Hi, all....

Have been lurking for the last several weeks and want to congratulate MM and all his members for the insightful info as I plan a long-awaited trip with my mom to Spain. We'll be there in mid to late Spring. Well, anyway, didn't quite know where to put this...("Packing" seemed appropriate).

A couple of immediate issues are on the agenda: How to acquire cel phones for short durations and traveling with medications. I did a search on these, but came up with zero results. I'm sure this must have been discussed at some time. Is it appropriate to do so, again?

Regarding medications:
I understand that a letter from the doctor and keeping meds in their original containers is advised, but how does one deal with the x-ray machines and any effects on meds? Should/can the meds be filled in Spain with a prescription from the US? Are hospitals/pharmacies ammenable to tourists with certain chronic conditions (heart, diabetes, etc.)? Emergency medical situations? (Heaven forbid, but has anyone had one?)

Regarding the cel phones:
Can a Verizon serviced cel phone be programmed to a Spanish cel phone company's service? Who does one contact to get a Spanish or European cel service for one month? And are the costs reasonable?

Oh, and a third item...Has anyone made a map of Madrid to show the various barrios and whether they represent the better vs. seedier places to wander in (or out of)?

Thanks in advance for all the advise!

Happy planning! The cell phone question has been discussed a lot on this board. Movistar seems to be the phone of choice. For a month, the easiest thing to do is buy one in Madrid (they are cheap, and come with a phone card that has almost as much money on it as you pay for the phone). International calls are best made from public phones with a credit card, I've found. Medications? I'd bring all you need for a month, and carry them on my person. X-rays shouldn't harm them at all, but check with your pharmacist. If you have your prescription written out neatly with the type of medication (as opposed to the brand: that is, diazepam, not VALIUM), you should be able to get replacements if needed in Spain. I've had some emergencies and just go to the hospitals, but I speak Spanish. There's an English speaking hospital in Madrid. Hope this is a start....

Hello SpainSpud! (hehhee...) I'm happy you finally came out of the shadows. I thought I saw someone back there, out of direct light, lurking about. hehehe.. First, congratulations on your upcoming trip!

Regarding cell phones, you might contact Verizon and ask them (although I'd bet the teenager who answers the phone won't know). But rgf is right, everyone uses the local payphones which are abundant on the streets. Also, I found three postings in the "SHOPPING" forum (I guess that kind of makes sense too) regarding cell phone rentals and useage. SEARCH there using CELL PHONE as your keywords. I found 3-4 threads which you'll find useful.

While it might be too late, if you tell your doctor that you're going on vacation and not able to refill a prescription that needs to be refilled, (s)he'll more than likely give you a double prescription amount to cover you while away from home. Also, doctors in pharmacies in Spain are nearly like real doctors. People most often visit their neighborhood pharmacist BEFORE going to the doctor and they can recommend something for you. If not, or if it seems too serious, (s)he'll refer you to your doctor... and of course you don't have one. Tell the pharmacist this.... if you can, in Spanish. OR, if you (or your mother) don't speak Spanish and have a medical condition, it's a good idea to write the condition IN SPANISH on a card before arriving and always have it with you.

I don't think a map of Madrid exist which tells the GOOD, BAD, & UGLY parts of the city. heheehe... doubt the people would be too happy about that. First, anything can happen anywhere in any city in the world. Having said that, most areas in Madrid are okay to walk at night. Some say it's best not to walk alone anywhere at night, especially if you're a woman. Wherever there are lots of people on the street you're generally safe... And in the cities of Spain, there are usually people on the streets all day and all night long. Look in our "Safety & Security" forum for more information on this topic.

