Please join our online Travel Group meetings! We welcome newcomers and travelers from around the globe.
We started when our local travel meetup group went online in 2020. Now we're a group of travelers from across the US and beyond who love to swap stories about our travels.
WHERE: online
WHEN: Saturday, December 14 @ 11am-1pm Pacific
Please RSVP on this thread if you'd like to join us. I will send the meeting link via private forum message a few days prior to the meeting.
TRAVEL TOPICs for Dec 14:
We'll hear from travelers recently back from Spain. Jean and Christine wlil share photos from their 2024 trips. And, time permitting, we'll hear from dlindstrom about some picturesque villages in the north of Spain.
Join us and ask questions or just share your own stories of travels in Spain!
(I'm posting this early due to my own travels.)
FUTURE ONLINE MEETINGS: 2nd Saturdays, except as noted
Jan 11, 2025 11am PT - 1pm PT
Destination topic: Italy with Jean!!
Discussion topic: traveling in Italy as compared to Spain
Feb 8, 2025 11am - 1pm PT
Destination topic 1: Paris with avirosemail
Destination topic 2: OPEN
Mar 8, 2025 11am - 1pm PT
Destination Topic 1: Spain, after a couple of people are back from their trips!
(April - no meeting)
May 10, 2025 11am - 1pm PT
Destination topic 1: Japan with Barbara!
Destination or discussion topic 2: choice of destinations from TexasTravelMom (TBD)
Jun 14, 2025 11am - 1pm PT
Destination topic 1: Albania with Carol (to be confirmed by her)
Destination topic 2: Greece/Albania/N Macedonia trip with CWsocial
(July - no meeting)
Aug 9, 2025 11am - 1pm PT
Destination topic 1: OPEN
Destination topic 2: OPEN
CWSocial, I would love to join the Spain meeting, if possible! I will be heading back to Spain in a few months, so this is very timely. My husband & I loved our time earlier this year (February) in Spain at Malaga, Estepona, Cadiz, Sevilla & Madrid in case there’s questions about those cities.
Would love to join discussion.
Just returned from Barcelona, my first time. Took a cruise from Barcelona, my 9th cruise.
I would love to join, but I’ll be traveling. The same reason I missed the last one. I’m sorry I’ll be missing it.
Would like to attend - thanks.
yes please, very much!
Since bostonphil7 had such a good time this time, I'd love to hear what she has to say!
As things stand, I can make this one! Hurrah!
I'm so glad there will be lots of different Spain experiences to hear about and people to ask questions of!
I'll send the meeting link much closer to the date.... after I'm back from Spain!
I would like to join, can’t wait to hear about your trip CW! I head to Andalucia in February.
I’d like to join.
I should be able to join as will be recovering from a knee surgery.
Having walked through Spain on several Caminos, I can talk about some of the less visited towns on this forum - Burgos, Leon, Astorga, as well as the famous Pamplona and Santiago and tons of smaller towns in between - Fromista, Castrojeriz, Estella, Padron, etc.
Oh no, that date is no good for me. I do love Spain and wanted to hear about your trip. Have a fun meeting.
Ms Jo, fabulous that you can join us to share thoughts on smaller towns.
Well, at least we'll have some Barbara representation!
Tammy, I've never pre-booked so many dinners and activities. Partly because I'm on a shorter timeline, with only 2.5 weeks for this trip - squished in between Halloween at home (200+ trick or treaters) and Thanksgiving in Denver. And maybe I just got into the swing of it, after needing to book the Alhambra and a couple of other high demand sights. Ok, and I did book up several Flamenco evenings, just because!!
I like hearing diverse perspectives on Spain travel.
My perspective after 2 nights in Cordoba, with great food at Regadera, breakfast in the flowery and tranquil Balcon de Córdoba courtyard, music and dancing in the streets on Saturday night, an equestrian flamenco show (thanks Christine) and colorful pottery and patios, what's not to love!!
And in case I thought I'd "seen everything" - including amazing mosques and cathedrals - the Mezquita Cathedral is a new level of incredible.
Christine, I get it!
ETA: a foot of new snow in my second home of Denver adds to the contrast. Farrah is in her own snowy heaven.
CWSocial, So glad you love Cordoba as much as I do! Truly a magical place!
I'm back from Spain now and happy to report on a few places that Rick doesn't cover in his guidebook such as Cádiz, Zaragoza and Teruel.
I'm really looking forward to this meeting!
Hi CWsocial, please count me in.
dlindstrom, perfect, glad you'll join!
