Feb 14th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Centrally located on Gran Via, Hotel Catalonia Gaudi offers inexpensive comfort and convenience in Madrid. Long a favorite of business travelers, tourists will also enjoy its spacious rooms, large private balconies and proximity to local attractions.
The rooms are large enough for two people to have plenty of elbow room. Request one with a view if you want some outdoor space. The walls on the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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Hotel Gaudi a comfortable bargain
Feb 14th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Centrally located on Gran Via, Hotel Catalonia Gaudi offers inexpensive comfort and convenience in Madrid. Long a favorite of business travelers, tourists will also enjoy its spacious rooms, large private balconies and proximity to local attractions.
The rooms are large enough for two people to have plenty of elbow room. Request one with a view if you want some outdoor space. The walls on the ...Gadling Take FIVE: February 7 --February 13
Feb 13th, 2009 at 7:30PM: We heard Tynan was coming back to blog on Gadling, and sure enough, this week he began his series Life Nomadic about living no where in particular, but where everywhere is filled with possibilities.
This week boasted a few more tales of amazing feats.
One of them was Richard Donovan's marathon spree of around the world travel-- literally. For anyone who wonders if you'll ever get in shape by ...Travel sans visa coming for European, Caribbean, Mauritius, and Seychelles nationals
Feb 13th, 2009 at 2:00PM: A mutual agreement allowing Europeans, nationals from four Caribbean countries, and citizens of two island nations in the Indian Ocean is expected to be passed and approved by the end of March, which will allow for hassle-free and smoother travel. If you hold a passport from any of the following countries, it means you're that much more free to travel between those listed sans visa: Austria, ...A&K does the unimaginable
Feb 12th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent is getting ready to surprise you. On February 19, 2009, it will celebrate its newly redesigned website with an unusual discount program. Starting at 9 AM (CST), a savings of 5 percent will be offered on each of five itineraries. Every half hour, another 5 percent will be cut from the price. By 3 PM, the discount will reach its final level of 60 percent ...Enter Madrid's red light district
Feb 11th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Just north of Gran Via, you'll find all the leather, sex toys adult novelty items, prostitutes and hook-up bars you'll need – whether you're in Madrid for a few hours or several months. For wholesome distraction, however, look elsewhere. The narrow streets and tight alleys can frustrate navigation and make a sketchy space feel even more confined. A mere two blocks from my hotel, I found an ...From London to Timbuktu in a Flying Car
Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:00PM: British adventurer Neil Laughton will begin a unique odyssey tomorrow. The former special forces officer will depart from London on his way to Timbuktu, located in the African country of Mali, and while a journey like this one is interesting in and of itself, it is Laughton's mode of transportation that really sets it apart. Laughton will be traveling in a specially designed dune buggy dubbed the ...Europe books it more online
Jan 9th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Online travel searches may be down, but online bookings are up (at least in Europe). At the end of 2008, 29 percent of Europe's €246 billion travel industry happened in that strange place called the "internet." Traditional bookings are expected to inch higher by 3 percent, providing just a tad more proof that the action's on the web. PhoCusWright uncovered this and other travel tidbits in a ...Find an alternative to a hotel room
Jan 5th, 2009 at 3:00PM: You can find a warm bed ... and four normal walls ... in just about any hotel room. So, if you're looking to defy convention every step of the way, opt for a yurt, treehouse or prison, instead. Unusual Hotels of the World (the name explains everything) says that you can crash in an igloo anywhere from Finland to Quebec, but be sure to bring a coat. Or, you can climb into bed after climbing into a ...Eggnog: Where does it come from?
Dec 26th, 2008 at 5:00PM: I've long been a fan of spiced 'nog. It's one of the creamiest, best tastes in the world. For over 300 years, eggnog has been a Christmas staple, and I just had to get to the bottom of the mystery of 'why'? What I discovered in my research of the origin of eggnog was quite startling. While 'nog definitely came from Europe circa early 17th century, the term "eggnog" and the etymology of the word is ...Need New Year's Eve ideas? Crash some plates!