Have a GREAT trip!! Saludos, MadridMan

Oh, neighborhoods: you need to pick up a guidebook to Madrid (or Spain, more generally) with an in depth description of the various places to visit. It will open your eyes to all the places you will want to stroll, and will probably advise you, like MM said SO WELL, to always be careful as you would in any city, stay away from far-out districts if you don't know them, don't hang around train/bus station neighborhoods late at night, Lavapies can be a bit iffy, as can some areas off the Gran Via and in the Casa de Campo. An interesting fact about most Eurpoean cities is this: the city center and immediate areas are usually fine, and expensive even. It's the way out 'suburbios' that are the equivalent of U.S. "inner city" (I hate that word) dangerous areas like watts, south bronx, south side of chicago, etc.

rgf-I laughed out loud first then got ticked off. How did you come up w/that ridiculous assumption about the suburbs in Madrid?

Not suburbs, but suburbios, as in what you see in an old Almodovar movie, the areas you travel thru as you head out the city south... not talking about the communities of chalets adosados, but the poor suburbios. I just saw some of these areas a few weeks ago. I hope you understand I am not using suburb/suburbio as synonymous concepts.

[This message has been edited by rgf (edited 02-06-2001).]

(Drat! Our neighborhood just got hit by a rolling black-out....Now I have to rewrite my reply! Let's see how long this one lasts....)

Thanks to all for your directions and advise. I hope the inclusion of three items doesn't send this thread into three different directions!

So, to keep it together:
Regarding the neighborhood issue - I've read your posts and other materials and gather that Lavapies is not great idea to go roaming in a random fashion. Keep in mind that I will be with my elderly mother and I myself am not into playing dangerously. I recall the time I was wandering in London (a while back) and inadvertently found myself in the White Chapel district which definitely had the "vibes". So, I think you all know what I'm trying for here. Would you take YOUR elderly relative on a wandering walk through
south Chicago with nothing in particular for being there? I don't think so. So, pipe up. I want to hear your votes for the various districts. (Shall I use this paragraph to start the vote in the safety thread?)

Regarding the Medications: The Spanish Embassy's web site is soooo sloooow these days and I can't seem to get to the documentation that might list the drug policies for persons under medication. Any official URLs that could lead me to this info?

Regarding the cel phone issue: Thanks for the tips. My initial search on this website was hampered by my spelling of cel(l) phone. I'll move to that thread for this issue. Thanks!

Bottom line is that I want to show my mom a good time without making her feel uncomfortable or nervous and to make this a time of bonding for us and yet a pleasant adventure in seeing new and beautiful things and people....which I'm sure are found everywhere if you see them with the right eyes......or maybe the left! In any case, my question was not to disparage any particular areas of Madrid, but (given our case and this being our first time there) I'd like to start out on the right foot (and maybe the left, too, later on!!)

Thanks, again.... y si hay algunos quienes quieren dar sus respuestas en Espanol, pues adelante! :-)

So where are you staying? Tell us that and we can suggest good walks in Madrid. You are right-- Lavapies an night isn't where you want to be, and in general wouldn't be. The Rastro (flea market) isn't a place to bring an aging mom either (tho it is fun if you are careful!)

As for the cell phones, the European GSM system is incompatible with the American standard so you won't be able to use an american cell phone in Europe. A Spanish GSM cell phone should work in most European countries thanks to the different agreements that phone companies have (this is called "roaming"). However, I think it's quite expensive to use this roaming service and you'd better buy a new card to use in your cell phone if you move to another country in Europe. Another problem is that cell phones in Spain are blocked intentionally so you can't change the company. There are "tricks" to crack the codes they have but I'm not sure if they always work.

Anyway, it's quite expensive to make international calls from a cell phone so you'd better buy the cheapest phone you can get and use it just for incoming calls and for national calls in Spain. Ask the different companies (Airtel, Amena and Movistar). Offers are changing all the time.

Regards,

Antonio

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The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

Rgf -you are so condescending!If indeed you were my professor,I would run not walk to get my schedule changed.You are so oblivious as to how constantly culturally offensive your remarks are on this board.I feel like a freshman-a toss up if it's back in high school or in college
Maybe it's those long dreary winters in Buffalo............

Thanks to rgf and Antonio. I'm going to break this into parts...rgf, please go to "Favorite Places - Various Scenarios in Spain" to pick up the rest of this post with my ideas for itineraries and such (and as for Antonio here's the cell phone part...

