Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with Spain

Are you great at reading horrible handwriting? Your expertise is needed!

mwachs — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:35:20 -0800

Are you great at reading horrible handwriting? Your expertise is needed! Last year, I met one the most kind men I had ever come across while traveling through Europe. Unfortunately he gave me his address while rushing for a train and the handwriting of the street is pretty impossible for me to read. Can you decipher it? And if you happen to live in either Alicante, Spain or Rabat, Morocco, perhaps you know him? His name is Idrissi Hafid.

Screw Chevy Chase

Christ, what an asshole — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:03:51 -0800

I'm looking for underrated, obscure European vacation stops. A couple friends and I are going to Europe for a month (Nov/Dec), and we plan on doing the whole Eurorail/hostel thing across several countries. 1/3rd of the destination stops are for my choosing, and while I know they'll be making the saturated, obvious choices like Rome, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, etc., I'd like to spice things up with places that don't automatically spring to mind but offer the same level (if not more) of awe. Ideally, cities that aren't automatic tourist stops where most everyone speaks English and there's a McDonald's on every corner (but also not so far out of the way from mid-Europe like some hole-in-the-wall, Eastern-European Caspian city).

What sort of places have you visited that you would recommend?

"Spanish Lice"?

Third — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:46:47 -0800

What exactly is wrong with this Spanish advertisement in which the Spanish basketball teams are slanting their eyes so as to appear stereotypically Asian? My friend, who is Spanish and just spent five weeks in Spain, and I were discussing this picture earlier this evening. We had just seen Tropic Thunder, where Robert Downey Jr.'s blackface performance and the derogatory nature with which mentally disabled people are depicted has drawn some criticism.

I asked my friend, N, what he thought about the teams' photograph. I was joking of course, but he seemed to take it seriously. He told me that there was hardly a reaction in Spain and that it's the rest of the world that is up in arms about the situation. He failed to see what exactly was wrong with the picture.

My other (American) friends in the car thought, like me, that the picture was racist. N said it would be the same thing if Spanish teams put on flat caps and held cups of tea at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Everyone else argued that it would only be on the same level as "slant eyes" if they put in nasty fake teeth. Then more examples came up:

What if the Spanish football team put on dark makeup at the World Cup in 2012?
What if a future set of Olympic Games were held in Munich, and they put on small dark mustaches?
What if the women's basketball team put on full burkas if the Games were held in Baku?

N realized that we thought the picture of the basketball teams was offensive, and asked why it was OK for Downey Jr. to get away with Tropic Thunder, and we responded that Downey Jr. is not representing his country in a worldwide sporting event.

The argument ended in a stalemate, with N calling bullshit on me when I told him that, regardless of the intended meaning of the picture (which he claims is innocuous), it's the perceived sentiment that matters.

When I got inside and sat down, I couldn't really think of a good reason as to why that picture is inappropriate. It's insensitive, sure, but what are the actual complaints being lodged against Spanish athletics? Does it have something to do with Aragonés and Spain's recent bouts of perceived racism in sport? Where is the line drawn between humorous cultural ribbing and outright racism? Would it be OK if, at the fictional Munich games mentioned above, they had mugs of beer and were eating sausages?

Sorry for such a long-winded explanation to a hard-to-answer question, but I happened to start seeing N's side of the story and I wanted to hear what the hive mind thinks.

Please evaluate my route from Italy to Spain by car

zaebiz — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:07:07 -0800

I plan to drive from Venice, Italy to Valenica, Spain in April or May 2009 using the following route. I will stay for a few days or weeks in little spots along the way. I should have about six weeks in total. I mostly want to see a little of Spain and Italy, the French Riviera, Montpellier, Marseilles and finish at Valencia. Apart from that anything else I should try to see? Any parts of the chosen route I should avoid? What's driving like along that route? Any rental car companies which will let me pick up in Italy and drop off in Spain?

Foreign guides around Europe

vizsla — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:21:43 -0800

How does a 40ish year old male with enough money find his way around Europe without foreign language skills? Is it possible to hire guides to travel with, or at least to show them around on a city-by-city basis for this sort of thing? I'm thinking specifically France, Spain, Italy. Willing to use University students or some other creative possibility. Mostly there for a holiday but may also need to talk to real agent agents about places in France or Spain.

