Anticipation

Half the fun of traveling is in the planning and researching. By the time we were ready to leave for Spain, I'd booked twelve train journeys, ten different hotels, a long distance bus trip and a car rental. When I was young, I'd travel by the skin of my teeth, knocking on doors of B&B's each night, hoping there was room in the inn and never sure of where we'd end up next. That's not the way I do it now and here's our itinerary for the next twenty days.,

08/10/10 - Friday Lv Vancouver/Denver/Newark/Madrid
09/10/10 - Saturday Arr Madrid / Rafaelhoteles Atocha
10/10/10 - Sunday Madrid / Segovia day trip / Train – Renfe El Rastro; Madrid Segovia return; AVE train; 27 min each way / Rafaelhoteles Atocha
11/10/10 - Monday Madrid / Toledo day trip Train – Renfe Madrid Toledo return; AVE train; 30 min each way / Rafaelhoteles Atocha
12/10/10 - Tuesday Madrid / El Prado – National holiday so admission is free / Rafaelhoteles Atocha
13/10/10 - Wednesday Granada / Train – Renfe Madrid to Granada 425km; 4.5 hrs by train / Abadia Hotel
14/10/10 - Thursday Granada / Alhambra booked for 2pm; 20 Euro total / Abadia Hotel
15/10/10 - Friday Seville / Train Granada to Seville - 3 hrs / Hotel Dona Maria
16/10/10 - Saturday Seville / Cordoba day trip / Train – Renfe Seville Cordoba return - 1 hr 15 min each way by train / Hotel Dona Maria
17/10/10 - Sunday Seville / Hotel Dona Maria
18/10/10 Monday Madrid / Train – Renfe Seville to Madrid; 2 hrs 20 min / Gran Melia Fenix
19/10/10 - Tuesday Salamanca / Train Madrid to Salamanca – from Chamartin station Madrid / Hostal Concejo
20/10/10 - Wednesday Bilbao / Train – Renfe Train from Salamance to Bilbao 6 hrs 2 min / Hotel Zabalburu
21/10/10 - Thursday Bilbao / Hotel Zabalburu
22/10/10 - Friday San Sebastian / Car Bilbao/Zaragoza Europcar Rental car from Bilbao Train Stn pickup 9am / Hotel Gudamendi
23/10/10 - Saturday Pamplona / Car Bilbao/Zaragoza / San Sebastian to Pamplona / Hotel Andia
24/10/10 - Sunday Zaragoza / Car Bilbao/Zaragoza Europcar Rental Car dropoff at Zaragoza Train Stn 4pm / Hotel San Valero
25/10/10 - Monday Barcelona / Bus – ALSA Zaragoza to Barcelona; 4 hours / NH Podium
26/10/10 - Tuesday Barcelona Figueres day trip Train – Renfe Salvador Dali Museum / NH Podium
27/10/10 - Wednesday Barcelona / Montserrat day trip / NH Podium
28/10/10 - Thursday Fly home / Barcelona/Newark/Montreal/Vancouver