Take it from us, this impressive, progressive country's miles beyond iconic but stereotypical bullfights, flamenco, and mass beach tourism, with historic sights reaching back to the era of ancient Greece, wine regions, skiing, some of Europe's most cutting-edge culture; and a gorgeous tapestry of different cultures and languages. ¡Viva España!


Cover photo: Jim Gordon

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Madrid as one of Europe´s most LGBTQ/gay-welcoming cities

  Javitouh These days, Spain is one of the world's most socially progressive countries - for example, it was the third to legalise same-sex marriage, back in 2005 - and has legal safeguards in place for marriage equality, same-sex adoption rights, and anti-discrimination laws. And its capital, despite being ruled by the rightwing Partido Popular, is in turn is one of the its most progressive, and is home to a community of a vigorous LGBTQ community estimatated at around a half million. The…

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A poopy Christmas in Catalonia

  agafapaperiapunta Catalans are traditionally a bit scatological, and they’ve got not one but two traditions to prove it. First is a Christmas log called Tió de Nadal or Caga Tió (“pooping log”), a hollowed-out bit of rustic wood – usually around a foot long – with a smiley face and draped with a blanket. When kids smack it with sticks, they´re rewarded with candies, nuts, turrón (holiday nougat), and little gifts which get “pooped” out of its back end. More explicitly fecal-centered, the…

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Spain's 21 niftiest nude beaches

  MuchoSol.co.uk,   Thinking of coming to the playa in Spain this coming summer? Well, if you're also a fan of all-over tans, nude beaches mark nearly a half century in this country, which has sprouted a whopping 400 where you can swim starkers and sun your bum to your heart's content. Here are nearly two dozen of the top choices!   read post    

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Comments

  • Thanks so much, Ed! I keep trying to go somewhere and focus on Culture and Important Sights and next thing you know I spend my time eating! Ah well... :-)

  • Lelya, I can't agree with you on innards, but I sure agree with everything else. Love your writing, love your shout-out to Pimientos del Padron. 

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    Try as I might, any travel adventure will always lead back to food... And sometimes I do try hard!

    Tapas of Santiago: Falling in Love with Pimientos del Padron

  • Euskadi is such an underrated part of Spain - I've loved it ever since visiting Donostia (aka San Sebastian) for the first time in 1980.

  • Sorry for costing you money, Leyla. But it'll be worth it. I love history and literature. So my current read, Wolf Hall, is a match made in heaven.

  • Thanks Matthew - I'm off to order both. You're tugging at my heartstrings because I have a background in political science and I'm a journalist... so history, commentary and politics are actually my idea of a good time! :-)

  • Leyla, well worth you checking out Mark Kurslanksy's Basque History of the World. Plenty of recipes in there too. Also Dave Boling's Guernica is a literary commentary on what the Basque Country suffered thanks to Franco. I do not advocate terrorism, but if you read either or both books you can possibly understand the origins of ETA without in any way sympathising with their methods.

  • Thanks for your kind words, Donna! I grew up in Spain and as a child I remember the Basque country was a place we rarely mentioned, let alone visited. Even this time after all that history I admit I went with a bit of trepidation. Although most families were in some way affected, they're preferring to move on and were focused on the future, not the past.

  • Good blog post, Leyla. I visited Bilbao a few years ago when the ETA was making trouble, and I'm glad you don't ignore that. But today, 2013, on to the food! I clicked on your link because of this photo of the pulpo and I found that all your photos are wonderful. Great memories!

  • Hm - how did I miss this group? Spain is one of the countries I visit most frequently (and love). Recently - I was Blown Away by Bilbao! And the food, oh the food... http://bit.ly/13RcGt2

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