¿Dónde puedo aprender a hablar español?

inatizzy — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:16:26 -0800

Where can I find a good Spanish language immersion program? (Ideally in a Spanish-speaking country.) In the past I have debated moving to Spain with the goals of A) having an international living experience and B) improving my Spanish to the point of being conversational. However, I have learned it is difficult to get a work visa so I have begun exploring language immersion programs, instead. And I have a few questions.

1) Should I do this in Spain, or some other spanish-speaking country?

Some thoughts: I am very eager to have easy access to visit other European countries, in addition to just liking Spain itself, so Spain is my preference by far. But I am concerned that anywhere in Europe may be cost prohibitive. (Central or South America might be more cost-effective, no?)

2) City v. small town?

3) How do I find the *reputable* ones?

4) Are there programs that cater to specific age groups? (I'm in my mid-20s.)

5) Do they typically help with your social life, too?

And just in general, ignoring everything else I've asked, if you have any recommendations for programs that can offer a great experience, or if there are resources I should be tapping into, please tell me about it! I am new to this.

Muchas gracias! :)

Spanish Camera Hire

johanze — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:15:44 -0800

Spain Camera Hire : Attending a best friends wedding in Majorca in September, and have been asked to be the official photograper. Instead of dragging my gear across the pond from Australia, wondering if anyone knows somewhere in Spain (specifically Barcelona or Majorca) where I can hire the gear I'd need.

Broke but ambitious in Barcelona.

Zé Pequeno — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:42:07 -0800

I've just finished business school and have landed myself an internship at a very respectable multinational company in Barcelona, Spain. The internship is great, the salary dreadful. So, I'm now in a position where I can barely afford to live and need to find something else to suppliment my income. Can someone give me an idea of what formalities I need to address in order to sell food in the streets of Barcelona? I work just six hours a day so I have plenty of free time and I'm warming to the idea of starting my own business. I have identified a possible business opportunity centering on selling a very easy to prepare, mouth-wateringly delicious South American dish at night to drunken revellers. All I need from a purely logistical perspective, as far as I can tell, is a mobile barbecue, food and a few cooler boxes. I don't want to have any problems with the law, however.

I would be really grateful to anyone who could explain exactly what legal obligations I must fulfil before I can be legit. Also some indication of the probability of being able to do this would be also appreciated. I've already found out the hard way how spirit-crushingly obsinate the Spanish bureaucratic behemoth can be.

I'd welcome any informed suggestions but also ideas from anyone at all as to how I could feasibly make honest money in this city.

3 Days in August: Spanish or Portuguese?

foxy_hedgehog — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:04:40 -0800

The last weekend in August: Madrid or Lisbon? I have a three-day stopover in Madrid at the very end of August (8.30-9.2). I've never been to Spain, and I have no doubt there are many wonderful things to do and see and eat in Madrid. However, I've heard some reports that Madrid is unbearably hot in August- and that everything is closed. I thought as an alternative that I'd transfer to a cheap flight to Lisbon from the Madrid airport, and spend my few days there instead.

These are obviously both amazing and very different places. But having no experience in either city or either country, I'd love your take(s) on what might be the best way to spend the time. Particularly vis a vis the August thing.

Where to stay in Barcelona?

junesix — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:14:59 -0800

Pair of mid-20s friends looking for a place to stay in Barcelona in early June. I've read up a bit on the neighborhoods and it sounds like the popular, touristy area is near Las Ramblas. However, many of the modern tourist attractions are farther to the northeast. Help! I'm having trouble nailing down a neighborhood to find a hotel to stay. I love being in an urban neighborhood that's great for walking around day and night, cheap eats, and great shops. Since this will be our first time to Barcelona, we'll likely be heading to the big tourist spots as well which seem to be northeast of the old town center. So far I've picked out Hotel Del Mar just north of Las Ramblas but near a good metro station. What do you think? Should I go closer to the center or farther? Any suggested hotels for 6/1-6/6? Budget max is $200/night for the 5 nights.

How do I move tiny valuable things around the world?

szechuan — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:49:31 -0800

Great Aunt dies in Spain, bequeaths jewellry to relatives in New Zealand. How do we get it there? I've got reliable recipients in London, so my first thought was for Great Uncle to FedEx or similar to there, but this now seems a bit too much for him to cope with. Short of flying to Spain to collect in person, is there an option I am missing?

