WHO ARE WE?
We are Steve & Pat, the Travelin' Tanenbaums.
We are the authors of The Cheapskate's Guide to Vacations and The Cheaptskate's Guide to Cruises (Citadel-Kensington Press)
Our CTN newsletter
has published continuously since 1999. Steve is currently a 'Budget & FREE Travel' expert with AllExperts.com. In addition to our books we have written national magazine articles and have made numerous radio & TV appearances. We early retired from our day jobs in 1999 and embarked on a seven year travel odyssey, globe-trotting six months per year. Currently, we average about 3-4 months of exotic travel yearly. Our most recent journey,  this Summer, found us living for one month each in Barcelona and Paris, two of our favorite cities.

Pure and simple, we enjoy a love of travel and do our best to share travel related comfort, convenience and money saving TIPS with our loyal readership. We always encourage and appreciate reader input. Our travel 'motto' these many years remains: NOTHING BEATS FREE TRAVEL!

ONLINE CTN IS A HUGE SUCCESS
MAKE IT FREE AND THEY WILL COME....
OK, so no surprise that CTN's subscriptions sky rocketed with the advent of our new FREE online CTN. Still, this is the very best way to share our savvy TIPS n' TALES with the traveling public. As we have always said.....nothing beats FREE!

HOW TO GET YOUR FUTURE FREE CTN EDITIONS:
The best way: It is always best to receive the newsletter on the day it is published. To do this send us your email address and we shall add you to our subscription list. Rest assured, e-mail addresses are kept strictly private and are used ONLY to send you our newsletters. Send your free subscription request to: stevepatctn@yahoo.com
Or you may simply Google our CTN periodically for new issues.
THANKS TO ALL

THE NEW BLOG 'LOOK' - The column on the right now sports a vertical slide show. All these favorite global photos were taken by us and we hope you enjoy them.  Want to view some or all of Steve's 190+ YouTube videos? Go to YouTube.com and in the search box type our screen name: worldromer  for instant access to our videos.

FONT SIZES: Due to technical glitches there may be occasional mismatched text sizes and fonts. 
Note: Grab of pair of those old red/blue 3D glasses if you have 'em.  Some of our slide show photos are in very cool to view 3D. ALSO, most photos are clickable for viewing at larger to full page size. When you see the 'red' words CLICK  ON THIS ONE be sure to do just that so you can view these special shots full page size.

THIS ISSUES HIGHLIGHTS

*LIFE AFTER DEATH - BEST EVER FREE TRAVEL CITIBANK PROMO
*BARCELONA OFF THE BEATEN PATH - POST TRIP UPDATE   
*BEWARE OF FREE TRAVEL PITFALLS
*STEVE’S GIZMO COLUMN 
*OUR BARCELONA APARTMENT - POST TRIP REVIEW

                   
LIFE AFTER DEATH - BEST EVER FREE TRAVEL CITIBANK PROMO

For several years the Citibank American AAdvantage Free Bonus miles promotion has been the best free travel deal around. Free round trip tickets to any Hawaiian island or most any European city could easily be obtained at zero cost. The 35,000 to 50,000 miles necessary for free travel to Hawaii, domestic U.S. or European destinations and two related credit cards were all 100% free (the latter fee waived the first year). Life in the free travel lane, using this ongoing promotion, could not have be better. 

Then came the bad news. In our Spring CTN edition we reported the apparent demise of the program.  The Citibank promotion web page indicated the program would expire on August 31, 2009.  Here is the actual relevant  language used on the promo web page:

This American Airlines AAdvantage mileage offer is only valid for new Citi/AAdvantage accounts applied for by August 31, 2009.

LIFE AFTER DEATH? 

A funny thing happened on the way to writing this newsletter. We came upon a second  Citibank promo web page with no mention of any expiration date. Was this a ‘stale,’ old web page like so many that litter cyberspace? As we always do with important web pages we scrolled to the bottom of the page checking for a date, usually set forth as a copyright date. There it was, the page was © 2009 confirming this was in fact a current web page. So far so good. Even better, this page listed six participating Citibank credit cards rather than just three cards listed on the expiring offer page. The six cards include  four personal and two business cards.

Here is the newly discovered 2009 Citibank promotion web page sans any mention of expiration date.

http://www.citicards.com/cards/wv/showSearchResults.do?family=FAMILY_AADVANTAGE

What to make of all this? Did the Citibank free miles offer expire on August 31st or not? In a matter of minutes we were on the horn to a pleasant Citibank applications department rep based in the Philippines. She emphasized that her department works with personal and not business cards, they do not deal directly with any online Citibank promotions and her prime directive is to take and process phone applications . She seemed very knowledgeable and was eager to answer our questions.

Then came some very good news. The rep went on to declare, with regard to the four personal cards on the Citibank web page,  that she was authorized to offer callers the very same deal, namely,  25,000 free bonus miles each for the first two listed cards and 15,000 free bonus miles for each of the remaining two cards with fees waived the first year for all four cards. When pressed she added there is no currently known expiration date.

