Destinations/Spain

Spain is nowadays the result of 17 regions and there are 4 we cannot skip – Basque Country, Catalonia, Andalusia and Galicia – same country, different locations, different traditions and different dialects – Basque, Catalan, Galician and Castellano (also known as the regular Spanish and the official language of the country). Almost makes us think of Babel tower, right?

Leaving the differences apart there are some things by what Spain is known for and let’s begin by the people! Spain is home for both old and new artists in the different arts and fields!

Starting by the old, who never heard about Pablo Picasso and his cubism movement, Salvador Dali with his peculiar mustache and amazing surrealist paintings or Antonio Gaudi whose Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is still being built these days?

Nowadays the Spanish celebrities cross other paths as the cinema – Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, the sports – Fernando Alonso and Rafael Nadal, the fashion – Paco Rabanne or the music – Julio and Enrique Iglesias.

But we can´t talk about Spain without talking about football! Spanish teams are known worldwide and for the Spanish football is a religion! Visiting the stadium of Real Madrid and Barcelona is often in the itineraries of people visiting these cities. The fact that Leonel Messi, although his origins are not Spanish, won 6 Ballon d’Or while playing in Spain, makes Barcelona FC fans super proud!

Spain is hot! You can expect spring and autumn to be mild but when summer strikes make sure sunglasses are in your pocket because sun will shine! While in the north you will find mild temperatures, like in Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria, the south will be under 40ºC!

Therefore, Spain is one of the most popular beach destinations in Europe having almost 5000 km of coastline of mild water! Following the coast from Barcelona to Málaga the options are endless but believing or not it does not stop here! Spain has two clusters of islands – the Balearic and the Canary Islands who could makes us think to be in paradise. Ibiza, located in the Balearic Islands, is known worldwide for its nightlife and summer festivals with renamed DJs.

Despite of being a hot country you will find winter destination within it, such as Sierra Nevada where you can practice your ski skills! Sharing the border with France on the north, on both sides you will find the Pyrenees, another great destination for wintertime.

La fiesta and la siesta, those are two things you can not take away from the Spanish!

Spanish are happy and loud people and you can often think they are mad for the way they express themselves but they are just being Spanish. They are extremely proud about their culture and traditions and even if they might be known for not being good English speakers, trust us, they will find a way to communicate with you!

They are always ready to have fun, go out and hang out in the streets and in the big cities you will find them not just at the bars/clubs areas but a bit all around the city, in the main squares and parks.

With all this fiesta wouldn’t be expected other thing than having to do an extra relaxing moment during the day – la siesta. Specially in the south where the heat strikes strong, you will often find shops having longer lunch breaks to rest before getting back to work. As result you may find stores closing later than usual.

Spain is growing fast as a student destination and the reason behind it will certainly be the quality of education but as well the destination itself. It is home for one of the oldest universities in the world – University of Salamanca, dated back to 1134, and the country offers both public and private options for their students. Although there isn’t yet a huge range of English-taught programs, that tendence is growing thanks to the demande.

Being such a rich country in culture, history, food, traditions and travel opportunities the international students feel the call and keep coming. Spain is considered a safe destination and the happiness of its citizens make students feel welcomed. The tuition fees are other reason for being such an attractive destination, being one the less expensive options in Europe.

First thing you must be aware when moving to Spain is that your eating hours will change if you want to feel like a local – lunch will be around 2:30 pm and dinner not earlier than 9:30/10:00 pm.

Number one food in Spain is Paella which base is rice seasoned with saffron and then loaded with vegetables – peas and peppers, meat – normally chicken or rabbit and seafood – calamari, mussels, prawns, or even clams. But Spanish came up with an excellent idea called Tapas – small portion dishes of any recipe – what allows them to have a full tasting of their favorite treats in one meal. Often tapas are served in restaurants but also in bars and cafés as a side for a drink. Tapas can be anything from a simple olives plate to croquetas (breaded and fried fresh meats like cured ham – jamon – or fresh cod – bacalao) blended with béchamel sauce), tortilla (the famous potatoes, onion and eggs omelette) or pulpo a la gallega (octopus seasoned with paprika, salt and olive oil) among so many others.

When it comes to drink, Spanish people love a good and fresh Sangria and Cerveza (beer) but you will often find locals asking for Tinto de Verano what gets to be a less expensive version of sangria – red wine mixed with a fizzy lemonade.

Spanish like fashion and the proof of it is being home for Inditex group, the responsible for famous brands based all around Europe as Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, Uterque, among others. For those looking for a very particular and colorful type of clothes, can explore Desigual, a spanish fashion brand. You can easily find shopping areas in any spanish city and for sure the main avenues, as la Grand Via in Madrid and Passeig de Garcia in Barcelona will offer you the selection of shops you are looking for. Did you know that the famous Irish brand Primark, has a 5 level store in Madrid?

Being the Spanish late eaters, the nightlife will not start before midnight and it will go on until very late hours. The top destinations for nightlife lovers will definitely be the islands as they are summer destinations and both Spanish and tourists look for those to have a good time. However, as the good weather invites to go out, you will find great nightlife ambiances in any city of the country!