Tours to Spain are trips to the country of the sun and excellent cuisine, joy of life and hospitality, as well as to a country that will reveal to travelers the beauty of monuments and sights that have been preserved since ancient civilizations.
This country is beautiful all year round, but the tour operator in Spain recommends visiting this sunny state from May to October. It was at this time that a beach holiday in Spain is able to fully realize the dream of every tourist from Moscow and other regions: warm sand and clear water of the resorts of Costa Brava, Blanes, Costa Dorada, Costa Blanca will allow you to enjoy the warmth of the Spanish gentle sun, the Bolearic Islands, Mallorca, Playa de Palma and Magaluf will give you the luxury of the most elite vacation in the best hotels in the country.
Spain is a country with a rich history, the echoes of which are visible in every sight of Madrid and Barcelona, Toledo and Bilbao. Traveling to the country of bullfighting and sultry flamenco, to the lands of the great Columbus and Salvador gave vivid impressions of the most unusual and enchanting holiday.
Currency: Euro
Language: Spanish
Capital: Madrid
“Hemingway’s Spain is a country of bright colors, wild fun, violent passions, thrills and hospitable cheerful people.”
Maria Salcedo
“In Spain, you can never predict anything.” This is how Ernest Hemingway wrote about this wonderful country in his famous novel Fiesta. Probably, this is exactly the kind of Spain that everyone who has ever been here imagines – incendiary flamenco to the bewitching sounds of guitars and castanets, a dangerous bullfight to the roar of crowded stands, the intoxicating aroma of sherry and the brightest, gentle sun. Here everything is unpredictable and eternal. Echoes of great history, monuments of ancient civilizations, amazing architectural masterpieces of Gaudí, majestic medieval castles, the world treasury of arts – the Prado Museum, the unique aesthetics of the Salvador Dali Theater Museum, and, of course – the clear azure sea, more than two thousand wonderful beaches, the mighty peaks of the Pyrenees, cozy ancient cities, and unusually beautiful landscapes,
Geographical position
The Kingdom of Spain is located in the southwest of Europe and occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula – an area of 504,782 km². Spain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west, and the Mediterranean Sea – in the south and east, and also borders on Portugal in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, on the British possession of Gibraltar in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, on France and Andorra in the north and on Morocco (enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla) – in North Africa. Spain includes 50 provinces that are part of 17 autonomous regions, and the population of the country is more than 46 million people.
Climate
On the territory of Spain, the climate is determined by various climatic zones: in the south and the Mediterranean coast – Mediterranean, with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers; in the northwest and north – temperate maritime, with moderate temperatures and heavy rainfall throughout the year, in the interior of the country – a continental climate, with cool winters and warm, dry summers, and the Canary Islands have a predominantly tropical climate, the average temperature in winter is +25 ” C, in summer + 26-28 ° C, while the water here is warm all year round, in summer – + 22-23 ° C, in winter + 20-22 ° C. In Balsary, the climate is Mediterranean, less dry than in the continental part of the country, in summer it is noticeably cooler here than on the mainland, and the average winter temperature does not fall below + 12 ° C. At the same time, Spain is not only one of the warmest countries in Western Europe,
A bit of history
The name of the country is interpreted in several theories, for example, the name Hispania, which was given by the Romans, comes from Ispalis (Hispalis), which means Seville, the Phoenician origin of the name takes its roots from the expression “i-spanim” – “coast of rabbits”, and in the Celtic version the name comes from the meanings “entrance” or “key”. For 1200 years BC. e. the coast began to be developed by the Phoenicians, who founded the colony of Hades – now the city of Cadiz. Spain was subjected to many conquests: in the 5th-3rd centuries. BC e. – Celts, in 3-2 centuries BC. – the Romans, under whose rule Spain was until the reign of Emperor Augustus, and this era went down in history as Roman Spain. In the second half of the 5th c. AD Visigoths founded the kingdom here. In 718, almost the entire territory of Spain was conquered by the Arabs, who included the country in their Caliphate, which subsequently broke up into a number of states. In the XV century, during the reign of the Gabsurogs, Spain conquered huge colonies in the New World and became one of the most influential states in Europe. In the 18th century, the Habsburgs were replaced by the Bourbons, and in the 19th century, five unfinished revolutions took place in the country. In the 20th century, the republican period began in Spain. Spain went through the Civil War, the fascist regime, the Second World War, and only in 1947 Spain was again declared a kingdom. In 1975, after the death of Franco, a constitutional monarchy was restored in the country, and Prince Juan Carlos was proclaimed king. Today Spain is a member of the European Union,
Cultural heritage
Spain is not only an integral part of world culture in all its areas, but also a real museum country that stores a huge number of historical and cultural world monuments.