Dec 20th, 2008 at 5:00PM: I assure you that when the ball drops on the last day of 2008, I will not be in Times Square. I will be nowhere near Times Square. So, unless you like the thought of being shoulder-to-shoulder with people you've never met while freezing and lamenting the lack of public bathrooms in that part of town, take a look at some of the choices you have this year. Chomp twelve grapes in Spain Think of it ...Obscure Holiday in the US is a Big Deal in Spain
Oct 7th, 2008 at 1:30PM: Try to keep your excitement under control: Columbus Day is coming. While post office employees and history buffs have been waiting, this holiday will pass unnoticed for most people. That is, unless they try to go to the post office or local library, most of which will be closed in memory of Christopher Columbus, first white guy to set foot in the Americas (sorry Leif Ericson, but you didn't write ...Learn a new language, and the Silbo Gomero
Sep 28th, 2008 at 10:30AM: I recently had the opportunity of meeting the co-founder of a new language-learning website called "Busuu". Busuu is a language on the verge of extinction; apparently today it's spoken by only 8 people in Cameroon. Other than that cool snippet of information, I didn't pay much attention to the website until I got an email saying that it will teach you how to do the whistle "Gomero", i.e. the Silbo ...Photo of the Day (08.26.08)
Aug 26th, 2008 at 4:00PM:
Mallorca. This island situated some 250km of the southern coast of Spain is the largest of the Balearic Islands and home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. You may have heard of the Mediterranean party capital Ibiza? This is right next door. I've been tossing around the idea of crashing in Palma, the capital of the Mallorca (and of the entire archipelago) for Thanksgiving this year ...Breaking News: 147 People killed in Madrid plane crash
Aug 20th, 2008 at 2:15PM: A Spanair plane bound for the Canary Islands from Madrid caught fire after skidding off the runway killing 147 people; 173 were on board -- 26 are known to have survived. The plane was delayed for an hour because of technical reasons and when it finally tried to take-off from Terminal 4 of Barajas International Airport, it hardly got off the ground before it swerved off the runway as its engine ...Collapsed lung, ruptured spleen, broken ribs and other injuries of bull-runners
Jul 7th, 2008 at 2:00PM: As Abha already mentioned in one of her posts, the 9-day bull-running festival in Pamplona, Northern Spain, started today. BBC reports that today's run only took 4 minutes and claimed thirteen injured people. Although the injuries were mostly cuts and bruises suffered by people falling over or getting trampled by one of the six bulls set loose, some more serious injuries were reported. One man ...Photo of the Day (06/02/08)
Jun 5th, 2008 at 9:30AM: Today's Photo of the Day comes from Flickr user tysonwilliams.com. He calls it: "Chimneys, Casa Milà, Barcelona, Spain" and after researching a bit, I discovered that it's a Gaudi designed building that is now a World Heritage site and it's obviously most famous for the quite spectacular roof and chimneys. I'm not sure if he used a filter, or if he warmed it up digitally, but either way, ...Photo of the Day (04.29.2008)
Apr 29th, 2008 at 8:10AM: My first few hours in Barcelona went like this: Wandering around with an outrageously heavy pack on my back, a battered lonely planet in my hands, and a confused look on my face. I was lost, more lost than I think I've ever been. I have a natural sense of direction and a knack for reading maps and yet I still couldn't figure the place out. The city is a maze of busy streets, teeny alleys and ...Where on Earth week 53: Toledo, Spain
Apr 11th, 2008 at 9:00AM: Well done Peter, Craig, Carlos A, GirlsGottaTravel, and Frank who even knew its Latin name (Toletum). In hindsight, I suppose my description was actually a dead giveaway. Oh well. Located 70km from Madrid, it used to be the capital of the Spanish Empire. Architecturally it is beautiful -- this photo does not do it justice. In 1986 it was declared a World Heritage Site for its extensive cultural ...Spain to "dance the chiki chiki" at Eurovision 2008
Mar 18th, 2008 at 8:40AM: What's a country to do when two million residents vote for a man who calls himself Rodolfo Chikilicuatre and looks like an exaggerated (not to mention distorted) version of Elvis, to represent their country in this year's Eurovision? Although condemned by the press, there is nothing that can be done but laugh and join in the "chiki chiki"! Eurovision is one of the longest running television ...Jellyfish to plague Spain this summer
Mar 6th, 2008 at 3:05PM: Of all the various creatures invading the coast of Spain (including pensioners from Northern Europe), jellyfish are perhaps the least welcome. For a bunch of brainless little, made-up-mostly-of-water suckers, they could be a real pain (the jellyfish, not the pensioners).
The Guardian reports that in November, scientists at the Barcelona-based Institute of Marine Sciences began studying the life ...
