Hi<BR>I have just returned from a trip to spain and portugal and they are amazing places to see in both these countries.<BR>However, be extremely careful in madrid and protect your wallets and purses. There were two attempts on my wallet in madrid in two days. Once i was in Plaza Mayor and the other time i was in metro station pacifico. Luckily, i managed to keep my wallet.<BR>So my advice to anyone going to spain especially madrid is be alert and Watch out!!<BR>

Hi! We also just returned from a great trip to Spain and Portugal, but this happened to us once, too, right outside Plaza Mayor in Spain. Three girls approached my husband and I and tried to get his attention away from his wallet by blowing kisses (it was really bizarre and it actually prepared him for the attempt.) He caught hold of one of the girls hands as it was in his pocket and he pulled it out. It caused a bit of a commotion and I'm glad he is so alert. So, do be aware. But the trip was great and we loved being in Plaza Mayor.

We're preparing for a trip next year, but was wondering where you might have stayed in Portugal. Did you stay in Lisbon and where or in Sintra? Did you stay in Toledo and Seville? Thanks for any help. Marilyn

Thank you for the information. We are planning a trip to Spain and Portugal next may. Where did you fly into? Did you take the train from one city to the next? Did you find these countries expensive? Any more information would be appreciated. You can contact me direct if you wish. Thank you.

Hi<BR><BR>Pickpockets<BR><BR>Tourist areas attract pickpockets.<BR><BR>Take sensible precautions whether your are in NY, LA, Sydney, Paris or London.<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

Marilyn and AJ,<BR>I'll start a new thread with a little more info on my trip right now. I just think it should be under something more appropriate than "pickpockets." Ask me if you have any more questions after reading it. You'll have a great time!<BR><BR>Nancy

We were in Madrid in 98 and one lady in our party got nailed by a pickpocket about 10 minutes after she arrived and stepped outside our hotel. Gotta be careful everywhere but this place did seem especially bad along with the champion town for pickpockets: ROME.

Hi marilyn & aj<BR>we stayed at residencial americano in lisbon right in the middle of rossio. best part is that it was inexpensive 43 euros for a night but mind you it was very basic. well cant complain with that price. we took a half day tour of sintra and the surroundings with portugaltours. i wish we had more time for sintra (1 or 2 nights would have been good).<BR>we did not stay overnight in toledo, just made a day trip. we took the bus from the south bus terminal near metro station mendez alvaro. ticket price was less than 4 euros oneway per person. but mind you the buses are either regular with frequent stops in smaller towns or express. you would have to check the time, regular service takes an hour and a half and express bus takes bout an hour for same price.<BR>we took a five day tour of andalusia with pullmantur and it was good for the price 375 euros per person. it included breakfast, most lunches and some dinners and guided tour of major sites like mezquita in cordoba,cathedral in seville,and alhambra. all the travel was on an airconditioned bus. <BR>as we students we were on a tight budget but we managed alright. we got a good deal from tap airportugal for $510 from newark to madrid with a stop in lisbon on the way back. as a general rule these countries are inexpensive relative to US. you can have a decent meal in under 10 euros. you can even bring it down to 5 euros in a local tapas bar. for us the best meal was dinner at the parador in alhambra!!<BR>amazing!! (cost us about 70 euros with wine and tip)<BR>anyway u guys have fun planning and when you visit. if you have more questions dont hesitate!<BR>

sorry i forgot to mention the hotels.<BR>madrid we stayed at hotel mora 55 euros right across prado<BR>lisbon i have mentioned earlier<BR>the rest of the hotels were with the tour so i dont know the price but the names are<BR>seville(2 nights)hotel emperador trajano<BR>torremolinos(1night)hotel royal costa<BR>granada(1night)hotel alixares<BR>

My husband got cash from the ATM right across from the "Ham Museum" in Madrid; shortly thereafter we were approached by a lovely lady cautioning us that there were "people following him trying to get his money". Hello???? How weird is that?! I was immediately alerted and told him to check his pocket. Now, this is where the funny part comes in -- he had bought these pants from Travelsmith (we now call them the MAGIC pants). They had a small zipper compartment in the pocket (which we didn't realize when we bought them - just dumb luck on our part). He had put the cash in there, and had his Dr. Dean Edell "cheater" glasses in the pocket, which is what they got. I actually chased this woman up the street, went through her purse and her shopping bag (all the while she's protesting and feigning such sorrow that I'm accusing her); but of course, she was merely the distraction. I can only wonder what their faces must have looked like to find out they only got a cheap pair of glasses. <BR><BR>But...after returning, my husband boutht 3 more pairs of these pants for future trips (and they wash out and dry in a NY minute too).<BR><BR>Melodie