At this point we were silently ‘cheering’ since it appears that Citibank’s ‘best’ free travel promotion is ALIVE AND WELL.  Our recommendation is this:

Pull up the current Citibank promo web page and then call Citibank’s phone application department at:  800-248-4226. 

With regard to one or more of the four personal cards you wish to obtain confirm that the bonus miles are available with annual fees waived and then GO FOR IT and apply for the card(s).  We were told that applications are usually processed within minutes while they have you on the phone.

The rep also told us that the bonus miles will be awarded even if  one already has a card or has recently closed an account as we routinely do. We will be testing this by applying for new card(s)  keeping in mind that we have no money to lose since the fee is waived.

NOTE: What about the two business cards on the web promo page? Simply ask the rep for the business card application number. Hopefully, they are all on the same free bonus miles page. In lieu of making a telephone application one we can apply directly from the six-card promo web page. In the latter case be sure to keep a copy of the web page offer and footnotes that make no mention of an expiration date.

Bottom Line: We hope this is not too good to be true. Considering the 2009 web page with NO expiration date and confirmation from the phone rep we are  optimistic that the ‘best’ Citibank free travel promotion truly lives on.

BARCELONA OFF THE BEATEN PATH - POST TRIP UPDATE

A SPECIAL TRAVEL WEATHER TIP: In 2007 we lived  Paris for six weeks from May 1st to mid-June. We savored every day of our stay in Paris despite unseasonably cold weather. So cold that on most days long pants, rather than shorts, was the order of the day. Barcelona came to our rescue with glittering warm, sunny, Summer weather from the moment we arrived in mid-June. We applied the lesson learned from this experience as we plotted our Summer 2009 return to both cities.

When it came time to book 2009 flights and rent our Paris and Barcelona apartments we made a key weather related decision.  We would reverse the order of our visits hoping for fine, warm Spring weather in Barcelona from mid-May to mid-June and better, warmer early Summer weather in Paris from mid-June to mid-July. Our decision was spot on.

Barcelona offered up perfect Spring weather with mostly sunny days, no rain and daytime temperatures in the 70's and 80's. Our Barcelona apartment, sans air conditioning, was easily cooled using the apartment’s ceiling and floor fans. The later Paris visit worked equally well. Most every day found us enjoying lovely Summer weather while avoiding the hottest Summer days of late July through August. Here too the apartment’s fans were totally sufficient.

Note: For those new to our CTN the following Barcelona sightseeing TIPS do not include the city’s major, mainstream sights which were reported in our post 2007 trip CTN edition.  Instead we shall share our best Off the Beaten Path experiences.

Living in Barcelona for a full month was glorious. Why? Because of the people, sights, sounds, neighborhoods, plazas, architecture, marina, harbor, parks, museums, medieval Barrio Gotico (where we lived) markets, shops of every kind and description, white sand beaches, world’s best street artists (human statues), colorful parrots and so much more. For us, Barcelona has it all and remains one of our favorite cities in the world. With all of that said let us now welcome you to our Barcelona Off the Beaten Path update.

*HOT CHOCOLATE TO 'DIE' FOR: We heard about it, read about and then found ourselves walking past one after another chocolate café until finally we sat down and ordered the VERY THICK magic elixir.  In an instant, with our first taste, we quickly forgot everything we had ever known about hot chocolate. This was chocoholic enlightenment, the discovery of a new ‘choco’ species, a chocolate gemstone.....another words.....fantastically delicious.  Take a look!

Where did we savor our first cup?  Where else but at Barcelona’s chocolate museum’s café.  The museum is worth a visit if you are (1) a chocoholic and (2) a history buff and (3) have a bit of spare time after you visit the nearby Picasso Museum.

Details: The chocolate museum is located at Carrer del Comerç, 36 which is about three blocks from the Picasso Museum and about ten blocks from the Jaune Metro stop. The museum has a nice victual tour website at:

http://www.pastisseria.com/en/PortadaMuseu   

Rest assured, scores upon scores of Barcelona shops sell the brown elixir. One very

famous, well situated and historic venue is the ESCRIBA CAFÉ La Rambla 83. Escriba is situated in a historic building that dates to 1820.

This chap visited Escriba and posted a super article on his experience.
http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/escriba-the-best-cup-of-hot-chocolate-i-have-ever-tasted

HOT CHOCOLATE TIP: Barcelona’s gourmet hot chocolate does not come cheap. Expect to pay $3 to $6 for a cup that is guaranteed to delight your taste bud senses.  The cups of hot chocolate are often served in at least two ways as seen in  the above mouth watering photo.  On the left, is the purist version 100% hot chocolate cup and on the right the hot chocolate/cream version. This is NOT either/or....be sure to try them BOTH. 

*BARCELONETA:

Barceloneta was described, in our pre-trip research, as a neighborhood with the ‘feel’ of  an old fishing village. Our half day Barceloneta (and environs) walk-about found this description to be on the mark. This small, unique neighborhood borders the sea and makes for a very pleasant 1-2 hours walk. We were charmed by its old world long narrow streets with lines of wash drying high above our heads. There is a large indoor market, many charming apartment buildings, some in pastel colors, and scores of Seafood restaurants facing its adjoining and inviting golden sand beach. Those who plan their lunch repast at one of Barceloneta’s numerous seafood restaurants (see photo), followed by siesta time on the beach, can easily spend a half day in this uniquely pleasant  Barcelona neighborhood.

