No comments about Portugal Insight Guide (Insight Guides).

2 comments about The Rough Guide to Spain (10th Edition).

1. I just came back from a 2-week vacation in Spain and let me tell you - this guide was well worth the money. After comparing it to all other guides on Spain I could find in stores, I decided to buy this one, because it seemed to have the most information. One guide that came close in that respect was 'The Illustrated Guide to Spain' - I already own 2 books from the 'Illustrated Guide' series and originally thought about sticking to it - but it's too picture-heavy, which in my opinion is a distraction.
   Boy, was I glad to have had chosen 'The Rough Guide'. Here are the reasons:
   1. It has detailed information about all cities/places of interest in each of Spain's regions, incl. getting there, and accomodation choices - especially valuale is the budget accomodation info, which most guides don't have
   2. It provides historical background on all sites that are worth seeing
   3. The city maps with highlights on hotels and restaurants were quite valuable while visiting small towns that did not have a tourist office.
   4. The menu dictionary was also very helpful, because in certain regions there aren't very many non-Spanish tourists and the waiters don't understand another language and may not give you a non-Spanish menu.
   5. I also found the contexts/appendixes to be a very nice surprise - no visit to another coutry is complete w/o gaining at least a bit of knowledge of its history and culture, and the guide's content was excellent in that respect as well. Also, the mini-dictionary which is in one of the appendixes was very helpful as I went to Spain w/o any knowledge of the language.
   6. The guides on eating and drinking were also quite valuable, as each region of Spain has it's own 'indigenous' food and vines.
   7. Finally, I liked the layout of the guide - some guides will throw in huge fonts to try to fill in 200-300 pages - this one did not make that mistake.

   It is true that the guide is voluminous (1000+ pages) and won't fit into your pocket. But if you want a guide that will tell you the most about Spain, this is the book. I went to that country impromptu - w/o reservation in most cities I was planning to visit and not knowing the language (not a good idea) - and still head a smooth trip around the country and great time.




2. Here's why

   1. Has tons of information on Spain, above and beyond the other guides - culture, history, architecture, cinema, you name it.
   2. Not too many illustrations/pictures to distract you.
   3. Maps of hotels/hostels and restaurants.
   4. Detailed information even on remote/small towns.
   5. The dictionary appendix is very helpful if you don't know Spanish (not many Spaniards know or even understand English/other languages, especially in areas that see few international tourists).
   6. Precious info on finding budget accomodation if your budget is tight or you just arrived w/o a reservation.

   This is not a guide that you can stick in your pocket - it's 1000+ pages after all! But the sheer wealth of information makes it well worth the money. A few days ago I came back from a 2-week vacation in Spain - went there w/o any knowledge of Spanish and w/o reservation in most cities i visited - just improptu decided to visit the country, although I would not recommend doing that. The guide saved my vacation, and then made it a great one. This is the first book from the 'Rough Guide' series I've ever bought - if the rest are as good as this one, I won't even look at the other guides out there..

No comments about Walking in Madeira (Cicerone International Walking).

2 comments about Time Out Barcelona Eating & Drinking Guide ("Time Out" Guides).

1. With only one weekend to spend in Barcelona, the Time Out Barcelona: Eating & Drinking book guided us to a couple of great resteraunts. Like other Time Out publications the writers tell it like it is, plus it made for enjoyable reading on the plane.



2. it's a bit out of date now (some of the places have closed or changed hands) but still a great read - often with hilarious observations sneaked into the reviews. Plenty of good advice on bargain set lunches, wines, local specilaities and unusual restaurants. I live in Barcelona and still use it weekly for my restaurant picks as, unlke local restauarnt guides, each review comes with closing times, credit card policies, metro stops and illustrated map refereneces. Very handy - when's the next edition coming out?

3 comments about The Life and Death of a Spanish Town.

1. When this autobiographical account was published in the late 30's it was an immediate sensation. Though Elliot Paul is pretty well forgotten today, he was the author of many best sellers. The Life and Death of a Spanish Town is generally regarded as his masterpiece. In this all but forgotten book Paul describes the destruction of the idyllic life he led on the Ballearic Island of Ibiza by the Fascists, both Italian and Spanish, who struck out against the Spanish Republic in 1936. It has long been considered one of the classics of the Spanish Civil War.



2. When this autobiographical account was published in the late 30's it was an immediate sensation. Though Elliot Paul is pretty well forgotten today, he was the author of many best sellers. The Life and Death of a Spanish Town is generally regarded as his masterpiece. In this all but forgotten book Paul describes the destruction of the idyllic life he led on the Ballearic Island of Ibiza by the Fascists, both Italian and Spanish, who struck out against the Spanish Republic in 1936. It has long been considered one of the classics of the Spanish Civil War.



3. The Spanish town of the title is Santa Eulalia Del Rio, known to its inhabitants simply as Santa Eulalia. Elliot (correct spelling) Paul made Santa Eulalia, a small fishing village on the Spanish island of Ibiza, his home from 1931 to 1936. He did not live there as an outsider, but rather as an accepted and loved member of the community.

