The Chief of Staff made a big error in judgement and allowed me to select the auto rental, so I got a sporty 6 speed manual trans Peugeot. Usually I drive like an old man (because I am) but I was liberated by the vehicle and country Spanish highways. Local car rentals get mixed reviews, so we had some trepidation, worsened by the hesitance we got from our hotel in making arrangements. We walked here from Hotel Ronda Lessups, we left early so we had time to stop on the way for espresso and pastries, which I think makes renting a car easier. The worker was an immigrant from Poland and seemed eager to hear about where we were going (Dali Museum, Girona, Vidreres), and also about the importance and significance of Polish immigration during Industrialization to Chicago and Milwaukee. He was pretty fluent in 5 languages, none of them Catalan. The car was parked in a subterranean garage just across the street but it was complicated. It had been a while since I drove a stick, so I barreled into sealed off dead end a mere two meters from a couple of bemused cops (they have really attractive uniforms btw) when I realized I had no idea how to put the car in reverse (manual transmissions are quite different than when Felipe Gonzalez Marquez was prime minister, which was the last time I put a manual transmission into reverse). The proverbial awkward moment, and who has time to figure out an owners manual that's written in Portuguese? The Chief of Staff looked and asked "I wonder what this does?" and I couldn't describe to you how simple and yet not intuitive the mechanism was to shift into reverse, but then we were on our way without arrest or injury. You really need to know how to use a manual transmission, automatics are expensive. Review road signs, they are very different in the Catalan region (I did figure out the sign for NO AUTOMOBILE TRAFFIC but only after I was driving down a pedestrian only cobblestone Medieval road) and the driver controls in the car you rent before departing. Almost all the day trips from Barcelona are best done by train, but if you're combining a couple of day trip destinations then renting a car is worth considering. Driving towards Figueres with the French Alps rising in the background was memorable and wondrous. The rental was trouble free. Don't forget to fill up before returning. read more