As an added bonus of sorts one of Barcelona’s two aerial cable car towers is conveniently located in Barceloneta, at Torre de San Sebastia.

*HARBOR AERIAL CABLE CAR RIDE: From Barceloneta you may take the very popular fifteen minutes cable car ride, high over the harbor, one way or round trip to Montjuic. Many choose to stay and explore Montjuic parc and return later by bus. Another option is to take the cable car round trip solely to enjoy the ride with its fabulous high in the sky, outstanding harbor/Barcelona views.

Details:
Round trip cable car tickets cost about $18 and one way about $12.

Our YouTube video of the cable car ride shows it all:


*SARRIA, PADRABLES MONASTERY, KINGS PALACE AND CERVANTES PARK.
Given their close proximity this was a golden opportunity to experience four Off the Beaten Path sightseeing spots in one day.

1) SARRIA:  

Does the Sarria neighborhood resemble a beautiful 1,000 year old village within the city of Barcelona?  IT DOES!  Sarria is also known as a haven for writers, artists and merchants and home to the Bar Tomas eatery famous for its Patatas Bravas.  We purchased a ‘to go’ order of the touted fresh garlic laden Patatas Bravas (pictured) and groaned with delight, they were that good!

We enjoyed a delightful walkabout in Sarrià.  The ‘town’ does indeed retain its village like charm. The old town of Sarrià is wedged between Via Augusta and Avinguda de JV Foix.  We took the 66 bus from Placa Catalunya to Sarria Plaza, then walked Sarria’s main street, Sarria Major, and then took the next bus for a  short five minute ride to  the Podrables Monastery.

TIP: We have been told many shops are closed on Sunday and Monday. The best time visit should be Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 7pm.

2) PODRABLES MONASTERY: Also located in the Sarria neighborhood is the 

amazingly well preserved Pedralbes Monastery built by King James II at the request of his wife Elisenda de Moncada.  Knowing her husband was ill Elisenda planned to live out her widowhood  years at Pedralbes and did so until she died at the age 72. Here is a LINK to our mini 3D cyber album which also looks pretty darn good in 2D:
http://imageevent.com/worldromer/barcelonaa3dpedralbesmonastery


3) PARC DE CERVANTES:

A short bus ride away is Parc de Cervantes also known as the Rose Parc owing to its garden that contains 200 varieties of 15,000 Roses.

The park is a small gem. Find Roses, all labeled, from the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Indian sub continent. The next short bus ride took us to:

 




4)  ROYAL (KING’S) PALACE (PALAU REIAL): This was the best new Off the Beaten Path park we visited. It is not often one can visit both a city park and King’s palace. The palace was built in 1924 as a residence for king Alfonso XIII. The small park offers lovely gardens, paths and a cool entrance fountain. The palace houses two museums, the Museu de les Arts Decoratives and the Museu de Ceràmica. The latter features exhibits ranging from ancient Arab ceramics to pieces by Picasso and Miró. Next, a final bus ride back to Placa Catalunya. Here is our YouTube video of the beautiful wild parrots found in both of these two parks.
WILD PARROTS OF BARCELONA VIDEO



*MERCAT DE LA CONCEPCIO: In our pre-trip CTN we noted: Can not wait to check out this one which combines a huge covered food market (built in 1888) with the city's largest 24 hour flower market. (Metro passage de Gracia Green Line, L3)

Our advice: Take a pass on this one. Neither the very small flower section nor the market were memorable. Stick with the ‘best in the city’ and likely best in Europe Mercat de Boqueria conveniently located at the dead center of the famed Rambla and a few steps away from the Metro Liceu.

*YELMO CINEPLEX: In our pre-trip article we noted: Yelmo had 15 screens, good location and spectator Mondays. The latter referring to their bargain $7.25 price for all shows all day on Mondays. Finally, most screens show V.O.S. which means Original Version with Spanish Subtitles.

In reality Yelmo had all the above and MORE. First, two thirds of their films are American/British show in the original language versions. Next, no need to take the metro since a Rambla bus, just feet from our apartment, took us door to door in less then 20 minutes. The theater complex is huge, spanking clean and rates our two thumbs up.  Visit the Yelmo cinema site:  http://www.yelmocineplex.es

Now, for the Yelmo Off the Beaten Path BONUS.  The movie theater is found in the small but modern Yelmo Mall. With only two floors plus a mezzanine the main attribute of the mall is the Yelmo multiplex. With that said we made two major discoveries. First, the mall, sans any recognized food chains, sports several local restaurants. Our two thumbs up favorite is their mezzanine floor Restaurante Oriental, a Chinese buffet restaurant. Strange (by our standards) hours are 8pm to midnight both weekdays and weekends.

