eddiemars

If you learn from your mistakes, I must have learned a lot on this trip: <BR> <BR>Driving. Don’t. Repeat don’t. The highways in Andalucia are good, but you become lost the minute you enter town. Take public transportation between cities and taxis in them. Every hotel clerk laughed at our misery and told us that everyone gets lost. One told us that he never drives. It’s not just us. Imagine driving in a place that is a maze of one way streets. Any time you lose your way you can’t double back and you become even more lost. There are no street signs so maps are useless. Many of the streets aren’t even on the map anyway. You can’t ask for directions because you don’t speak the language. (Our guidebook Spanish was fine most of the time. But when people give directions, it’s too hard to follow. And the Spaniards speak VERY fast.) <BR> <BR>Parking. It is very expensive in Spain. An overnight in a garage can easily cost you 1,800 pesetas. When booking a hotel, pay close attention to the parking situation. A hotel that might seem expensive could turn out quite cheap if parking is included or an apparently cheap one could turn out expensive. Street parking is impossible. (We saw a lot of “creative” parking: on sidewalks, in intersections, on lawns.) <BR> <BR>Walking. Walking isn’t all that much easier. There are many little streets that don’t show up or go unnamed in maps. Invest in the most detailed maps you can find. The Spain travel offices has these maps that’s how 3D views of the main attraction. These are a help, since without street names, we did a lot of navigating by comparing pictures of buildings on the map to what we saw in front of us. Unfortunately, they usually only have local maps when you also need maps for the next place you are going. There is a Spain travel office where we live and were able to get a few before leaving <BR> <BR>Photography. Most of the major attractions are dimly and don’t allow flashes lit to preserve the art. Take very high speed film. If you have an SLR like me, take a mini tripod and cable release so that your long exposure pictures will turn out better. <BR> <BR>Internet Cafes. I spent a long time before leaving, compiling a list of internet cafes in each town. There was no need, since they are everywhere <BR> <BR>Money: Traveler’s checks are near useless. The local cambio’s (exchange places) are a rip off. If you live in a big city, get as much as possible at a local exchange bank The rate will be much lower. It might mean carrying a lot of money with you, but the risk of street crime is less a problem than he certainty of being mugged by American Express and the local cambio offices. <BR> <BR>Phone cards. Guidebook tout them, but we found them a rip off. Not only are they expensive, but they often charge you even if you don’t make a connection. I never found a good answer for telephoning home. <BR> <BR>Time allotment. Plan your trip, then add 30% timewise. Everything takes longer. Simple acts that you take for granted must often be relearned in new places. Getting lost also takes up far more time than you might expect (although hopefully not after reading this.) We could have used another day in Sevilla, Carmona, Nerja and Ronda. On the other hand, we could have skipped Jaen. <BR> <BR>Scheduling. There is a lot of walking. Next time, we would take in the Alhambra and other heavy walking areas early when were fresh. Factor in relaxation days where you just sit around. Nerja and Carmona would be ideal. Also, most attractions close Mondays and Sunday afternoons. Be sure to schedule your trip according. The Green Guide has the best listings of times. <BR>

eddiemars

In closing, <BR> <BR>Thanks for your attention. Sorry about all the typos and glitches, but this sort of grew like topsy and I didn’t have the time or inclination to do a lot of proof reading. I’ll probably write up a version of all this for a magazine if I can find a taker. <BR> <BR>In spite of all the negative stuff that I’ve written, it really was a marvelous trip and Spain is a great place to visit. We mainly remember the good parts, and time is healing wounds. We’ve been back two weeks and I can almost get myself to sit in the car. I’m sure that in only a month or two, I’ll be able to turn on the ignition. Some day, with all the advances of medical science, I hope to be able to drive again. <BR> <BR>To paraphrase my old adversary Marlowe, it's the Short Goodby. <BR>

Oaktown Traveler

eddiemars: <BR>Thanks for sharing your experiences and perspectives. <BR> <BR>Happy Travels <BR> <BR>Oaktown

Dianne

Thanks eddiemars. I've enjoyed reading your journal. I'll be visiting many of the same cities/towns/sites this fall. I'm on a group tour though, so won't be doing any driving!

Maira

Eddiemars--- thank you for sharing your experience in Spain. There is definitely a lot to "chew" as far as what not to do if touring Andalucia. <BR> <BR>As far as your pointers, I disagree with some and agree with some. What you mentioned as deterrents are true for just about any town and city in Europe. Some towns are better than others as far as traffic signs and parking, but it is certainly not so terrible to the point that people should be advised against it. To use your same argument, thousands of tourists travel the Andalucian highways and country roads every day and are far from advising against it. I believe Andalucia is meant to be experienced at leisure and driving is the best way to go about it. It does require detailed planning, a good map reader and even a better driver. <BR> <BR>So, are you ready for London?

Micaela

Eddiemars : Do you live in a large city or some town in the middle of nowhere? Was this the first time you ever left the confines of your house? I have read all of your posts regarding Spain and find most of them laughable if not insulting. Please spare us here in Spain if you cannot manage something as easy as finding your way around small towns. Maybe Iowa should be your next trip. Might be a little less "stressful" for you.