Spanish obscene pun?

Bizurke — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:33:10 -0800

Is there an obscene pun on this Spanish-language t-shirt? (photo/nsfw language inside) When I first saw this t-shirt, I read it as "I have a hair on my tongue, but I don't know what pussy (/cunt/some other slang term for vagina) it's from." Later on, I found out that in Spanish, or at least peninsular Spanish, you can throw in "coño" to mean, more or less, "fuck" or"fucking." So, I presume, it's possible to read the t-shirt as "I have a hair on my tongue, but I don't what the fuck it's from."

My question: Is this ambiguity intentional? Is this a pun? Or do my mediocre Spanish skills transform it into a pun?

NOTE: I took this picture in the gift stores around Peñiscola, in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, in case that makes a dialectal difference.

Getting a Eurail pass in a jiffy

Sar HaPanim — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:12:55 -0800

How can I get a eurail pass before I leave for Spain tomorrow? I'm flying from home (Washington DC area) to Spain tomorrow and plan to do a lot of travel by train using a Eurail pass for Spain. Only when starting to buy the pass today on the RailEurope website, however, did I learn that the pass is a paper document which must be sent from Europe to the U.S., and which cannot be easily purchased in Europe.

Can I buy the pass today or tomorrow from an actual store (i.e. not via mail) in the Washington DC area?

If not, is there a listing of vendors in Europe somewhere? Or should I have the pass sent overnight to a friend in DC and have him forward it to me in Spain?

Please help!

What American authors write about Spain?

mizrachi — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:42:44 -0800

What literature is written about Spain or the experience of living in Spain by American authors? This is for a class to be taught in Valencia called, "Spain through American Eyes."

Accommodation and things to do in Valencia, Spain?

jonesor — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:12:28 -0800

I'm going to be in Valencia (Spain) for a few days. Can you give me your recommendations for budget accommodation and some things to do. I'll be there from 20th-23rd March, and by budget I mean less than about 30 euros pppn.
What shouldn't I miss? I've been to other parts of Spain before and have a reasonable grasp of the language. On those previous occasions I've spent my time eating and drinking my way around the bars. This time I'd like to have a to do list of sights and maybe a museum or two to give our days a bit of structure.
Throw in any other Valencia-related tips as you see fit.

Many thanks!

Cookbooks for Spanish cuisine?

sdis — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:38:06 -0800

Spanish Cookbook: Which should I get? I just got back from a trip to Spain, and I want a Spanish cookbook to recreate some of the gems I found over there (and perhaps discover some new ones). Highlights I wouldn't mind being able to do at home were:

Barcelona/Girona area: Fried seasoned artichokes, Eel pasta w/ guindilla pepper/olive oil/garlic sauce, tortilla española, ham croquettas, mussels, asparagus in various styles, *the bread*[I realize I might have to just give up on reproducing spanish bread at home], mixed seafood paella,

Seville: "Hot Chocolate" aka hot viscous melted chocolate (is there anything other than chocolate in this?), patatas bravas

Arcos/Ronda: Slow cooked rabbit with some unknown, divine sauce, pine nut cookies, Sultana macaroons, marinated chicken or pork on skewers, I believe something resembling butter-fried rice, serranitos sandwiches, deep-fried battered shrimp with some sort of corn-based, deliciously spiced batter.

Granada: Shrimp pil-pil, arabic chicken puff-pastry things, tocino del cielo

I realize some of these are going to be restaurant-specific, but for the ones that you might recognize as traditional spanish dishes, is there a good recipe book that may have tasty, reproducable recipes including some of these? It need not be comprehensive, and I value a book containing fewer, but better recipes over many, so-so recipes (even if the so-so ones are somehow more "authentic", but I wouldn't mind including a decent number of the above.

From reading reviews at Amazon, it seems like there are a few good options, some of which are comprehensive and huge (1080 Recipes by Simone Ortega), some of which are pretty with not-necessarily clear recipes (The Foods and Wines of Spain, Penelope Casas), some of which are more like highlights (Delicioso, Casas), and some of which seem newer and prettier (The Cuisines of Spain, Barrenechea).

Anyone out there that owns one (or preferably more than one) of these books that can vouch for or against them (or for/against some other books I havent yet considered), or provide some more in depth reviews than can always be found on Amazon?

