DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Out and About >> Going to Spain in 2 months, need tips!
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 25 of 37, (reverse)
AuthorThread
11/07/2008 11:40:32 AM · #1
Hello everyone! I went "crazy" about 2 months ago and bought a ticket to Spain in January for 2 weeks. I am starting to get everything ready (and save some x-tra cash lol) and need some advise. What would be the best thing to get to "empty" my memory cards? (I dont have a laptop, but I could beg my dad to let me borrow his lol). Also any other things I might need while over there?

Thanks!
Justin


11/07/2008 11:54:23 AM · #2
where in Spain are you going? that will help you a lot. if its catalonia, im a self proclaimed honorary citizen
11/07/2008 11:58:14 AM · #3
I will land in Barcelona and then have 2 weeks to travel. I was thinking of going to: Barcelona, Montserrat, Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Seville, but I am open to any suggestions ^.^

Message edited by author 2008-11-07 12:19:35.
11/07/2008 02:28:04 PM · #4
^bump
11/07/2008 02:39:29 PM · #5
Originally posted by elsapo:

^bump


First of all, in terms of needing anything, you can basically find everything you can find where you live now. Maybe get an adapter for your charger so you can plug into the 220 sockets there. It not that they dont sell them, but why waste time trying to do that.

Monserrat is great, and Barcelona is amazing. Youre going at a good time in terms of low tourism. (Barcelona is full of drunken rowdy Brits haveing bachelors parties). The old city of barcelona is great, along with the central market off las ramblas, along with the streets around there. Its a great mix of very old buildings and multicultural modern europe.
The Gaudi buildings are interesting too. I can give you more details of barcelona if you want, pm if you want some specifics

The rest of the itinerary sounds great, but i really recommend you check out alhambra in granada. I havent been there myself but it a must!

enjoy the trip
11/07/2008 02:45:07 PM · #6
Originally posted by kolasi:

(Barcelona is full of drunken rowdy Brits haveing bachelors parties).


As a Brit, I resent that. Everyone knows that Prague is the place for all the drunken stag weekends these days.
11/07/2008 02:49:46 PM · #7
Keep your head low and drink only bottled water.
11/07/2008 02:51:01 PM · #8
Originally posted by Mr_Pants:

Originally posted by kolasi:

(Barcelona is full of drunken rowdy Brits haveing bachelors parties).


As a Brit, I resent that. Everyone knows that Prague is the place for all the drunken stag weekends these days.


lol, I was wondering if Id get a response to that :)

So all those drunks are just doing it cause its a weekend?!

I live in Riga, Latvia and I think we are passing Prague
11/07/2008 02:51:29 PM · #9
Originally posted by David Ey:

Keep your head low and drink only bottled water.


in spain?
11/07/2008 03:28:05 PM · #10
what do you guys do as far as storing photos? just take large memory cards or bring along a laptop?
11/07/2008 03:41:17 PM · #11
Originally posted by elsapo:

what do you guys do as far as storing photos? just take large memory cards or bring along a laptop?

They make two devices you should look into: portable DVD burners and portable hard drives, both of which download the memory cards directly to the unit without a computer. I'd go for the HD myself, rather than carry around blank DVDs.

There are several versions of each, made by different companies. I know Epson makes a HD, and here's another example.

Poke around the forums and B&H for more info - I know these units have been discussed here before.
11/07/2008 04:08:23 PM · #12
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:

Originally posted by elsapo:

what do you guys do as far as storing photos? just take large memory cards or bring along a laptop?

They make two devices you should look into: portable DVD burners and portable hard drives, both of which download the memory cards directly to the unit without a computer. I'd go for the HD myself, rather than carry around blank DVDs.

There are several versions of each, made by different companies. I know Epson makes a HD, and here's another example.

Poke around the forums and B&H for more info - I know these units have been discussed here before.
\

Thanks! that helped me a lot =)
11/10/2008 09:49:44 AM · #13
I'm flying in to Barcelona on Christmas! Sounds like you plan to do a lot of travelling around in two weeks. I've toured southern Spain and lived in Santander (northern shore) for a couple of months. Feel free to PM me if you think of more questions.

My biggest suggestion is to make sure you don't try to cram in too much at once. Spain is great for touring, but there is a splendid local culture as well and if you take your time to get to know an area, I think it would be an even more worthwhile trip.