Tammy, my tip for the day is to bring lots of phone battery to the Alhambra for the audio guide. I'm 3 hours in to my visit and nowhere near finished. I already charged my phone once. I have just stopped for lunch (onsite cafeteria) and found a plug and am charging my power bank, so I'll be set!
CWsocial, glad to hear you’re enjoying Cordoba! I am going back in February to all repeat places, except Marbella is new, and spending three nights in Cordoba this time. I would love to add Cadiz again to this itinerary, but I don’t have time since I already have other ones I don’t want to miss: Sevilla, Estepona & Malaga (Carnaval dates).
Jean, I did love Córdoba. And now Granada as well, though I've only been here a day. I look forward to hearing about the other towns you liked. I can never have too many travel ideas and I love the blend of cultures in this area.
Hola!
Just back from the Rick Steves Andalusia tour and hoping to join this online meeting to share and compare experiences.
Lynn
We are interested in the December 14th meeting about Spain. We are planning on a trip in April.
lynn3374 and Tom, glad you'll both make it!
My last couple of nights in Sevilla...can't wait to swap stories!!
CW-check, bring extra power for phone in Alahambra!
Sounds interesting and I would love to hear what others have to say!
I'd love to join you all. I've been to Andalucia for 2 weeks or more 3 times and rented a car twice. I've also been to Barcelona multiple times, Madrid and Valencia.
SharYn and Chani, marvelous! I'm looking forward to hearing from everyone and learning about new places to visit!
I just posted my Trip Report, a bit of a compilation of all the disjointed messages I sent to Tammy while I was traveling:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/november-getaway-in-andalusia
If anyone wants to bring a few favorite Spain photos, you are welcome. I've shown enough, so I'll let someone else share!
Can't wait to hear from everyone about Spain, Spain and more places to go back to in Spain!
Christine, I want to see more pictures and hear about some of the places you went!
GREAT, so look forward to hearing more about travel to Spain!
”If anyone wants to bring a few favorite Spain photos, you are welcome. I've shown enough, so I'll let someone else share!”
I can prepare a couple from both Estepona & Cadiz. Otherwise, our photos are mostly of the main locations people visit.
CWSocial, I'd love to join and learn more about Spain, as I've never been. Gracias!
Jean, I've never been to either of those and would love to see photos!
I'm happy to share a few photos from my recent trip to Spain.
Christine, that would be terrific, thanks!
I’d like to join if you still have room. I’ll be in the north of Spain in September and am looking for some place to add days post tour.
If small picturesque villages of the North are of interest, I could share some photos too.
@Jean, saw your post in CW's trip report. Have you thought of visiting the northern part of Spain?
Maybe this could be some incentive: "Is the best ice cream shop of Spain in Logroño?" Sorry it is in Spanish, but it is an article about Fernando Sáenz, known as the Cold Chef. He has won many prizes for his cold creations. He has an ice cream shop in Logroño. "Shade of the Fig Tree" is probably the most famous flavor, but my favorite is the roasted pineapple.
Plenty of room, Diane!
I'm thinking of questions to ask some of our travelers... feel free to post any questions here, or just ask during the meeting.
I'm interested in knowing about the Carnaval in Cadiz. It sounds fun, and I'd much rather go to something like that in a smaller town. (I don't love crowds, but enjoyed a smaller Oktoberfest in Erfurt.)
ETA: reading about it, the Caraval in Cadiz may not be small at all!
@dlindstrom, I haven’t been further north than Madrid for Spain. More possibilities! I travel by train or bus, so sometimes that limits some of the practical cities to visit. The ice cream sounds wonderful!
”I'm interested in knowing about the Carnaval in Cadiz. It sounds fun, and I'd much rather go to something like that in a smaller town.”
I’m not sure of the comparison, but I will be attending the Malaga Carnaval next February. They were setting up for it when my husband & I were there last February. I’m definitely not a fan of crowds when it keeps me from being able to see something or it causes a long line to enter an activity. ….or when I look around and feel like I am in a crowd of American tourists. But, even though the Carnaval in Cadiz was definitely crowded at times, we were able to see & participate in everything we wanted to do that week. Plus, it was easy to take a break by just walking to a different street or area during the day. And the crowd felt Spanish, not touristy.
I wondered if you'd like to see the few ceramics I bought in Sevilla, 45 years ago? Because we biked around Andalusia for 2 weeks, I must have bought them at the end of the trip. How I LOVED those tiled entryways in Sevilla & Cordoba...
If small picturesque villages of the North are of interest, I could share some photos too.
Definitely of interest, dlindstrom!