Addressing a letter to a Spanish couple

epugachev — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:24:35 -0800

How should an envelope to a married couple in Spain by addressed? My mother is addressing wedding invitations (no, it's not my wedding), and one of them is going to a married couple in Spain. She would like to know what a proper formal or traditional way to write the couple's name would be.

For example, she would write "Mr. and Mrs. John Doe" on the first line of an envelope going to a U.S. couple named John and Jane Doe. Suppose the Spanish couple is Juan Garcia Lopez and Maria Rodriguez Hernandez. Is "Sr. y Sra. Juan Garcia Lopez" acceptable and the sort of thing that would fit to their eyes the formal tenor of a wedding invite? Should the man's maternal surname be left off? Or should something like this be done: "Sr. Garcia Lopez y Sra. Rodriguez Hernandez"?

Just graduated and moving to Europe with a girlfriend and no job

swhitt — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:04:02 -0800

Help an almost-grad figure out how to move to Europe with his girlfriend I just learned girlfriend has been given an incredible opportunity at work. Her company is an international one and she's been working at their US headquarters for the past year or so. Sometimes they will take a rising star and send them abroad for a few years to prepare them for the upper echelons of the company. So, I've been told that she's going to be moving to either Italy, Spain or France in 5 months and that she'd like me to join her. It's probably going to be France, specifically Paris, but the other options are there if we can't make Paris work.

Although I am absolutely scared out of my mind about leaving the comfortable United States, the prospect of moving to Europe excites me incredibly. I've done a bit of research and it seems that I need a full-time income source in France in order to obtain a work visa. I'm about to graduate from a fairly prestigious engineering college on the east coast, but I've been doing full-time contract work for the past year. Mostly Ruby on Rails web development stuff, but also some Spring/Struts and a bit of PHP.

Is there any way for me to obtain a long-term visa while continuing my contract work in the US? If not, do you have recommendations about where someone with my skill-set could get a job in France?

Additionally, if any of you have any advice/words-of-wisdom about moving to Europe, please send them my way! I definitely need some help calming down about this.

How can I move to Spain for a couple of years?

inatizzy — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:17:27 -0800

I think I want to move to Spain for a couple of years to experience life in another country. But, as a US citizen, I don't know how I would go about supporting myself over there. Can I get a job there? Should I become a student? I traveled in Spain for 10 days at the end of last year, which was a great experience. (in no small part thanks to your advice! really, it was so helpful.) For years, I have thought about moving abroad, and now thanks to my trip, I really think I would enjoy myself in Spain, so I'm anxious to find out if it really will be possible and, if so, make a plan. (I'm not getting any younger!)

But, I'm afraid that it will be hard to find a way to support myself there, because 1) I'm a US citizen, so I will need a visa, 2) I'm not fluent in Spanish, though I do speak it and I would embrace the challenge. (And, I have already read this post.) Do you think it will be possible for me to be able to move to Spain and to live and work legally, and on a wage that is comfortable? (Not extravagant by any means. Just enough to live in a safe area, buy food, and enjoy the culture.)

I know it usually helps to have some more details about my situation, so here are what I think are the most important factors:

I don't think I am talented/experienced enough in a specialized area for a Spanish company to want to take on the cost of sponsoring me, especially given my need to improve my Spanish. (Why would they hire me when they could hire someone from the EU?) I'm only a few years out of college and have am experienced in administration for startups - maintaining and improving office facilities and services, hiring, and a little financial work too.

But, I have had the luck of having some extremely talented individuals as mentors, and I have been told through years of peer reviews at work that I have become a very valuable employee and team member. (Intelligent, thoughtful, curious, a hard worker and a fast learner...) I'm not trying to toot my own horn, here; what I mean to explain is that I have gained a lot of work and life experience and I have been very valued by my employers and coworkers, so I know that I would be an asset to whoever would hire me and I don't think they'd regret it. I just don't know how to convince them of that. :)

I am trying to get into some graphic design/desktop publishing work, though I'm still building my portfolio and am not yet confident in my skills. (though, I'm getting there :) It'd be great to combine my career ambitions with my personal growth goals by working in design while living in Spain, but I just don't know whether it is reasonable to expect someone to hire me, since I still have so much to learn. I am definitely open to going to school in Spain to get some good teaching and experience in design. This might also make it easier to get a visa. But it does make me worry a little about the money. (How would I afford school AND living moderately? would I be able to work?)

