Well, I was planning this amazing trip to Portugal and Spain. First off, I gotta say, I was super excited but also a bit nervous about navigating the maps there. I mean, those countries have some unique layouts, you know?
I started by getting myself a physical map from a local store. I know, in this digital age, but there’s something about holding a real map that just makes it feel more adventurous. So, I grabbed that map and sat down at my kitchen table, ready to dive in.
I began by looking at the big picture. I traced my finger along the coastlines of Portugal and Spain, trying to get a sense of the general shape of the land. I noticed that Portugal kind of sticks out on the western side, while Spain takes up a huge chunk of the Iberian Peninsula.
Next, I focused on the major cities. I marked them on the map with a highlighter. Lisbon in Portugal, that’s a must – visit. And then in Spain, there’s Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. I was like, “Okay, these are my main stops, gotta figure out how to get between them.”
I used a ruler to measure the distances between the cities. It wasn’t super accurate, but it gave me a rough idea of how far I’d have to travel. I also checked out the roads on the map. The highways were marked in thick lines, and the smaller local roads were thinner. I thought, “Well, the highways might be faster, but the local roads could be more scenic.”
Then, I started looking at the symbols on the map. There were little pictures for things like airports, train stations, and tourist attractions. I was on the hunt for all the cool stuff I wanted to see. I found this really old castle in a small town in Spain, and I was like, “I gotta go there!”
After I had a good handle on the map, I started planning my routes. I drew lines with a pen to show how I’d move from one place to another. I made a few different plans, just in case something didn’t work out.
Finally, I stuffed the map into my backpack and headed off on my trip. And you know what? That map was my best friend. It helped me find my way around, discover hidden gems, and have an amazing adventure in Portugal and Spain. Reading that map was the first step to an unforgettable journey!