A bit about Spain:
Spain is situated in southwest Europe. Neighbouring countries are Portugal in the
west, France and Andorra to the northeast. The British territory of Gibraltar is to
the south.
Castilian Spanish, (usually referred to as simply Spanish) is the official language and understood by all, however several regional languages are used daily,
such as Catalan, Gallego and Euskera.
Spain's climate is diverse, from the warm meditteranean climate of the east coast, to the sub-tropical climate of the Canary Islands way down south, through
to the cold snow capped mountains of the Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada, to the dry, arrid conditions of Andalusia.
The coasts of Spain are famed holiday hot-spots, Spain is the 2nd most visited country in the world by foreign tourists, just behind France which holds the
top spot. The Costa Del Sol (Malaga), Costa Brava and Costa Blanca are among the most well known mainland holiday destinations.
Tourism is also big business in Spains Balearic Islands, the beautiful beaches and lush countryside of Mallorca and Menorca are very popular with holidaying families whilst Ibiza is renowned
world-wide for its leading dance music scene and its summer season is a must for young people looking to party all night long.
Spain's most famous dish is 'Tapas', small plates of anything from seafood, to fried salted peppers, to fried potatoes called Patatas Bravas to hams and
sausages. Sangria is a popular drink, locally produced red-wine mixed with orange juice with slices of fruit thrown in. Spain is well-aquainted with the cafe
culture, and you can expect to see cafe terraces on the pavement full of customers all day long.
The most expensive real estate in Spain can be found in 3 of Spains most important cities, the royal capital Madrid, geographically central to the country, the Catalan capital (and arch rival in football, and
politically) Barcelona in the north-east and San Sebastian in
the north. Marbella, on the Costa del Sol in the south, often
considered home of the ‘Jet Set’ also has many prestigious & extremely expensive villas. |