Mini TR (because I'm too lazy to write out a full one) - 6/24/24-7/3/24
Flights:6/24/24 - JFK-BRU-BCN - Brussels Air Business Class - Cost: 70k AC (xferred from UR with 20% bonus so it only cost me 59k UR) + $111.40 CAD ($81.44 USD)
7/3/24 - MAD-JFK - Iberia Business Class - Cost: 50k BA (xferred from MR with 30% bonus in Aug 2023) + $152.30
Inter-City Trains (Renfe):Barcelona-Madrid - 6/26/24 - 31.40€ ($35.09)
Madrid-Seville - 7/1/24 - 56.38€ ($60.42)
Seville - Córdoba - 7/2/24 - 22.30€ ($23.91)
Córdoba - Madrid - 7/3/24 33.10€ ($38.08)
Hotels:Barcelona - 1 Night - Via Sants Hotel Barcelona, Tapestry Collection by Hilton - 50k Hilton
Madrid - 5 Nights - Aloft Madrid Gran Via - 140k Marriott (plus Chase Marriott cert & Amex Marriott cert)
Seville - 1 Night - Only YOU Hotel Sevilla - 11.4k UR (booked through UR portal @ 1.5/cpp with CSR)
Córdoba - 1 Night - AC Hotel Córdoba - 77€ ($82.80)
Activities:Barcelona -
Casa Mila (La Pedrera),
Hop On/Hop Off Bus,
Free Walking Tour of Barcelona, &
Casa BatlloMadrid -
Free Walking Tour of Madrid,
Hop On/Hop Off Bus, Retiro Park,
Flamenco Show,
Royal Palace,
Naval Museum,
day trip to Toledo.
Seville -
Royal Alcazar & Plaza de España
Córdoba - Walk Around the Old City of Córdoba, Synagogue of Córdoba, Casa de Sefarad.
Food:Barcelona -
MaccabiMadrid -
Pizzeria Rimmon Madrid Kosher &
Solomon GrillOverall Thoughts:-It was hot. In Barcelona it wasn't too bad. In Madrid (Thurs & Friday) it was 90+ & Seville & Córdoba were both 90+
-Food was expensive in both Barcelona & Madrid.
-Transit systems can be complicated to figure out how to use, but once you figure it out, worked out well (at least in BCN & MAD). Of note, in Seville, you can pay for busses on board with a credit card, but if the machine isn't working, you have to either wait for the next one or pay cash (I think they only give change up to 5x the fare) unlike in the NYC transit system where if the card reader on a bus isn't working, they let you go on for free.
-I think I'm over Hop On/Hop Off Buses, at least in non-English speaking places. Either it's a recording which is boring and often not well timed or it's someone who's speaking directly off a script and saying it multiple languages. I used to think they were a good way of getting an overall sense of a city, but I've been disappointed the last few times I've done them.
-Be aware of shabbos issues in your hotel. This was my first time in a hotel for shabbos in many years. The Aloft Madrid Gran Via had motion activated lights in the hallways, stairwells, and in the room (except for the bathroom, thankfully). I ended up not leaving my room for all of shabbos.
-Renfe high speed tickets (maybe all tickets, I'm not sure) come with a connection to the commuter line (Cercanías). I was able to use this (you just scan you inter-city ticket) to get to the airport and avoid the airport surcharge on the Metro.
-Most museums have English. At restaurants, most staff spoke English. In other places (workers at museums, public transit, stores), people don't speak English. Google Translate is helpful.