Tourist in spain, Plaza Virgen de los Reyes next to Seville Cathedra…—Jess Girl from a Rock (Flickr.com)

Being a tourist in Spain can become a visual, gastronomical, and historical treat. Sure, there may be a language barrier if you don’t speak Spanish, but that can be remedied by learning a few useful Spanish phrases when you’re out interacting with the locals. Bear in mind that while Spanish people, especially shop owners, usually know some English so they can communicate with tourists, it is a good thing to show them that you care about their country enough to learn their language (plus, you might get a great bargain for impressing them!).

The site http://unravelled.travellerspoint.com gives some pretty useful terms and phrases for the tourist in Spain (it’s a pretty good read since the author peppers the article with surprisingly humorous bits).

For directions:

Straight is derecho
Right is derecha
Left is izquierda

Behind is detras de
Inside is adentro
Outside is afuera

Here is aqui
There is alli

Everywhere is por dondequiera
The corner (of a room) is rincon
The corner (of a street) is esquina

Basic questions and greetings:

Where is…? is Donde esta…?

What is your name? is Como se llama?

How much is it? is Cuanto cuesta?

Hello is halo
Hello is hola
Please is por favor
Thank you is gracias
You’re welcome is de nada
Excuse me is disculpa me
Of course! is por supuesto!

For transportation and commuting:

Railroad is ferrocarril
Train is tren
Bus is autobus
Car is coche
Taxi is taxi
Plane is avion
Airport is aeropuerto
Station is estacion
Hotel is hotel
Hostel is hostel
City is cuidad
Country is pais

Bus stop is parada

For doing touristy things:

Store is tienda
Market is mercado
Restaurant is restaurante

The museum is el museo
The park is el parque
The church is la iglesia
The library is la bibliotheca
A monument is el momunento
The aquarium is el acuario

For eating, ordering, or buying food:

(Terms for the vegetarian/fruitarian)

Vegetables is vegetales
Carrot is zanahoria
Onion is cebolla
Potato is patata
Beans is frijoles
Cabbage is repollo
Tomato is tomate

Fruit is fruta
Apple is manzana
Banana is platano
Grapes is uva

Lemon is limon
Lime is lima
Melon is melone
Nut is nuez

(Terms for the carnivore)

Meat or beef is carne

Pork is puerco
Chicken is pollo
Duck is pato
Veal is ternera
Ham is jamon
Bacon is tocino

For buying or ordering beverages:

Beer is cerveza
Wine is vino
Water is agua
Juice is jugo
Rum is ron
Milk is leche

Salvador Dali Hypercube Metropolitan Museum of Art…—mgrayflickr (Flickr.com)

Salvador Dali is a famous Surrealist painter, born in Catalonia, Spain in 1904. He is skilled at drawing, but he soon became known for his painting skills that recall those of Renaissance masters.

Soon his work became recognizable for the seemingly bizarre images they proffer. Melting clocks, quadrupeds with legs reaching to the sky, landscapes that look ominous…all of these served as rich visual feasts still influencing today’s crop of younger artists, and becoming favorite references for pop culture.

The flamboyance of his paintings was mirrored in Dali’s behavior in real life. He was known to love attention, and took pains to get it whenever he can. Often, his critics, who praise him for his artistic output, were quick to denounce him for this behavior. Soon, Salvador Dali would grow the famous mustache he would become even more recognized for, and which would spawn thousands of imitation in the hopes that whoever wears it can display an iota of the Spanish painter’s talent.

He studied Fine Arts at the Academia de San Fernando and became close friends with noted poet Federico Garcia Lorca. History hints that the pair may have had a homosexual relationship, though this is not verified.

At school, Dali experimented with Cubism and earned the admiration of his classmates. He also tried his hand at Dadaism. However, his skill at producing realistic paintings was still very much in evidence, especially with works like The Basket of Bread. He was eventually expelled from school on grounds of starting dissent, but soon met Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro, who greatly influenced him.

He developed his own painting style after experimenting with several techniques while at school. He became open to many inspirations: from the classical to the avante-garde. There were times when he employed both techniques in painting, or separately, so that critics, while noticing his skill, seemed puzzled at his lack of technical coherence.

Not long after, Dali joined the Surrealist movement in Paris. It was also at this time that he met Gala, his future wife. He was disowned by his father for becoming involved with Gala, and was disinherited and thrown out of his ancestral home. Gala and Salvador Dali got married and made a home via a rented fisherman’s cabin, which he bought and renovated into a villa through the years.

