Five things I wish I knew before I wandered around Spain and Germany

 Let me preface this post by saying these are just generalities I observed in Berlin, Madrid, Granada and Barcelona. I have no knowledge of the accuracy of this post outside of those cities. Please feel free to correct me.

Now then. Let's begin.

1. America is spoiled when it comes to free Wifi.

• Seriously. We wander into a McDonald's parking lot and voila! Free WiFi. Finding free internet access is near to impossible in most parts of Spain and Germany. Don't count on being able to check your email regularly (or update your blog) without having to either pony up for some coffee or pay per minute. 

2. Knowing even a few words in the country's mother tongue will get you farther.

• I sort of already knew this going into planning my trip, but it's a big difference in knowing something is a good idea and actually executing that good idea. I think half the time people switched to English simply because they tired of me slaughtering their language. It's the thought that counts and even a few phrases will make your life so much easier.

Speaking of:

3. Learn some Spanish before you go to Spain.

• Luckily, being a native of South Florida I need to know Spanish to survive south of my county. My best advice: if you don't know a word of Spanish be sure to have some sort of dictionary with you. I managed around Germany without knowing more than please, thank you, and where's the bathroom. In Spain, I needed to know Spanish. No questions. Barcelona was pretty multi-lingual (Catalan is not exactly a widely spoken language), but I'm pretty sure I would have starved in Granada and Madrid or remained horribly decaffeinated. Neither of which are good things for anyone near me.

4. There is no such thing as a free bathroom.

• Again, something we American's are spoiled by. Need to pee? Pop into Starbucks and wiz to your heart's content. Need to drop a deuce? That Denny's doesn't care if you don't want their heart attack special. Take a seat and enjoy your "Me Time". Spain and Germany, my friends, are not in the business of spoiling their residents with complementary access to the commode. The bathrooms in most places have code pads. You only get the code with a purchase, or you have to pay an attendant to get the privilege of dropping trau at the Porcelain God. I never factored bathroom costs into my equation. I really should have.

5. The water may be drinkable but it's hiding like a virgin on prom night.

• Finding a water fountain in Berlin and Barcelona was less like finding grass and more like finding a golden egg. Considering my last few adventures were to places where an old Aztec leaders and a bunch of dead tzarists try to disembowel you via the water pipes this was a welcome change. Trying to take advantage of that change was, to say the least, difficult. I ended up playing obvious tourist in many a bathroom and filled my water up there. Madrid, on the other hand, has a ridiculous plethora of fountains. All of them ornate and completely potable. It was like finding nirvana!

All in all, these are things I wish I knew before I set off this past summer. Anyone else have some things they wish they knew before they set off on a foreign vacation?