   During Paul's first few years on Ibiza, life seemed idyllic. Most of his friends and neighbors were simple, somewhat naive, generally kind people who ranged from those who struggled to eke out a living to those comfortably well off. If the rich preferred to stay that way and weren't too anxious to share the wealth, so be it. If the Communists thought the wealth should be spread around, that seemed to be normal for your everyday Communist. If the Republicans liked the old style government and the Fascists thought that they should be in control, as long as it was just a thought, it didn't hurt anyone, did it? In spite of these conflicting agendas, all seemed well and no one thought that the problems on the mainland would spill over to their little island.

   Paul brings Santa Eulalia to life. He introduces us to the leading citizens in each walk of life, and invests them with real personalities. No wooden characters here. Paul's genius is in making us feel that we know everyone and that we are participants in the life of Santa Eulalia.

   He immerses himself deeply into the life of the village, and, it is my opinion that if not for the hostilities of the Spanish Civil war, Paul and his family would never have left Santa Eulalia. As it was, they waited until the last possible minute to escape, fleeing to the last neutral ship to dock in the harbor minutes before it left. At the time he wrote this book, Paul was still suffering from feelings of guilt over having survived when so many of his friends didn't.

   With the coming of the Spanish Civil War, Ibiza was alternately ruled by Fascists, Loyalists, Communists, and whatever other ist's could wrest control. Each successive change of power was accompanied by new oppressions, imprisonments and executions. The true victims of all of this were the innocent majority who naively believed that they could continue their old ways of life no matter who was in power.

   The day after Paul and his family made their escape there was an invasion by Italian Fascist troops. Within a few hours these troops herded most of the remaining males into a town square and machine gunned them. The Italians didn't care whose side the men were on, they considered all of the islanders to be a threat and thus executed all the males they could find, no questions asked. A day or two later, Spanish government planes bombarded Santa Eulalia, destroying nearly every home in the village. At the time of the publication of this book in 1937, Paul was still unable to determine the fate of any of his friends.

   THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A SPANISH TOWN brings a community to life, presents its inhabitants as real living people, and eventually brings home the horror of war through the deaths of innocent people with real names, families, and feelings. An out of print book that merits reprinting.

4 comments about Rick Steves' Portugal 2006 (Rick Steves).

1. What you need to know to go... Never go to a foreign country without Rick Steves, and this one, on the least touristy place in Europe, is up to his high standards.



2. Rick Steves does it again. Great recommendations. The only quibble (why not a 5) is that Rick is so selective that he does not include places, such as Tomar, that may be off the beaten path but really do deserve a mention, if not a strong encouragement to visit. If you buy this book, or even if you don't, look at his website where there are updates and a "chat room" that help you plan a visit.



3. If you are looking for a great, informative guide to the ins and outs of the country of Portugal, this book is for you! It has awesome insider tips on where to stay, eat, climate, costs...all updated annually...it even includes phone numbers of places to stay and whether or not they speak English...provides emails and websites and so much more!
   My only complaint is that I would have liked more photos!
   Overall, an excellent guide!



4. We always travel with two books for each destination and Rick Steves is always the book we use most for food, attractions, and city walks. Great writing style and very rarely out of date information.

No comments about Madeira & Porto Santo, 4th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan).

No comments about Fodor's Madrid & Barcelona, 15th Edition: The Complete Guide with Walking Tours and Trips to Toledo and Segovia (Fodor's Gold Guides).

2 comments about Barcelona (Eyewitness Top Ten Travel Guides).

1. Having just returned from a trip to Barcelona, and having brought several pocket guides to the city, we found this little book fairly useful.
   
   First of all, the covers and pages are glossy so they don't stain easily, which was unique to this guide. Secondly, there are LOTS of small color photographs, which is nice, though they are necessarily small. The front and back covers fold out to maps of the city and the metro system, and a selected street index. The book is organized into "top ten" lists: attractions, Modernista buildings, squares, churches, museums, cafes, restairants and tapas bars, night-time spots, gay & lesbian hangouts, shopping areas, markets, city views, parks & beaches, walks and bike rides, activities, attractions for children, folk festivals, and performance venues. In the next section, top ten lists are given for each geographic section of the city, and the lists mix resteraunts, attractions, etc. The final section, called "Streetsmart", gives top ten helpful hints for: getting to barcelona, getting around the city, ways to explore, tours, information sources, security, health, banking, eating, shopping, budget travel and hotels. Each list is accompanied by a map or graphic and each item gets a few descriptive sentences and includes hours, prices and metro stop information. The book concludes with an incomplete index and some useful phrases.
   
   We found this guide pretty useful and compact, and would definitely use others in the series when travelling.



2. Recommended: This is good if you have less than a week to spend in Barcelona and need to figure out how to maximize your time. The first few sections group activities and sites by type, so it's easy to pick out what you'll like. Plus they're all labelled on numbered maps to make it easy to chart your route through the day. Small color pictures help give you an idea of what you'll see. The sturdy map at the front is pretty useful and not awkward to use. The book is skinny enough that it's easy to carry it during the day. My main criticisms: (1) Park Guell isn't in the main top 10 list section, but is listed in the top 10 parks. I think this underemphasis is a mistake, since some readers might miss out on it. (2) There's not much info on excursions outside the city if you have the time for that sort of thing. (3) There's limited info on restaurants and hotels, but that may not be an issue for some travellers.
   
   If you have a longer stay in Barcelona you might supplement this with a bigger book like Fodor's See It Barelona.

No comments about Andalucia, 5th (Footprint - Travel Guides).