Half the fun...

... is planning the trip. I'm about half way through making reservation for the April-May sojourn in Spain and realized that the process of organizing everything is an absolute joy. I've marked out the itinerary (for the most part and subject to change). Now I'm in the process of creating a sort of guide with pages of things that I are high priorities such as historical sites, museums, restaurants, and so on. Of course, those accidental finds can be the best, and I look forward to them.

At any rate, was wondering if anyone else has fun planning their trips.

44

Oh Yes!! I feel like I have to remind myself to live in the present and not the past (my last trip to Spain) or the future (my next trip to Spain)

What sort of things are you planning Admiral44? Are you traveling alone or with others? (I am making the upcoming trip with my son and hoping he loves it as much as I do)
How long will you be there?

I´m going to France in April/May and will be near to some places i´ve had high on my list ! . I already have my flights booked .. Madrid-London-Toulouse-Madrid .... We´ve hired a beautiful converted stables with a big private pool in the village of Ventenac en Minervois ... 8 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms so plenty of room . It´s also very near a big wine chateau ! And the village lies on the banks of the Canal du Midi .
Perpignan , on the Spanish borders is nearby and , most importantly , the City of Carcassonne with it´s fairytale castle . I speak French better than Spanish so I´m looking forward to this trip !

Hey , teachertraveler8 , I´ve travelled with my mum many times .. normally to Moscow to see my brother , but we have done a few other trips like to Bandol in the South of France ( Totally recommended if you want to see the REAL france ! ) But our ages are more "compatible " now ( she´s 65 and I´m 43 ) . Your son is definitely going to want to do things different to you , right ? 16 years old he´ll have an idea of HIS itinerary ! Hehehehehe . I sometimes go AWOL in Moscow just to do my own thing ...to get away from any organised situation . I prefer travelling alone . Taking photos and diving into "local" places that mum would probably avoid .. Dodgy bars or cafés in dodgy areas .
I hope he´s looking forward to it . He´ll have a great time for sure . Keep checking on the Real Madrid games !!

Hey , teachertraveler8 , I´ve travelled with my mum many times .. normally to Moscow to see my brother , but we have done a few other trips like to Bandol in the South of France ( Totally recommended if you want to see the REAL france ! ) But our ages are more "compatible " now ( she´s 65 and I´m 43 ) . Your son is definitely going to want to do things different to you , right ? 16 years old he´ll have an idea of HIS itinerary ! Hehehehehe . I sometimes go AWOL in Moscow just to do my own thing ...to get away from any organised situation . I prefer travelling alone . Taking photos and diving into "local" places that mum would probably avoid .. Dodgy bars or cafés in dodgy areas .
I hope he´s looking forward to it . He´ll have a great time for sure . Keep checking on the Real Madrid games !!

TeacherTraveler,

I'll be traveling with my wife. We both enjoy visiting Spain very much, so it's a good fit. We'll be spending a few days in Madrid, then setting out for a long drive over the course of a couple of weeks. I'm interested in seeing the Roman ruins in Mérida, several castles, and a the countryside in general. We prefer to stay in the smallest possible hotels, which I've found can be both good and bad. Either way, every time I've visited Spain, I've found it to be fascinating.

One book that I've been reading (again) is H.V. Morton's A Stranger in Spain. I mentioned this book in another post. It's Morton's account of his visits in the mid-1950's. His observations are wry and witty. I'll be using some of his journey to pick points to check out. I'd like to compose a similar book of my own some day.

Safe traveling to all.

44

In april, I'll travel to Venice and Florence. I enjoy planning my trip

Think about picking up a book called " Ghosts of Spain " by Giles Tremlett . He lives near me though we´ve never met . The book is fascinating !

Steve Robinson,

I read Ghosts of Spain. It was a fair take on things in Spain but lacked the kind of zeal that a fellow of Morton's generation is capable of generating.

44

admiral44 , Merida is a great town , and they often stage concerts at the amphitheatre

Speaking of books, Admiral, yours have great reviews on Amazon. I love to read a new author. I hope you will be writing about Spain sometime.

Maybe that´s why I liked the book ( ghosts of Spain ) so much .. that it was more of a modern take on Spain , and Spain´s recent history . I´ve tried , for example , desperately to read Hemingway and I can´t enjoy it . The language is too old. It´s a shame since he loved Spain and Madrid so much !

every time I read that book, I remember the painting of Goya "Duelo a garrotazos":

this is very sad!

If your going to Extremadura at the end of April , its worth stopping off in Trujillo for the feria de queso and there is lot of historical interest stuff there as well.

TeacherTraveler,

I'd like to write a few books about Spain. As mentioned above, a travel-type book along the lines of Morton's A Stranger In Spain. However, I'm more of a novelist. I do have a book sketched out that takes place in 1816 in the vicinity of Gibraltar and the nearby African coast. This involves privateers and pirates more than Spain itself. There are several Spanish characters including an aging Don and his daughter. Nonetheless, there are several other books in line ahead of the above mentioned projects.

Eskimo Joe,

Thanks for the notice on the feria de queso!

Steve Robinson,

I agree with you on the Hemingway observation. Was never a fan of his stuff. Still, the man loved the country.

44

steve, I love that part of France, once stayed in a small village near Carcasonne called Cavenac, the small chateau was gorgeous, good rates, and one of the best meals I have ever had.
If you find a provincial blue and gold tablecloth with lemons, olives and dragonflies, please pick one up for me, as I just destroyed the one I bought there 11 years ago...boo, hoo.... kidding, Have fun!

One day, I want to rent a houseboat and meander down the Midi~