No comments about Insight Pocket Map Barcelona (Insight Pocket Map).

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

1 comments about Knopf MapGuide: Vienna (Knopf Mapguides).

1. This series of city gudes are wonderful for any traveler. They are handy and small enough to fit in a pocket. They provide useful information at a glance.

1 comments about A River in Spain: Discovering the Duero Valley in Old Castile.

1. I found this book a bit heavy on the historic side of things when I first read it. Originally I was looking for a more practical guide to the river and it's communities as part of a canoe trip from Aranda de Duero in Spain to Oporto in Portugal. However, it's been a few years since I completed that adventure and now I'm settling down in the Duero region so the book has become a much more interesting part of my library. This is an incredible part of the world and this book is a good source of information - although an update wouldn't go amiss at this stage...

No comments about Michelin Map No. 573 Northern Spain (Pais Vasco/Euskadi,Navarra, La Rioja.

No comments about Let's Go 2009 Spain & Portugal with Morocco (Let's Go Spain and Portugal).

5 comments about Frommer's Spain 2007 (Frommer's Complete).

1. Note: This is for anyone contemplating purchasing the new 2006 travel guide of Spain by Frommers. Don't waste your money. Although I have purchased over 30 Frommers books in the past and enjoyed each one, the Spain book was awful. In Madrid, the book lists 20 or so "Top Attractions" (which is customary for Frommers). However, try to read about these attractions (e.g. what they are, hours of operation, etc.) and you can only find about half of them in the book. How do you know if it is worth treking across town for something that has no description?
   
   In addition, some attractions in Barcelona are not correct on the map (literally they are across town from where Frommers puts them). I ended up stopping in bookstores and reading Eye Witness in order to see what I was missing.
   
   Save your money. I am also sending a complaint directly to Frommers as well. For the rest of the reviews (prior to mine) on this page, note that they are for other Frommers Spain versions (not the 2006 book).



2. Thorough, Comprehensive and well-put together.
   
   From all the travel books out there on Spain this one is not a compilation of mere facts, photos, phone numbers and page-fillers.
   
   What sets Frommer's apart is the information provided and the style in which is presented. You will find lodging options for various budgets, a list of most important sites to see and even suggested ways to spend time in a city if you have only 1 day or as much as 5 days, great places to eat and great places to splurge if you can stretch your dollar. Be aware that this is not a book for the ones on a shoestring budget. Frommer provides a good introduction to Spain without being overloading you with mass amounts of information or pictures, a truly well-balanced book.
   
   When I backpacked 4 months through Europe I had a copy of the Lonely Planet for Europe (a thick and heavy book) because it covered more cities and esoteric towns, a ripped chapters of all the international youth hostals Europe of the countries I visited, and as primary guide for nominal cities and capitals I used Frommers (ripped the book and kept only chapters of countries planning to visit - so I can keep the weight down).



3. I just got back from Spain a few days ago, having used the 2006 Frommer's Spain to plan our trip. None of the entries have been updated to reflect 2006 pricing for entry fees to museums, etc. The book has a small section in the front called "What's new in Spain" or something along those lines, but the rest of the book does not appear to have been updated for 2006. We ended up spending more than we had expected at almost every single place we visited on Frommer's advice due to the fact that the pricing was outdated. In hindsight, I would have saved some money and bought a used 2005 version. And FYI, most attractions have student discounts which knock up to half of the admission price off, so don't leave your student ID at home if you have one!



4. I've been to Spain several times, and until now I've been using the Lonely Planet 2003 Spain guide. On my upcoming trip there in May I thought I might update and perhaps complement my old guide by getting a 2007 edition
   from another publisher. So, I picked up the Frommer's 2007 and started reading it in depth when I got home. Well, it's just not that good. The layout is very annoying and they barely list any hotels that aren't expensive. Also, they leave alot of tidbits out that the lonely planet has. (Like the chapter on Toledo for example, says nothing about the mass migration of the population to high rises around the city. Lonely Planet mentions things of this nature. Many of the Lonely Planet chapters usually make mention of a negative aspect of a certain area, which every good book should have.)
   