Museums: Prado Museum in Madrid, Picasso Museum and National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona, National Sculpture Museum in Valladolid, El Greco Museum in Toledo, Dali Theater Museum in Figueres, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Provincial Museum of Fine Arts in Seville, Museum Spanish abstract art in Cuenca and many others.
Painting: Velazquez, Picasso, Salvador Dali, Francisco Goya, El Greco, Bartolome Murillo, Juan Miro and others.
Architecture: the creations of Antonio Gaudi in Barcelona – Sagrada Familia, House of Vicens, Park and Palace Güell, House of Mila (“Stone Quarry”), Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family and others.
Literature: Baltasar, Lope de Vega, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Pedro Calderon, Francisco de Quevedo, Ramon Gomez de la Serna and others.
Cinematographer: Pedro Almodovar, Luis Buñuel, Antonio Banderas, Joaquin Cortes and others.
Music: Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Montserrat Caballe, Julio Iglesias and others.
Spanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine varies by region, but is united by the brightness and richness of flavors and ingredients, which necessarily include spices, garlic, olive oil, vegetables and fruits. Spanish paella is famous all over the world, which is prepared in all provinces of the country, but the birthplace of paella is Valencia, here it is prepared with the addition of a variety of ingredients and seasoned with ali-ole – a delicious garlic sauce with olive oil. An equally famous dish – cold gazpacho soup was invented in Anadlusia. Madrid cuisine is famous for its cod dish – abomasum, boiled meat in Madrid style, cocido madrileno soups, as well as “callos” – a spicy tripe with black pudding and pepper sauce. Catalan cuisine is quite refined, there are many fish and seafood dishes, as well as signature delicacies, consisting of unexpected combinations, for example – chicken with lobsters and a side dish of chestnuts and truffles, pork leg with eggs and sugar (Peuada), or rabbit with chocolate sauce (Connil a l’Empordanesa). The Basque Country has the largest variety of gourmet tapas, in Galicia you can taste octopus boiled in a copper pot (Pulpo a la gallega) or a Gallic soup made from potatoes and local vegetables, and in Aragon you can taste all kinds of meat dishes, such as “ternasco” – roasted whole goat or lamb with “chilindron” – a hot sauce made from sweet peppers and tomatoes, Spain is no less famous for its excellent wines – both red and white, primarily rioja (rioja), which is produced in the region of the same name, Malaga – Andalusian dessert wine with coffee-school-prune shades, and,
Spanish holidays
New Year – January 1
Epiphany – January 6
Day of Our Lady of Candelaria – February 2, celebrated in Tenerife
Father’s Day – San José (Saint Joseph) Day – March 19
Catholic Good Friday – April 2
Labor Day – May 1
Battle of the Tomatoes – 25 August, celebrated in the city of Bunol
Feast of the Holy Virgin of Pilar and the National holiday of Spain – Hispanidad Day – October 12
All Saints Day – November 1
Christmas – December 25
Tenerife
Tenerife (Spanish: Tenerife) is the largest island in the archipelago of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. With a relatively small area of 2,034.38 km² and a population of 906,800, representing 43% of the population of the entire archipelago, it is the most populated in Spain. It occupies a central position relative to the islands of the archipelago and, together with the three neighboring islands of Palma, Gomera and Hierro, is part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with its administrative center in the city of the same name.