Now, I often get myself into trouble when I get excited about a topic and schedule too many people to share pictures. So, we may have to see how we are on time during the meeting to see what we can fit in. If not this meeting, I'm up for scheduling another one about Spain!
Good info on the Cadiz Carnaval, thanks Jean!
I will be attending the Malaga Carnaval next February.
Oh, that will be fun to hear about! If you and Tammy are both back from your trips, perhaps we can talk about Spain again in March.
I wondered if you'd like to see the few ceramics I bought in Sevilla, 45 years ago?
Of course! Were you thinking of bringing them to an in person meeting? Or a photo for online? You've reminded me of something that I should add to my trip report ....
I will just have them handy for the December 14th online meeting, I noticed they're sadly starting to get some small chips in them.
I noticed they're sadly starting to get some small chips in them.
I once read a piece about the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, which "embodies the idea of finding beauty in brokenness and valuing the history of an object, rather than hiding damage."
When I broke a corner of one of my 2 flower vases from Amsterdam, I tried to remember that philosophy. I didn't go so far as to highlight the cracks with gold powder, "essentially making the repaired item even more beautiful by embracing its imperfections." But as I think about it, perhaps I should pick up some gold paint ....
Please bring them to show us!!
or put some sizing in the crack and use gold leaf!!
I have sent the meeting link to everyone who expressed interest above. If you haven't received it, my repetitive process failed - please let me know and I will hook you up!
To anyone who has not attended this meeting, please check your forum messages for the setup instructions and follow those prior to the meeting.
There is still room for anyone else who would like to join - whether that's to get ideas for an upcoming trip or reminisce with other travelers about a past trip to Spain. Everyone is welcome!
I didn't go so far as to highlight the cracks with gold powder,
"essentially making the repaired item even more beautiful by embracing
its imperfections."
I saw this a lot while living in Japan, it's beautiful when done correctly. Then again, I still think they did it because they cracked something valuable! I'm just going to enjoy the pottery as is....
If there’s still room, it looks like I will be able to attend.
Plenty of room, glad you can make it!!
CWsocial, is it possible for us to share our cities starting from the south and working towards the north? I want to join your meeting as long as possible Saturday but am also hosting our neighborhood Christmas party at my home that day. I may need to drop 30 minutes early in order to start some dough.
Oh my, Jean - you have a busy day! Yes, of course. I think it will be nice to have you share your pictures first, which will also help kick of questions and discussions.
And can you bring some of whatever yummy treat you're making to share with us all? ;-)
CWsocial, my Christmas appetizers won’t be ready that morning - LOL!, But I did insert a photo of that amazing gelato in Cadiz into the quick picture set for Saturday.
Oh yes, gelato photos will do nicely! ;-)
I also included a photo in my Spain slide show of that amazing gelato in Cádiz that Jean recommended! Loved it!
I can't see a non crazy way to fit Spain into my 2025 plans, but Cadiz is on the list for my next trip - and the only reason I currently know to go there is to eat amazing gelato!!
I'm sure you'll both straighten me out about other reasons to go!!
CWsocial, this opens up a whole new idea of a gelato journey photo set through southern Spain and just skip the set I was going to show you! LOL!
Jean, absolutely, I could base an entire trip around a gelato journey! Delish!!
Everyone, your meeting link may act differently than you are used to, with a "redirect" to the actual link. It is just fine, perfectly safe, nothing to worry about. If you like, you can delete everything preceding the start of the actual Berkeley link. And if that doesn't mean anything to you, don't worry about that either.
Just click on the link and if it brings up a redirect page, follow it. It's not a scam link!!
uh oh - tech specialist on the loose! Quick - hide the Oreos!
Don't worry about the Oreos, there's gelato!
I missed this thread while I was traveling.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/things-to-do-and-see-in-portimao-and-cadiz-spain
Càdiz has gelato and Flamenco. That's it, I have my Càdiz itinerary! :-)
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow and talking about Spain! There is still space if anyone would like to join.
I will open the meeting about 15 minutes ahead so that you can test your audio, video and photo sharing if you wish.
CWSocial, I’d like to attend. Thanks.
I would like to attend as well, thank you!
Valerie and mln, I've just sent you each a message with the meeting link. See you online tomorrow!
EVERYONE PLEASE IGNORE THIS INSTRUCTION AND JUST USE THE LINK AS I SENT IT TO YOU
Valerie and mln, I have sent you the original version of the link, which should be easier to use.
IGNORE: ...your link will act differently tomorrow.