PS. My personal favorite place for sightseeing is the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia. It's an easy day trip from Madrid by train. I see it every time I go to the country and I'm always in awe.

Also, the water is generally safe, it's not Mexico.

As far as storing pics, I usually just bring a bunch of memory cards. Last time I used my 60gb ipod as an additional hd and transferred pics to it for storage. This external hd idea is making me rethink that, though, if I could get one to transfer directly from memory card to the hd... hm, I'm going to go look into that.
11/10/2008 12:07:49 PM · #14
Originally posted by smudgeSMJ:

I'm flying in to Barcelona on Christmas! Sounds like you plan to do a lot of travelling around in two weeks. I've toured southern Spain and lived in Santander (northern shore) for a couple of months. Feel free to PM me if you think of more questions.

My biggest suggestion is to make sure you don't try to cram in too much at once. Spain is great for touring, but there is a splendid local culture as well and if you take your time to get to know an area, I think it would be an even more worthwhile trip.

PS. My personal favorite place for sightseeing is the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia. It's an easy day trip from Madrid by train. I see it every time I go to the country and I'm always in awe.

Also, the water is generally safe, it's not Mexico.

As far as storing pics, I usually just bring a bunch of memory cards. Last time I used my 60gb ipod as an additional hd and transferred pics to it for storage. This external hd idea is making me rethink that, though, if I could get one to transfer directly from memory card to the hd... hm, I'm going to go look into that.


Yah I know its very tempting to cram in as many cities as possible! I am basically looking at Rick Steves Spain guide to plan how many days I stay in each city, but if I'm there and want and extra day I'll just stay. By the way how cold does it get there in winter?

This is what I am planning:

Barcelona 3 days
Montserrat 1 day
Seville 2 days
White hill towns "tour" 1 day
Granada 2 days
Toledo 2 days
Madrid 2 days
Segovia 1 day

I am very fast passed, and since I am traveling alone I wont have much down time (I think lol), but again I can re-adjust when I get there if I am rushing too much.

edit: oh and I'll be taking the night train on long trips



Message edited by author 2008-11-10 12:17:15.
11/10/2008 12:22:06 PM · #15
Did a quick search for iPod compatability, and found a bunch of thread that suggest other/better options (like the Epson p2000 or the CompactDrive PD70X).

A couple of the threads: here and here .
11/10/2008 12:31:55 PM · #16
Justin,

You're in for an awesome time.

I was in Barcelona in 06', great city, wish I had my 10-20mm while I was there!

I took a day trip to Montserrat too, def worth going there, I'm not sure if there is enough there to warrant a night's stay, unless of course your just passing through and want to spend the night to do evening/morning photography. Definitely hike up the mountain to get the views, and don't hesitate to go off the beaten path and just hike up to random overlooks.

I wish I concentrated more on photography while I was there, this is probably my fave shot from Barcelona. Do go to La Sagrada Familia, it's the famous incomplete church there that is just a marvel to look at. The other Gaudi works are certainly worth it too, though I missed the park that he designed...

Do hit the beach up, some amazing women go there. And if you're into clubs and going out, you will probably not be disappointed by the nightlife there. I remember going to the Baja Beach club on the ocean, leaving at 5am and playing soccer on the beach with random people we met til the sun came up. Awesome.

Don't trust cab drivers. Always establish in advance where you're going and for how much so you don't get cheated, be especially aware if you've been drinking b/c some will try and prey on you.

Have an awesome time but watch your back. If you look like a typical American tourist you will be treated like one, My friend and I were assaulted by prostitutes on the main walking street at night, they literally came up to us and started rubbing themselves on us out of nowhere, so always watch your wallet too.

Instead of taking a laptop, but one of those small portable hard drives that don't have any moving parts (so travel won't damage it), I forget what they're called but if you have something with decent storage capacity you can transfer your stuff onto it at internet cafes and not have to worry about lugging a laptop around with you.

Have a sick time!
11/10/2008 12:32:41 PM · #17
OH YEAH, you can use your iPod as a portable storage device if you have one... I forgot I did that...
11/10/2008 12:41:59 PM · #18
Went to Spain a few years ago and loved it. I just took a ton of memory cards and downloaded them when I returned home. Wish I had the opportunity to spend two days in Toledo. Its an awesome city! There's a ton of things to see in Barcelona as previously mentioned. The Alahambra was also awesome because the gardens were in full bloom. Not to sure how it is this time of year but I know you'll have fun. Enjoy the tapas and wine! I'm envious. Brush up on your spanish as it was hard to communicate to the locals without our tour guide.
11/10/2008 12:43:10 PM · #19
I lived in Spain for a short while back in 1973. I love the place! The people were some of the warmest and friendliest I've ever met. My favorite times were in the late afternoon/early evening, doing tapas in the various bars along the beach. Great fun! Horseback riding on the beach until sunset was a lot of fun too.

