Crime in Spain

Snap

marcus449 said:

I've been to Prague, Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Marrakech, Delhi, New York and live in London..mostly carry a dslr style camera round my neck and never had anything stolen/pickpocketed. Off to Barcelona next week. 

I'd say I'm quite a people watcher when travelling so naturally look at how people act which helps. Never really carry a backpack unless to and from transport, try and use a jacket with inside pockets and don't dress like a tourist. 

I'm no Jason Bourne but simple observation and practical thinking can help you avoid most unwanted situations.

Yup. That's about it. Easiest way to avoid hassle is just to blend in and not act and look, overtly, like a tourist.

That gets more difficult in SE Asia where being european and over 5'6" makes you stand out a chuffing mile, epsecially in places like Vietnam!

One big no-no, everywhere, which is surprisingly easy to forget about, is not to put your phone on a table, anywhere. Wrap your bag strap round your leg, or chair leg when you sit down, and tie you jacket onto your chair too, if you have one.

and above all, just go to Barcelona and enjoy it, its an amazing place. Get down to the beach too, its throbbing after work and at the weekends, brilliant place.

Flanging_Fred

fields5069 said:

Flanging_Fred said:

NEVER eat in a restaraunt in Madrid (or anywhere else for that matter) that doesn't display it's prices clearly on the menu. 

I was there on business a few years ago, my collegue and I were absolutley starving, everywhere was shut and we were dog tired.  Eventually we found somewhere open that was in this big plaza place and just piled in.  I think we had an omelette and some chips each and then when the bill came they charged us the best part of £100!   There was no way we were getting out of there without paying (we were the only ones in there - I wonder why!). Lesson learned.

Luckily it got put on expenses but it didn't stop me feeling like a total sucker...

OMG! Probably Plaza Mayor, totally enclosed and with a statue of a dude on a horse? Total tourist trap!

I just looked on Google and yep, you're correct, Plaza Mayor. We knew the square root off f'all about Madrid when we went and I guess we were just unfortunate to stumble across it at that moment.

littlegreenman

Flanging_Fred said:

fields5069 said:

Flanging_Fred said:

NEVER eat in a restaraunt in Madrid (or anywhere else for that matter) that doesn't display it's prices clearly on the menu. 

I was there on business a few years ago, my collegue and I were absolutley starving, everywhere was shut and we were dog tired.  Eventually we found somewhere open that was in this big plaza place and just piled in.  I think we had an omelette and some chips each and then when the bill came they charged us the best part of £100!   There was no way we were getting out of there without paying (we were the only ones in there - I wonder why!). Lesson learned.

Luckily it got put on expenses but it didn't stop me feeling like a total sucker...

OMG! Probably Plaza Mayor, totally enclosed and with a statue of a dude on a horse? Total tourist trap!

I just looked on Google and yep, you're correct, Plaza Mayor. We knew the square root off f'all about Madrid when we went and I guess we were just unfortunate to stumble across it at that moment.

Wow, I went there quite a few times last year when I went for La Vuelta and found perfectly reasonable places to eat/ drink. I did check the price lists before I sat down though. Off the beaten track was much better, ended up in a bar in a non touristy bit one night watching a Barca v Madrid match, now that was "interesting"!

Re: Barcelona. Lovely place as long as you're careful. Well safer than London IME though.

Evilmags

No one from Madrid eats in Plaza Mayor. Silly place to stay as well. If you want hip, Barrio de Las Letras, posh Barrio Salamanca, 

Jalapeno

Schnozz said:

Cheers Guys - I would be going this weekend

I'm not sure why it's the best city in Europe, but I would like to go and it's a shame that you have to risk a couple of hundred euros walking around

Barcelona is an awesome place, just avoid Barrio Gotic & Las Ramblas at night  (it's mental there anyway - poorly lit and full of tourists). the tour buses are ace and as well as all the awesome Gaudi sights go to the Fundacio Joan Miro in Parc de Montjuic (it's on one of the tourist bus routes).

Just to counter all the bad vibes - my wife left her purse in a cafe, the owner found it and kept it safe for 3hrs until we collected it.

fields5069

Evilmags said:

fields5069 said:

The more I think about it, the more I would love to go back to Madrid to live. I was in a privileged position before though, living rent-free just North of Alonso Martinez. My wife is a city girl from C/ Ferraz and would die before she lived in a satellite town. My mate's made a good life for himself up in the mountains though, it looks gorgeous.

I'm in Ciudalcampo about 18 miles North and 900m above sea. Getting into town is a doddle and an Uber back is 15 euros. Too many deisel cars make the centre a bit stinky in summer. If you are a bit further up and out of the asphalt summer is lovely.  Pool cold beer amd accoustic outside. 

I just checked and my mate's in Manzanares El Real. Looks absolutely gorgeous to be honest, but I guess up to an hour away from his office by public transport.

fields5069

Evilmags said:

fields5069 said:

The more I think about it, the more I would love to go back to Madrid to live. I was in a privileged position before though, living rent-free just North of Alonso Martinez. My wife is a city girl from C/ Ferraz and would die before she lived in a satellite town. My mate's made a good life for himself up in the mountains though, it looks gorgeous.

