camera/luggage/train info needed
 

Please can anyone tell me:

1) Is is true that all Spanish trains require seat reservations, not just the AVE ones?

2) How easy/difficult is it to find lockers at train stations in France and Spain? My fiance and I will be making a number of day stops (e.g., Eze, Villefranche, Nimes, Cordoba, Grenada) and would much rather stash our luggage for a few hours than drag it around with us. I can't think of any other alternative ....

3)What kind of stores in France and Spain -- if any -- are set up to transfer images from a digital camera's memory card to a preformatted CD? Do drugstores do this or only specialty camera shops? Are there any retailers in these two countries with a widespread presence (i.e., easily found in most cities) that could help me? And if so, I wouldn't need to provide the cord used to connect camera to computer, right?

I'm told that CDs would be a less expensive option than buying a memory card large enough to store three weeks' worth of pictures.

Thanks very much for your help!

2. In Paris, all the <i>grandes lignes</i> stations have lockers. Their availability is subject to Vigipirate (the national anti-terrorism plan), but I have never heard of service being interrupted.

3. Any cybercafe will burn a CD for a few &euro;. The best way to transfer is to carry a little USB reader with you (most shops have them, but it's good to have a backup). Rules: always verify the CD before you erase the memory, and always use the camera to erase it.

3a. Memory is so cheap, why bother with CDs?

All long-distance trains in Spain require reservations. The Spanish railways do not sell &quot;open&quot; tickets like railways in other European countries.
Luggage lockers are extremely rare in France now. Only a few major stations in Paris and other big cities have left luggage offices. This is a police restriction, therefore bus stations, etc, are equally unhelpful - in my experience, they just say that left luggage is not permitted. It's best to ask in caf&eacute;s or hotels where people might be more helpful.
Spain is a different matter and lockers are widely available - or they were on my last visit.

Rowena-
How many mega pixels is your digital camera?
I just got a new, 7.1 MP camera. I bought a 512 mb card for it and then realized it would not be enough, so I went out and bought a 1 gig card. The 1 gig card gives me 280 photos on the highest, fine resolution. I'll take both cards with me for my ten day trip to Spain next week.
You can find 1 gig cards online now for around $75, or less with a rebate. I bought mine at Fry's and after rebate, it will cost me about $45.
So, if your digital camera is, say, 4 MP, you will probably get close to 500 full res photos on a 1 gig card. I can get over 700 on my 3.3 MP camera 1 gig card.
Have a great trip!

No drugstores won;t do this. In most of europe drugstores have only drugs - and perhaps a few high end cosmetics - they are rarely giant multi-purpose stores they are in the US.

you can always find photoshops that can move images to a CD.

Thank you, Robespierre and all, for your thoughts/suggestions.

I guess we'll just have to plan on carrying our luggage around in France unless we can find some kind of reputable establishment to take pity on us!

I also appreciate your comments on memory cards and Spanish train reservations. Traveling is certainly a learning opportunity ....

-r-