After eight months of excited anticipation, my husband and I will be leaving Febuary 27 for a two week adventure in Spain.Madrid-Segovia-Toledo-Seville-Ronda-Granada.We will be there just prior to their Presidential elections and I have seen reports of growing anti US sentiment.We just want to have a good time and to feel welcomed.Should I be concerned?

The leftist political parties in Europe always criticize the US government and anyone who supports us. But I have never witnessed nor heard of any attacks on american tourists.
It's hard to believe but there are still communist parties with small groups of die-hard followers in western Europe. (I've even seen small demonstrations of "Up with Fidel, Down with Uncle Sam&quot
Spain has a very modern democracy with the percentage of voter participation in elections much higher than in the US. Election violence is unheard of.
Alleged reports of "growing anti US sentiment" is just BS. You will find that the spaniards are a very friendly people.
Remember that Spain is supplying peace-keeping personnel to both Afghanistan & Iraq.

rgw
Not everybody in Spain supports the US foreigh policy. Same thing that happens in the US.
Spain receives over 50 million tourist a year and I don't think there has been one act againts any tourist related to their origin.
You have to take the usual atention about your valuables but no other specific worries.
I believe you will have a great time.

Most of the European animosity is focused on our president, not against ordinary Americans.

I'm guessing it would be about the same as French tourists would experience in the U.S.... a few wisecracks from rude people, but no real unpleasantness.

94% of the Spanish are opposed to the illegal war bush started in Iraq. The people in Europe despise Bush not Americans, most people are intelligent enough to distinguish the people from its governors. In a recent European poll the question was "according to you what countries reppresent the biggest menace to world peace?"
1st place was Israel
2nd US

This does not mean the Europeans are antisemitic or Antiamerican but that they don't agree (and are scared of) Sharon and Bush's policies

You mean yesterday's big demonstrations? They were not anti-american, the were anti-present-government. Like evrywhere, also in Spain the government is chosen by people, and people expect it to represent them. This Spanish government acted against the will of over 90% of Spaniards (not some little leftist click). Now people just express their frustration and want change.

The so-called anti-American sentiment in Europe is very much focused and directed to our President, Mr. Bush. I read a number of online European newspapers daily and discussion forums with a number of European contributors and have to conclude that the sentiments of distrust and dislike towards the current American President are very, very strong among Europeans. Oddly enough, I have not read (nor experienced) this phenomenon translated strongly to references to American people.

"94% of the Spanish are opposed to the illegal war bush started in Iraq"

Too bad that 94% of the Spanish people didn't oppose Saddam's mass murder and torture of thousands of civilians. May then there would have been no need for a war.

Spain, in many ways, is still a very insular country -- a result of all the decades under Franco. So, they're not really thinking about you. Of course, as others have pointed out, there is longstanding resentment against the US over the war -- remember all the protests in the run up to it last year, and Bush dismissed them as "focus groups" or something?

Although it's good to be aware of the general atmosphere wherever we travel, I sense this sort of national narcissism on the part of traveling American; that is the constant question: "What do they think of us?" For some reason always reminds me of a woman asking her husband: "Do I look fat in this?"

End of President's Day sermon. Spain is great, by the way. Have fun!

Sera: Do I look fat in this? That was funny.

rgw: We just did Madrid/Segovia/Toledo a few months ago (search for our trip report). It was a complete non-issue. Madrid had some of the most helpful and friendly people of any big city I've visited in Europe. Don't worry. Maybe brush up on your high school Spanish before you go...it helps.

Enjoy!

"Too bad that 94% of the Spanish people didn't oppose Saddam's mass murder and torture of thousands of civilians. May then there would have been no need for a war. "

Too bad Saddam's regime was put to place with the support of the CIA, too bad those mass murders and tortures occured during all the 80's while Saddam was nevertheless considered a "friend of the US", too bad there are still people who beleive Bush invaded Irak for the so called WMD and others "humanitarian's reasons"...

Good idea to brush up on Spanish. Many Spaniards do not speak English and will tend to speak to you in Spanish even if they identify you as an America.