1. Cell phone issue - we won't be making copious calls to the US. The phones (one for each) would be more for staying in touch with each other during those times we'll be separated.....like when my mother decides to crash for the day while I go out an do my own sightseeing...or she gets sucked in by a shoe store while I'm waiting at a cafe. Most of the time, though, we will be together. So, I'm interested in finding out if the cheapest phones will do the job. Now, we are also leaving the itinerary open for a mad dash to Italy (Bologna and environs) as a scouting expedition for a future trip. So, in this case, does it up the ante on the cell phone issue as we'd be leaving the country? Is it worth it given our situation?

Thanks in advance!

Chopchi... not trying to be condescending at all in explaining what I mean by suburbio vs. suburb. Maybe you'd like me better in person. I have so many students trying to get INTO my courses, because they find my classes to be great and they find me one of their most friendly and supportive professors! Maybe it's the electronic tone that you read as condescending, or maybe you don't like my sense of humor, which is fine, but don't flame me. I think I've helped a lot mor people on this board than i've offended, and in this life, that's not a bad record!

Buying a cell phone in Spain is not so cheap anymore. At the begining, phone companies give them for free (or for little money) as long as you became one of their customers.

Nowadays, about 60% of the population in Spain have one (some people even have two or three different cell phones!). Therefore, now phone companies only subsidize a small part of the total cost of the cell phone (ie, you pay more for it ).

If you plan to make call between two cell phones, I gues the best for you would be the pack dúo (Amena) . It has the cheapest rates (5 pesetas per minute 24/7). Note that this rate is only for calls made between those two phones. By the way, you may still find this pack dúo .

As you can see from these links, they are quite expensive, even though they give 4000 pesetas for calls in each phone. Instead of buying them, try to rent one of these special "pack dúo".

Regards,

Antonio

[This message has been edited by Antonio (edited 02-06-2001).]

chopchi complains: [ to rgf ]
"You are so oblivious as to how constantly culturally offensive your remarks are on this board."

Odd. I've never been offended by rgf's posts. On the contrary, I've usually found rgf's views reasonable and responsible, and his observations and conclusions often in agreement with my own. chopchi, your remarks are uncalled for.
Cantabene

[This message has been edited by cantabene (edited 02-14-2001).]

I agree w/ cantabene. rgf is always responsive, positive and informative. Never have I found her to be otherwise. True, though, that over the Internet it is quite difficult to assess tone, so one can easily jump to conclusions as to the intent of the poster. I, personally, would love to attend one of rgf's classes!
Jen

Hey, thanks old board buddies for saying nice things about me on V-day! Cantabene, btw, I am Rosemary (yikes, now people won't call me rgf) and tho sometimes i get called "sir" when I drive thru McD's (the haircut??), I am una chica. Y mis clases son superdivertidas!

Well, I, for one, find that rgf has been quite generous and informative . It's very easy to read someone wrong, especially if they have 1. a strong character and 2. a significant experience about which they are confindent. In these regards, I'm inclined to opine she has both characteristics. I beleive, in regards to my case, she has understood the general situation regarding traveling with an older person and is sensitive to the issues this entails. My mother and I thank you, rgf.

If you're leaving from the US, here's a link to a rental site. I've heard ads on the radio to this effect, and from a "no strings" standpoint, I think rental is smart. I plan to rent one for next year when I go.
http://travtel.com/gsm.htm (URL updated by MadridMan)

SpainSpud- are you in NoCal or SoCal, as the blackouts were supposed to happen last night for us, too. Just curious...

aww comeon Calibasco! trying to make the spanish payphones work is half the fun!

Leche

Leche, Correcto! I'd almost forgot how fun it was on the OLD telefónicas to get a free 2-second call to anywhere in the world. The ones where you lined your coins up and watched them get inhaled by the machine. In the interim between your friend on the other end and the phone realizing you're too cheap to pay, you got two seconds to say "Wassup?" or whatever. Oh we are sly.

