The weather
To check the weather before you leave on your trip, please take a look at current weather conditions at www.weatheronline.co.uk. For historical temperature and precipitation statistics visit www.weatherbase.com or take a look at the Spanish Meteorological website with detailed information per region (http://www.aemet.es/en/elclima/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos)
Recommended (guide) books and maps
- The Story of Spain | Mark Williams
- The New Spaniards | John Hopper
- The Arts in Spain | John F. Moffitt
- Ghosts of Spain | Giles Tremlett
- Between Hopes and Memories: A Spanish Journey | Michael Jacobs
- The Green Guide—Spain | Michelin Travel Publications
- Lonely Planet—Spain | Lonely Planet Publications
Recommended movies
- Volver | Pedro Almodóvar (2006)
- Lucia y el Sexo | Julio Medem (2001)
- Jamón Jamón | José Juan Bigas Luna (1992)
- Flamenco | Carlos Saura (1995)
Recommended music (flamenco & fusion)
- Paco de Lucía Antología | Paco de Lucía (1995)
- Una Leyenda Flamenca | El Camarón de la Isla (1993)
- Lágrimas Negras | Bebo Valdés and Diego El Cigala (2003)
- Sueña La Alhambra | Enrique Morente (2005)
- Barí | Ojos de Brujo (2002)
Useful Websites
- www.spain.info | The official website for Spanish Tourism. Lots of great information in English about all of Spain.
- www.spanish-fiestas.com | Has little on fiestas but does have everything from events listings to links to Spanish culture.
- www.winesfromspain.com | A wide range of information on background history, on vineyards and winemaking, on the characteristics differentiating the distinct winemaking areas, and on the varieties that give Spanish wines personality.
The history of Spain is a compendium of influences from the different cultures that have lived in the country. The first settlers on the Peninsula were the Celts and the Iberians. The Roman presence in Hispania lasted for seven centuries, during which time the basic borders of the Peninsula in relation to other European towns were set up. Many institutions were inherited from Rome such as the concept of family, Latin as a language, religion and law. At the start of the 5th century new settlers from the North arrived and settled on the Peninsula: the Visigoths in the interior and the Swabians on the West. The decomposition of the Visigoth state apparatus would lead to the successive infiltration of Arab and Berber troops from the other side of the Straits of Gibraltar at the beginning of the 8th century. In the middle of the 8th century the Muslims had completed occupation and Cordoba became the center of the flourishing Andalusian state. The Arab presence in Spain would last for almost seven centuries and leave an indelible mark on the Spanish cultural heritage.
Following a long period of peaceful coexistence, the small Christian strongholds in the North of the Peninsula took on a leading role in the Reconquest, which ended with the capture of Granada in 1492 under the reign of the Catholic King and Queen, traditionally considered the founders of peninsular unity and the imperial management of the Spanish revival. The 16th century represents the zenith of Spanish hegemony in the world, a process that would last until the middle of the 17th century. Following the death of Charles II, the last of the Austrians, who died without having had children, Phillip V inaugurated the dynasty of the Bourbons of Spain.
The crisis of the Old Order opened the doorway to the Napoleonic invasion. The War of Independence was a war against the French invasion, but also a revolutionary war due to the decisive involvement of the people and the clear formation of a national consciousness that would later shape the 1812 Constitution. The Courts of Cadiz thereby enacted one of the first Constitutions of the world which ratified that sovereignty would reside in the nation. The conflict between liberalists and absolutists, or in other words, between two different ways of perceiving the establishment of the state, would be one of the longest Spanish conflicts throughout the 19th century.
The ballot box is introduced into Spain and with it the first democratic experience of the 20th century: the second Republic, a brief attempt to introduce the reformations the country needed, frustrated by General Franco’s military rising and the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936. The military victory of General Franco gave way to a long dictatorial period that would last until 1975. Following his death, the Spanish peacefully made the transition from dictatorship to democracy in a process known as ‘the Spanish model’. Don Juan Carlos I, as King of the Spanish people, became the chief of a social and democratic state of law, which molded the Constitution of 1978.
More information…? Should you be interested in a specific theme, please check here, you will find many info about culture, environmental issues, nature, society, geography and politics.
In Spain you have exquisite and innovative dishes with the guarantee of internationally prestigious chefs. The highest quality products from the best producers, recipes combining popular tradition with artistic creation and offer you exciting, new flavors. Spain’s culinary revolution, headed by master chefs like Ferrán Adriá, Arzak and Berasategui turns the pleasure of good food into a luxury for the senses that is at its finest when savored in Spain.
Spanish cuisine is nowadays recommended in the finest restaurants, heralded by the most prestigious critics and demanded by millions of consumers over the world. It has gone through a real revolution, which, in the time of a few short years, has put Spain at the top of international cuisine. With traditional styles as the basis, a modern, innovative cuisine has developed, identified by the use of quality products and by the creativity of its chefs.
To read more about Spain’s cuisine
- www.spain.info/en/saborea/
- www.in-spain.net/principales/gastronomy.htm | gives an overview of the specific culinary art of every region
- www.red2000.com/spain/g-map.html | regional gastronomic information through an interactive map
