I am not a huge fan of Valencia, but you will love Sevilla (go to watch Flamenco there) and Torremolinos (In the main walkway on the beach there is a Charinquito that has a kick *** atmosphere. It´s just a bunch of white sofas, curtains and pillows. So laid back and different and they make a mean gin and tonic. Here in spain they keep pouring the booze until you tell them to stop). I was there last week! Make sure to pack your bikinis and sun dresses. How old are you, if you don´t mind my asking? Where are you staying in Madrid? Since your here 2 days I can give you the hands down best places to go (eat and drink). If you want, PM me and we could meet up. I´d love to show you my town!! I´m a normal American girl, I promise...haha!

Last September my husband and I did a 10 day self paced trip to Paris, Venice, Prague, Brussels and a few cities in Germany. I found that people were really friendly everywhere we went, and I never felt like the locals didn't want us to be there. Most of the shops and restaurants we went to, they knew knew a little bit of english or we used hand signals to communicate. My husband knows a bit of german and we both speak russian so that helped in Germany and in Prague

Hi, I am from Europe, though me saying I know what Spain is like would be the same as some one from New York knowing the way in Texas. However - I've backpacked around a lot and I can see how you worry about attitude towards Americans. But I think it's not an issue as much anymore. During the Bush administration people weren't really all too friendly about Americans and American politics. Which to me always seemed unfair, because the Americans that actually leave their home-town and own a passport are of the rare type that look beyond their own country and interest. LOL. I met a lot of Americans back then that travelled around pretending to be Canadians.

Anyhow, I think it's not like that anymore and I think it REALLY has to do with how you behave. Try a few words of the language just to be polite. It will be appreciated. If you don't want to stick out, here's just a free (maybe a bit blunt, that's what us dutchies are renowned for) tip: don't wear white socks and white gym-sneakers under shorts with big white, shapeless t-shirts. LOL. I've been in the US and I've travelled quite a few places from Europe to the Middle East, and what sticks out mostly is the easy peasy fashion sense some have. Though obviously people in New York or other big cities dress differently than some of the rural places in Texas and Louisiana I visited.Europeans, especially Spanish/French/Italian women and men dress to the latest fashion a lot.

Though I understand you want to keep your stuff safe, I think a money belt under your clothes will work better and you won't stick out so much than a big bag with a bunch of locks on it.

Just have fun and in the end it matters none if the people "like" you. You are gonna see beautiful places and taste amazing foods. Europe has a lot of old culture and architecture because 'we' have had people building stuff here a few hundred years before the first ship reached the shore in the United States. You are gonna love the big churches and kathedrals. The small allyways. It's awesome.

HAVE FUN!

Thanks! Yeah I have heard a lot of people claim Canadian....although I won't. I am proud to be an American :dizzy: sounds cheesy! I should get my BF the money belt. I need to look into some more stuff because if we go clubbing for sure I won't want a backpack. I just want a place to put water, my cameras, and whatever else we need to carry. It sucks I know we will stand out, but I am sure I will anyways haha. I have a mini camelback so it's not too bulky.

As far as fashion goes we will NOT be wearing clothes like that LOL..that sounds like middle aged man clothes hehe. My bf is a nice dresser....

I think that some of our American brethren do give us a bad name though. There is a lot of variety of people, but the folks who 'typically' have more money and think they are privileged to be catered to. The rest of us, scraping the bottom of the barrel to pay for vacation tend to be a little more polite! LOL

I am SO looking forward to seeing the old cathedrals and architecture of old Europe. I have dreamed about it for years!

Oh, forgot! What is the best way spend money? Have a lot of cash on hand, or use credit when you can? Is credit card fraud big in Europe?

I've always used cash, but Europe isn't like Asia where credit is for huge important life event purchases only.

I don't think you need a big daypack or anything...just put your stuff in a nice big purse and keep the essentials in a moneybelt or wrist-moneybelt hidden from view.

I used to live in the UK, and I've done a good bit of traveling in Europe and I have found that not looking and acting like a "stupid tourist" is just as important as trying to learn a few keys phrases. I always learn "please, thank you, you're welcome, yes/no, do you speak English" in new countries - I do think people appreciate it.

But I also make sure that I am super polite whenever I travel and I never expect anyone to speak English- I approach each interaction believing that we speak different languages and I fully appreciate when anyone tries to help me. I got to travel to an ancestral homeland last year, Liechtenstein, and we stopped in to eat lunch. No one there spoke English and we only knew a few words in German. We pointed to things on the menu, asked for "Beer!!" with smiles and were very gracious when we got our mystery dishes. We smiled a ton, thanked everyone profusely (in German) and left a nice tip - we had everyone around us laughing, too and had an amazing time!

Also, use your head - if you're in a busy city, respect the people around you who live there. Don't do things like...stop in the middle of a busy sidewalk to chat, open a map, snap a photo or view a monument (the people behind you are trying to get to work!) - don't dress like an obvious tourist (as others have pointed out) - don't expect everyone to help you - it isn't that they hate Americans, but they might be late for an appointment, running to catch the subway, etc.

Some countries are definitely friendlier than others, but other than a few negative encounters, we haven't had any issues (and nothing major anywhere). A smile and a "thank you" will honestly grant you a lot of goodwill while traveling!

HAVE FUN!!!! :D