2 comments about Madrid, 2nd (City Guides - Cadogan).

1. The Cadogan "Guide" book on Madrid seems to lack basic fact checking. The hotel we booked into, The Hotel Intur Palacio San Martin, recommended for its terrific location near the Big Three museum triangle, was in fact, nowhere near the museums and nowhere near its location on the Cadogen map. Continuing on Day one in Madrid, following the Cadogan Guide, we made reservations at a restaurant for my husband's birthday. Went to find the restaurant based on Cadogan map again, lo and behold, no restaurant at that location and no-one had ever heard of it. Eventually, many days later, we did track down the restaurant, again nowhere near its mapped location. Needless to say, we no longer trusted any facts in our Cadogan Guide, I recommend only using this "guide" for atmosphere, but wait, I can figure that stuff out myself! Cadogan guide ended up in wastebasket in hotel.



2. I agree with the prior review, the maps were completely incorrect. This guide is useless in relation to the greatest needs of a traveler - where to find lodging and food.

No comments about Portugal Road Map with Separate Index 1:600,000 (Ravenstein International Maps).

1 comments about Footprint Northern Spain: Handbook (Footprint Northern Spain Handbook).

1. Well, I'm again here recommending a Footprint book. I took two weeks off and travelled from San Sebastian to Vigo, and from there to Portugal (where I used a Michelin for a three day stay). If you have more than a week, Footprint is the way to go (and read the guide BEFORE travel, like always). Is a great thing that they decided to write this sector guides (about only a part of a country) because it allows you to take in some areas without feeling that you paid for something that you will not use. Also, it represents better the way I do tourism. The cheap hotel (pensions) reccommendations where incredibly accurate (and I saved a lot of euros without losing quality). One line even mentioned a dog pertaining to a hostel owner, and since the dog passed away last year the owner wanted to see the guide to remember him and was happy to see that his dog will always be in a printed page! (that was in Oviedo). Continue with the good job people.

No comments about Spain/Portugal (Road Map).

2 comments about Michelin the Green Guide Andalucia (Michelin Green Guide: Andalucia).

1. I really enjoyed readingt his book. A great resource for traveling in the Andalucia



2. Michelin guides are always a great source of reliable and comprehensive information. I love them because by giving so much detail they allow the me to choose as I go, and not having to rely in the narrow selection of a (good) travel writer. This guide on Andalucia is not an exception. The fluid text helps to recreate the landscape, traditional architecture and cultural vivacity of such a rich region. It is a very good guide, but still far from the best by Michelin.
   Comparing this 2nd edition to the first one, there was lots of editing, especially condensing and cutting text. The first version was a bit too wordy and meandering, but in my opinion there was too much cuts, especially on minor sites and description of sites.
   Also, surprisingly, there was nothing new - and there are always some new museums (Almería, Málaga, La Línea, Moorish baths in Cordoba), important reopenings after restoration (Los Remedios at Estepa, Santiponce), and good content missed in previous editions (ever heard of Zufre? Mulva? La Hoz de Rute?). Coverage of natural sites is still a week point of this guide; and a few extra maps of scenic drives and city plans (e.g. Antequera, Osuna, Priego) would help.
   In the end it was a surprise to see how increasing fonts and line spacing led to more pages in spite of less content. I'll rather keep the first edition.

No comments about Contemporary Portugal: Politics, Society, and Culture (Social Science Monographs).

5 comments about South from Granada (Kodansha Globe).

1. At once a travel memoir, a work of anthropological observation, and an account of becoming a writer, Brennan's account of life in a Spanish Village in the 1920's is acutely observed. Rich in its account of the culture of the region, South from Granada also contains wry descriptions of the visits of various members of the Bloomsbury group (Lytton Strachey, Dora Carrington, Leonard and Virgina Woolfe) who, with varying degrees of adaptability, are confronted with the rather basic ammenities of the village. Strong, clear writing makes for an evocative read.



2. I bought this book in preparation for a trip to Andalucia this summer. What I found was one of the best character studies I have ever read. This would be the father of the "Year in Provence" type of book set in a facinating section of Southern Spain amid white-washed Berber homes and olive groves. Don't worry about the chapters on the visits from various famous writers (Virginia Wolfe, etc.) as they can be skipped without dimishing from the work at all. Nonetheless, I enjoyed them despite having absolutely no interest in Lytton-Strachy, et al.



