Spain Books

Rick Steves' Portuguese Phrase Book & Dictionary allowed my husband and I to enjoy the paradise of the Azores islands without worrying about the language barrier. We were able to order from menus, find bathrooms, talk to our taxi drivers, and understand responses when we asked questions. Having the pronunciation, dictionary, phrases, and street signs sections of the book were great. He seemed to cover everything we needed. The humor made for some fun reads and we would consult the book whenever we had time to kill, just for fun. I highly recommend this one for travel to the Azores.

This is a must have for travelers! We just spent a week in Albufeira at Praia da Oura and we took this book with us every time we left our resort room. Literally didn't leave home without it! Rick Steves tells you absolutely EVERYTHING, from how to tell the maid that those empty Fanta cans are not trash but souvenirs to telling the waiter/waitress that you have food allergies.

What's really good about Rick Steves' books is that they have everything you need and nothing you don't. Everything I needed to know how to say, I was able to find in this handy little book. What I also really liked about Rick is as thorough as he is, he manages to inject some humor into his books to make sure you are paying attention (we had several good laughs while reading this book to pass the time in airports and on the train from Lisbon to Albufeira). Because you never know when it might come in handy to let your server know that you only eat insects and after that meal you may need to tell the taxi driver that if he doesn't slow down, you'll throw up. ;-)

Happy travels!

This book, this series of books actually, is a beautiful guide to some very special and romantic inns and hotels throughout Portugal. During our two weeks in that country, we stayed at 6 or 7 places that we found in this guide and they were always wonderful.

I found this book a bit heavy on the historic side of things when I first read it. Originally I was looking for a more practical guide to the river and it's communities as part of a canoe trip from Aranda de Duero in Spain to Oporto in Portugal. However, it's been a few years since I completed that adventure and now I'm settling down in the Duero region so the book has become a much more interesting part of my library. This is an incredible part of the world and this book is a good source of information - although an update wouldn't go amiss at this stage...

Because most of the Jews in the USA today are Ashkenazim (descended from the Jews of Eastern Europe), I knew very little about the Sephardic Jews until I read this book many years ago. Since then, I have learned that the FIRST Jews to arrive in the Americas were Sephardic, many of them fleeing the Spanish Inquisition.

"The Road from Babylon" traces the history of the Sephardim from the Babylonian Captivity (hence the title) to the present day (or at least to 1985, when this book was published.) According to the text, "Sephardic" orignally referred to the Jews who fled Spain in 1492, but is now applied to "Jews whose ancestors lived in the Balkans, Asia Minor, North Africa, and all round the Mediterranean in the Near and Middle East." (P.1) We should also note that the majority of Jews in Israel today are Sephardim, descended from Jews who fled persecution in the Arab countries after Israel was founded in 1948. (121,000 left Iraq in 1951 -- see p. 231.)

In terms of format, the book is well-written and researched, and includes two sections of B&W photos, showing Sephardic communities, synagogues, and traditional dress down through the centuries.

My constant companion for our tour of the interior of Mallorca. Invaluable detail for choosing which backroads, short cuts and walks to take. Durable and with a decent amount of overlap of the content on opposite sides of the map, it's easy to use.

What a sturdy map that can really take a beating. More importantly, it's easy to read and travels/refolds well. If you've never driven in Portugal, you're in for a treat. Consider yourself warned. This map will be invaluable as you get lost over and over again, wondering where the sign was before you hit the roundabout. This map is comprehensive and easy to follow.

I travel alot and typically buy another brand of travel books. My boyfriend actually bought this book, and thank goodness he did since it is the greatest book I have ever used for recommendations on places to shop and eat. Every single place we ate in from this book (and we tried alot), was as described and very very good. I am looking forward to going to travel again using this brand of books!!!

This is my first experience with the Rough Guide series and I am overwhelmingly pleased. The Costa Brava is usually "added" to guides on Barcelona and is given very little space in guides to Spain. This is a jewel...concise, informative, covers the smaller places that other guides do not mention. Very nicely done little book - it's definitely going to be one of the "chosen few" that we take with us on our trip to Costa Brava and Barcelona this Fall.

I bought this Rough Guide for my next holidays, before it was even printed, knowing I would risk not to receive it in time for my departure.
In the meantime it started popping up unto the shelves of my favourite bookshop, while all of my friends joked me about my pourchase, which I would have needed to resell coming back from holidays.
But Amazon surprised me again and they delivered it before the scheduled date and I am so far studying it!
I believe Rough Guide Directions are an even better tipe of guides, for the tourist who wants to grab a good bite of the place with an indepth knowledge without all the fuss of a boring lecture.
Thanks for asking me. Bianca

This is a beautiful book in every way. It looks grand and the workmanship is supurb. The photography is stunning. The book does a commendable job of presenting the best of the great palaces of Spain. Spain has a rich history of palace building, from the Philip II's austere El Escorial to Phillip V's baroque Palacio Real and it is on breathtaking display in this excellent book. If you have any interest in Spanish architecture or of European architecture in general I strongly recommend you get this book. The price may be a bit daunting, but if you enjoy fine books you won't be disappointed.