4 comments about The Rough Guide to Barcelona 7 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. The maps in this book are completely inadequate. Barcelona is a big complicated city and needs more than Powerpoint-style graphics that pass for maps. Reading a flimsy Spanish map from the tourist office was better. Pictures... virtually non-existent. Construction of book absolutely pales in comparison to a Lonely Planet book. Poor layout. I do not work for Lonely Planet!



2. Like most other Rough Guides, I found this very reliable. It is not too heavy to carry round ,even on a night looking for good Tapa Bars! The recommendations in eating out proved invaluable and accurate. They are much easier to follow than the LP guide as the different city areas are conveniently headed up.This enables you to wander around an area and stop off at your leisure sampling tapas. A very agreeable night out. Our favourite bar was El Xampanayet (A Cava Bar). The accomodation recommendation we chose proved good and prices were also as quoted. Time spent browsing the net for accomodation was far less productive than a quick read. The colour maps are an improvementon earlier additions, but you are better with a tourist centre map, not because that in the book is inadequate, but it is easy to have a map which slips into your pocket. The tourist info in the guide is good, the style is easy to read and all the city is covered, including days out from barcelona if you feel so inclined. The section on getting around is useful and includes weekly transport tickets etc. Overall excellent value. If you like pictures your better with Eyewitness, but its much heavier to carry, and in Barcelona you'll be doing lots of walking!



3. I just got back from a two week trip to Barcelona and I found
   the Rough Guide very useful.
   
   I read a number of books on Barcelona before I went, including
   Robert Hughes' "Barcelona: the great enchantress" and Tobin's
   "Homage to Barcelona" (the title is a play on Orwell's "Homage
   to Catalonya"). I also had the TimeOut Guides, both to
   Barcelona and the TimeOut Guide to Barcelona Food and Drink.
   
   What I particularly appreciated about the Rough Guide was its
   accuracy and its completeness. For example, it includes
   accurate information about the metro stops to various places
   of interest. Each district in Barcelona has a brief guide to
   points of interest. The Rough Guide even provides accurate
   directions to Calonia Guell, where Gaudi's chapel, referred to
   as "The Crypt", is located. Since getting around and knowing
   when points of interest are open is a big part of visiting
   Barcelona, the Rough Guide was invaluable and I carried it
   everywhere.
   
   Along with the Rough Guide to Barcelona there is the
   Rough Guide Map for Barcelona which I also highly recommend.
   This map survided two weeks of constant use in very good
   shape.



4. This is an excellent guide.. although I must admit I did not expect anything less from Rough guides. It is full of helpful details which make you go around the city on your own with no fear of getting lost, from the airport till your own destination. It includes sightseeing and absolutely everything about the city.. I always buy rough guides, although there is more text than photos, because the information given inside are excellent.

No comments about Living and Working in Spain, 7th Edition: A Survival Handbook (Living & Working in Spain).

No comments about A Late Dinner: Discovering the Food of Spain.

1 comments about The Most Beautiful Villages of Spain.

1. This book has breathtaking photographs of lovely exotic Spain. A true delight and pleasurable experience. A wonderful addition to your coffee table for everyone to enjoy. I have received many compliments on this inspiring magnificent book. It would make a great gift.

1 comments about Portuguese Cooking: The Traditional Cuisine of Portugal.

1. This is an interesting book, but if you have the 1993 edition, don't bother to buy this. It appears to be, word for word, a reprint of that edition. I thought that it might be updated - or that the travel parts of it might contain modern descriptions alongside the original. But no, it seems to be just a reprint.

2 comments about Canary Islands (Regional Guide).

1. this book has been very helpful to me with allot of good recomendations for hotels , restaurants and things to do on all the islands seperately .
   
   As with most Lonely Planet books they are presice and honest . The only thing i would have hoped for , was a bit more pictures , but never the less i was very pleased with this .



2. This book was extremely valuable during our recent stay on the island of Tenerife, just outside of Puerto de la Cruz.
   I would have liked to see more photographs but otherwise and excellent book and well worth the price.

No comments about Algarve (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides).

3 comments about Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections.

1. I read (and looked at) Iberia while preparing to visit Spain in 1969. I had already read Hawaii and Caravans by Michener, which are 2 great stories, but this photo essay about Spain astounded me. Although I thought I was prepared, I knew how to speak Spanish, I had lived in Peru for about 3 years, I had seen bullfights, I knew about geography, etc, Michener's short but in depth reflections about places in Spain made me hungry for a trip there, to try to experience some of what he wrote about. The photos are an integral part of this book, I can't remember the name of the photographer.

   This book should still be in print! I'll look in a library now.




2. In the summer of 1976 I read this book shortly after Franco died and before I arrived for a years's study in Madrid. I found it a terrific read. I arrived in Spain with more knowledge than most of my American friends.
   I have just finished re-reading it. My 17 year old daughter is going to summer school this year in Tarragona for a month, to work on her Spanish skills. I hope she enjoys this as much as I did.
   My wife and I have returned to Spain on numerous occasions, to vacation, to visit friends, to just visit. We are never bored. This book was and is a large part of that.