Mainly, I'm looking for a way to have an amazing, life changing experience while I am still young and single so that I can really come into my own and, whenever I am finally given the opportunity to settle down, I will feel ready to do it. I don't want to look back on my life and wish I done something more with my time.

If any of you have ever accomplished something like what I am trying to do, or just have some advice or experience to relate, I'd really appreciate it! Thank you, as always, for your insights and support.

What do I need to know to make a last-minute trip to Cadiz for Carnival and come out with my dignity, health, and belongings (mostly) intact?

slowcat — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:29:07 -0800

Some friends and I are planning to spend a few days in Cadiz for Carnival. All the hostels and hotels are booked (and we're students so our budget is fairly tight to begin with), so we figured we'd just pack light and sleep on the beach. Any advice on how to do this comfortably, and without getting our stuff stolen while we're asleep? Should we plan on stowing our stuff in lockers at the train station? Should we bring costumes with us or get them there? Any scams, sketchy areas, etc. that we should watch out for? Any and all advice is welcome, we don't really know what to expect!

Help me plan/budget a 1-week Spain or Greece vacation!

sdis — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:44:07 -0800

Help me figure out a budget and an example itinerary for a February trip to Spain or Greece! I'm in Austria, and found some €20 roundtrip tickets (Feb 4-11 or thereabouts) to Barcelona, Spain (Well, Girona) via Ryanair during a February school break. This is cool. Now what? [Alternatively, tickets to Greece are ~€60 each RT, but we have someone to stay with for ~3 days]

I'm trying to figure out a rough outline of what a potential low-budget trip would look like for me and my fiancée, in terms of itinerary and cost. (As it's much easier to modify an existing itinerary than start from nothing)

Trip Goals: Go do touristy things, have fun, eat some things, get out of cold Austria, while keeping costs to minimum. We'd prefer private rooms to hostels.

Looking for a European holiday apartment.

DirtyCreature — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:54:09 -0800

Where is a good place in a European city for a non-European to buy a small but nice two bedroom apartment for holidays? Looking for a city environment. How much would I need to spend? Are there any regulatory hurdles? Where do I find them? I was kind of leaning towards Paris but am fairly open. I am also open to Eastern Europe in safe areas and don't want to have to worry too much about the apartment when I am not there.

Is late April/early May a bad time to hike in Norhtern Spain due to too much rain?

artemis — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:29:27 -0800

We are considering a one week trip to northern Spain including at least 2 days hiking and photographing in the Picos de Europa region. One of us is an expert hiker and the other is a beginner. However, the concern is about the weather. The plan is to go late April/early May however, we do not fancy hiking in the rain. Is this timeframe a bad idea?

Help me select Spanish wine and cheese combinations.

slimepuppy — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:56:33 -0800

Help me select Spanish wine and cheese combinations. Help! All I know about Spanish wine and cheese is that most red Rioja is nice and that manchego goes down nicely as tapas with a cold Mahou.

I need recommendations for good Spanish wine & cheese combinations. One for red and another for white. I looked at some of the previous wine and cheese questions but most questions mixed and matched from different countries. I'm looking for individual wine+cheese combinations that would set me back around 50€ or less.

Bonus slimepuppy points if you can name a place in Madrid where I can get the aforementioned queso & vino.

¡Gracias por adelantado!

Anarchist adventure stories?

a louis wain cat — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:11:01 -0800

Pre-Spanish Civil War anarchist pulp adventure novels? In George Orwell's Boys' Weeklies essay, there is this passage:

In the last years of the Spanish monarchy there was a large output in Spain of left-wing novelettes, some of them evidently of Anarchist origin. Unfortunately at the time when they were appearing I did not see their social significance, and I lost the collection of them that I had, but no doubt copies would still be procurable. In get-up and style of story they were very similar to the English fourpenny novelette, except that their inspiration was 'left'. If, for instance, a story described police pursing Anarchists through the mountains, it would be from the point of view of the Anarchists and not the police.

This intrigued me, but I haven't been able to find any other reference to these. I could easily be looking in the wrong places, though. So, did these actually exist as Orwell describes them? And if so, is there any more information on them available in English? And, though I'm guessing they don't, do any English translations of the actual stories exist?