Spain

Walk the world without caring about the weather tomorrow

Knock it off. Spain is not what is in your mind or what travel guides say. Throw all the straw donkey, sombrero, paella and chips, bullfights, flamenco dancers and crowded beaches into the enormous time sliders so all these images could traverse through time to the past. You live today. You no longer need any travel guide, except this absurd one, discard the sun-and-fun package holidays and get your bras (avoiding “a” word) ready to embrace some more sophisticated themes in its series of dazzling and evocative new images that rock the travel world.

Hey come on, did you really do that? It’s my bad. Now let’s jump into the sliders to slide between parallel worlds to catch back what you have just thrown. That’s essential man. That’s Spain. Of course it’s more than that, and the more significant reason I ask you to dump them is to inject the live-for-today hedonism into your blood cells so that you can stay chilled out to join their famous fiestas. In Spain, a day hardly goes by without one town or another rocking a fiesta. What? A déjà vu just struck your mind right? I’m pretty sure that the France people “joie de vivre” has just flashed across your mind.

Now, you still haven’t got the tricks behind the Spanish magic.

The Magic of Spain

It’s simply mesmerizing in this kaleidoscopic world featuring Flamenco bailaors (dancers) stomp and swirl in flounces of colors, diehard toreros show off their audacity in the bullrings, ebullient beach frolickers toasting with sangria (a wine punch typical of Spain and Portugal while savoring steaming paella on sparkling beaches. Besides, Spain boasts having the second-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, after Italy, and the largest number of World Heritage Cities. Tokyoites are very curious about how outsiders see them at the end of the world, that’s why they build a futuristic capital Tokyo in the middle of the culturally rich Japan so others could see Japanese amazing past and future. Spaniards aren’t any different as the insatiability for innovation has spurred the infusion of its superb artistic and natural heritage with a contagious, progressive vitality. Standing in the kitchens, building sites or stores could be a dangerous affair because you would anytime be blown out by the formidable wave of uninhibited innovation unleashed by Spain’s first-class and avant-garde chefs, designers and engineers.

The lesser-known fact is that there are four official languages in Spain. Indeed, the exceptionality of Spain lies within the separate kingdoms which made up the original Spanish nation. Some of these regions have their own distinctive language, culture, art and cuisine. Though differ significantly from one another, they share a common passion for drama and the typical Spanish pleasure-seeking lifestyle. Spaniards virtually can’t distinguish bar from living room as they spend much time there than in their houses. Whether it is savoring fine wine along with tapas in big cities like Madrid, Barcelona or Seville, or enjoying pintxos (small slices of bread upon which an ingredient or mixture of ingredients is put and held there using a stick) over cider in the elaborate Basque Country in the north, one thing that all Spaniards love is to eat, drink and chill out.

All in all, it’s a stunning and diverse country, the north resembling the undulating green hills and enthralling ocean coves of Ireland while the south is akin to vast color palettes of Moroccan backdrops and architecture. Explore the magnificent façade of Spain to see extraordinary and unanticipated panorama unveils itself before you. Splendors permanently linger off the beaten track; arrogant, lonely castles and medieval towns, like Toledo, across the interior; the amazing white villages of Andalucia that have you gasp forever; remarkable history concealed in its prehistoric cave paintings, Roman ruins and Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals. Craving for more bounty of nature? The majestic Pyrenees mountain chain that walls off France is dotted with beautiful medieval hamlets, high mountain walking tracks and Spain’s best skiing. Where else to leave your footsteps in this charming country of large geographic and cultural diversity? Pack your travel bags and head out to Spain’s thriving capital Madrid, the vivacious coastal city of Barcelona, the world-renowned “Running of the Bulls” at Pamplona, prominent Andalucian cities that feature Moorish architecture like Seville, Cordoba and Granada, the Way of St. James and the pleasant Balearic and Canary Islands.

Travel To Spain - Top 10 Best Places

If an A-list of the best places to travel in Spain ever exists, it would be an endless list that you do not want to read at all. Seen or hidden, there are just too many nice cities worth exploring. Anyway, let’s check out the 10 top places you must not miss.

Madrid - a vibrant capital of grand boulevards, art museums and outrageous nightlife till dawn.
Barcelona - Spain’s Mediterranean jewel sparkles with its Gaudi and gourmet delights, a buzzing waterfront scene and 2000 years of history.
Balearic Islands - from Menorca’s crystal coves and Mallorca’s dramatic mountain coast to Ibiza’s clubs and Formentera’s chilled scene, these islands offer a all-in-one travel package.
Ibiza - an island and town located in the Mediterranean Sea about 80 km off the coast of Spain, third largest of the Balearic Islands.
Palma de Mallorca (Majorca) - the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain.
Valencia - from the boisterous Barrio del Carmen to the 21st-century Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, this metropolis is full of surprises. Oh, paella was invented here!
Granada - stunning city in the south, surrounded by snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada, home of La Alhambra.
Cordoba - the Grand Mosque (’Mezquita’) of Cordoba is one of the world’s finest buildings.
Seville - this fiery southern capital is home to the Alcázar, the mesmerising parades of Semana Santa and revelry of the Feria de Abril.
Malaga - a port city in Andalusia, southern Spain with temperate climate. Birthplace of the artist Picasso.

Outside looking in..

Cadiz - oldest city in Western Europe, celebrates a famous carnival.
Bilbao - former industrial city, home to the Guggenheim Museum.
Zaragoza - recently held a Expo and is the 5th largest city.

3 Reasons Why I Love Spain

The reasons to fall in love with Spain are as many as the famous fiestas held almost everyday in the different cities throughout the country. Here are the three reasons from the bottom of my “travel” heart.

Did I just say fiestas? Yes, the world-renowned Spanish fiestas move from town to town restlessly throughout the year. Your trip to Spain is not complete without joining at least one to feel the cultural dynamism in its people. It’s guaranteed that you are going to be enlivened to cloud nine. Let’s go and be lifted together!
Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca are parts of Balearic Islands where their perpetual exquisiteness utterly melt my heart. Let’s see if the white houses would overshadow the beauty of Illuminated floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima, Japan. Supein ni ikimasho! Ah! I should have spoken in Spanish. Again, “let’s va a España!”
I want to conquer The Pyrenees as its magnificence is unrivaled in the world. Also, I want to beat the Spanish ski champion there and savor my victory in its medieval villages. The party is going to be celebrated annually then. Oh my god! One more major fiesta is going to be added to the endless list. Aiks, I’m so into my imagination again. Whatever. I love Spain!