If you're tech-minded, you can strip off the Google portion of the link up until the start of the 2nd "https" portion.
If that doesn't mean anything to you, then use the link "as is" and follow the redirect link when you see it. It is not a scam. It won't steal your travel funds from your bank account ;-)
Last call to join us in Spain! I will check this thread until 30 minutes prior to the meeting.
Don't fear the link. See you all soon!
EVERYONE, it's actually easier if you just click on the entire, original link that I sent you, as is, including the "google" part at the front. Otherwise, it will ask you for a passcode.
Valerie and mln, I am going to send you the original link version.
Greetings forum friends,
We are going to Andalucia in February, 2025 (coming up really quick) and I have booked my train tickets from Seville to Cordoba and from Cordoba to Granada. However, there are a couple of things I need help with. We would prefer not to rent a car, but will as a last resort. It's not the driving we mind, it's the parking!
Logistics problem 1-We arrive in Malaga on February 19th in the late afternoon and need to get to El Chorro after we land at the Malaga airport. We have reservations to overnight at Complejo Turístico La Garganta because the following morning we plan to do the Caminito del Rey hike (already have my tickets). I'm thinking we may need to do a private transfer because we don't want to wait around for a train or bus after over 30 hours of flying. Likewise, we don't want to rent a car.
Logistics problem 2-Then, after we are done with our hike we need to go straight to Seville. I know there is a train station in El Chorro, but don't see any train times on Renfre or Trainline. Help.
Logistics problem 3-After our stay in Granada we need to get to Ronda. Bus, train??? Again, I don't see a train when I look at the website.
Logistics problem 4-After our two night stay in Ronda, we need to get back to Malaga to overnight before our early morning departure on March 6th.
Any help or advise is appreciated. I do think we may need to pay the big bucks for some private transfers, but open to any and all suggestions. TIA!
Great stories and photos in the meeting today!
Thanks everyone who contributed!
It's always especially cool when we see the same locales from more than one perspective.
And more than one white-balance setting on your cameras/phones too "-P
Tammy, I remember this thread when I was planning my trip:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/2-lovely-weeks-in-spain
"I booked airport transfers via Suntransfers. I’ve used them before in Spain and find them to be reliable and economical. Highly recommend."
Is it possible train times just aren't posted yet? Can you see your journeys for, say, January dates?
It's also possible they will be posted after the mid December (usually around Dec 14) train schedule updates that happen every year in some markets.
I'm guessing....
Everyone - I've updated the "Destination topics" for some of the upcoming meetings, based on trips all have taken or will be taking.
January - Jean will share some of her travels to Italy. I have room for 1 more photo presenter.
February - our destination is open for nominations
March - we will return to Spain, after Jean and Tammy will be back from their winter trips
May - I will be back from Greece/Albania/N Macedonia and can share highlights. I have room for 1 more destination, either in that region or not.
Beyond that is also open. Please feel free to nominate a destination topic based on somewhere you would like to share (with or without photos) or somewhere you would like to hear from others about.
Tammy,
The train from El Chorro to Seville, for instance is currently on the RENFE system up until 13 February- exactly two months time, so should appear for your date (the following week) on Friday or Saturday of next week, The same applies for your other journeys- see your other thread on this subject.
If they aren't in the system (which they aren't) then no-one can buy the fares.
I nominate Carol to add to your May topic.
Oh, Carol, are you around to share a travel destination with us in May?
Thanks, CW, and thanks to everyone who contributed today.
I got lots of good notes today for places to add to my next Spain itinerary and things to do one there. Thank you everyone for sharing your trips!
I am thinking of my first trip to Paris maybe in the Spring.
I would love to hear members talk about Paris and see pictures.
And what about Japan? May be doing a cruise around Japan one of these days.
Enjoyed the discussion.
Left a bit early because I felt a need to lie down.Thought that I could do it while listening but it did not work.
In the feed, I recommended "A Red Virgin" on Amazon Prime. True story of Hildebrand around The Spanish Revolution. Think it took place in Madrid.
Very haunting story.
Thanks for organizing a great meeting. Sorry I had to leave early, my bed was calling me. Urgently.
I forgot to add that I have taken trains in Spain on more than one occasion, going from Santiago to Madrid, from Palencia to Astorga, and from a town 45 min. outside of Barcelona into Barcelona. Have used the buses extensively and they are lovely to use, if that is an option for you.
Thank you Stuart for that train information. I will keep checking the trains. I’m just impatient and want to have everything planned and booked.
Hey Jean -- where's the lodging info for Cadiz and Estepona?