3. As a British ExPat, living in rural Andalucia, I find Brenan's observations of the Spanish character and way of life still very relevant and curiously haunting in this, the first decade of the third millenium.
   The Historical movements of ancient peoples from Andalucia to Northern Europe, and their relevance to modern racial makeup, prove also fascinating.
   Altogether; a somewhat 'dry' book, but well worth reading especially if you have an interest, and some knowlege, of Southern Spain.



4. This book surely has its ethnographic merits, but there's another great reason to read it. Gerard Brenan is one of the most elegantly simple writers in the English language. The economy of his prose that never feels hurried perfectly suits the man for his observations of the unhurried, simple life he describes.



5. Although it was first published over half a century ago, Gerald Brenan's "South from Granada" is still considered by many to be the canonical text about the Albujarra region of Spain's Sierra Nevada, the standard against which all other work is judged. Does it deserve its exalted reputation? You'll get no argument from me.
   
   Brenan writes intelligently and fluidly, and his account is always interesting, whether he is writing about his own personal experiences, or about his neighbors and the local customs of the Albujarra. As he was friends with members of the Bloomsbury circle, the book also contains an account of (separate) visits by Lytton Strachey and Virginia Woolf.
   
   The following comments on Woolf nicely illustrate Brenan's perspicacity and generosity, two of the qualities that make this memoir so enjoyable to read:
   
   "I want to emphasize Virginia's real friendliness on this occasion and the trouble she took to advise and encourage me, because her recklessness in conversation -- when she was over-excited she talked too much from the surface of her mind -- made some people think that she lacked ordinary sympathies. I was young for my age, and rather earnest. ... She on the other hand was a writer of great distinction, approaching the height of her powers. Yet she and her husband not only concealed the impatience they must often have felt, but treated me as though I was their intellectual equal."
   
   Based on this book, I'm really looking forward to reading Brenan's writing on the Spanish Civil War.
   
   I highly recommend "South from Granada". Readers with an interest in the region might also enjoy Chris Stewart's "Driving over Leemons".

3 comments about Live & Work in Spain and Portugal (Live and Work Abroad Guides).

1. In contrast to typical travel guides, Mr. Parker's book offers a wealth of valuable information about the mundane, often-overlooked aspects of building a life on the Iberian Peninsula. What may not be clear from the title, however, is that the book is almost exclusively directed at citizens of the EU (ie. UK and Ireland) who wish for a variety of reasons to move to Spain or Portugal. On specific points of how to obtain permits and visas, the book will seem painfully vague to any non-EU citizen, with Mr. Parker's view painfully slanted toward the English Pensioner or long-term vacationer. In short, if you are a non-EU citizen interested in living on the Iberian Peninsula but will not be content to sequester yourself in an enclave of sunburned, English-speaking Britons along the Costa del Sol, you may want to keep shopping.



2. Jonathan Packer's guide LIVE AND WORK IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL is a book to steer clear of for those facing the challenge of moving to Spain. The book suffers from numerous problems.

   LIVE AND WORK is first of all quite out of date. Although it was last updated in 1998, this update didn't change much from the original 1991 edition. As Spain is more and more integrated into the European Union, and the Euro is now the official currency, this guide's advice is often too old to be useful.

   The layout of LIVE AND WORK makes the guide vexing to read. The text is often so compacted that it is difficult to see where one section ends and another begins. There are spelling mistakes here and there, and typesetting errors. The book also contains advertisements, which may disappoint those looking for independent advice.

   Finally, this book is written for Britons who are thinking about moving to Spain and Portugal, for an American to learn about Spain and Portugal through this book, first one would have to be familiar with life in Britain.

   If moving to Spain, I would suggest acquiring CULTURE SHOCK: SPAIN instead of this guide. It doesn't have nearly as many details, but it gives you an overview of the culture. One could augment that book with other resources that are up-to-date. All in all, however, it is best to avoid LIVE AND WORK IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.




3. When I started looking for a place in the sun I found this book very helpful. It provides a bird's eye view of life and work in the two countries of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the kind of book to start with before you make a decision and then start focusing on the country of your choice. It is concise and to the point.

No comments about Spain: Your Guide to a New Life.

No comments about Spain & Portugal 1988 (Fisher's World Travel Guides).