If heading to Madrid or any other place in Spain and never been before, be prepared for an experience of a life time! (To me), was a very scarey experience! Will never go back there again. Some of the sights I seen were wonderful, but over all was nothing like I expected it to be. Was so glad to be back home in the U.S.A.!!! The food there is yuckie. If it had not been for Hard Rock Cafe, we would have starved to death. But if you decide to go, hope you have a better time then we did.

I can't believe what I'm reading. You must be one of the very few people who don't like Spanish food. Most foreigners - I would say 99.9 % of them - love it. Where did you go to eat (apart from Hard Rock Cafe)? Do you really prefer hamburgers and pizzas to paella, tortilla de patatas, cocido...?.

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad time here. But I guess most of people love Spain. No wonder last year we were the second most visited country in the world.

Regards,

Antonio

Ann what made it so scary?
Which foods didn't you like?
I absolutely loved Spain so I can't imagine anyone saying anything like that, but I guess it's all a matter of personal taste. I traveled by myself sometimes and it was never scary, I'm a 21 year old female.
Remember when you go to foreign countries to go with an open mind and don't really "expect" it to be a certain way.
I do hope that someday you go back and are able to give it a second chance. It will be worth it, I promise!

ann must be joking.

I think your subject line says it all. "Totally Different Culture". I say, thank goodness for the differences! How boring would it be if all cultures were the same?????

What a shame you had such an adverse reaction to Madrid and Spain, Ann! I can hardly believe it. You probably will never return to this message board to see all the responses you've gotten, but I'm happy you gave your opinion as you saw it.

What was so frightening about Madrid? You didn't say and this detail might help another traveler.

As for the food being "yucky", I have heard a few people say that Spain's food is bland, but I can't believe that you didn't try/enjoy the roast pork, tortilla patata/española, or patatas bravas. These are truly delicious in my opinion.

Most people who feel "saved" by the sight of a McDonald's, Burger King, or Pizza Hut usually aren't ready for a foreign experience. The key word in "foreign experience" is "foreign" - as in not like your own country/culture. We should appreciate the differences and not expect it to be like our own countries/cultures.

Saludos, MadridMan

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 06-21-2000).]

ok madrid man, i did return to read it, :-) like i said, it is just totally different. and yes, i did try alot of their foods. and just did not care for them. some people might, just different taste for different people i guess. i am use to the southern cooking here in south carolina i guess.
and no, i am not joking that i did not like it there. but that is just me, alot of people, americans, that i ran into there, from different states, shared my feelings about spain. it just was not the place for me. way too fast paisted for me there. oh, one thing...i finally learned where the game red light green light 1 2 3 came from. the walk light is red, then it turns green and then ya got 3 seconds to cross the street.
as far as scarey...they drive like maniacs there :-) and the purse snatchers are all over the place....i thank madrid man for the info on the money pouch around the neck!!! i made two of them myself for us and we wore them the whole time we were there.. thanks for that advise man!!

I wasn't even going to comment on this 'thread,' but I saw one remark with which I agree: "they drive like maniacs there." If you think they drive like maniacs in Madrid, go to Paris and try crossing the street near the Etoile (Arc de Triomphe). And if you wanted to experience a 'totally different culture,' you should have included a trip to Tangier in your itinerary.

Maybe you should have visited some of the larger cities in the U.S. before venturing abroad. Big cities can be scary for small town folk. As for your interpretation of the
'1-2-3, Go!' that's the tactic I use when waiting to cross the street in Philadelphia: When the light changes, count to three and watch the cars 'running the red light,' then look both ways before attempting to cross.

I hope Ann got to visit the Prado Museum and the Royal Palace and to see some of Madrid's beautiful parks and fountains.

I agree, Eddie. While I've never been to Paris, but have driven in Boston and they there are notorious for their OFFENSIVE (double-meaning here) driving styles.

Ann, I'm happy to see you returned to read the response. Having been around the internet a time or two and seeing these kinds of postings on the newsgroups, they are often just a way to "get a rise" out of the public.

You're right about the way madrileños drive, but they're mainly the taxis down the Gran Vía. You might be surprised that many of them aren't even speeding! I think the converted speed limit for there is about 45MPH and compared with the 25MPH limit in most downtown US cities it seems much faster in Madrid AND IS!

Ann, glad you found the neck pouch thing useful. I always use mine, but usually only on the plane and during transportation - rarely when walking the streets, but then this is because I leave most of my cash/passport/stuff at "home" where I stay (in the house of friends) so I'm not carrying around my entire trip stash. I'm fortunate in this regard, I know.

Saludos, MadridMan

Yes, did visit alot of nice and beautiful places as mentioned before while in Spain.
Yes, have visited much larger cities in the U.S. such as New York, Washington, California, Texas, not to mention Atlanta, Ga. and quite a few more.
Thanks to all for the feedback, but i am sure that there are places that everyone may visit from time to time that is just not their cup of tea.

Ann, what were your impressions of the rest of Spain other than Madrid - and other than the food? How did you find the people and the lifestyle? I'm curious to hear your impressions although I don't share your opinions. But then, this is fine too because we all see things in a different light and not everyplace is for everyone.

Saludos, MadridMan