Looking for plenty of contributions here...for example, when you go to the rest room, be aware that the electricity will cut off after a predetermined time - make sure you know where the switch is!

Another one - if you're going to the cinema arrive in plenty of time. The film will start fairly promptly.

- In the bar, if you want to be served quickly, state your needs when walking in (for example ¡hola! buenas tardes, un cafe con leche, por favor). A little bit of assertiveness will get you very prompt service. I can't help with speeding up the paying-process however.

- If you think about doing something eg picking up a free newspaper from a Metro seat, or selecting a seat next to the bar - do it instantly. If you don't you can be sure that in the next 2 seconds someone will have beaten you to the punch.

- A bottle of water? A small botellin can cost up to 1 Euro in shops, yet only 20-30 centimes in a supermarket. Better still, buy a big bottle or container in the supermarket and keep refilling your small bottle. THe best of all is to drink the Madrid tap-water. In a bar (I admit they may look askance at this in the Sol area), you can ask for a vasito de agua and you will be served free of charge - although you may wish to do this when you order a coffee or beer.

Oh man!! that thing with the light switch in the mens room, oh my god, that really bugs me, every time I go into a PANS & Co, especially the one in C/ de San Miguel, right next to Corte Ingles here in Zaragoza, you're lucky if you get 5 seconds to open your zipper, and then it's off already, so you have keep reaching over to touch the switch (which is something that I really don't want to do, if you know what I mean) it's that or just stand there in the pitch blackness, hoping & a praying that you're pointing in the right direction, which is exactly what happened to me the first time I ever used that place, I had no idea about these bloody stupid timer switches being installed in Pans, and thought that either some punk outside was screwing around for fun, or the light bulb had just blown!! I was not amused I can tell you!!

All these places that have that system installed really need to get it sorted out, as it is clearly a serious health & safety issue, and really needs a "Risk assessment" to be carried out urgently, but you try telling these people about these kind of problems, they just shrug their shoulders and carry on with their mundane task, even the so called managers are clearly not too bothered about it, or the filthy light switch either, that never gets a wipe over with some germicide. I once complained about the underside of the tables being insanely filthy, with sticky brown deposits under there, from many millions of fingers, he promised me faithfully that he would get them cleaned, 3 years later, I looked underneath, and there's the same old sticky shit, still sitting there.....\0/

What can you say!!

If you doubt me on this one, the next time you go to a place to eat/drink etc, when you sit down, just check out how greasy the seats are, (sides, top, back) then sit down, and casually take a good look under that table, and see the horrors that I have seen under there, or use a small mirror to be more inconspicuous.

One place in La Rambla told me "they just haven't got the time for it" I said what, to clean the place properly? are you joking? and again I got the shrug of the shoulders thing!!

Crazy, isn't it!!

Saludos,

Angelo

great thread!

- don't bring american express travellers checks. they are crap in spain. amex charges a higher commission to vendors who take them so stores and restaurants will not accept them. not even all banks will change them. visa travellers checks are a zillion times better.

amex, don't leave home without it, unless you are trvelling outside of the u.s.a.

saludos,
jer...

quote:

I can't help with speeding up the paying-process however.

Try asking for the bill when you get served, right when that waiter is putting that café con leche in front of you, sometimes that helps but it's still no guarantee.

I've always had better luck skipping the travelers checks all together and going with my atm card instead. I've never had a problem finding an atm machine in the airport/train station/major bus stations. Also if you have a Citibank account they tell you what the current exchange rate for $'s on the amount your withdrawling in euros and there are several branches around Madrid. I don't remember them charging a withdrawl fee when you take cash out with an American Citibank account from a citibank machine here in Madrid, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheers,
Bonnie

Maybe this has changed in 3 years, but the #1 thing I would tell new people is that the street signs are really tiny pieces of tilework embedded onto the sides of buildings. If you see a free-standing "street sign" it is telling you the general direction to go in so that you can arrive at that street some distance away.

I also had to deal with this in Paris and it was extremely unnerving the first time. That was especially the case after emerging from the elevator-free Metro with heavy luggage.

A couple more things spring to mind. 1) A good time to go to the supermarket or even visit the museum is from 2.30 to 5 in the afternoon. Contrary to their image of being very informal and relaxed, the spanish are very much creatures of habit and will be having their lunch at this time. Even the beggars disappear from the streets at this time. 2) If you want to buy something alcoholic to drink at home do so before 10pm. It's illegal for shops to serve you after this time (I find this a bit bizarre as you can still go to various bars at this time).

quote:

A good time to go to the supermarket or even visit the museum is from 2.30 to 5 in the afternoon. Contrary to their image of being very informal and relaxed, the spanish are very much creatures of habit and will be having their lunch at this time.

Great advice. Especially if you just have to pick up a few things. I enjoyed going to LIDL because it was just about empty during the siesta. The one to stay away from, sometimes, during siesta is ALCAMPO. Not too bad on Thursdays and Fridays. The smaller stores such as AhorraMás can be a headache during the siesta.

Shawn