The food, for the most part, was good to very good and the dinner price was astounding at 8.25 euros. Our favorite dishes were their Egg Foo Yong, dry deep fried ribs, sweet and sour chicken, numerous, savory noodle dishes and three varieties of fried rice. Also included are salads and various flavors of ice cream. Bottled water/drinks are the only extra.

* FREEWAY RESTAURANT ROCKS: Brazilian Churrascaria eateries are carnivores delights. They serve BBQ’d meats, including several varieties of steak, lamb, pork, sausages, chicken and  more. The meats are carved off long skewers. Once the meat is sliced the skewers are doused with salt and returned to the BBQ. High end restaurants serve the skewers at table side with a new skewer arriving every 5-10 minutes. 

In 2007 we gave a half- hearted recommendation to the Churrascaria style Vaca Paca in Barcelona. The price was great, at about 10 euros for dinner, but the buffet style service suffered when buffet platters of favorite meats were too often replenished at a snails pace.

This time around our thumbs are going way up for what we believe to be Barcelona’s best  ‘carnivore’s delight’ BBQ restaurant.  We found the Freeway restaurant during our pre-departure web research. The location, a quick 17 minutes bus ride from the Rambla, was fine. We opted for Freeway’s bargain priced lunch which is 10 euros (about $13) with drinks being the only extra.  Freeway is like a Churrascaria without the skewers.

Why were we smitten with Freeway?  How about the above actual shot of our Freeway 'three types of ribs' plate and below shot of our banana flambe crepe with ice cream.                                                                                                                                                              

* Their BBQ chef rules over a domain of stepped grills cooking flame broiled steak, chicken, lamb, sausages, beef ribs, pork ribs, roast pork , baked potatoes and grilled green and red peppers. He slices and dices endlessly until your plate runneth over. Next is a pasta station followed by a fresh fish station followed by Chinese and other dishes followed by a huge salad bar followed by a cool desert section AND on top of all that a creperie that not only makes fresh crepes with any number of topping but does them flambe style plus ice cream as seen in this shot of our flambe creation. CLICK ON THIS ONE.

Here is our YouTube Freeway video complete with
flaming crepes.


Freeway’s lunch price is amazing at only 10 euros with lunch served from noon to 4pm. Dinners run from 18 to 19 euros (about $25).

A word regarding quality.  At this price we were not surprised to find some grilled items to be less than top quality.  While all meats delivered great fresh BBQ’d flavor some beef items were less than tender and not nearly top quality. Since Freeway is  hot off the grill BBQ buffet any item that did not pass muster could be replaced by other tastier selections. Service was always excellent with the chef or young assistants attempting to explain the selections to us using their limited English just as we used our limited Spanish. Decor is also excellent.

Our favorite dishes: Cooked to order fresh salmon, rare (when we could get it) steak, beef short ribs, lamb and bananas flambe topped with ice cream.

TIP: We have a working theory. Since Freeway charges twice the lunch price for its dinners it may be that a higher grade of meats are served at that time. No confirmation on this one.

Contact Info: Freeway Restaurant - 191 Mallorca Tel. 93 451 20 47 -
www.restaurantefreeway.com

U.S. DINING TIP: Do you now have a craving to visit to a real Churrascaria here in the U.S.?  Run do not walk to the L.A. Farmer’s Market and head straight to the Pampus Grill, the best bargain priced Churrascaria restaurant in the U.S. This is how one patron described her visit:

If I had to describe this place in one word it would be JUICY. The meat was so succulent! I had the sirloin and the garlic beef, both of which rocked my world. I loved that you get the meat right off the metal rod, and that there are like 8 different meats to choose from.

We visited the Pampus Grill some time ago and second the above review.  Due to its small size the meats are cut off skewers as you wonder down the small buffet. Cost is low and is based on the weight of your plate.  During our visit the ‘chef’ offered us so many samples there was barely room for our lunch.  It was truly BBQ heaven.

Contacts: Pampus Grill: 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles
(323) 931-1928
http://www.pampas-grill.com/

*La Maquinista Mall: Is the only open air mall in Barcelona. It sports 230 stores and restaurants of every kind and description and is located at the edge of town. We vote thumbs down for two reasons, namely, too far of a trek for a nice but not at all unique (by U.S. standards) mall.  With that said, those who wish to experience a great, unique Barcelona mall have another thumbs up option. Read on.

L’Illa MALL: What a welcome surprise. The ground and lower floors of an otherwise unassuming huge block long office building houses perhaps the coolest mall in town. Aside from the usual upscale clothing shops found on the street level is the lower level with a kaleidoscope of shops that combine such as an ultimate gadget, household decorations shop with food stalls (i.e. fruit stands and deli with hanging meats) together with an amazing array of open restaurants both gourmet and fast food (non-chain) eateries.  Check out the mall’s web site and these few shots Steve took when nearby guards were looking the other way:

SPECS: This gleaming white huge block is the home to over 100 big-name shops including FNAC and Decathlon, a food market and restaurants on the ground floor, a Caprabo hypermarket, and 6,000 sq m of green park.

