Hello everyone. Who has been with us knows that our trip to Germany is over. However if someone was lost on the way, we are landing in another country. What will it be? We know, it’s hard to guess, but maybe with some clue everything could be easier: paella, sangria, Sagrada Familia. Do these things say anything to you? Come one, were too good at suggesting these clues!

Yes, for those who haven’t understood yet, we are talking about it… Spain.

As we usually do, let’s introduce it so we begin to figure out what to expect from this trip.

About the political field we can say that Spain is a parliamentary monarchy. It has millions of inhabitants and is located in southwestern Europe. It borders to the north-east with France and to the west with Portugal. Spain has the third largest volcano in the world, the Teide and its capital is Madrid. In the the Iberian Peninsula, there are other Spanish areas, the two islands: the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera) the Canary Islands (Fuerteventura, Tenerife). Some areas located on the coast of Morocco, despite their position outside the nation, belong to the Spanish sovereignty. These are: Ceuta, Melilla, Chafarinas Islands, Peñón de Alhucemas and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera.

There is a large numerous of rivers and the main ones that lead into the Atlantic Ocean are: Duero, Tagus, Guadiana and Guadalquivir (maybe one of the most important as it crosses Andalusia and joins the Sierra Nevada and Sierra Morena waters ).

We continue to say that Spain is a land mainly surrounded by the sea and so it is full of littoral zones. It has several coasts, each with its own feature (jagged, rocky…). On the coast are located important cities such as: Barcelona, Valencia, Lloret de Mar.

As concerned the official language it is the Castilian and the Spanish of course. However there are variations. For example, in the Balearic Islands is spoken Catalan-Valencian or Basque in Navarre, without forgetting the presence of the Gascone dialect.

To be ready and never get unprepared about the climate (don’t underestimated it!) We have three types of them: the mediterranean climate, characterized by dry and hot summers; the steppe climate (in the Murcia region and in the Ebro valley) is characterized by a dry climate; the oceanic climate (the Netherlands, Galicia) which is the opposite of the Mediterranean one.

The Spanish economy, on the other hand, is part of the most advanced economies in Western Europe and the important sector is the service sector thanks to tourism and trade.

Spain’s sporting interest is on football (among other things, the Spanish soccer championship is considered one of the best in the world). Other important sports are formula one and tennis (whose leader is the tennis player Rafael Nadal).

Surely you know the preponderant role that Spain has had in European history. It is mainly about the period of Reconquista and the great role played by the Iberian peninsula, as well as the kings who ruled in Spain (Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile). We have lots of material to learn about it!

For today this is everything (we can’t reveal all now!).

We and you with us, we are almost ready to “conquer” our first Spanish destination. Follow us, follow us and follow us in this other amazing adventure.

A big kiss to everyone.

 

38 thoughts on “Spain

  1. Love Spain and the Spanish language! Have been there 3 times now and each time we discover somewhere new 🙂 Can’t wait to head back next year.

  2. I’ve been to Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona. I think my favorite of the 3 is Barcelona! It’s so vibrant and friendly! I’m sure you’ll have a great time there! 🙂

  3. Wow, didn’t know there were 3 climates in Spain. Spain’s influence around the world is big, it will be fascinating to explore

  4. I loved Spain! My husband and I made a stop in Barcelona for our honeymoon and had an amazing time. The food, the culture, the beauty of the city— swoon! We can’t wait to go back some day and explore more of the country.

  5. Spain is one, if not my number one, favorite country in Europe. It’s laid back and I’ve never met a Spaniard I didn’t like! What a wonderful place to have a honeymoon!

  6. Well, I wish I’d read this post 8 years ago before my A-Level Spanish exam! I’m actually a Spanish translator by profession so am pretty clued up on Spain, but some of your information was new to me! Especially the part about the different climates which is super interesting! I lived in Granada for 6 months during university and have visited Barcelona twice for long weekends, but other than that the country is completely unexplored by me! I need to plan a lengthy visit I think. Excited to read more of your Spain posts!

    1. Thank you Rhiannon for your comment! You have an interesting and exciting porfession, always ready to know new people. This is great 🙂
      We are happy that you will join us (virtually), welcome on board!

  7. I love Spain. We always have so much fun when we go there. Our favourite place is Barcelona, we love the sights, the lifestyle and of course the tapas. I have been on several occasions and always had a blast!

  8. Ho solo bei ricordi della Spagna! Dell’area di Murcia ricordo un caldo intollerabile quasi quanto il caldo a Lecce della scorsa settimana. E poi un’ottima sangria. (ero scappata con un gruppo di musica folk).
    E poi Barcellona, che praticamente mi ha cambiato la vita…

  9. Io adoro la Spagna! Devo dire che é uno dei miei paesi stranieri preferiti un po’ perché certi aspetti culturali assomiglia all’Italia e un po’ per la gente sempre calorosa e amichevole. Io sono stata a Siviglia e devo dire che me ne sono completamente innamorata ed è una delle città che consiglierei a tutti di visitare almeno una volta nella vita.

  10. Ho fatto l’Inter rail in spagna oramai 10 anni fa e poi credo di esserci stata altre …. mmmm. forse 15 volte in questi anni, barcellona e valencia e bilbao sono alcune delle mie città preferite ma anche Malaga stupenda e Tarifa….. quanti ricordi!!! Brava!!

  11. I wish to visit Spain. As a country that was being colonized by Spain in 300years, it is undeniabe that we Filipinos have acquire more of their culture. Just like my family name, which means “a new villa”.

  12. I have been only to Barcelona so far now, and I don’t think I have seen the Spanish beauty yet. Barcelona is an incredible city, but I am sure it does not show everything that Spain has to offer. That’s why I am considering Madrid as well. Looking forward to reading your experience, and then I can have a more thorough insight and a better-planned trip.

  13. I’ve been to Spain quite a few times! It’s quite popular here for young people. I went to Lloret de Mar, Malgrat de Mar and Salou when I was much younger. I’ve also visited Barcelona. But there’s much more of Spain I’d like to see. Can’t wait for your stories!

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