I did not include in my response to your original post. From your original post, it appears to me that you Generalize (i.e., condemn an entire people for the sins of a few) too much. You started this thread with a bias against "Spanish People ." IMHO, that's a sweeping Generalization that won't stand up for long on this forum.

Lost luggage is something that happens anywhere one flys with checked bags. And you're going to have to deal with people in the lost luggage area who are not 'people friendly,' probably moreso in places where you are not fluent in the language.

Then you write: "Context is everything." Do you know what you're saying??

I think we should all simmer down a bit on this .. It´s getting a bit personal don´t you think ?

Certain nuances are lost in textual correspondence. Generalizations, as we learned in Sociology 101 at University, is dangerous. And, I'm convinced, perspective is everything. One many's trash is another man's treasure. One man's delicacy is another man's dirt. One man's culture is another man's crudeness. And so on, and so on.

Saludos, MadridMan

My last post in this thread, since Eddie seems determined to misinterpret me and try to pick an argument. Life's too short, mate!

In over 40 years of flying, I have only been separated from my luggage twice. Once in Germany years ago, the second time in Spain this year. The German experience was exactly what one would expect: they took my address, handed me an emergency pack of toiletries+emergency T-shirt, and delivered the case to my hotel within hours, same day. The Spanish experience: 48 hours later after having been shouted at and had phone slammed down on me, it cost us Euros 50 to retrieve the bag ourselves.

So much for your own sweeping statement: "Lost luggage is something that happens anywhere one flys with checked bags." Not in my case in 40 years world-wide it ain't.

Eddie, everyone else who contributed to this thread read my initial post properly and no-one else got angry or had a problem with it, only you. I am not going to be bulled off this forum by one bloke with an apparently short temper so I suggest that you just ignore me from now on, ok?

Saludos, Striped.

Stripedshirt-I can certainly empathize with you and the treatment received! I went through a similar incident 2 summersago when Iberia took no interest in finding my luggage or repairing it!After 3 days,I went out to Barajas at midnight and was told to look through the lost luggage myself -cost 50 €!!After another incident w/Iberia,I use them!
I remember taking a class a few years ago at the Complutense and the professor went through all the correct ways of addressing/ending formal letters in Spanish.Ironic that this does not cross over into dealing with the public...........!

It took me a while to get used to the bluntness of some Spaniards.
The very first time I met my Spanish suegra, she invited some of her friends over for coffee to meet the most polite Americana. She actually commented in front of them that I didn't need to say "Por Favor" and "Gracias" so much.

Also, from a cultural standpoint, think about the way Spaniards answer the phone-"Si, digame" or when they want to pass you in a crowded subway-"Dejame a pasar". Not rude, just more direct!

I've come to understand this and yes, some situations do still frustrate me, but hey, I am completely aware that we Americans have our quirks too.

Live and let live! Viva la diferencia!

Yeah Laduque . You´ve hit the nail on the head ! The " Dejame a pasar " thing in the metro still annoys me since it´s often accompanied by a hand on the back or a pulling of my shoulder .. but now I just let it go . As you said : " Viva la diferencia " . But you´re right it´s directness and not rudeness .
In the UK we can be very impolite .. especially in shops .. and a complete lack of service . I remember my penpal from Paris coming to stay with me ( I was 17 years old ) and before he went back to Paris he bought his mother a beautiful wedgewood ceramic box .. A lot of money for a young man . The store , in a nearby town , just put it in a bag , took the money and not even a smile . Christophe was horrified ! In France , and ( as you know ) here in Spain , they ask you if it´s for a gift , then spend time gift wrapping your purchase .
A young South African girl that sat next to me for 2 years in the trading room in London went to a big supermarket to get a whole load of food . The checkout girl was scanning all the food and it was pileing up ... And Angelique asked where the packing girl was .... Not in England ! So she huffed and puffed having to pack everything herself . In South Africa as I discovered when I was in Cape Town , there is Always someone to pack your bags .
In The States I´ve normally had exceptional service .. especially in restaurants . I love the charm of the Southerners .. I remember meeting a broker ( on business ) at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel In NYC .. Beautiful place ! .. We had lunch and collected our coats from the coat check .. my broker was from Florida ... And he said to the lady " Thank you maám " .. I was so impressed at his politeness . Yet on my first trip to NYC I went to get a sort of Greek chicken wrap ( to go ) at a crowded deli ... I had NO idea of half of the things on the menu board .. and when it came to my turn in the queue .. the guy was " Ok whadýa want ! " .. and I hesitated ... and he was "C´mon tell me " ... I was panicking ! But I got what I wanted !
In Moscow , the service can be exceptional in big hotels and smart restaurants . But try going into a Russian local supermarket . Often the food is behind the counter , so you have to tell the assistant what you want , you get a ticket , pay at another desk , and then go back to the assistant to collect your goods . BUT the last time I was in a small supermarket in Moscow , they had 4 sour faced assistants talking amongst themselves , and not one of them acknowledged the fact that I was there . What you have to do is say ( loudly ) " Devushka " ( Girl or Woman ) and then , grudgingly one of them will amble over to serve you .

Again it´s all a matter of cultural differences .. and actually I quite like these little idiosynchracies !!!

That's funny. I've been told the same thing by Spaniards more than twice not to say "Please" and "Thank you" so often too. More direct, they certainly are. I can appreciate that, too.

Saludos, MadridMan

My suegra always laughs at me for saying thank you, and my colleagues all say no hay de que - as often as i say thank you, but I do think that they appreciate that I mean it when i say it. Spanish people are not unfriendly, well, i am sure there are some, the same as anywhere, but they are a lot more direct and open than a lot of people, which is a good thing as far as im concerned. If they do not seem to be happy giving service, its probably because they work long hours, travel a long way to get to work and home again, and then have to take care of the family when they get there, and some foreigner who doesnt even speak their language is making life even more difficult for them.
I find that people tend to treat you as you treat them, and Im nearly always smiling and friendly, and chat to people, so thats how they are with me.

I too have had the mickey taken for using thank you far to often, for a while I became known in the local bar as Sr Por Favor. But then again my real name is a handful for Spanish speakers, so it gave them an excuse to use something they could pronounce.

My brother is married to a Peruvian, and they find European Spaniards rude to the point where it upsets him, so I understand where Stripedshirt is coming from. He does speak Spanish btw, and she claims to as well, although it's beyond me to understand a word she says !

I personally think the people in Madrid are the best thing the city has. It's a question of how used you are to them and how you react. There will always be rude people wherever you go and vice versa, and my experience is that Spain has no more or less than the UK. Never been across the pond though, so I can't make any comparisons with the US.