Street Savvy – Practical Tips for Perturbed Pedestrians

Streets in Spain

By Nancy Todd

Spring is on its way and that means travelers will be making their way to Spanish cities by train, plane and Med Cruises. Once in your preferred Spanish destination the best way to see the town is by foot.  Or by two feet, whatever your preference.  For sojourns by foot, you need several maps of Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Seville, etc.

Why so many maps? In some neighborhoods, different maps have different names for the same street.Or, handily, no name at all.In one nine block street, in the neighborhood of Gracia, a name changed four times. Time for Barcelona street savvy to walk into action

When in doubt, spread your maps on the sidewalk or car hood. Take a tally.  Find the winner. Maybe you will find the street you are looking for.  Maybe not.  With map in hand and meager Spanish skills, I stop the unwary and attempt three questions:

1.Where have I been?
2.Where am I now?
3.Where am I going?

No life coach needed.

Street names in Spain tend to be very long:

Carrer de la Comptessa de Sobradiel
Carrer Vallvidrera a Santa Crew D’Oorda
Carrer Felix Rodrigues de la Fuente

What happened to Joe Buck Road?