StupidCar

OK, renting a car in Barcelona may have been the worst decision of my entire life. Lonely Planet says, "A one-way system keeps traffic flowing efficiently, although unless you have a good navigator and a map showing the one-way streets, you may find yourself flowing in the wrong direction. And parking is a hassle, so once you find a spot, leave the car there forever and never move it unless it´s to return it to the rental agency." I might have slightly altered that last part.

First, we parked in a tiny spot between other cars (yeah, SmartCar!) in what turned out to be a truck-only zone. The car was TOWED (yes, towed) to a place the other side of town, to which we had to take a cab. The other cars? I don´t know, maybe they towed them all, but all I know is that a) we parked in between CARS, and b) the parking regulations are signed... in CATALAN.

Then, flowing the wrong way down the one-way system at night, we made a left turn following another car, and were immediately stopped by the police because you couldn´t turn left there. The other car? They didn´t see it. Plus Michael was driving, which is technically not allowed, so I still don´t know if I´ll be in more trouble for that.

Total cost? €250 between rental, gas, parking, and fines. Total benefit? Nothing that about €5 worth of public transportation couldn´t have gotten us.

Argh.