Also, free long distance on the ever-disappearing phones with no dials on them:
Simply lift the receiver and tap the disconnect button the desired number of times for whatever individual number you need, in sequence, pausing between #s and then talk for FREE to anywhere for as long as you please. HEE! When (if) the bill shows up, and happens to carry a charge, you can always point to the phone and ask "how do I call out on this phone, as it has no dial or buttons?"...oh, the grand scam!

how right you are Calibasco! I remember seeing the Peruvians all crowded around the 'broken' pay phones waiting in turn to make their 'free' calls home!

ps....just booked the trip for 3/29 - 4/14!

Leche

Thanks! Hmmmmm.....almost as much as buying the things, looks like......I don't mind doing it the "old -fashioned way" (if I understand you correctly...the payphone looks like a leisure experience), but I need to be sure I can stay in contact with my mom while we're there.

Ah, yes.... the ever threatening but never appearing black-outs (that was only a 5 minute deal, btw).......I feel for the Northern Californians who always get the brunt end of the deal (water rationing while we get the voluntary stuff, etc. I personally think Pacific and Edison just randomly turn on and off the lights to scare the people in the south (that 5 min afair was the only one we had) into thinking there really is a power shortage!!!! The water was more real and unfairly dumped on the north to bear the burden while the guys in the south just keep wasting resources......this is going to be a battle, for sure!

I believe what Rosemary/rgf was referring to maybe a bit too generally (unintentionally) was the presence of large blocks of towers on the outskirts of major cities in Europe (Sarcelles in París, Bellvitge in Barcelona) which tend to be kind of crummy. Of course they don't even compare to the level of nastiness present in large US cities.

However there is no reason whatsoever why a tourist would have to go to these places.

Back to the "where to walk" issue: Would it be too general to say that the south side of Madrid is (how can I put this tactfully) "less attractive" than the other parts, or are we really looking at a concentric area surrounding the city that is less attractive (rgf's barrios), or are there other cues that tip you off as to where you are in terms of (ehem) "attractiveness" in a "where to wander" context?

Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't worry about falling upon undesirable environs as a tourist. You'll most likely stick to the "center" of Madrid and will be surrounded by pleasant neighborhoods. Crime in Spain against tourists is mainly theft. In my opinion, you have a greater chance of being robbed in the Puerta del Sol than you do in any of the neighborhoods everyone is talking about.

As for the south side of Madrid is concerned, I'm not going to argue whether or not it's safe, you really will have no reason to go there. It's, for the most part, residential and is not somewhere tourists on a limited amount of time would go. That goes for other neighborhoods as well, Barrio de Pilar, Arturo Soria, Las Musas, etc. They just aren't "tourist material" and I'm assuming your time will be spent in the center. I'm also going to assume you and your mother won't be walking at 3:00 in the morning? At early evening hours (10:00-12:00) there are tons of people on the streets (including children). Simply avoid small, poorly lit streets if it makes you uncomfortable.

I would also like to point out the increase in graffiti in Madrid over the past few years. Please don't feel you have fallen upon "gang turf" if you see it (and you will). All neighborhoods in Madrid have some level of graffiti (including Barrio Salamanca).

Thanks, nevado. You know, I am not terribly concerned about personal safety as we're going to be keeping relatively early hours (before midnight, if not before 10ish) and I realize that the tone and timber of Western European cities is less threatening than those in the US. If I can handle a visit to East LA or an accidental walk into White Chapel in London, I'm sure all will be well. I'm just trying to be sure my mom won't equate anywhere we go as prelude to entering some of the scenarios that Mexico City has had to contend with in recent years. Que lastima!

