, meet my friend in another city, or some other alternative. Between all of the airports in the DC/Philly/NYC area and in that area of Germany/Switzerland, there's a lot of options. Regardless, nothing I've found so far is relatively cheap. I am debating taking advantage of Tuesday/Wednesday cheaper flights on at least one end.
-Stuttgart seems to have a few decent areas, has the Mercedez-Benz and Porsche museums, but I don't really have any other knowledge of the area.

My friend knows enough German to get by, and I figure he'll be pretty fluent by the time I get over there. Other than that, I don't know where to start. In previous vacations I've always focused on one place, and while I've always imagined the vacation hopping around a couple places for a few days each, I'm hitting a wall trying to figure out an itinerary.
 
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