Mariarosa

Hi eddiemars! While I may not agree with you on many points, including your food characterization, (I grew up on a very Spanish diet), the what-to-skip-in-Madrid museums, Granada, etc., I have to thank you for taking the time and writing your perspective. I think it's important to write about travels that don't go so smoothly to help others when planning their own travels. If we all would chip in as detailed reviews as you, we would have a wider range of opinions that would help travelers in planning their vacations. So for a detailed review, I saw bravo! <BR> <BR>Regarding driving, we have had nightmare experiences in Spain as well as the USA! Just 2 weeks ago we got lost for the second time in 4 years in the ghetto areas surrounding DC. And I will take any day getting lost in Cordoba and Jaen (which we did) to getting lost in the DC ghetto. In fact, in the last 5 years, almost every time we have driven in an unfamiliar destination, in the USA, Europe, the Caribbean, we have gotten lost! I agree with your recommendation, to budget additional time. <BR> <BR>We also scraped the car quite a bit when we pulled a National-Lampoon's-European-Vacation and got the car stuck between two walls in one of those really tiny medieval streets (in Ubeda, Spain). Still, if I had to rent a car and drive, I would do it again, because there are itineraries that CANNOT be done unless you drive. <BR> <BR>What I suggest is to drive only the itineraries that can best be done driving, and to take the wonderful, comfortable, timely, and comprehensive European public transportation system for many itineraries that can be done equally well by public transportation. I think in this forum there's a tendency to over-suggest driving, where there are many places that can be visited hassle-free using oublic transportation. Just my humble opinion.

Lizzie

Geez! The guy posts an honest, straightforward trip report and you people are jumping all over him! Even if you don't agree with him, learn how to say it nicely - it's thorough postings like Eddie's that make this forum interesting, informative, and helpful. Constructive responses do, too - such as Maira's. I for one really enjoyed Eddie's description of his travels in Spain, regardless of whether I agree with him or not.

Art

Hi Eddiemars, Thank you for your report. I also disagree with not driving. I will agree that once you enter a larger city, park the car in a guarded log and use public trans. Spain is so large, however, that you'll miss a lot if you don't rent a car. <BR>As far as carrying cash, DON'T. Use ATM's. They are all over the place and have much better exchange rates. For the past several years, I've only taken travelers checks for emergency funds, and then brought them back each year (they are getting quite dogeared now). <BR>I used nothing but ATM's and my VISA/MASTER CARDS. That way I never have to much cash on me. <BR>Thanks for your report. <BR> <BR>Art <BR>

Topper

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eddiemarsreturns

Obviously times have changed a bit since 2001. Internet maps and GPS makes navigatng easier. By now, everyone knows to use ATM's for currency exchange. Who needs phone cards when you can Skype?

Still travel overall has gone downhill. The amount trip budget consumed by taxes has grown exponentially. Every trip to Europe, things are glitizer and less trad, more expensive and more overrun with with international corporate stores that that are the same as in the mall. The mobs are getting so thick that you can't move and the locals are getting better at extracting every possible dime (oops, I mean Euro) from tourists. I envy my wife who did most of her travellig in the 70's when "foreign" really meant foreign and not a Guccis or a Benetton with a French or a German sign. The stature of Rick Steves recently erected on Rue Cler was the final straw.

Nevertheless, I have my next trip booked. There really isn't anything more fun than seeing new turf, despites the warts and the aggrevations. And fun is what its all about.

thursdaysd

So maybe you should get out of Western Europe. How far east have you been? Or south? (Hadn't heard about the statue!!)

Aduchamp1

What happened to your report about the end of WWII?

balasteve

Eddiemars,

thanks for your highly personal trip report. I appreciate also the comments, both positive and negative. You have done a marvelous job of instigating lively discussion about the highs and lows of travelling in Spain. I will be travelling to Spain in June, and am still considering renting a car to do it. Does anyone know if GPS would solve some of the problems Eddiemars had?

Robert2533

2001 was hardly ancient times. And yes, we do learn by our mistakes, or those of others, but we are often doomed to repeat other's mistakes. It's only natural. A statue of Rick Steves. I didn’t notice one yesterday.

A GPS is of limited value except under certain conditions and in specific areas. If you have an iPhone or BlackBerry, they do as good a job if not better when you use the Google mapping feature. Some hotels and casa rurales tell you not to rely on the GPS since it will sent you on the wrong road, down an alley, up some stairs (in Granada) or even along a goat trail in some circumstances. Michelen Regional maps are good and now the sell the new Zoom map, which covers selected areas. The problem is that they are only available in the book stores once you reach Spain or France for now.

Aduchamp1

This is classic case of a tourist expecting a country to conform his needs and expectations, rather than a tourist trying to understand the country that he is visiting.

He writes as if every map, road, meal, parking lot, etc is perfect from whence he comes. And anybody who is still carrying traveler's checks in 2001, probably also thinks prop planes are still flying to Europe from the United States.

Ask anyone or read about Spain you would know do not drive in the cities. They were not built for cars. We have driven in most parts of Spain but never in cities, and did we get lost, of course, but it was rare.

I am not a professional photographer, but I have had over 2 dozens photographic exhibitions including a museum and colleges and mmost of those had photos of Spain. You do not blame the enivornment in which you want to take pictures, you either come preapred or do not get the shot.

We have been traveling to Spain since 1972 with no expectations of perfection and the understanding the differences are the reason why people travel.