Details: Address: Diagonal 545-557,  http://www.lilla.com Metro Maria Cristina. Open 10am-9.30pm Mon-Sat. Supermarkets 9.30am-9.30pm Mon-Sat.

*Mercat Del Encants Flea Market: A spanking new discovery, the Encants Flea Market is Barcelona’s best loved markets and is also one of the largest flea markets in all of Europe. This market has it all. Aside from second hand offerings are oodles of new clothes, electronics, antiques, tools and merchandise of almost every kind and description. We needed a small set of speakers for one of our iPods and related rechargeable AA batteries. No problem, found both dirt cheap, in fact the batteries were at least 50% cheaper than any local shops.

We needed a wheelie cart for food shopping and lugging heavy loads of bottles of juice, milk, soda etc. We found a brand new one for only $6. Add to this all the local color, sights and sounds and this makes for a totally fun flea market outing.

Bargaining is expected and fun!  We read that most stalls tend to pack up at midday but found the market was still in full swing at 2pm. Note: A lot of the stalls close for August.

Plaça de les Glories Catalanes
C. Dos de Maig, 186
Metro: Glories, (Red Line, L1)
Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat from 08:30   

Steve’s Encants Market YouTube video:


*TIBIDABO: MARVELOUS MOUNTAIN TOP FUN 

Why TIBIDABO? The Tibidabo Mountain rises 1,536 feet above sea level and is the highest peak of the Collserola Sierra overlooking Barcelona. From Tibidabo you have amazing views of the whole city as well as abundant natural scenery that contrasts with its interesting buildings: the famous Tibidabo Amusement Park, the majestic Church of the Sacred Heart (Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón in Spanish / Sagrat Cor in Catalan) and the modern Collserola Tower designed by architect Sir Norman Foster.

With all the above said our pre-trip research failed us on this one. Yes, we read that Tibidabo was the city’s mountain-top amusement park. We read that one took the metro to the Blue Trolley to the Funicular car. We knew the park sported some new, high tech roller coaster and ‘free fall’ rides. We read that the mountain top area offer little else to those who are not interested in the amusement park and its cool, stomach churning rides? Happily this is NOT the case. While we decided to go for the funky tram/funicular car rides and the mountain top view we were delighted to find so much more when we arrived.

Two things happened. First, whilst trying to locate the proper metro from Catalunya Placa to the Blue Tram we found an express bus that leaves from the Placa and shoots up the mountain non-stop to Tibidabo. The bus was bargain priced at 5 euros RT versus about 9euros for the metro, blue tram and funicular car. Second, we learned, to our delighted surprise, that the park now offers what is called the Sky or Heaven Walk which is a FREE area.  In fact, the bus dropped you at the free area.  We happily report that the free area is a wonderful destination in and of itself. It offers the above mind blowing views of Barcelona and surrounding country side, numerous eateries, picnic areas and several fun rides available on an a la carte ticket basis.....all without entering the amusement park itself. We took the marvelous Panoramic Ferris Wheel which sits on the very edge of the mountain top and turns the already awesome views into MORE  awesome views.

TIP: Be sure to bring a bountiful picnic lunch since there are ample free picnic areas.

Another amazing mountain-top attraction is the Tibidabo Church, Church of the Sacred Heart. The Church dates back to 1902 and took 60 years to complete. We paid a small fee to take the elevator to the top of the Church with its 360 degree views. This was more than worth the price of the elevator ride. This is Must DO.

All those with some extra time for sightseeing and a desire to escape from the city heat and crowds should head for Tibidabo. We give Tibidabo two thumbs way up.

Here is our mini Tibidabo cyber album.
http://imageevent.com/worldromer/tibadabaismountaintopfun


Check out this great Tibidabo web site which includes English translation, video and total rides description and history of the park since 1902.

http://www.tibidabo.es/

*BEST DAY OR OVERNIGHT TRIP: GIRONA AND THE DALI MUSEUM

This was an awesome and very easy overnight get-a-way. We headed to the Sants Estació train station (trains leave every 30-60 minutes), purchased an inexpensive ticket (about $10), boarded the train and enjoyed a swift 80 minutes ride to the ancient walled city of GIRONA. CLICK ON THESE TWO GIRONA PHOTOS.

Day One: Girona

Girona stands on a fortress-like hill, high above the River Onyar.  Subsequent to the Moorish conquest of Spain Girona was, for two hundred years, an Arab town. Its large Jewish population lived there for over six hundred years until the expulsion in 1492. It is home of one of the largest ancient, intact Jewish quarters or Calles in of Europe. Girona was under siege on no less than 21 occasions by the 1700's.  Girona’s old, medieval city has survived to this day largely intact with its narrow winding streets, Jewish Calle, Arab baths and much more.  The old city, which lies on the east side of the River Onyar, is easy to explore. One can walk the old city, without any stops, in about 30 minutes. We rate a visit to Girona as a ‘must do’ day or over night trip.

