Thanks for clearing that up, Wolfgang. I thought that ........... MY GOD!! I'VE JUST REALISED!! You are the reincarnation of MunchiMike!! Remember him? This should jog the memories http://www.madridman.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=17&t=000127 It's all coming back to me now. He was the chap who wore the wooly sweaters, wasn't he, so I suppose that makes you a Wolf in sheep's clothing?

Anchovy,

Actually, I'm allergic to wool

He's an interesting person, but I'm not him, and he's not me.... I'm the reincarnation of Peter Sellers

Wolf

Drat! I was just going to ask to trade in my 5-star (DeLuxe?) rating for a PG-13 or at least an'R' rating.

First-timers or occasional visitors to the forum should be able to gauge the quality of information or advice they get from a member by the amount of time that member has been
'on board.'

What I would like to see is a little more
'Jaleo'in the discussions. I tell people, for example, that Andalucia gets very hot in the late Spring and Summer, and that Galicia or Cantabria are much more agreeable. We stopped a weekend in Sevilla last September and I couldn't wait to head north. It was just unbearably hot! Tuesday, I was in the Mar Cantabrico at el Sardinero and I was happy. Wednesday we day-tripped to Fuente de in the Picos de Europa.

Let's hear some negative feedback!

I have to agree with Eddie somewhat as far as some negative feedback. I have visited other boards (fodors-they say don't even go to Spain right now.) and appreciate some negative comments, to be able to gauge what some may like and dislike. However, I hate mean comments. But, I do think it is helpful to know if something didn't meet your particular tastes and why. I didn't like the ratings either. But I do like to know if someone has a lot of experience on this board, as some of you do. Such as the jr members and members system. I have planned my entire trip from this board. I'm meeting with so many people when I arrive, I hope we keep it all straight. One of the suggestions,I have is that when people talk about neighborhoods, talk about which direction of the city it is in, and how far away it is from a particular spot, such as the Plaza Mayor. Which seems to be a spot that everyone knows. This way, for people that have never been, the streets and locations won't seem so foreign. I really don't know if some of you are talking about neighborhoods, or suburbs. I feel that I am writing places to go down, but will never find them once I get there, because, I really have no idea where they are. Maybe MM can figure something out that links places with a map? But, thank you all for your advice, and I'll let you know all about my trip. I leave on Tuesday!!

Nic,

Most travel sites rely on the State Department & CIA version of what is and is not safe for travel. Although they offer great information, they are very cautious in their approach because they are specifically selling travel packages. Since you and I live in, or near Chicago, we know that there's more violent crimes that occur in northern Illinois in a week, than there is in Spain, during an entire year.

Of course that doesn't mean you should be any less vigilant during your trip. It just means that your risk of being involved in a violent crime is higher than what the government sees as "normal risk," based on a criteria that I have yet to figure out.

Here's the link to the Canadian advisory: http://voyage.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/destinations/menu_e.htm
and the link to the US State Department advisory: http://travel.state.gov/spain.html

Now here are the US Travel WARNINGS: http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html#s

These are the ones we shouldn't take lightly. I'm always reminded that the sites that post "warnings" when they should be posting "advisories" often do so because they don't know the difference between the two terms, or may even be trying to steer people towards other vacation options for some reason. Although I can't say it is intentional on the part of any site, it does lead to some frustration for anyone who has already began to make their plans.

As for me, I feel safer anywhere in Spain than I do walking from a Chicago area Mall to my car at night.

I hope the three links help you to understand that the scare isn't as bad as some people imagine.

Wolf

Thanks Wolf,
I have been pickpocketed in Chicago. It was a miserable experience, but I have also lost my wallet with money in it for a vacation and had it returned to me with everything in it. MM posted the article that I read from the UK. I've also traveled to Costa Rica, with warnings(much more serious)and had no problems. But, I do know MM well enough, even though I am not a member yet, to know that we are getting off the subject and should be on a different thread.

[ 04-18-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Hahaha.. You made me laugh out loud, Nic! You WERE reading my mind today. Let's all head over to the Safety & Security Issues forum to continue this, shall we? There's plenty of existing threads which could benefit from this discussion. Thanks!

But to finish out this thread, I'll assume we're all MUCH happier WITHOUT the rating scheme.

I am glad that the rating system was done away with. I have to admit (embarassingly enough) I was a little offended after some people with 20 posts had five stars next to their name because to me it was like saying, nothing I had expressed was of any value after 100. Maybe that still is the case but at least I don't have to think about it everytime I want to put up a post.