Thank you for the words of comfort. And I'm sure that should we go outside the "tourist zone" we'll be ok as long as we mind our Ps and Qs and behave respectfully in our host country.(Eyes wide open). :-)

Regarding the cell phone issue: Following up on Antonio's and Calibasco's suggestions of looking at rentals vs. buying and the various companies they suggested..would you please take a look at the Airtel info regarding their packs at:
http://www.tiendairtel.navegalia.com:80/...0J74HLND0MX47V1

I had my eye on the 9,970 pta Ericsson (that would make two for just over $100!) I don't seem to be able to get to the information on the per-call charges on the included card (4,000 ptas) or other details regarding incoming/outgoing calls to land-lined phones. Incoming and outgoing international calls are available on these and (am I understaning this correctly?) these are GSM phones??? These are not rentals, but seem to beat the GSM duo pack from Amena and the GSM rentals I've run across so far.

Antonio, Calibasco (or anyone else),what do you think?

[This message has been edited by SpainSpud (edited 02-18-2001).]

[This message has been edited by SpainSpud (edited 02-18-2001).]

It's pretty complicated to choose among different offers.


[*] Calls made to land-lined phones are usually more expensive than calls among cell phones.


[*] Calls made among cell phones of the same company are usually the cheaper than the rest.


[*] International calls are more expensive from cell phones than from land-lined phones.

I've found this page with a list of rates for the different companies. As you can see none of them offer the 5 pesetas / minute you get with the pack duo. By the way, I forgot to tell you that you can buy any two prepaid Amena phones and then make them "duo" paying 1000 pesetas per phone. Thus you get the special 5 pesetas / minute offer at anytime.

------------------
The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

I wish everyone would re-read my post. I said, the central areas of Madrid-- and that's where all tourists stay/go -- are safe! I CONTRASTED this with the U.S., where dangerous parts of a city are often IN the heart of the city. I explained that in Spain and other European countries, the areas you don't want to be wandering around in are generally well outside the central city area and you'd never have reason to go there. Sorry I brought it up!!!!

rgf, I think your point above may have been overlooked by the whole "suburbio" conflict! Now that that's been cleared up, I'm sure everyone saw your "suburb" point "casa" your a "finca-ndidate" to answer questions. (Sorry, I couldn't resist a little barrio-puns)

Nevado, you need to get back on Sancho Punza and get it going! Frankly, I have no clue about half the puns in the last post there.... Anyway, the suburbio/suburb thing is interesting because of the very different connotations of the words. As for me, I live in the suburbs of Buffalo but my friends live in the afueras de Madrid! Nevado, it is really snowing here today... do you take your screen name from the snow, or those delicious cookies (I think they are called nevados?!) saludos de rgf

rgf, don't feel sorry you brought up the barrio thing, because I, for one, understood your explanation and, quite frankly, needed that explanation to get a sense of orientation. I did not feel you were disparaging anything and, in fact, were compassionate in your assessment of the various distinctions you made. Thanks, again. :-)

SpainSpud, since I was answering your question, I am glad you are OK with it! We can't wait to hear all about the trip, and how your mother reacts, etc. Fill us in on the hotels, travel modes etc. and remember to ask all the questions you want, because somebody will know! I never took my mother to Spain; maybe you will inspire me!

My mother has been to Spain a dozen times to visit me, and boy, let me tell you, it's no walk in the Retiro! Don't be alarmed- it's MY MOTHER! She insists on striking up a conversation with every Spaniard about you name it! I remember losing her at the entrance of the Corte Inglés once because she had to show a man a picture of her dog which just happened to be the same race as his. Once we went to Morocco, just the two of us. She got on a train by herself (thinking I was just going to hop on) and was on her way to Rabat without me! I thought something terrible had happened! Finally, when she returned to Casablanca, she got off the train with her newly made friends.

Have fun!!!!

rgf, yes, my name is because of the snow and last Thursday we got plenty of it. Just when you think winter is over!

(LOL....both me and my mom!) Sounds like something my mother would do, (and it's totally unconscious and automatic, it seems). So tell your mom she's not alone! I think once she gets over her initial apprehension (remember, this is her first Old World trip ever) my mom will be gabbing away (with occasional bursts of blushes when she becomes aware that she's "talking to strangers"...!) But then, this is the point, right?

I'll definitely be reporting back with the results!

[This message has been edited by SpainSpud (edited 02-18-2001).]