In 1934, Dali’s works reached America. His most famous work, The Persistence of Memory, became an instant hit in the country.

Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.

-Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso is definitely one of the most famous artists to come out of Spain, being a painter, sculptor, print maker, and stage designer. He lived a very controversial yet very prolific life as an artist punctuated with different periods. He was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in the 1996 movie Surviving Picasso.

He was at the forefront of the Cubist movement in art, with the painting Guernica gaining fame for its depiction of the bombing of Guernica by the German forces during the Spanish civil war.

Guernica—ahisgett (Flickr.com)

As a younger man, he leaned more towards a realistic style in painting. He only started experimenting with different painting techniques and reading up on theories which will eventually help shape his artistic output in the years ahead. If we are to compartmentalize his art into periods (as most art historians are wont to do since it provides a better visual presentation of his portfolio), we can see wars and other current national and personal events greatly influenced the mood and palette of his paintings. For instance, his Blue Period happened around the spring of 1901, when his friend Carlos Casagemas killed himself. His output during this period consisted largely of a predominantly blue or blue-green palette, and images of gaunt, emaciated figures.

A noticeably more cheerful and bright palette and compositions punctuated Pablo Picasso’s Rose Period. Art historians speculate that this dramatic change in painting style, color, and theme was a result of his meeting a young model for artists and painters, in the year 1904. While there is no mention of a romance blossoming between the two, the Rose Period showed more optimistic works from Picasso.

Rose period picasso, Garc on a la pipe—Dandi Ly (Flickr.com)

His Cubism phase began when he collaborated with fellow artist Georges Braque on experimenting with how to visually take apart elements of painting. They ended up using a monochromatic (mostly brown) palette and figures simplified into basic shapes and angles.

As mentioned, the Spanish Civil War paved the way for Picasso to produce his most recognizable work: Guernica. Recalling the works of Ingres and Raphael, Picasso employed a Neo-Classical style also picked up by artists of the New Objectivity movement.

Guernica, painted on an expansive canvas, was filled with symbolism typical of the Surrealist movement. With this work, Picasso emphasizes the need for viewers to have the symbols and the entire painting resonate with who is seeing it with their own eyes, and refuses to employ words to describe what is going on in the painting, and what his symbols mean.

Art in Spain has a rich and colorful history. Both painting and sculpture in the country produced many stunning visual pieces that continue to inspire and resonate with art practitioners and lovers in modern times, in any part of the world. Today, we will take a look at some of Spain’s best gifts to the world by way of artists who have done remarkable works of art.

El Greco was part of Spain’s golden age of art during 16th and 17th centuries. This Renaissance brought forth a personal style of painting which went well with popular religious themes at the time. One of his most famous quotes goes:

Diego Velazquez was also part of Spain’s art Renaissance. Unlike El Greco, however, his subjects focused more on royalty rather than religion. He was primarily known for his mastery in portraiture, and has influenced later Spanish artists like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.

Diego velazquez, V Diego Velázquez Self-portrait 1650—Cea (Flickr.com)

Spain went on to produce great artists in the 20th century. Salvador Dali is perhaps one of the most famous of them.

His was a style that is easy to recognize, being a very skilled draftsman who eventually produced awe-inspiring, if somehow disturbing images in his Surrealiest paintings. Dali’s work was not strictly confined to painting, however. He went on to produce a large body of work which included photography, sculpture, and film, and was able to collaborate with many artists to come up with even more great art.

Salvador dali, Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New M…—oddsock (Flickr.com)

When in Spain, eat as the Spaniards do, to mangle a popular phrase. Spain has a rich culture and history, but it is a country that offers hundreds of gastronomic delights, as well. Part of immersing yourself in a culture is eating its food. Fortunately, Spain does not disappoint in this regard. Here is a list of the top five traditional Spanish dishes you are sure to love, and which you must try should you find yourself setting foot in lovely Spain.

1. Paella

Paella, Paëlla olé—fred v (Flickr.com)

Many regard paella as the quintessential Spanish dish, and it has seen many versions, from vegetarian to meatier, and just about everything in-between. Paella finds itself in this list because nearly everyone has heard about it. It is an entire meal on its own, with rice, seafood, meat, bits of vegetables, and herbs and spices for a truly flavorful dining experience.