3. Published in 1968, 'Iberia' is James Michener's tribute to Spain, drawn from his travels there beginning in the 1930s through the late 60s. Not only does he describe the different regions of Spain, but as he does in his novels, he delves into Spain's culture, politics and history and even its ecology (there is a beautiful chapter written about Las Marismas, a large swampland in the south). This is a wonderfully written and fascinating book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about or travel to Spain.

1 comments about The Rough Guide to Portugal Country Map (Rough Guide City Maps).

1. What a sturdy map that can really take a beating. More importantly, it's easy to read and travels/refolds well. If you've never driven in Portugal, you're in for a treat. Consider yourself warned. This map will be invaluable as you get lost over and over again, wondering where the sign was before you hit the roundabout. This map is comprehensive and easy to follow.

5 comments about Pilgrimage to the End of the World: The Road to Santiago de Compostela (Culture Trails).

1. The book reads as if you were sitting in an art history lecture -- the author writes using simple, direct, yet descriptive language. While the narrative is framed around the St James trail, it is really a book about inner transformation, not a description of the external world and the landmarks one sees during the pilgrimage. In all, the book has helped me prepare my frame of mind for the bike pilgrimage I am about to embark. The best part -- it's a short and quick read!



2. Conrad Rudolph, a professor of medieval art,has made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Campostela and knows enough about the history of the pilgrimage and the art and architecture to be seen along the way to write a book that tells not only how to prepare for the long hike and what to take but also what is to be seen and what it all means from a historical perspective.



3. For my recent comiplation of pilgrimage quotations ("Ultreia! Onward! Progress of the Pilgrim") I read all 40 or so contemporary English journal accounts available about the various routes. Rudolph's is clearly within the first grouping of 8 or so best such books (i.e. largely those written by established authors and/or academics). He is able to convey in a fraction of the pages of other volumes many interesting and important aspects of undertaking such a pilgrimage. Though not the most quotable of sources (i.e. 7 such extracted for the review volume Ultreia! Onward!) Rudopplh nevertheless is particularly good at writing about the process of pilgrimage.



4. As I write this review, I'm wearing the boots I plan to use on my own Camino pilgrimage next week. In addition to breaking them in, I've been preparing my body, mind, and heart for the long walk to Santiago. Reading "Pilgrimage to the End of the World" was an enjoyable and necessary part of that process.
   
   Conrad Rudolph's book on the Camino de Santiago has four parts: 1) some historical background, 2) an account of his trek, 3) a series of black-and-white personal photographs with explanations that range from a paragraph to a page or so long, and 4) a practical guide (what to wear, how to pack, etc.). Despite its brevity (only 131 pages), Mr. Rudolph's memoir is packed with useful and interesting information. The surprising revelation that the author is a rationalist only serves to make his tale more compelling, especially considering the profound effect a pilgrimage usually done for spiritual reasons had upon him.
   
   Indeed, the Camino began as an important medieval religious pilgrimage to Santiago, alleged burial place of St. James. But it has grown to accommodate folks on quests of many kinds. What's ironic about Mr. Rudolph's journey is that despite his rationalist mindset, he walked the farthest distance of any pilgrim, faith-based or otherwise, I've read about so far. He began in Le Puy, France, went through Santiago, and concluded in Finisterre - the "End of the World" on the Spanish west coast. That's about double the walking distance from the usual starting point of St. Jean Pied de Port, a French town on the Spanish border. And I thought we religious folk were supposed to be the crazy ones...
   
   Despite his excellent account and helpful information, I part ways with the author in one key area: his firm recommendation of an external-frame pack. He's correct about the increased ventilation it offers, since the external frame holds the pack away from one's back. But according to another pilgrim's memoir, you'll sweat no matter what kind of pack you carry. Also, there are far more sizes and types of internal-frame packs to choose from. At REI I found only one model of external frame pack for sale among the plethora of internal packs - a forlorn Kelty similar to the one the author used. Bottom line, I'd say that an internal-frame pack is a better choice (I'm taking a 4,300 cubic-inch Gregory Baltoro).
   
   At any rate, "Pilgrimage to the End of the World" is a must-read for anyone contemplating, or actually preparing for, the Camino pilgrimage. Other helpful and inspirational books I used to get ready include: "Buen Camino," by Jim & Eleanor Clem, "Camino Chronicle" by Susan Alcorn, and "Fumbling," by Kerry Egan (also, check the Confraternity of St. James' website for lots of good info and up-to-date Camino guidebooks). If you choose to go, let me be the first you wish you a Buen Camino!
   
   UPDATE 9/7/07: On 7/14/07 I stepped off in St. Jean Pied-de-Port (France), and on 8/24/07 I walked into Santiago, Spain. Turned out that the boots I mentioned in the first paragraph were too heavy, so I bought a lighter Spanish pair in Logrono that served me well. My internal-frame pack was the Camino standard (although the model I had was too large and initially weighted down with unnecessary stuff) - out of the hundreds of pilgrims I saw, only a couple had external frame packs. At any rate, I recommend this book as necessary reading for anyone planning to walk the Way.



5. This is a delightful gem which captures the spiritual inspiration of the pilgrimage both historically and in the modern context. It is a marvelous book for those who intend their journey to be more than just a long cultural hike.