Day Two - The Dali Museum
A visit to the Dali Museum is the perfect compliment to one’s visit to Girona. A swift 30 minute train ride from Girona found us arriving at the town of  Figueres, home of the Dali Museum.The photo to the right shows the surreal entrance to the museum. CLICK ON THIS ONE. The second photo is Mae West. On the ground the pieces seen in the photo are like unrelated props without any form. We then climbed a ladder and, as Dali directed, we viewed and then photographed the 'pieces' through a special lens that  pulled the pieces together. CLICK ON THIS ONE.

Nuts and Bolts: Book a hotel that is either in the old city or very close by. We stayed at the basic but highly rated Pension Margarit (Trip Advisor 85% rating from 28 reviews).  We booked their Double Junior room without breakfast at the bargain rate of 40 euros ($54).  The room was clean, basic and included a private bath. Most important was its location just feet away from a bridge leading, via a pleasant ten mintue walk,  to Girona’s old town.  Upon arrival in Girona we could have walked about 30 minutes to the hotel. We opted for a very quick $6 taxi ride. Here are LINKS to the hotel Margarit and the TripAdvisor reviews:
http://www.hotelmargarit.com/eng/index.asp

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187499-d592411-Reviews-Pension_Margarit-Girona_Catalonia.html

We invite you to view our mini Girona cyber album at:
 http://imageevent.com/worldromer/ourovernightvisittomedievalgirona

BE AWARE OF FREE TRAVEL PITFALLS

Given the state of our economy we are not surprised that some airlines ‘adjusted’ their free travel programs. As expected the ‘adjustments’ favored the airlines and diminished benefits to program members. Regarding talk that awards are getting harder to book we can say this: In January 2009 we easily booked our American Airlines high season (May to July 2009) Europe award travel. More good news, American still offers a second stop-over in Europe permitting us to fly free from SFO to Barcelona and a month later from Barcelona to Paris. Also, upon returning to the U.S. American still permits a free stop-over at any of their gateway cities. In our case we booked a free gateway stop-over in New York City (flying Paris to NYC) before returning home to the San Francisco bay area. So, we easily booked all three free flights.

Given the large number of airline free travel programs and changes we shall discuss, in general terms,  the types of changes to look for while providing some concrete examples.

Our Spring 2009 CTN discussed American Airline’s new seasonal  35,000 and 45,000 miles awards to Hawaii which replaced their ‘good all year’ 35,000 mile award. At the same time we happily reported that American still offers the best bargain award to Europe, their 40,000 miles off season award good from mid-October to mid-May. Bottom line: Check current miles needed to reach your destination to determine if there have been any changes.

Another recent tactic has been the creation of ‘Award Levels.’ Recently, Delta Airlines added such levels. We soundly reject the airline’s SPIN that Award Level schemes benefit program  members by insuring there will be greater availability of award seats. We see it for what it is, namely, a major  increase in the number of miles needed to book many award flights.

Previously all domestic award seats were ‘priced’ at 25,000 miles. Now, when booking a domestic award flight you may be told that the ‘cheapest’ 25,000 miles seats are not available. Low and behold.....the airline may next tell you something like this: How about a nice 35,000 miles award seat instead, we have plenty of those seats? Next,  some current setbacks in free travel programs and related promotions.

WAIVER OF FIRST YEAR ANNUAL FEE IN AIRLINE CREDIT CARD PROMOTIONS:

Over the years we have recommended the best airline bonus miles promotions

Ninety percent of such promotions, as an added incentive, waived the credit card’s fee for the first year. Presently, many of the current credit card bonus miles offers have dropped this incentive and now charge a first year fee i.e. United Mileage Plus Visa Signature card offers 30,000 bonus miles but does not waive the first year $60

fee and Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card 25,000 bonus but no waiver of the first year $70 fee.

Whenever you consider an airline credit card free bonus miles promotion be sure to read the small print, usually found under ‘Terms and Conditions’ and confirm the amount, if any, of the first year annually fee. 

What if there is a fee?  In both life and travel we opt never to cut off our noses to spite our faces. Meaning..... YES ...... we will sometimes pay $60 or $70 or $90 to obtain  25,000 or more airline bonus miles. We will pay only for miles, on major airlines, which we can use for our domestic and/or global travel needs.  For example: United charges 50,000 miles for a round trip ticket to Europe. We would certainly pay the $60 or more for one half (25,000 miles) of a round trip ticket to Paris. We would pay the same $60 for 25,000 miles which also equals a round trip award ticket to any U.S. lower 48 destination.  Bottom line: We recommend that you continue to participate in airline free travel programs even if they charge about $60 for their related credit card.  Such an offer should give you at least 20,000 bonus miles (and hopefully 25,000 or more) which makes the miles worth much more then the $60 investment. This puts money in your travel pocket. Take it!

SHRINKING PARTNER AIRLINES: Airline partners are important. When we used an award flight to Israel we flew on American’s partner British Airways. When we booked our American Airlines award flights for our Summer 2009 trip to Barcelona and Paris the Barcelona to Paris leg was also flown on American’s partner British Airways. In 2007 we flew from Barcelona to Paris on another of American’s partners Lufthansa.  Whether choosing your primary free travel airline program or choosing to participate in a free bonus miles airline credit card promotion knowing how many and who the airline’s partners are is very important.

