An article in The Times (that's the British newspaper, or 'The Times of London' as they call it in the US), has named its '50 greatest bars on earth' and two of the bars are in Barcelona, Spain.

I'm glad The Times restricted themselves to just the bars on Earth. I mean, which bar on our planet can compete with one that serves the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster? But what of the article's selection from this world? Specifically, its Barcelona choices?

Lists such as these always need to be taken with a pinch of salt, particularly as it is likely that half the research was done using Google and not by drinking in the bars themselves. But, as it happens, I have been to both of the bars in Barcelona that they've included. So let's take a look at their choices.

One of the bars, the imaginatively titled Dry Martini, described by The Times as having "antique brands of gin and vermouth lovingly displayed", is sponsored by Bacardi. The bar specializes in three drinks - the martini, the mojito and the G&T. Each drink description on its menu is written by a poet rather than a mixologist and is high on metaphors, low on what is actually in your drink.

If you ask for a mojito at Dry Martini, the classic Cuban cocktail, it is served with Bacardi, rather than Havana Club. Order a dry martini or a gin and tonic and it is served with Bacardi-owned Bombay Sapphire, the over-marketed gin responsible for many people's aversion to the spirit. If you don't like Bombay, you won't want it here, and if you do like it, you probably own a bottle, so why would you want to pay 10 euros for a cocktail made with it?

The other entry on The Times' list is much, much better: Ohla Boutique Bar at the Ohla Hotel. I happened to sit myself at their bar just after they opened for the day, so I was treated to a ringside view of Max and Guiseppe's cocktail preparation. Ohla strikes the perfect balance between classic and inventive cocktails, taking time-honored standards and giving them a pretension-free twist. A bijou with tequila in the place of gin, a number of variations on the negroni and a spectacular unshaken-and-unstirred martini to take just a few. See pictures of Max's amazing mixology: Cocktails at Ohla Bar in Barcelona

The guys at Ohla's also know how to make a mean gin and tonic. In fact, this bar made my list of the Best Gin and Tonic Bars in Spain.

See also: The Times' Great Bars on Earth (pdf)

Morocco, the gateway to Africa for visitors to Spain, lies just 14km away from Tarifa in Andalusia and there are regular ferries from Spain to Morocco from several ports in Spain. A lot of visitors to Spain travel to Morocco, either as a day trip or a longer mini-break, but these numbers have dropped in the past year due to the Arab Spring.

But is Morocco really dangerous? Isn't it safe to travel to Morocco in 2012?

The Arab Spring hit several countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The troubles started in Tunisia, resulting in a relatively quick people-led revolution. Egypt was next, toppling its leader, Hosni Mubarak, surprisingly quickly. Libya then descended into a bloody civil war. After the death of Colonel Gaddafi, the situation improved, but Libya has a long road to recovery. Syria is the focal point of the troubles today and despite recent peace efforts, the situation there is still very serious. Other countries to have suffered during the troubles are Bahrain, Yemen, Kuwait and a number of other countries in Africa and the Middle East. Including Morocco.

But what is the situation in Morocco in 2012? According to the Wikipedia article on the Arab Spring, troubles ended there in November 2011. By contrast, it lists Jordan, Mauritania, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria as 'ongoing'. Even at the height of troubles, Morocco had 'protests' that never reached 'civil unrest'.

Though, of course, it wouldn't have been nice to have gotten caught up in the protests at their height, Morocco was safe throughout 2011 and continues to be a safe place to visit. As further evidence that it is OK to go to Morocco in 2012, the British and U.S. authorities say the following:

• British Foreign and Commonwealth Office: "there are no travel restrictions in place in this travel advice for Morocco"
• U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs: No 'travel alert' or 'travel warning' for Morocco. However, alerts or warnings remain in place for Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and other Arab countries.

Hopefully, this information dispels any fears you had about visiting Morocco on your next trip to Spain. Read more about traveling from Spain to Morocco.

See also:

• Spain to Portugal
• Spain to France

When visitors to Spain want to head south from Madrid to Andalusia (or north from Andalusia to Madrid), it seems logical when looking at a map to go via Toledo. Medieval Toledo is one of the best day trips from Madrid and looks perfectly situated between Toledo and Granada, as the crow flies.

Unfortunately, crows don't drive buses and as a result there are no buses from Toledo to Granada or from Granada to Toledo. Crows haven't even heard of trains, where the situation is even worse. Internet forum users usually say there is no way to go from Toledo to Granada or vice versa and that you have to go via Madrid.

But this is not true.

While there are no direct buses or trains from Granada to Toledo, it is possible to make the journey with a change in Ciudad Real. The journey is quicker than going via Madrid and takes no longer than going directly from Granada to Madrid. If you had planned on visiting Toledo from Madrid before or after visiting Granada, I would certainly consider this two-bus option to save time and money.

Read more about how to get from Toledo to Granada (and vice versa).

Spring is turning into summer, particularly in the south of Spain, but we've not reached the fierce intensity of July and August yet - May and June are the perfect months to visit Spain.

Madrid and Cordoba are the cities to visit in May in Spain. The start of the month sees the Dos de Mayo festival in Madrid and the Cruces de Mayo in Cordoba. The latter's unique selling point is its patio decorating competition.  Madrid then has its San Isidro festival, the biggest celebration of the year in Madrid and then it's back to Cordoba for the Cordoba festival.

May is one of the busiest months of the calendar in Spain. Check out some of the other events on in Spain in May: Events in May in Spain. You can also add this calendar to your smartphone, computer calendar or tablet as a Google Calendar: Spain Events in May as a Google Calendar.

And then it's on to June! In this month, Barcelona takes center stage, with its Grec and Sonar festivals. There's also celebrations all over the country for San Juan, the longest day of the year. Cool down towards the end of the month with the water fight in Lanjaron near Granada and the stickier wine fight in Haro in La Rioja.

Read more about June Events in Spain.