Barcelona Trip 2010

Read all about my 6-Nights Stay in Barcelona HERE on BarcelonaMan's Barcelona Blog!

Things are certainly tuning-up for my 6-night stay in Barcelona, Spain. I leave on Friday on the AVE bullet train from Madrid to Barcelona, lasting a mere 2 hours and 54 minutes. Hope I'll have time to eat my breakfast - included in the Club Class ticket price for the morning trip.

Upon arrival I have to go directly to the Barcelona Tourist Office to pick up my Barcelona Press Card. This is issued to journalists, media, and travel professionals - like me. While the Press Card isn't exactly the key to the city of Barcelona, it will get me in to a number of museums, events, and attractions during my stay.

And I finally secured Barcelona lodging for my last 4 nights as well. Thank goodness. I was really beginning to worry there. One place is towards the top of Las Ramblas and the other is just above the El Raval neighborhood. All three are within, maybe, 12 minutes walk from one another. The first place I'm staying thankfully has free Wi-Fi Internet available but the last two places do not. That's a shame. I'll describe and review the lodging establishments at the end of each 2-night stay.

Apart from attending the Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 Food & Beverage Exposition, I already have scheduled a late-night flamenco show in Barcelona, a "Gourmet Barcelona" walking tour for foods, and a "Gothic Barcelona" walking tour. Oh, and did I mention I'm also making a lunchtime jaunt to beachside Sitges one day? Another daytrip to the Monastery of Montserrat would be great too but that one remains to be seen. I've been there before but would like to go back, this time using public transportation.

Naturally, I'm anxious to return to Barcelona. It's such a beautiful city, totally distinct from Madrid, so very UN-Spanish - and I think that's just the way many Catalanes like it.

Read all about my 6-Nights Stay in Barcelona HERE on BarcelonaMan's Barcelona Blog!

U2 in Barcelona: Concert Tour Begins HERE!

The perennial Irish rock group U2 will play a second concert tonight in Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium, home to the city's FC Barcelona football team.

Tonight's was an add-on show after a sold-out show on June 30, the actual first concert tour date on the 2-year "360-degree" tour schedule. Tonight's U2 concert is also sold-out.

90,000 tickets were quickly sold-out for the first show upon going onsale and the second add-on show, well, also sold out quickly. So much for economic crises, right? Tickets were sold anywhere from 150 Euros to 350 Euros each.

About $100,000,000 was spent on the 31-city world tour but it seems to be money well-spent as U2 concerts typically sell out.

A friend of mine - a member of the U2 Fan Club - had 2 tickets to sell to tonight's concert. HE WAS ONLY ASKING FACE VALUE for them, too! That's 45 Euros each, folks! Why didn't I buy them?!?!?