Calling Home

[Rosina Lila]

    In my experience, the most efficient and least expensive mode of
telephoning long-distance, nationally and internationally, while in Spain, is
through the public telephone system.
    For an international phone call, one deposits a five-hundred peseta coin
to commence the phone call, dials the country code (U.S. is 01) and the area
code and phone number desired; when the five-hundred pesetas are used up one
may feed more one-hundred or five-hundred peseta coins to continue the
conversation.
    The public phones are ubiquitous throughout the Camino, either in street
or park booths or in restaurants, hotels, and bars.  At the latter, the
telephones (green in color and rather bulky) sit at the end of the counter,
and, as a rule, bar keepers are very helpful in providing the needed coins.
Using the bars' phones has the residual benefit of enjoying a "cana" (glass
of draft beer), a "fino"  (apple brandy), a "blanco" (glass of white wine) or
a "tinto"), (glass of red wine), after making a call.
    The public street telephones and those in hotel booths have a little
screen that shows how much peseta-time is left, so that the caller can add
more coins as needed.
    Using public phones in this manner does not necessitate speaking with
anyone, therefore lack of knowledge of Spanish is inconsequential, whereas
using telephone cards often results in having to talk to operators, in
Spanish, who come on the line when   the cards trigger some communication
problem, which is often.  Lastly, the cost of public phones is about one half
that of the least expensive phone card.
    With the European Community, of which Spain is a member, change of
currency to the Euro, the coins required will surely change, but the system,
and the cost, will remain the same according to published reports.
Regards,
Rosina