¿Dónde puedo comprar un mapa de Almería?

(or where can I buy a map of Almeria?)

Following our travels around the Spanish countryside in the middle of the night, we decided it would be a good idea to buy a detailed map of the area, after all we were going to be spending a lot of time there and the map we had was very basic, it only showed the new toll road in dotted lines, under construction. So, we decided to call at the service station we had spotted on the night we arrived and pick up a map before we set off for the day. Having used my Teach Yourself Spanish program on my Nintendo DS to make sure I knew what I was asking for, off we went.

The shop at the services looked relatively well stocked but there were no maps immediately to be seen, so I plucked up the courage to speak to the assistant and use my well rehearsed question. She understood what I had asked but I was amazed by the response. It transpired that they didn’t have any maps of Almeria, nor did they have any maps of Andalucia – but she could sell me a map of Portugal! ¿por qué? I asked (almost a proper conversation and I didn’t need to check my DS before speaking – progress indeed!)

All I got was a shrug of the shoulders. I thanked her, wished her a good day and we left. During our day we would look in a variety of shops including the Hypermarket in San Juan which sells everything from fishing rods and tackle, sun loungers and lads mags, every type of food and drink, toiletries and pots & pans – infact everything you may need while on holiday (bearing in mind it is a holiday resort) but not a map of how to find your way around.

Note to self : add to List of things to do before our next visit – order a map of Almeria from W H Smith!