An update from this post. Looks like we’re going to Barcelona! 
For awhile we thought it wasn’t going to be possible as my birthday (January 7th) very inconveniently falls ‘at the end of holidays’ here and so flights and hotel prices are not cheap at this time. In fact, they are outrageously expensive.
But hey! It turns out that the very next weekend the airfare is a quarter of what it would have cost if we’d gone on my actual birthday. Not to mention that the Saturday of my birthday weekend is a public holiday – no thanks. No point in spending a day in Barcelona with everything closed.
So . . . I almost can’t believe it. And we’ve just found a very nice looking hotel on the internet that looks like it’s within walking distance of most of the places we want to go.
Going to confirm everything this afternoon . . . oh, keep fingers crossed that everything is available and that it doesn’t rain that weekend. I am soooooooo excited! 
casa azahar 
Me too. Isn’t it great when things seem to be working out just right 🙂
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Eep! Not sure if we got sucked in or not. There was the normal hotel rate for three nights and then a special ‘romantic’ option that ends up costing almost 100 euros more. But this includes a buffet breakfast each morning, fluffy bathrobes, a ‘sourprise'[sic] gift, and a bottle of cava. Also, the guy I spoke to on the phone said the room would be ‘really extra nice’.
Do we believe this? Or do we call back and go for the cheaper option and find our own brekky in the morning?
I asked the guy on the phone if he really thought it was worth it and he said I had to check out the breakfast there before deciding for myself, but he said it was quite a lovely buffet.
And when I told him that if we went for the ‘romantic option’ that it would have to be really really super romantic because it was for my birthday and I was only going to turn 50 once and all that … well, I had him laughing and he promised it would be a lovely romantic room and extra special.
On the other hand, what else would he say?
But the deed is done! Plane tickets are booked. I even have someone willing to come over to feed and water the beasts (though I still haven’t mentioned the scooping out of the litter box…)
I don’t know what to think. Even with the great airfare and hotel deal this trip is going to cost more than any holiday I’ve ever been on in my whole life. Yeah I know, it’s only three nights, but I’ve never spent three whole nights in a hotel before … well, not all in a row.
I feel a bit overwhelmed that someone would want to give me this as a birthday present, especially when he ain’t exactly rolling in dough himself … but in true Spanish fashion I shall pick up the tabs for meals and drinks out. 🙂
It’s almost too exciting to think about. I’ve wanted to go to Barcelona for so long and now I get to go and stay in a ‘romantic’ room in a lovely hotel with my lovely Nog … oh please don’t let it RAIN while we’re there!!!
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YOu will have a wonderful time. Stop thinking about how much it will cost. I’m sure the room will truly be romantic and with all the extras it probably will be very worth it.
Visualizing NO RAIN for your holiday. But if it does, you can sequester yourself in your super romantic room and drink the cava and probably have a memorable time. (!)
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I’m glad you’ve got something special planned – it sounds fabulous and you were right to go for the Romantic option.
Relax, enjoy – and let Nog spoil you.
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Thanks hmh and T … I’m quite happy to give Nog a chance to spoil me but I just wanted to be sure that it was worth the extra, you know?
Teuchter, what about yours? Any plans yet?
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Oh, and I just found a nicer link for pics of the hotel … so if you click on ‘nice looking hotel’ in the original post you’ll see them.
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It’s worth the extra! Especially when you don’t do stuff like that very often. Enjoy the hotel pampering!
–L
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I keep wondering what *isolating windows* might be …
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I’m curious about the ‘sourprise’. Sounds like some sort of exotic fruit.
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Our latest flicks at home delivery included a film called Gaudí Afternoons, so we watched it today as it was filmed in Barcelona.
Well, it was a pretty crap film, really, but the city looked fab and we got to see inside the famous La Pedrera … quite interesting that this film came this week, especially as it was a ‘bonus’ film.
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Go ahead and enjoy yourselves!
Life’s for living 😉
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Received some stuff from Turisme de Barcelona yesterday! A city map, culture agenda thingy, walking tour info and some other stuff. Having the map is especially good so that Nog (aka Mr Map) can get his bearings.
Our hotel is really quite central – looks like we’ll be able to walk to almost everywhere we want to go. How exciting!
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And some more good news! We were just looking at our hotel webpage again and noticed that our ‘Romantic option’ is now being offered for 60 euros less (for the three nights). So I called and they said no problem, that I just had to cancel the first reservation and then make the new one via their website. So that’s what I just did. Yay!
That extra 60 euros will take us out for a very nice meal. 🙂
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