We are just back from a great trip that took in Madrid, Sevilla, Granada and Córdoba and it was great!
Your work trips sound amazing!
Thanks
@Seat0B ! I’ve done MAD and BCN to death (both 2 x in last 2 years alone) and was keen on building a long itinerary to tick off the other cities (1 month in Spain and 1 month ‘working from home’ in BER to improve my budding German!) I’m going back to MAD for Madrid Pride, which I went last year as well (but returning because it was an amazing experience, largest pride in Europe, several districts get closed down in the final 3-4 nights for street parties - including the Mr Gay España paegent with the winners from the 17 regions of Spain facing off in the capital, which is a total hoot - that stretch across different plazas around Gran Via!) Question, did you travel around Spain by Renfe? And did you find it cheaper buying individual tickets or the Renfe pass? That’s what i’m trying to figure out atm and not sure if the Renfe pass restricts your ability to book onto trains at more popular times or whether it is open slather?)
As an aside, doing Berlin a bit differently this time and staying in a (surprisingly cheap even by Berlin standards) medium-term serviced apartment initiative with shared living, rooftop lounging and co-working spaces (
Circus Living Berlin) with ppl who stay there being ppl who are or considering moving to Berlin (min. 28 nights).
I agree with many ppl here re BCN, I really didn’t love it on my first visit back in 2014 but its really grown on me over the years. It doesn’t have that classic European al fresco dining and aperol spritz sipping vibe that you normally get in Med hotspots (which is very strange since there are plenty of beaches). Maybe it’s cos most of the sights tend to be away from the beaches and surrounded by narrow medieval lanes? But museums, nightlife and the beach are big ticket items for me and I quickly overcame my gripe of the overly touristy and constant faint whiff of sewage vibes
But there’s also a general consensus among locals that MAD locals are much nicer to tourists, which you do kind of sense when you’re in BCN. On the flip side, I’ve discovered that BCN is a surprisingly walkable city! (MAD def not)
Oops, just realised you were commenting on my work trips, not my birthday trip ! Ha…yeh, pretty blessed with a job I love that can fund so much travel. But i’ll save the details / stories from those for my first trip reports as a newb! Should be interesting as i’m consolidating all my work accomodation (~80 nights) into Marriott Bonvoy hotels this year and checking out some really nice properties I wouldn’t be able to afford at personal expense.
