Spain in October

[Zohar]

I'll be in Barcelona around Oct. 14-18 and then Madrid 18-22. Will anyone else be there? Also, any tips? I've never been to Spain before. A friend's mom recommended taking a day in Madrid to go to Toledo, is that a good idea?

[Ren]

[s]Hey man, this is a subforum for the September Meetup in specific. I'm going to go ahead and move this to General.[/s]

I guess it was decided to keep all travel threads in here? Hokay.

[Tirobir]

Many signs and displays in Barcelona are in Catalan. If you know some French you can piece things together.

Only tip if you were impressed and only give 1 or maybe 2 Euros.

[robinberghuys]

Tips? Someone I know went to Barcelona with friends and rented scooters. Which is a brilliant idea, because you can go anywhere, anytime. You don't have to depend on the public transport system (which is good, because when I was there, I think they viewed timetables as mere suggestions). They went up Montjuïc without having to hike up there, they went into narrow alleys where cars couldn't go, stuff like that.

Another tip is: read Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It made me want to go back to Barcelona anyway.

As for Madrid: I have no idea.

[robertspol]

Zohar. I used to live in Spain, October is probably the best time of year to go.

Goodluck

[bbctol]

Just got back from Barcelona and Madrid! Advice for Madrid: The Thyssen-Bornemisza is the best museum I've ever been in. Advice for Barcelona: See all the Gaudi you can.

[voiceofreason]

I was in Spain during October, and must say it was a great experience.
Sure heading there again as soon as i can.

VR

[sultan111]

Me and my family are planning on going to Spain in early October but I am concerned that it will be too cold to go swimming.

[virgletati]

Yes, Toledo is a wonderful place to visit if you are near Madrid. It's very medieval (there's even a museum of torture devices used during the Inquisition!), and if you know El Greco you can see the views of the town almost exactly as he painted them four hundred years ago or whenever. They also specialize in lovely gold-on-black artisanal stuff that I love. Also near Madrid (though I haven't been there) is the royal palace El Escorial and also Franco's tomb.

The above advice is great for Barcelona. Ooh! Also near Barcelona is Dali's museum and self-designed mausoleum, which is totally awesome. And since it's a much bigger youth draw than Madrid there's lots of twentysomethings playing around Las Ramblas and that general area that has lots of hostels. I once joined in a pickup soccer game in a random plaza in the rain. But there's about a million interesting things to do and see in Barcelona.

I am going to Barcelona in early September. Too bad! International meetups are the best.