The big cities are fun and exciting, but I suggest you experience some small town charm while you're there too.

Oh, and if someone asks you to help them do a valve job on a Spanish diesel submarine... pass. Just pass.

11/10/2008 12:45:56 PM · #20
Originally posted by Mick:

Oh, and if someone asks you to help them do a valve job on a Spanish diesel submarine... pass. Just pass.

hmmmm... something tells me there's a really good story behind that one. ;O)
11/10/2008 12:49:44 PM · #21
Originally posted by roba:

Did a quick search for iPod compatibility, and found a bunch of thread that suggest other/better options (like the Epson p2000 or the Compact Drive PD70X).


Originally posted by rodneyg:

Went to Spain a few years ago and loved it. I just took a ton of memory cards and downloaded them when I returned home. Wish I had the opportunity to spend two days in Toledo. Its an awesome city! There's a ton of things to see in Barcelona as previously mentioned. The Alhambra was also awesome because the gardens were in full bloom. Not to sure how it is this time of year but I know you'll have fun. Enjoy the tapas and wine! I'm envious. Brush up on your spanish as it was hard to communicate to the locals without our tour guide.


I am definitely going to look into the ipod storage cause I have the 120GB one, if not 'll just have to get one of those storage devises pretty cool that you can view RAW files on the new epsons.

Yes Toledo and the Alhambra look awesome,I cant wait! Oh and I am from Ecuador so I speak fluent spanish, that should help =)

Message edited by author 2008-11-10 12:52:41.
11/10/2008 12:51:59 PM · #22
Originally posted by Mick:



Oh, and if someone asks you to help them do a valve job on a Spanish diesel submarine... pass. Just pass.


mmm thanks for that tip LOL
11/10/2008 12:52:49 PM · #23
Having been to all of the places you plan to visit, I'd say that you can't go wrong as far as photographic opportunities are concerned - your real problem is going to be exercising restraint ( if you can ), there's just so many great places/things to capture. Your wise to think ahead of how to empty your memory cards often - you'll need it.

One big word of caution: be VERY, VERY careful of your personal valuables - especially in Barcelona, and especially in the area around Las Ramblas; pickpockets and thieves are plentiful, and even those who KNOW the dangers have been victims. We met a LOCAL ex-pat in the American Express Office who had just had his case stolen while it was on a bench right next to him. He didn't have it attached to him by a shoulder strap or anything, and the thief just grabbed it and ran off into the maze of back streets. The police will take a report, but that will be the end of it.

I also know some women who were approached on a back street in Madrid by a man asking for "directions" who was chased off by two men who identified themselves as "policemen". The "policemen" wanted to know all about what the man had said, etc. and said that they were checking because of the many con-artists in the area. The "policemen" asked the women to verify that their money and passports were "safe" ( which they did, and it was ), and it was only after the "policemen" had departed that the women found that their passports had just been stolen - by the "policemen", who were obviously part of the ruse, and just wanted to find out exactly where the women kept their passports so that one could steal them while the other distracted the women.

That being said, we loved Spain - and we were not victims of theft, because we never let go of anything we had, and kept all valuables in the inside pockets of our jackets. We were there in Feb and it didn't seem that cold at all, compared to New England, where we lived for many years.

Do enjoy yourself in our second favorite country abroad (Italy is still our favorite).

Ron
11/10/2008 01:04:51 PM · #24
Originally posted by roba:

Originally posted by Mick:

Oh, and if someone asks you to help them do a valve job on a Spanish diesel submarine... pass. Just pass.

hmmmm... something tells me there's a really good story behind that one. ;O)

Actually, it's a long, boring, and extremely greasy story. :D

I much prefer the story about the young British girl that I met on the beach in Rota. It was a warm early evening on a beautiful empty beach. She and I had the entire beach to ourselves. The sunset was awesome!

11/10/2008 01:05:32 PM · #25
A couple of great shooter from Spain;
Ferrando
Marina

Frank

Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 05:29:41 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 05:29:41 PM EDT.