Impression from my recent trip to Spain and Portugal

Here is my general impression on this trip to Spain and Portugal. It is from an American point of view.

·         Try to be best in your job. Our tour guide is one example. He is funny and informative on the places and the brief history for the cities we are going to visit.

·         The tour operator offers an apps to show the itinerary and attractions and it is quite useful.

·         Avoid to come to Spain and Portugal in the summer time as they are hot and too many crowded with tourists.

·         The food portion in general is smaller than ours. Food is considered as a supplement to wines and beer. It is a little salty to my taste but the pastries are excellent. Luckily there are about six Chinese restaurants within walking distance from my hotel in Barcelona. Surprisingly they’re quite good.

·         Made a second mistake in a restaurant right in the attraction. The food was pricy and the portion was small. I do not know who wrote the good review. Could not find other piglet offer close by.

·         Oranges are plentiful, tasteful and cheap as they grow a lot here. So is kiwi.

·         If you do not join a tour, there are many day trips available from Madrid.

·         Spaniards are quite fit and I do not find too many fat folks there except our fellow tourists. It could be the warm climate (300 sunny days in a year) and easy life style.

·         Most are laid back and enjoy life. Can they compete globally? That could explain their high unemployment rate (15% vs. our 5%). Many skilled, young folks move to other countries in Europe.

·         Socialism has its drawbacks. Spaniards enjoys social welfare supported by high taxes (50% I was told) which discourages folks to work hard.

·         There is a clear presence of America business here such as fast food, retail stores, TV shows and movies.

·         Huawei has a big presence in Spain which is not of one the U.S.’s “5 Eyes”, which could be one year late in implanting 5G network if they do not select Huawei. Trump is the best spokesman for Huawei and now it is well-known even in the U.S.

·         They have a lot of farm land per capita from what I saw from the tour bus.

·         The ‘loots’ from year 1450 on were long gone. However, they left many extraordinary palaces and churches that attract tourists.

·         You can find so many statutes in this trip. They have over 2,000 years of written history compared to our 200 years.

·         Madrid replaces the old capital Toledo. Madrid is flatter than the previous capital and well-planned with wide roads and trees on each side of many roads.

·         We have to learn from Toledo where Muslims, Christians and Jews lived harmoniously for a long period. Killing each other is not in any preaching in any religious book. Forgiveness is the most powerful word in any dictionary.

·         If you are not joining a tour, there are many tours offered locally in Madrid.

·         Many sites still show the influences from the mighty Roman Empire such as the aqua duct.

·         Madrid is great for bikers as in many European cities. Boston is not and definitely not safe for bikers.

·         Do not miss the fascinating Flamenco dance show. The ladies in my show must pass their primes.

·         Barcelona is richer than the rest of Spain. That’s why they want independence besides other cultural differences. We were glad that there was no riots due to the trial of the ‘separatists’ during our stay.

·         Metro, the subway, has a reduced rate for 10 uses. It is convenient and efficient. Watch out for pick pockets. One young lady was behind me and another one asked me for the time.

·         Plan for two full days in Madrid (one more for art lovers and/or religious folks) each in Madrid and Barcelona.

·         The bus from airport in Barcelona to city center costs $5.99. My hotel is within walking distance from the last bus stop.

·         Portugal’s secondary language is English and it prepares the country better for global communication.

·         Euro is great for tourists but a tool to cheat for some EU countries. Greece, Italy and Spain have financial problems and drag down the entire union.

·         Europe has to control pick pocketing. It is hurting the tourist industry.

·         We have a hard time to book transportation from Madrid to Barcelona. The high-speed train seems to be great between the train stations from our hotels. The cheaper tickets have to be booked far in advance and the web site is in Spanish. Finally we chose the cheap airline that has a lot of restrictions.

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