I was told once that in Italy, signposts are obviously not designed to tell newcomers where to find a place, because they don’t start figuring at the roadside until you are very nearly there. The signs to Negrar are more of a “you’re nearly home” signal to those who already know their way to the village.
Compare this with the signposting around the city of Malaga. There ought, at the very least, to be signs to help people driving, say, away from the airport and heading for Granada. And there are, if you look very carefully and creep along the dual carriageway dodging from one lane to another in the hope of being in the right one when the sign becomes visible, by which time it is too late to change. I don’t know how many times I have seen drivers who have come off the main road down the slip road to El Candado in desperation, knowing they must have missed the turn off to Granada but not knowing how it happened. Or who have been heading very cautiously towards Malaga and seen a Granada sign pointing down a road to the right, taken the right turn and ended up driving round an industrial estate cursing whoever thought it was a good idea to put signs just two inches beyond the last turning before the turning they should have waited for.
As for trying to get to Cadiz by the quickest route, which I know is the inland one... well. I admit, I did think it would be easy and would be signposted, but all the Cadiz signs take you along the coast via Tarifa and Vejer. A very pleasant drive, but not the one I had planned. I did better coming back, by studying the map and following signs to very small places along the way, probably put there to make Italians feel at home...
| Spanish and signposting | |
|---|---|
| Señales de tráfico | Road signs |
| ¿Por dónde se va a Cádiz? | Which way is it to Cadiz? |
| ¿Quieren ir por la costa o por el interior? | Do you want to go by the coast road or inland? |
| Queremos pasar por Vejer | We want to go through Vejer |
| No queremos ir por la autopista de peaje | We don’t want to go on the toll motorway |
| Cojamos la ruta panorámica | Let’s take the scenic route |
| Podemos parar a comer en una venta | We can stop to eat in a “venta” |
| Se me ha olvidado el mapa | I forgot the map |
| No importa, podemos seguir las señales | It doesn’t matter, we can follow the signs |
| No debe ser complicado | It can’t be difficult |
| ¿Cuánto se tarda de aquí a Sevilla? | How long does it take from here to Seville? |
| Como mucho, tres horas | Not more than three hours at most |
| Llevamos dos y aún no hemos salido de Málaga | It’s taken us two already and we still haven’t left Malaga |
| Se está haciendo de noche | It’s getting dark |
| ¿De quién fue la brillante idea de seguir las señales? | Whose bright idea was it to follow the signs? |
| Estoy perdido/perdida | I am lost |
Liz Parry's Spanish Phrase Book is available from http://santanabooks.com/node/52
