Travel & Transportaiton

Hi all,

I hope you all are having a good time in Spain. Currently we are discussing transportation and living in Spain in class. I was curious what your general impressions are on traveling in Spain, both public and private. What is it like to travel in Spain using both types of transportation (if you have used both). Which do you prefer? Is public transportation anything like here in the states? Is it more or less expensive? Also what are the traffic levels like, do you have rush hour over here like we do in more populated areas? Which type of transportation seems to be more popular? Is either more or less crowded. What types of mass transit do they have? Subways, rail (or light rail), or bus? From what I have researched on Spain it has a population of over 40 million people which is a little different from the U.S. Although we have a population of over 300 million here, 40 million in a closer area seems like the mass transit system would be constantly pushed to its limits. What did you initially expect before you moved to Spain. Did you expect transportation to be like the United States or were you open minded to other transportation? Were your expectations met? What other aspects of living in Spain do you particularly like? Are parks existent or are they few and far between? Also what is the general presence of crime and protection in Spain. Does the crime seem as bad as it is here in the United States or is Spain more of a peaceful country? What about city living, is Spain more or less polluted than the U.S. Lastly what do you like more about Spain as opposed to the U.S. overall. I await and appreciate any response you can give.

~Ibe