Topic Wiki

Barcelona
Links to Trip Reports: @Yehuda, Yehoshua, CGR
Kosher Restaurants: http://www.restaurantmaccabi.com/en/
Activities: Jewish Tours in Barcelona, http://www.urbancultours.com
http://www.barcelonadreaming.com/package/barcelona-jewish-tour/
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips: Stay at Hotel Condado it is about a 3 minute walk from the shul (local community), bear in mind there is no eruv, so you will need to either leave the room open or make some arrangement with the hotel, they do not offer keys (or have that option at all)
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Jewish Community of Barcelona (Orthodox): http://www.cibonline.org; Go to the local shul and meet Rabbi Daniel Ashkenazi he is wonderful and quite helpful.

Madrid
Links to Trip Reports: @Yehuda, @Yehuda pics, Yehoshua, @zalc (Mini)., CGR
Kosher Restaurants: http://www.restaurantelaescudilla.com  https://www.pinatimadrid.com/  https://www.pizzeriarimmon.com/(teuda)
Activities: Toledo - a day trip from Madrid to see 2 old Shuls. Can hire a tour guide, Rabbi Hanoka (info@jewishtoledotour.com), which is not cheap, or can take a train on your own. 1 of the Shuls (El Transito) is closed on Mondays. @Yehuda went on a day when that Shul was closed, and the other Shul was really just an empty room and seemed like a Christian organization now runs the center. Without a tour guide, it was hard to get anything Jewish out of our trip (other than an antique store that had some Judaica). But, people who have taken the tour (discussed in the thread) have said it was great! Recommended to go with a tour or not go at all (and ensure to go on a day when both are open!). Report in the thread that the sometimes-closed Shul has audio headsets for use, so that would help. If going alone, you can research the Jewish places at the link HERE
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips: Chabad Site
Public Transport options: Uber works well, as does the subway if you speak Spanish.
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Jewish Community of Madrid (Orthodox), http://www.cjmadrid.org

Malaga
Links to Trip Reports:
CGR
Kosher Restaurants:
Activities:
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips:
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Comunidad Israelita de Malaga (Orthodox), http://www.cimalaga.es

Seville
Links to Trip Reports: @Yehuda, Yehoshua, CGR
Kosher Restaurants:
Activities: Jewish Tours in Sevilla/Cordoba, http://www.jewishsevilla.com
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips:
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Comunidad Judia de Sevilla, synagoguesevilla@gmail.com

Gibraltar
Links to Trip Reports: Yehoshua
Kosher Restaurants: Amar's Bakery and Coffee shop, http://www.amarsbakery.com/
Activities:
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips:
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips: Jewish Community of Gibraltar, http://www.jewishgibraltar.com

Mallorca
Links to Trip Reports:
CGR
Kosher Restaurants: Their is not - one restaurant serve felafel it's own by an israeli but no hechsher
Activities:
Hotels:
Shabbos Tips: The Shul its open on Friday night
Public Transport options:
Guidebooks:
Other Tips:
 
4500 IB Avios from anywhere to anywhere in the country
Best way to get around anywhere in this country is by scooter. It is safer driving them there since they outnumber cars by great proportions.
« Last edited by cgr on September 04, 2023, 09:01:01 PM »

Author Topic: Spain Master Thread  (Read 318181 times)

Offline moish

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #160 on: June 02, 2013, 10:37:57 AM »
As a supporter of several chabad houses sometime, the place or city is NOT  about Chabad but the character of the Chabad indivual Rabbi's personal personality ,ve hamayven yavin!
please explain

Offline ual902

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #161 on: June 02, 2013, 10:45:47 AM »
please explain

I believe it is more politcal then kashrus, I have spoken with MAD community members about this.

Offline moish

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #162 on: June 02, 2013, 10:51:23 AM »
I believe it is more politcal then kashrus, I have spoken with MAD community members about this.
obviously the community members will defend themselves, the more important question is if you spoke with the chabad rabbi about this.

Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #163 on: June 02, 2013, 01:28:00 PM »
Any recommendations for Shabbos other than Gibraltar?

I did MAD, Toledo part day trip, Cordoba, Sevilla, Gib for Shabbos.  I may have some details from my itinerary still. Send me a PM and I will try to check on my saved trip files later today.

Offline Sammy12345

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #164 on: June 08, 2013, 04:10:51 PM »
Are the beaches in Spain anything to WOW about?
Any recommendation on hotels i prefer SPG property...
TIA

Offline moish

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #165 on: June 08, 2013, 04:21:34 PM »
Are the beaches in Spain anything to WOW about?
Any recommendation on hotels i prefer SPG property...
TIA
i very much enjoyed the westin in madrid

Offline SPLP

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #166 on: June 08, 2013, 04:25:08 PM »
Trying to plan a trip from EWR or PHL , to BCN or if need be  FCO  for sister next year -- she can not walk very much and will require a wheelchair , therefor connecting flights are out of the question( pride!), and JFK is a 3 hour taxi ride  -- i see almost no Biz class with  Star alliance ( a few days with U S AIR) never with United saver --- Oneworld  only none stop from jfk --- have looked  far out to get an idea of availability looks like mission imposable --- anyone have any ideas ?-- thanks

Bump  does anyone fly from ewr none stop to fco
          does anyone fly from ewr none stop to bcn
          does anyone fly from phl none stop to bcn
            does anyone fly from phl none stop to fco
« Last Edit: June 08, 2013, 04:28:24 PM by SPLP »

Offline YankyDoodle

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #167 on: July 05, 2013, 05:14:15 PM »
My wife and I went on a 10 day jaunt through Europe. We flew United Business/First (and their partners) for 200k miles.
Our first stop was Barcelona which we stayed in for just under 24 hours (in order to take advantage of United's layover policy). I will attempt to post London, Paris and Venice threads when the time presents itself!

We landed in Barcelona at around 3:00PM on a fast day (17 Tammuz). We took the metro/bus everywhere which we found to be fairly convenient (as it is throughout most of Europe). We went directly from the airport (BCN) to La Rambla. La Rambla is simply awesome. While quite touristy it manages to feel authentic because of it's unique hometown charm. The center of La Rambla is a stunning area filled with sculptures and gorgeous fountains. Walking down the street you pass by all sorts of stands and stores, but the really cool part is cutting through the alleys that run randomly throughout La Rambla. There is a very fun feel to the whole area and definitely somewhere I would consider staying for a longer time.

After a couple of hours in La Rambla we continued on to our hotel at the Four Seasons by Sheraton. It was decent if unmemorable but for $75 I can't really complain. On a whim I called the Chabad Shliach to inquire about kosher food and it turns out that a new restaurant opened around Pesach time. Shalom restaurant is located at 75 La Rambla and we hit it up to break our fast. The service was fair and the food was good (not great) but in a city with no other truly kosher options it was a welcome treat. It is under the hashgacha of the Chabad Shliach and uses "chassidishe shchita.". The tapas are interesting and unique to Spanish cuisine (spicy potato was delicious) and the pesto pasta was quite good as well.

Barcelona is known for its pristine beaches and when we went the next morning it did not disappoint. It wasn't hot enough to go in the water but just sitting and reading on the beach made it worthwhile. When we returned to the hotel we found out that it was actually a nude beach (which apparently is pretty common in Europe) but at 7AM there weren't any other beachgoers there yet! We then went to Park Guell to see some Gaudi architecture.  The entire city has impressive architecture (including random stores, banks and hotels) but Park Guell is supposedly breathtaking. WARNING: There are more stairs than you can imagine, so it is not advisable to attempt to do Park Guell with any sort of luggage. My wife and I decided to travel very lightly with only one carry-on and 2 backpacks and we struggled mightily to enjoy ourselves. There are escalators going up towards the park (which in middle of an open street is quite a sight) but many are broken and none coming back down. We ended up getting to the top and opting to see some of the buildings from a distance as even once you reach the park it is a serious hike to get anywhere near them. We arrived back at the airport in time to hit up the lounge and catch our 2:45PM flight to London. It may have been as a result of it being our first stop in Europe but Barcelona was the most intriguing city we visited.


