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Spain is more than
bullfights, flamenco dancers and crowded beaches.
It's a spectacular and diverse country, the north
resembling the rolling, green hills of Ireland and
the south giving you a taste of Moroccan
landscapes and architecture. Its tremendous
history is reflected in its prehistoric cave
paintings, Moorish palaces, crumbling castles,
Roman ruins, Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals as
well as some very distinctive modern architecture.
The uniqueness of Spain lies in the separate
kingdoms which made up the original Spanish nation.
These regions remain diverse in their language,
culture, cuisine and art. They include: Andalucía,
Aragon, Asturias, Basque Country, the Balearic
Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla
La Mancha, Castilla León, Catalonia, Extremadura,
Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and
Valencia. Areas of interest are not limited to
each region. |
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Beaches
Excellent and quiet beaches can be found near Malaga, Huelva and
Almería in the south as well as near the coasts of La Manga, Galicia,
Asturias, Cantabria and Euskadi. If you do enjoy extremely developed
resort towns, there are plenty of crowded beaches on the Costa de la
Luz and the Costa del Sol. Interesting is the harbour of Almerimar
with cosy bars, just south of El Ejido (Almeria).
Very unique architecture can be found in Córdoba, Salamanca, Granada,
Toledo, Madrid... The visionary architecture of Antoni Gaudí and the
Picasso museum are in Barcelona while Madrid is home to Spain’s top
three art museums.
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Countrysides
If you would rather get some fresh air, Spain is filled with
opportunities to visit wildlife parks as well as trekking. The
Pyrenees, especially around the Aragón area, are the best areas for
trekking. Andalucía has its Sierra Nevada mountain chain with
luxurious skiing resorts near Granada. Ski-sports are possible from
November up to May. Between Guadix and Baza (famous horsemarket) one
can find cave-dwellings, cave hotels, and beautiful natural parks.
North and between these towns still are unexplored desert sceneries,
with hamlets not even found on maps! The highway infrastructure in
this "wild" part of Andalucia is excellent.
Social culture
Spanish people are very open-hearted and comunicative. You won't have
any problems to get to know someone, especially in the big cities like
Madrid or Barcelona. It's often said that the Spanish living room is
the bar where the people usually spend a lot of time in the mornings
and in the evenings.
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