The below Diners Club web site page compares the two major free travel partnership programs. Diners 19 partners include such heavy weight partners as American, British Airways and Hawaiian airlines. Also Delta and Virgin Atlantic.  Amex on the other does not partner with either American or British Airways, two giants of global travel. It does have 16 partners that include  Continental, Southwest  and numerous foreign giants such as Air France, Air Canada, Mexicana and Singapore airlines. 
https://www.dinersclubus.com/dce_content/clubrewardsandbenefits/clubrewards/clubrewardscompared

EXPIRATION OF MILES MAY BE CHANGING OR SHRINKING:
As of January 1, 2009 Delta SkyMiles Mileage Expiration Policy Changed from a two-year policy tied to the end of the calendar year to a rolling 24-month policy. This could be up to a full year shorter than before. Ex. If your last activity in the program was January 2, 2005 your miles would not have expired until December 31, 2007, three years later. Now, if your last activity was January 2, 2009 your miles will expire exactly two years later on January 2, 2011.

Other airlines have reduced expiration dates by a whopping 50%,  from three years to eighteen months. American and United are two major airlines now using the eighteen month expiration period.

TIP: Make a chart and post it in a high visibility place. The chart should list all your airline programs, the last activity and the expiration dates.

A WEEK IN OUR CONSUMER TRAVEL LIFE
Recently, in the space of two weeks we faced two airline related consumer issues. During our two months in Europe we received mail notifying us that two Amex airline cards were up for renewal.  These were fee waived during the first year promotional cards and we had no intention of paying the whopping renewal fee of $125 per card. Backing up a bit we dropped the ball on this one first failing to cancel the cards before renewal time and then failing to contact Amex within 30 days of receiving the renewal statements. We should have been dead in the water on this one.

Next, upon returning home from Europe we found a Chase credit card statement listing late fees and related finance charges totally $160. In this instance, we sent the payment ten days before it was due and yet somehow Chase did not post the payment until twelve days later which invoked the late fees and charges.

In the Amex matter we wrote snail mail letter to Amex customer service, copied to their executive offices. We emphasized our other Amex accounts, explained that due to the economy we were cutting down on credit cards and mentioned our long association with various AMEX credit products over the years. Amex responded by agreeing to drop both $125 charges and the two cards were cancelled.

In the Chase matter, we were on much stronger footing (there is a presumption that mail is timely delivered) having mailed our payment ten days before the due date. We again sent snail mail letters, one to customer service and one to the CEO of Chase Bank. We received a call from their executive office informing us that all late fees and finance charges were dropped.

TIP: Emails are fine but there is a time and place for good old snail mail and/or certified mail and/or faxes. Copying the credit card bank’s executive offices and/or CEO is another great way to make sure that someone in authority takes notice of your consumer plight.

OUR BARCELONA APARTMENT -  THUMBS WAY UP

 In our Fall CTN issue  (http://ctnfall2008.blog.com/)  we reported on our planned Summer 2009 apartment rentals in Paris and Barcelona.  Now that we have returned we can offer our post trip assessment of our Barcelona rental.

We used a new (for us) agency, BarcelonaPoint.com for our one month rental.  The apartment, listed as apartment #198,  was described as: Large 1BR apt. with 500 sq. ft.,  TV, DVD, full kitchen equipped with a stove and oven, microwave,  juicer, coffee maker, dishes, glasses, utensils and washing machine.  The LR has a sofa-bed for guests and a very small balcony.  Small bathroom with shower that was recently refurbished. The apartment is a walk-up but only two easy flights of stairs. The apartment is ideally located less than one block from the Rambla in the best of all neighborhoods, the Barrio Gotico district.

All this for the rock bottom cheapskate price of $66/day.

POST TRIP ASSESSMENT: This apartment was, in one word, GREAT!  It delivered all that was described above and a bit more. Here are the apartment's highlights:
 


* We opened a closet door and were happily surprised to find that the apartment included a powerful floor fan not mentioned on the web site.

* The BR has a literally cool ceiling fan not mentioned on the web site. Together both fans did a super job cooling the apartment.
* The balcony was described as very small. In 2007 our apartment had a balcony that was so small you could not put a chair down. This balcony, albeit small, accommodated one or even two chairs so that we spent many hours people watching or stretched out on two chairs for an afternoon siesta. Below the balcony is an ancient pedestrian street and just up the street, within eye sight at the corner, is the Rambla.  
* Although the web site states that month long rentals require payment of gas, water and electric we were NOT charged for any of these.
* The check-in and departure person was professional and pleasant.  The check-in and check-out process was quick and smooth. We received the return or our full (nominal) 150 euro deposit.
* On arrival we found the shower tub leaked, the coffee maker broken and closet door was sticking. The next day all were repaired and we had a new coffee maker.
* The bathroom is very small but was spotless and newly refurbished and newly tiled. 
* Double pane windows, also not mentioned on the web site, cut out almost all evening street noise.

