Top 10 Reasons...

. . . you might not want to rent a brand new Mercedes in Spain

  
10.   The local drivers

As previously mentioned, people in Lisbon, Portugal don’t pay any attention to street signs or lanes.  Of course it's their city, so they can drive however they want to!  It just made it scarey for ME.  Tim handled it fine!

 9.   Spanish roundabouts

The roundabouts really weren’t that big of a deal.  They work the same way they do here--the cars already in the circle have the right-of-way.  The difference in Spain’s roundabouts and our roundabouts is that theirs have multiple lanes.  And we couldn’t figure out why!  If you’re in the circle, it’s because you’re going to turn off in another direction.  So why would you be in the inside lane?  And if you happen to get stuck in the middle lane, how do you exit with cars zooming by you on the right?

 8.   Toll roads

Once again, the toll roads weren’t that big of a deal.  They were GREAT roads!  But when you’re driving along and come up on the tollbooths and don’t know which lane to get in because you don’t understand the language, it’s a problem.  The first time we went through, attendants were manning the booths.  We’re not sure what Olivia said to the attendant, or what the attendant said to Olivia, but she waved us through and we didn’t pay. 

 7.   Toll roads again

The second time we encountered a tollbooth, there were two types of lanes—manual and tarjeta.  By the time Olivia translated to us that those words loosely meant “pay money” and “use a card”, we were in the “card” lane with cars backing up behind us, but we didn’t know what kind of card we needed.  The Spanish equivalent of an E-Z pass???  Olivia said, “Daddy, just put a credit card in there!”  He did, and the gate went up.  Whew!

 6.   And more toll roads

They probably ended up costing $100 or more!

 5.   Parking decks

Olivia knew of a great parking deck in Huelva, right around the block from where we were staying, and it only cost €5 to park!  Except one time when we went to get the car out, and it was around €19, which is about $24!  Olivia tried to explain to the parking attendant that it was supposed to be €5, but with no success.  Turns out you had to press the RED button to get your €5 ticket!  Hmmmm.

 4.   Another parking deck

Olivia had also scoped out a great parking deck in Seville, just right across the road from a beautiful park, which we walked through to get to the Plaza de Espana.  (She had really done her homework and was such a wonderful tour guide!)  But at the end of the day, the machine ATE our parking ticket, and the arm wouldn’t come up.  And there were no parking attendants in sight.  This time Olivia pressed a “call” button and talked to someone who ended up talking her through steps to get us out.  It worked!  Thank goodness she speaks Spanish fluently!!

 3.   LACK of parking decks

When we arrived in Tarifa to take the ferry across to Tangier, the parking lot was closed because there were no more spaces.  Tim pulled over so that Olivia and I could go in and get our ferry and tour vouchers, and he said that he would find a place to park and meet us back there.  We waited.  And waited.  And waited.  And realized that he couldn’t read the Spanish signs, had no euros with him, and didn’t have a way to contact us.  STRESS!  He finally made it back, but had parked at least a mile away in a spot that he really wasn’t sure was legal.  But when we got back that evening, and walked a mile back to where he had parked, the car was still there—unharmed. We’re just thankful he remembered where he had parked!

 2.   Processions

Oh my goodness!!  We arrived in Granada after dark, with the processions in full swing.  Olivia was directing us to our hostel with the GPS on her phone, but every time it told us to turn, the road was blocked because of the processions.  Tim would circle the block, and eventually we would find a road or alley that would get us closer to our destination.  Except that all those turns eventually landed us right in the city center with hoards of people.  Ours was the ONLY vehicle on the streets.  We couldn’t go any further because of the crowds, and realized that we had somehow ended up at the cathedral, the same cathedral where the processions were ending.  There was no way out.  People were looking at us like we had lost our minds.  Olivia got out to help Tim get the car turned around without killing any pedestrians. (I lay down in the back seat and covered my head!)  He got turned around, but was now driving the wrong way on a one-way street. (Not that it mattered—there were NO cars, only millions of people!)  Finally we saw a policeman!  Olivia was so excited because we had found somebody to help us.   She hopped out and ran up to him, but before she could say a word he said to her (in Spanish of course) “Just tell me.”  In other words, “What in the world are you doing with a car in this crowd, and why are you on a one-way street going the wrong way?”  She explained in lovely Spanish, and he helped us find a place to park, and told us to leave the car there until morning when the hotel owner could help us.  So Tim parallel parked with 1 inch to spare in front and back, we hauled our suitcases out, and walked until we found our hostel.

And the number 1 reason NOT to rent a car in Spain…

My nerves can't take it!  

These pictures are right outside the hostel where we finally made it to the night before.  Tim went to find the car while Olivia and I got ready for the day.  We were a little nervous that he wouldn't be able to find the car, and that if he did he wouldn't be able to find the way back to the hostel because of so many one-way streets.  (Tim said that the streets were so narrow you could pick your produce from the stores as you drove by!)  But with a little help from the "inn keeper", Olivia and Tim managed to find the car, bring it back, and park it in an underground parking deck, where we left it until it was time to leave Granada!

Although having the rental car was the most nerve-wracking part of our trip (to me--Tim loved it!), we couldn't have seen and done as many things without it.  And the scenery while driving on the roads in Portual AND Spain was beautiful.

I was so excited to see this iconic Spanish bull on the roadside!

One of the "funky" bridges we went over!

The Spanish country-side had windmills everywhere.  In the more mountainous parts of Spain, near Granada, they seemed to be on every mountain-top.  I would love to know more about them!

We saw beautiful pastures with grazing horses, cattle, and sheep.  I wanted to stop and take pictures, but there was never a place to pull over.  No shoulders on the sides of the road!  This picture was taken through the window.

These pictures don't do them justice, but orange and olive groves grew EVERYwhere in Spain.  There were also a lot of strawberry fields--they are one of Spain's greatest exports.  We also saw fields with plants that we weren't sure of, and found out later that they were sunflowers.  Spain produces a lot of sunflower seeds, called pipas, which they enjoy as a snack food, and they also export sunflower oil.

There were BEAUTIFUL mountains in Spain (Sierra Nevada Mountain Range), but so much of the country-side was rolling mountains and meadows like these.  So pretty!

Without our little rental car, we wouldn't have been able to experience Spain the same way!

Thank you Tim!  You were amazing!!
(Can we use public transportation next time?)