2. Iberian ham

Iberian ham—adactio (Flickr.com)

Iberian ham and chorizo, Spain’s version of the sausage, are arguably the most popular meats of the country. They can be eaten on their own or with bread. Iberian ham has a special curing process which takes quite some time. So when you come across some Iberian ham, make sure to savor each bite and flavor, as a lot of work was put behind it!

3. Gazpacho

Chilled Gazpacho—www.WorthTheWhisk.com (Flickr.com)

Served chilled and typically with a slab of bread to accompany it (many diners like breaking off the bread and mixing it with the soup to make it thicker), gazpacho is a traditional summer soup eaten in Spain. It is made of finely chopped or pureed tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, green pepper, olive oil, salt, and other spices to make for a refreshing and filling treat during scorching Spanish days.

4. Spanish omelette

Spanish omelette—missy the universe (Flickr.com)

You might argue that an omette is an omelette is an omelette…but the Spanish beg to differ! For starters, it is extra-filling because it has potatoes as main ingredients (aside from eggs, of course). For another, you can add just about anything in a Spanish omelette (tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, ham or chorizo, etc.), and it will still taste delicious.

5. Sangria

Sangria—andriesss (Flickr.com)

Though it is not considered a dish, sangria merits a slot in this list simply because it is very very Spanish. Sangria is a kind of punch made of red wine and chopped up fruit, plus different types of sweeteners. It is the perfect drink for hot days because it is refreshing, and with just the right alcoholic “kick”. ¡Salud!

Would you like to visit Spain in the future? Do you where to visit the most beautiful places in Spain?

Spain is one of the most beautiful and most historical places on earth. The place itself takes us back to the ancient times reminding us how it used to be many years ago.

Here are some of the places that you can visit in Spain:

Burgos Cathedral

“Also known as the Saint Mary Cathedral, the Burgos Cathedral is situated at Plaza de Santa Maria in Burgos.”

Monte Perdido

“One of the highest mountains in the mountain range of Pyrenees, Monte Perdido is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca.”

Las Medulas

“Las Medulas is one of the top 10 tourist spots in Spain that is situated at the Community of Castile and Leon. Many tourists like to see this spot because it is the Roman Empire’s most significant gold mine.”

Sagrada Familia

“Sagrada Familia is one of the top 10 tourist spots in Spain that features religious artifacts. The site has three facades, namely the Glory façade, the Nativity façade and the Passion façade. Remains of previous historic personalities in the country including Constantia of Sicily, Sibila de Forcia and Marie de Lusignan are housed in this place.”

As the earch grows more and changing to a more high-tech computerized world, some people still love to see those historical places. Spain still has it, and some other places on earth as well. Most countries tend to keep those history alive for the future and today’s growing kids.

I want my future baby to see all these historical places on earth. I’m not going to deprive him or her from all the technology but I want him or her to see how beautiful the past was.

Watch this Video on Youtube:

The Spain has grown and changed over the past few years. They’ve developed a lot and but they still have that prehistorical touches that they preserved for years.

My Telegraph

Have you been to Spain? What do you love about their Country?

Spain is known for their bullfights, their amazing beaches, their artistic sculpture, well-known painters and many more. The internet industry is small but a tight network of highly skilled people. Many times I spoke to los angeles web design company on how to build and maintain our site. They were extremely helpful and now we go to them for all our internet and website needs.

“The culture of Spain is a European culture based on a variety of influences. These include the pre-Roman cultures, mainly the Celtic and the Iberian cultures; but primarily in the period of Roman influences. In the areas of language and religion, the Ancient Romans left a lasting legacy. The subsequent course of Spanish history also added elements to the country’s cultural development.”
Wikipedia

Did you know that Spain have this tradition of what they call “Tomatina Fight” or the Tomato Fight?

Thousands of people gather every year to throw for about 240,000 tomatoes at the Town of Bunol at everyone they see. You can throw tomatoes at anyone you like, the person next to you, behind you, in front of you or even the people away from you. This tradition started in 1945 but it was then recognized in 1959.

Watch the Video on Youtube:

It looks really fun, people enjoy doing it as well. Many travelers are visiting Spain to join the Tomatina Fight tradition. If you want to join this once a year tradition in Spain, then you better bring your goggles, extra shirt and yourself.