Avirosemail & all,
I’m finished with my neighborhood holiday party and relaxing now with my feet up! Here’s the info requested. I added the lodging we used for the other cities, too, in case you’re interested. All of these except the Madrid repeat were reserved through Booking.com.
Lodging
Malaga - Malaga Soho Boutique Colon Hotel
Estepona - Hanami Avenida de Espana Sea Front
Cadiz - Skyline 10th floor Penthouse on Avenida del Puerto. This is that amazing penthouse in Cadiz that I showed in the photos this morning. The owners were very nice & quick to respond when I asked a question about the hot water heater…and also sent a WhatsApp the next morning to make sure all was fine - very nice & caring!
Sevilla - Las Casas de El Arenal. I will be staying here again next February.
Madrid - Hostal Central Palace Madrid. This is the beautiful hotel room in the tiny hotel I showed you this morning with the amazing view over the royal palace.
Cadiz Gelato Shop!
It was nice meeting everyone, thanks for having me.
lovely to meet new faces, and the presentations were great. Sorry I had to duck out
Thanks everyone, especially CWS, for organizing a wonderful meeting & keeping us on track! Jean, really great to put a face to a name & appreciated all the local knowledge from Dlindstrom, thanks again!
It seems some people were interested in the places I had mentioned.
Two cities that are easy to get to and are worth the visit are Burgos and Zaragoza, as others have said.
I believed I mentioned a trip I took July 2-4 (by car). Briefly:
Day 1: Logroño to Soria. Visited Monasterio de San Juan de Duero and had lunch in Soria. After lunch we stopped at the castle of Calatañazor and then on to Burgo de Osma. We visited the cathedral and we were the only ones there.
Day 2: We left early, got so coffee and pastries to go and had breakfast at the castle of Ucero. From Ucero we went to the monastery of Silos. Here there were a few other tourists. Next we moved on to the Sad Hill Cemetery, which was in the Good The Bad and The Ugly. We tried to visit another place where they filmed but it was close for lunch, so we made a picnic there. After eating we went to Covarrubias. This is where we had drinks in the bar that closed. We finished the day getting to Burgos in time to visit La Cartuja Santa Maria de Miraflores. I really love this place, very beautiful and peaceful.
Day 3; Visit the Cathedral and then up to Bilbao for lunch and my friends took a plane home.
I am a big fan of the "Emptied Spain". There is a large part of north central Spain that is almost empty. There are parts that have a population density lower than Lappland in Finland. Teruel is kind of right in the middle of it, and Soria is also part of it. There are many little villages and town that have lots of historical little churchs and fortifications. In the province of Zaragoza there is an area called the Cinco Villas, and it is full of little towns and Roman ruins that do not receive many tourist.
To the best of my ability, I'm happy try and answer any questions about these places or other ones in the north.
CWSocial: sorry for the delay in responding. I think we will be home. We’re leaving on May 13 if all goes according to plan so I think I can talk about our Albania trip.
Also, thanks to everyone who gave presentations and shared ideas and experiences. And thanks, CW, for the map. It was great to see the location of the towns!
I’ve thought more about May 10 and it might be too close to our departure date. Can I let you know later?
So sorry I issued this month’s meeting. From what I am reading it sounded like a lively discussion.
I’ll be back from 3 weeks in Japan early April if anyone wants to hear about it in May (if Carol is too busy).
Thank you, Jean, for your hotels, all of which I've added to my hotel research notes. Thank you for giving me new reasons to visit Cadiz, beyond gelato. Although I do plan to find that little van!
dlindstrom, thank you for your 3 day car itinerary and comments about lesser known areas to research for a future visit in Spain.
And thanks to Christine for sharing your recent trip - the photos were lovely!
My "next visit" notes for Spain are very compelling, thank you all for sharing your trips, your trip photos and your experiences!
Carol, I will barely be back from my trip (Greece, Albania, N Macedonia) as well. I'm going to switch that topic to June.
ETA: I just re-read your comment that you're departing again on May 13th. If your return from that trip is too close for the June meeting, let me know. Goodness, where are you off to in June?
Barbara, I will put you down for sharing your Japan trip at the May meeting, thank you!
CWsocial Thank you for hosting and sharing the Spain map during my presentation. I think it is really helpful for people to see the locations on a map.
Great meeting everyone!
Let me know if you want any additional time on Japan in May. I might be going places Barbara isn’t. Or New Zealand - I will be there 5 weeks. August works for me also, but not sure about any other months yet.
We are going to Japan this month and may also be able to share some different sights and experiences. Not sure when, though.