Bottom line: All our thumbs way up on this great, bargain priced, super located and comfortable apartment.  We look forward to a return visit. Here is the LINK for this apartment rental agency:  http://www.barcelonapoint.com


STEVE’S GIZMO COLUMN

PHOTO3-D: POST TRIP REVIEW















In our Winter ‘09 issue (http://ctnwinter09.blogspot.com) I introduced readers to the Photo3-D kit.  I planned to field test in Barcelona and Paris.  I noted very good early, pre-trip results and said: All that remains is for us to see how well we are able to capture the essence of Barcelona and Paris in 3D. 

If I had four thumbs they would all be pointing way up for the Photo3-D kit.  I shot hundreds of 3D photos during our two months in Barcelona and Paris. Since we had our new Lenovo netbook with us I was able to process the 3D photos, tweak some using Photoshop, and upload various 3D cyber albums. I also created 3D slide shows that I uploaded to YouTube.

TIP:  How to share my 3D high resolution cyber albums with the world? I created and uploaded a few 3D slide shows to YouTube. Of course, the YouTube quality of the is not the best. BUT....I was able to note in each video title that the accompanying text included a LINK to my higher resolution cyber album.  The 'world' now had access to my 3D cyber albums. Here is my favorite Paris Catacombs 3D YouTube slide show album. Since the album, as it plays below, does not show the accompaning text I will add the LINK to my high resolution cyber album below the video:


 LINK to my catacombs high res album: http://imageevent.com/worldromer/pariscatacombsin3d

As a novice user of Photo3-D my efforts no where near perfect. By the same token  my constant practice made for better and better results.  My 3D cyber albums say it best and below is a LINK to one of my best albums. You will easily be able to judge the results for yourselves. Before we get to the LINK let me add the following bullet points gleaned from my two months of Photo3-D kit usage.

* How photos are viewed by others often depends on what glasses they use. I took  no chances.  I ordered 20 pairs of the same glasses that I use to create the 3D photos on my PC.  I ordered the high quality cardboard glasses from Photo3-D.com for only $4.95 for each ten glasses. I then mailed the glasses to close friends and family members.

* The usual picture taking sequence, using the Photo3-D attachment (sliding bracket pictured to the right) is (1) take Left picture and then (2) slide camera to the right to either Macro, 3-6 ft or 6-60 ft setting and take second ‘right eye’ picture.  When shooting near total darkness in the Paris catacombs it was not possible to follow these normal steps. Reason being I could not see mark, where I needed to slide the camera,  for the second ‘right eye shot.’ Easy Fix:  I reversed the shooting. I set the camera on the right eye second shot mark,  walked into the darkness, took the photo and then easily slid the camera all the way to the left for the left eye shot.

* Be BOLD and ask people to pose. Once you learn to shoot quickly you can get off the two needed shots in under five seconds.

* Experiment with distant backgrounds and foregrounds. Ex. The Eiffel Tower being very distant did not lend itself to a good 3D shot. I went across the street to the carousel and shot the carousel horse in the foreground and Eiffel Tower in the background. The resulting shot is one of my favorites with the horse in good 3D against the Eiffel Tower in the background. CLICK ON THIS ONE.

* Use Photoshop: I used Photoshop to tweak brightness, contrast and colors. The latter most important since Photo3-D software does not have color adjustment. Do all changes while wearing your 3D glasses since intense alterations affects the 3D image. I also used Photoshop to eliminate unwanted sections and/or people or objects from photos. I did this on both the pre-3D left and right 2D images and also carefully on the final 3D image.

* Bracket: These days memory cards will hold almost unlimited still shots so be sure to take at least two or more of favorite subjects.

* When not in a rush my old trick to minimize blur from camera movement still works. I set my digital pocket camera on 2 second self timer for each shot. This eliminates camera movement that often results from one’s finger pushing the shutter button. Set the self time, press the shutter button and remove your hand from the camera. Improves shots 50-75% of the time especially when taking macros.

* Be sure to save all shots in both email size and original higher resolution. For some strange reason the software tosses the high resolution version outside of the 3D sub-folders created for each image. I ASAP ‘collect’ the high resolution shots sitting in the folder as  individual photo files and move them into their respective 3D folders.

Final comment , contacts and LINKS:

This field test was a wonderful success. I am totally enjoying my new 3D photo hobby and am still amazed at the Paris and Barcelona results. You have seen two above examples of my favorite 3D photos in each city.  Given the modest $129 cost for the complete kit, the total ease of use (using your own camera), super easy creation of 3D images using the included software (just a minute or two to create most 3D photos) and great, often stunning results I give two thumbs way up on the Photo3-D kit.

TIP: Hopefully you have a pair of blue/red 3D glass handy. If not and you wish to see my results before buying the kit you may order very high quality 3D glasses from the Photo3-D web site for under $5.

Contact Info: http://www.photo3-d.com

Here is the LINK to my ‘Favorites’ cyber album that includes 37 images from Paris and Barcelona and one bonus awesome, cool shot of our Max Cat.

http://imageevent.com/worldromer/someofour3dfavorites

HAPPY, SAFE TRAVELS TO ALL CTN READERS!

STEVE & PATTY