   Not to mention the maps in the frommer's are basically nonexistent. Nothing more than a faraway street map with only the main roads filled in. The map of sevilla for example, only lists a couple major arteries and the names of plazas. For a city as confusing as sevilla, this isn't a big help. Good thing I already know my way around. To conclude, I'd say that Frommer's is just missing that one essential aspect: Soul. The book has no soul. No opinions, no diversity, no explanations of seedy happenings or places to stay away of because of certain things. Just no soul or passion and terrrrrrrrrible maps.



5. The date on the latest edition says 2007, but this book is completely out of date.
   
   I took a quick look at the Madrid chapter and immediately found the following:
   
   (a) The subway map is old (p. 98); line 8 from the airport started running to Nuevos Ministerios a long time ago but this is not shown.
   
   (b) On pg. 94 it is claimed that there are airport buses to Plaza de Colon. They used to go there, but since Feb. 2005 (two Frommer editions ago!) they terminate at Avenida de America.
   
   (c) On pg. 41 there is the wacky claim "There is a very favorable exchange rate in Spain when you pay in US dollars". The exchange rate for euros isn't any different in Spain than anywhere else, and it isn't "favorable" at all. When do you think this sentence was written?
   
   (d) There's an article about internet access away from home. That's useful and modern, right? Well, it recommends hotspots operated by T-Mobile "at more than 1000 Starbucks coffee shops nationwide". The 'nation' they're talking about is the USA!
   
   As I said, I got this during a quick browse; this is not a complete list of the weirdness in this shoddy little book.

3 comments about Following the Milky Way: A Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

1. This account of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, made in 1982, before the current resurgence, contains everything you need to know about history, architecture, myth and legend along the ancient route across northern Spain and more. It is a personal account, but one chock full of customs and lore, as well as facts and individual musings on the nature of pilgrimage and what drives a pilgrim to leave home and hearth to trek 500 miles to the medieval end of the world.

   Elyn tells her story with humor and pathos and ask the reader to consider just what the pilgrimage route and the symbols contained therein might really mean for today's pilgrims. It is, after all, both an inner and outer journey.




2. Elyn Aviva has written an excellent book on walking the Camino. She includes the human interest angle as well as interesting info about the history, cultural aspects, and architecture. The fact that her walk was in 1982, before the Camino became the popular pilgrimage route it is now, is quite interesting. I consider this book to be a great addition to my growing library of books on this subject.



3. The review heading is a quote from day 10, July 18, 1982 in Elyn Aviva's fascinating tapestry of trail journal and scholarly insight. This story was first published in 1989. The 2nd edition was published in 2001. Prior to the 2nd edition, the author walked the Camino again in 1997 and again in 2000.

   The Camino in 1982 was a vastly different experience from the modern Camino, and for this reason the author has left the text of the body unchanged except for some editing. She has added an 18 page Introduction to the 2nd Edition where she describes some of the changes over the last twenty years and talks about the other pre Christian pilgrimage routes that some believe evolved into the Christian Camino.

   I had never read the original edition, and really enjoyed the account of Elyn and her friend Bill's journey. They had never backpacked before, and started out carrying heavy packs, wearing new boots, and throughout the book I emphasized with the experience of new backpackers, gradually becoming fit. In 1982 there were few refugios compared to today, and frequently they slept under the open sky. The trail was poorly marked, sometimes non existent compared to today. Sometimes they had to hitch. Particularly in the earlier part of the trek, the local people did not look on pilgrims with favor.

   Each day gets a section in the book, with a little map showing maybe a third of the entire Camino, with a little bracket showing the distance walked for the day. The first day has a similar map of the entire route - not a map for detailed info, but a simple line with place names. Day 1 starts in St. Jean Pied de Port and the book ends with Day 47 - leaving Santiago.

   Anyone who has walked the Camino will appreciate this story, and anyone about to travel the route will benefit from the history included with the day to day narrative.

   Modern day walkers - read this for background, but be sure to get the Confraternity of St. James The Camino Frances guide to take with you, as well as either John Brierley's guide or Davies and Cole's guide. Also, check the forums such as GoCamino and Santiagobis and websites such as backpack45.

No comments about La Pedrera: A Total Work of Art.

No comments about Bilbao & Basque Country, 2nd (Footprint - Pocket Guides).