Offline Dan

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #168 on: July 05, 2013, 05:21:13 PM »
Great start, thanks for sharing!
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Fan of Dan

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #169 on: July 07, 2013, 02:06:53 AM »
Good news about the kosher restaurant and thanks for the TR.

Offline SamKey

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #170 on: July 09, 2013, 08:41:37 AM »
Will post my 8 day TR in Spain shortly but just to add there are 2 other KOSHER restaurants in Barcelona one milchig one fleishig both far superior to shalom in kashrut service and in food

Offline YankyDoodle

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #171 on: July 09, 2013, 11:08:56 AM »
Will post my 8 day TR in Spain shortly but just to add there are 2 other KOSHER restaurants in Barcelona one milchig one fleishig both far superior to shalom in kashrut service and in food

Can't wait to read it. What is the hashgacha on the other 2 restaurants? From what it seemed (and I did not do very thorough research at all) those were not necessarily reliable but I could definitely be mistaken.

Offline SamKey

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #172 on: July 09, 2013, 01:23:09 PM »
Can't wait to read it. What is the hashgacha on the other 2 restaurants? From what it seemed (and I did not do very thorough research at all) those were not necessarily reliable but I could definitely be mistaken.
It's not so exciting was a very laid back expensive trip with not much planning beforehand. It is under the Chief Rabbi of Barcelona we spoke to the Mashgiach there (Israeli middle aged guy white shirt yarlmuka tzitzis and quite knowledgeable) and were very impressed how the kitchen called him out to bring wine to costumers and things like that. As opposed to shalom where the mashgiach was a young chabadnik from Argentina who was much less impressionable and seemed more involved on what was going on outside then inside

Offline SamKey

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #173 on: July 09, 2013, 02:57:33 PM »
What are the main attractions there?
So whats your trip itinerary

Offline ChAiM'l

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #174 on: July 09, 2013, 03:09:00 PM »
So whats your trip itinerary

Going to be based near Mijas for eight nights, then in Gibraltar for two. In spain I'll probably be at the pool most of the time, but I might do some trips (Seville, Granada..)

Offline SamKey

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #175 on: July 09, 2013, 03:21:48 PM »
Going to be based near Mijas for eight nights, then in Gibraltar for two. In spain I'll probably be at the pool most of the time, but I might do some trips (Seville, Granada..)
Marbella and Puerta Banus are gorgeous and 4500 IB Avios you can fly to BCN which is also unbelievable. The driving in Gibraltar is worse than Bais Yisroel

Offline Sammy12345

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #176 on: July 12, 2013, 07:27:47 AM »
Does anyone know how reliable the kosher restaurants in Barcelona are?
And is the milk in Spain kosher (for a baby)

Offline DrDanny

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #177 on: July 12, 2013, 07:43:55 AM »
Does anyone know how reliable the kosher restaurants in Barcelona are?
And is the milk in Spain kosher (for a baby)
The milk you get in the grocery store is the kind the doesn't need to be kept in the fridge I'm not sure what it's called,

Offline SamKey

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #178 on: July 12, 2013, 09:14:08 AM »
Does anyone know how reliable the kosher restaurants in Barcelona are?
And is the milk in Spain kosher (for a baby)
2 of them are under the chief rabbi of barcelona we found the mashgiach quite knowledgeable and competent the other one is under chabad (or Jabad) ALOR

Offline Sammy12345

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Re: Spain Master Thread
« Reply #179 on: July 13, 2013, 06:31:27 PM »
2 of them are under the chief rabbi of barcelona we found the mashgiach quite knowledgeable and competent the other one is under chabad (or Jabad) ALOR
Would you know anything about the milk? Bec I am planning on freezing milk and bringing it if there isnt any there (i need it for my kid)