While we are all concerned about the muggings and other acts of petty crime in Spain, it is good to reflect on the basic honesty of the Spanish people. We had two examples of this during our brief two week visit. First, a group of our students were having lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Madrid. One of the girls, a 12 year old (traveling with her parents, but eating with older friends) was working out the separate check business with the waitress. The other two girls at her table had paid with $20 traveler's checks, but this girl paid with a $50 check. All the girls received change back as though they had all paid with $20's. When the girl got back to the hotel and went over the day's happenings with her parents, she became aware of the fact that she was out $30. The girl was in tears as this was her first experience dealing with her own finances and let's face it, $30 is $30! The parents asked if anything could be done about it, and most people said we should just kiss the money goodbye. I talked to our tour guide and asked if she could make a call for me (I figured her etiquette in dealing with this issue would be better than mine!) and the manager said yes, he was aware of a $30 discrepancy and yes, he would be happy to refund the money! We set off at once to the Hard Rock and the manager explained that he knew from the handwriting on the check and from the waitress's recollections that a youngster unfamiliar with foreign money was involved. He said this kind of mistake could happen to anyone and that we should tell the girl not to feel bad about having made the mistake. Then he handed the $30 over to the girl's happy parents!

A few days later, one of our girls dropped a 2000pta bill as she left the Museo de Arqueología. An old woman standing on the steps found the money and shouted at the girl to stop so she could give her the money!

Our tour group witnessed some petty crime, but these two acts of honesty, consideration, and (I think) protection of young people left people with a wonderful feeling towards the millions of NON crimimals that live in Spain!

la maestra,

You're absolutely right about Spaniards. They are very honest people. I'd hold them up as an example to anyone on that premise.

What I've been able to gather, the percentage of petty crimes committed by aliens (legal & illegal) makes up a very high percentage of the total. As a result, Spaniards get a bad rap for it... because it's their country.

People that I know personally, who were robbed, were accosted by people from various nations, including one tourist/friend who was held up at knife point by a fellow American who thought it was neat that the person he was holding at knife point was from Chicago, just like he was....

It didn't matter, he took their money, credit cards, and everything they had, then looked back at them smiling as he took off, and said, "Have a great vacation!"

That was a message that I won't forget. Just because someone is American doesn't mean they can be trusted. Meeting up with people you don't know, and getting too friendly with them, just because they hail from the US could cost you everything.

Wolf

I've told this story before--but since few people remember one's last posting, I'll tell it again.

In 1958, when Spaniards were lucky to be making a dollar or two a day, I left a Leica 3F in the back of a taxi. I had bought the camera used for about $150. But converted into Pesetas, that would probably have kept the driver and his family for several months.

I went to the taxi office and learned that property left in taxis could be reclaimed for ten percent of its value. I declared an honest value of 6000 pesetas for the Leica (the exchange rate then was sbout 40 to the dollar) and paid over 600 pesetas. The shocked clerk assured me that this was entirely too much reward money. But upon being reassured that the driver would get all of it, I gladly parted with the money, happy to have my camera back, and with it the ability to record what was to become the first of many trips to Spain.

Now, what impressed me about this was not only the honesty of the taxista, but his honesty in a land of widespread poverty and hardship.

I find it curious that as societies become more affluent and less needy there seem to be fewer honest persons, not more as one might expect.
Cantabene

In the 60's in Alcala de Henares I was looking at some shoes at the weekly outside market and set my wallet down to try them on and forgot it. I did not remember until I had walked home and by the time I got back all the merchants had packed up their wares. There was only one young Spanish boy sweeping the last of the litter from the now empty lot. With absolutely no hope I asked in my very weak Spanish if by chance the boy had seen a wallet, and he motioned to me and walked me four blocks away to a house where my wallet was being kept until they could locate me. No one would take a peseta. It has always been unbelievable to me.
In ten days I'll make my first return visit in 30 years. I'm saddened to think how less safe I will feel walking the streets of Madrid. But I expect when I get out of the big city and drive north that I'll encounter the same honest respect for property and that most wonderful pride in generous behavior.

Certainly no wallet or camera saga but on my last trip to Spain caught a bus (thanks MClarke for your wisdom on the bus sytsem) from Cadiz to Ronda and then a cab from the bus station to a hostal. Ended up inadvertantly leaving a sweater in the cab and when I realized it - figured oh well -.
Not so - at the end of his shift, the cab driver showed up at the hostal with my sweater and profuse apologies! And would not even consider accepting a thank you gratuity ....
So much for the fabeled rip-off cab drivers!

Puna, I guess the further away you are from Madrid, you experience more the Spaniards's warmth and honesty. How are you?

mclarke