I'm in Ciudalcampo about 18 miles North and 900m above sea. Getting into town is a doddle and an Uber back is 15 euros. Too many deisel cars make the centre a bit stinky in summer. If you are a bit further up and out of the asphalt summer is lovely.  Pool cold beer amd accoustic outside. 

I just checked and my mate's in Manzanares El Real. Looks absolutely gorgeous to be honest, but I guess up to an hour away from his office by public transport.

I used to go up your way, not as far though, to play innebandy with some Swedes in a Swedish school. Bizarrely, I found a proper innebandy stick in El Corte Ingles.

Dominic

El Corte Ingles is a brilliant shop .....so much better than John Lewis .I have found the most unlikely items there in the past.

Evilmags

fields5069 said:

Evilmags said:

fields5069 said:

The more I think about it, the more I would love to go back to Madrid to live. I was in a privileged position before though, living rent-free just North of Alonso Martinez. My wife is a city girl from C/ Ferraz and would die before she lived in a satellite town. My mate's made a good life for himself up in the mountains though, it looks gorgeous.

I'm in Ciudalcampo about 18 miles North and 900m above sea. Getting into town is a doddle and an Uber back is 15 euros. Too many deisel cars make the centre a bit stinky in summer. If you are a bit further up and out of the asphalt summer is lovely.  Pool cold beer amd accoustic outside. 

I just checked and my mate's in Manzanares El Real. Looks absolutely gorgeous to be honest, but I guess up to an hour away from his office by public transport.

I used to go up your way, not as far though, to play innebandy with some Swedes in a Swedish school. Bizarrely, I found a proper innebandy stick in El Corte Ingles.

The extra hight keeps the smog away. 

fields5069

Dominic said:

El Corte Ingles is a brilliant shop .....so much better than John Lewis .I have found the most unlikely items there in the past.

The disclaimer to that would be that there was quite an uproar when El Corte Ingles bought out Galerias Preciados. They have, or at least had when I was there, a monopoly on department stores. It probably wasn't so important to Spanish shoppers, who still tend to use specialist shops (butcher, baker, etc.).

Evilmags

fields5069 said:

Dominic said:

El Corte Ingles is a brilliant shop .....so much better than John Lewis .I have found the most unlikely items there in the past.

The disclaimer to that would be that there was quite an uproar when El Corte Ingles bought out Galerias Preciados. They have, or at least had when I was there, a monopoly on department stores. It probably wasn't so important to Spanish shoppers, who still tend to use specialist shops (butcher, baker, etc.).

The family who owned Galerias were fraudsters.  6 are locked up just now. (Ruiz Mateos)

fields5069

Evilmags said:

fields5069 said:

Dominic said:

El Corte Ingles is a brilliant shop .....so much better than John Lewis .I have found the most unlikely items there in the past.

The disclaimer to that would be that there was quite an uproar when El Corte Ingles bought out Galerias Preciados. They have, or at least had when I was there, a monopoly on department stores. It probably wasn't so important to Spanish shoppers, who still tend to use specialist shops (butcher, baker, etc.).

The family who owned Galerias were fraudsters.  6 are locked up just now. (Ruiz Mateos)

Yes I guess there was no other way out. I don't like El Corte Ingles that much, most of the women look like it's beneath them to serve you.

Snap

Jalapeno said:

Schnozz said:

Cheers Guys - I would be going this weekend

I'm not sure why it's the best city in Europe, but I would like to go and it's a shame that you have to risk a couple of hundred euros walking around

Barcelona is an awesome place, just avoid Barrio Gotic & Las Ramblas at night  (it's mental there anyway - poorly lit and full of tourists)

eh? the Barri Gotic is fantastic at night! Some great bars there.

Its all fine tbh, don't know why people get all twitchy about it. Its a city, same as any other in terms of crime and that.

@Evilmags - last few times I've been to Madrid (work) we ended up drinking and eating around Calle Barcelona - I liked it round there, buzzing and cheap too. Ended up in some bar, may have been called something like Pompeii, but it was full of orgy paintings and other baccanalia, good place.

Around Mercado de San Miguel is nice too, not as colourful as the above though.

Think I was there 4 times last year and each time we stayed in an apartment on Calle de la Montera which is, err, hilarious. And eventful place shall we say. Found a superb beer place - Fabrica, not far from there. They brew their own beer on the premesis. Good tackle. I tucked into what I thought were nibbles on a plate at the bar. Thought thye tasted a bit rank, and my mate (who is a qualified brewer) was laughing himself sick at my face: what I thought were a nice savoury snack, where in fact dried hop pellets. Not that tasty.

fields5069

There's a nice beer place in Plaza Santa Ana as well, just a couple of minutes from the Fontana De Oro near Sol, where they also brew their own beer.

You can have any beer, as long as it's blonde or black.

Evilmags

Oh and a word of warning. CLUB in big bright lights refers to PUTI CLUB (Brothel) and not night club. 

fields5069

Schnozz

Guys...I can get all of this stuff in Newcastle Upon Tyne

I'll probably go to Germany/Austria again instead