Watch your purse in Madrid. Last time I was there a couple of years ago purse-snatching was rampant and the police could not have cared less.

rgw:

The Sunday travel sections ran BIG pieces on the re-newed Basque threats for the SUMMER "in general".

As stated along this thread this has NOTHING to do with where one might be from.
The Basque Separatist(sp) have been sending messages for a long time.

I would take 15 minutes and do a internet search on them... go back a couple of years, on the movement so that you could get an "accurate" snapshot of the types of terriorist activities they are involved in...and where in Spain.

That aside you should be fine.

When my hubby and I went to Spain the Basque terriorist had the whole country scared silly...well, they had blown up a few things to get their message across.

We did not alter our trip and my hubby still wore his white socks with his tennis shoes... on occasion...can you say TOURIST TARGET?

Happy Travels,
Oaktown Traveler

We were in many of the same areas you are talking about just about a year ago. In fact we got home 2 days before Bush invaded Iraq, so if there would have been a time of profound anti-Americanism I think that would have been it. We saw some "No a La Guerra" signs but that was the extent of any American opposition that we noticed. Since I had a similar sign in my own front yard, I guess I wasn't too worried about being a target or being offended. You'll love Spain. The suggestion to brush up on your Spanish is a good one. Personally I think that many US citizens and our State Department travel advisories exhibit a sense of paranoia . We need more of a sense of balance in looking at the risks involved in travel. No I wouldn't go to Iraq or Jerusalem right now, but terrorists could as easily target me right here in Minnesota at the Mall of America which is a likely target becasue it is a symbol of American consumerism.

People on this site will always turn this kind of discussion into a mirror of their political beliefs. Yes, many Europeans actively dislike Bush. But then they've actively dislike whomever was the US president at any given time. Beleive me, Clinton was no hero in many Eastern and Central European countries during his term. Various factions REALLY hated Ronnie, Bush senior, Carter, ad naseum. From my studies of history you'd probably go a long way finding any president as widely reviled in Europe as Teddy R.

Do you care? I don't!

As far as "there are still communist parties with small groups of die-hard followers in western Europe"..., hell, there are still active FASCISTS groups in Spain, Greece, and elsewhere. If you want to go politico, don't let up on Europe's historical anti-Jewish stance in Spain, France, and elsewhere. It just goes to show you that they're culture and society are no better (or worse) than anyone else.

Think of countries of which you do not approve of their governments policies. Do you hold it against the people of that country?
Pratice your Spanish enough to be pleasent but not enough to enter in political debates.
Buen viaje

94% of the Spanish are opposed to the illegal war bush started in Iraq.

Along with the affirmative votes of Congress including Kerry

You might find rather less anti-Americanism if you had the elemenatry courtesy to learn the most basic facts about how Spain governs itself.

Spain, like most of the world's functioning democracies,has a hereditary Head of State. Indeed, the re-establishment of the monarchy, and the heroic stance played by the King during the failed 1981 coup, are pretty fundamental to Spain's recent history.

You'll certainly attract a bit of adverse comment if people realise that, in eight months of excited anticipation, you haven't bothered, reading a word about the past 30 years history of the country.

Spend a bit less time on silly paranoia and a bit more time learning about the country.

I visited Spain as a teenager in the 70's and I realize a lot of things have changed since then (Franco was still in power) but for what it's worth, this was my experience with the Spanish. The men thought we American girls were all "loose" since we went around in public unchaperoned, and were constantly trying to pick us up. They would follow us in their cars and hiss at us to try get our attention. However when they approached us directly, they did not get too persistant when we declined their advances. Then we heard that a woman walking alone was considered to be a prostitute, but if you linked arms with your friends you were not considered to be alone and this actually did work to dissuade the "mashers" as we called them though it felt awkward to us Americans who weren't used to walking around like that.

I realize Spanish cultreu has probaly evolved past that in the past 30 years but they're still probaby more conservative thatn in the US espacilly away from the big tourist areas.

I've never seem any kind of anti-americanism while i was in spain,the only thing i saw was just cultured people and really friendly persons. Spaniards are the most friendly persons in Europe,they always help u when u need it and try really hard to understand u,for me french are the rudest ones,when i was in paris i tried to speak their language and they always laughed at my face.