For anyone who might be interested, there was a cool article on Madrid in the travel section of the L.A. Times yesterday. I am pretty sure you can read it online without paying. I really enjoyed it. they did wuite a job of selling it as the great place for vacations that we know it is.

I have to admit, as much as I want to share my love of Spain, I always get a selfish twinge of wanting to protect it from being over run by tourists the way France and Italy have.. Is that wrong?

I know exactly how you feel Nicole! I always felt that Spain was my 'unspoiled little corner of the world' that nobody I knew had ever been to. It was the first foreign country I had ever been to and I was just in awe that a place like that had existed all the time...like some sort of parallel universe to the one I was living in.

I guess 10 years ago it was much less Amercanized as it is now and the internet wasn't even around. I'll be going back next month so I guess I'll being prepared to see the changes that have taken place there....

Leche

[This message has been edited by Leche (edited 02-26-2001).]

Here's the url;
http://www.latimes.com/travel/stories/20010225/t000016848.html

I hear you Leche! I remember even feeling irritated at seeing other Americans on the trains doing the Eurail thing - at the same time I was doing my Eurail thing. I knew it was hippocritical, but...

As a side note, it has been seven years since I was there, and I am sure it has changed. I was bummed to see on an earlier post that there is a MacDonald's now in Salamanca ;(



[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 02-27-2001).]

Nicole--thanks for the tip about the article--after reading it, I have to say, my mouth is watering and I am just itching to get on that plane!! Thursday seems too far away! Give me garlic shrimp NOW!!

And is there really a McDonald's in Salamanca? Oh, that makes me so sad!! In 1990, when I lived there, there was just Burger King, home of the "Tejano" and a clean bathroom with toilet paper. I only went in for the latter, preferring a cheap cheese sandwich at Meson de Cervantes in the Plaza when I needed a quick meal. Actually, now that I think of it, I only ever saw people going into that Burger King for the bathroom. I wonder how they stayed in business?

Sorry...off topic rambling--but great article!!

Tara

HMPH!!! How can an article be written about Madrid in this day and age and there NOT be a mention of MadridMan.com???? I just don't get it?!! Sheesh! What's a guy got to do 'round here???! Man! Instead, this "newby" travel-agency-type website gets noted. ARGH! What's the world coming to??

sorry, off topic, but get ready to see plenty of Coke, Pepsi, Marlboro and Winston ads all over the place...

Spaking as someone who got back from Salamanca in June.... yeah, it is way Americanized. McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Domino's... there was even a diner when I first got there. Pans & Co is the Spanish version of a Subway type restaurant, with to-go bocadillos, and I much preferred that or Telepizza to any of the silly American places!

Oh, Majesty--
No, say it ain't so! What is this world coming to? Rather than having parts of Spain become more like America, let's make a MadridMan message board pact to have parts of AMERICA become more like SPAIN! Anyone want to help open a nice branch of the Museo de Jamon?

We do have a good tapas place here in Minneapolis...close to the real thing, but not nearly crowded enough and without the scrunched-up napkins and cigarette butts all over the floor. So not the real thing at all, now that I think of it...but the food's pretty good. The patatas bravas were almost as good as MINE!

Okay, everyone in unison: "GET TO WORK, TARAVB, so that you can get your bills paid before you leave for Spain in TWO DAYS!"

Tara

[This message has been edited by taravb (edited 02-27-2001).]

thanks Jen but it has been like that there for years....since before 1991!

leche