LIFE IN SPAIN ! INTERVIEW OF A SPANISH GIRL

Spain is an amazing country with 46,6 millions citizens. It is a country with diverse resources and different environments. It''s pretty incredible to be able to go swimming in the sea, to take a walk in mountains or to visit big cities ; all that in the same country.

Spain is a perfect destination in Europe when you don't want to spend too much but still have a great holiday : good climate, beautiful places, good atmosphere, not too expensive and not too far!

Here is Teresa and I, when I was in Alicante, Spain. We met during my year in America and we've been friends ever since. She's going to be the one answering my questions about Spain, here we go !

As all interesting interviews, let's start with food. Spain is a country known for his culinary specialties such as ham, tapas, paella, tortilla de patatas ... etc. So could you tell me what is a typical Spanish breakfast ?

Hm... specialities that I think people should try :

- Paella from Alicante (it’s the best) Ensaladilla Rusa (in Spanish) , Russian Salad (it's not from Russia hahaha) Croquetas from Madrid, Empanadillas (it's not the same as Empanada)

That sounds yummy... By the way, I know that in some countries like in England, they generally eat pretty early like 5 or 6 pm. Is it the same in Spain ? At what time do Spanish people generally eat dinner ?

Haha yes that is a funny fact about Spain. Our meal schedule is generally like this. Breakfast, whenever you wake up, it doesn't matter if it's 7 in the morning or 11am. Lunch start pretty late though, between 2pm and 3pm. Then, dinner is around 9,30 pm and 10pm. We eat later than people form other countries, I don't really know why hahaha.

Haha yes, I’ve realized that when I came to see you, I was so hungry at 12pm...

Now, let's talk about the country more generally. Could you give me one word to describe Spain ?

I would say « joy », because we always try to have fun !

As a traveller, I always try to find amazing places without lots of tourists and sometimes, in countries like Spain it can be really hard (because it's really touristic). So as a Spanish, what are the places in Spain you love to visit ?

Madrid and Barcelona are the biggest cities in Spain and they are awesome. There are so much things to visit and to do, a lot of good restaurants, theaters, concerts to go, museums etc. I totally recommend to visit those cities.

From Barcelona I would like to mention, 'La Sagrada Familia' wich is impresionant. However, what I really like about both cities, specially Madrid because I know it better, is to get lost in the middle of the city and just walk and find little streets or squares that are not crowded but are beautiful.

The North and South of Spain are totally different. If you want to enjoy the Mediterranean Sea and hot weather you should go to the South. In the North, there are awesome natural landscapes and the weather is colder than in the south.

Do you have any tips for tourist, when they come to Spain ? Things to try or to see?

Before you decide as a tourist where to go, you should know which type of activities you want to do and then choose. Maybe try to lost yourself in little streets where there aren’t that much crowds. For example, there is a little village called Altea that is amazing.

I couldn't pick just one place from Spain to visit, because I think there are totally different places and all of them are worth it. From Sevilla, Cadiz, Córdoba, Murcia to Leon, Santander, Galicia etc.

Yeah, we all want to kind of, be alone in our destination, without any crowds. When I think about Spain, I think about flamenco, sangria, people talking loud and enjoying life, also about partying and summer. In your opinions, what kind of clichés do the world have of Spain ?

To my mind, one of the most popular cliches people have from us is that we like to party a lot and we are friendly.

In general, I think those cliches are totally shared. We like to enjoy, to party, to dance, we talk a lot to people, even though they are just people that we have met in a bar. Also, another cliche is that we speak loud. I don't know in other families, but in mine that is definitely a fact.