The Spanish Siesta
The peculiarly Spanish tradition of the Siesta is known worldwide without having been adopted extensively elsewhere, apart from Spanish outposts.

In the latter part of the afternoon, many shops and businesses close between 2 and 5 p.m. Rather than going home to sleep, many choose to pass the time at a cafe, restaurant or bar. Therefore, these stay open during these hours and have a later siesta closing time, from 4 p.m. to 8/9 p.m. in the evening.

Tradition

Traditionally the siesta allowed labourers in rural Spain the opportunity to have some respite from the heat. They would sleep for a few hours and return to their work rested and able to work on into the cooler evening.

Modern Day

It is no longer only farm labourers that subscribe to the tradition of the Siesta; office workers in air-conditioned city buildings also choose to do so. A reason for this is another great Spanish tradition: the long, filling lunch. Lunch in Spain is a family affair and may last for a couple of hours. Heading back to work with a belly full of food and wine is a recipe for a drowsy unproductive afternoon at work. So instead the general populace partake of a snooze and return to work later.

The evenings continue much later in Spain, with people regularly heading out only at about midnight and socialising until the early hours of the morning. The siesta also helps people to catch up on their lost sleep from late nights.

Changing Times

Though many are still avid proponents of the siesta, in some regions or employment it is not possible to maintain. Madrid and Barcelona are busy cities that tend to keep going throughout the day, and all over Spain, supermarkets and large stores keep their doors open all day and still have the later closing times of other businesses. Workers still stay up until the early hours of the morning in accordance with the social norms. On an average, changing times mean that Spaniards sleep one hour less per day than Europeans elsewhere.

The Spanish may not actually sleep during the Siesta, and for some it is impossible, but for many, the siesta offers a welcome respite from the heat of the day and time to digest a healthy lunch in peace. As a tourist in Spain, you may adopt the local customs with ease and even relief, but should you choose to keep your own country’s body clock ticking, be aware that not everyone will be in step.

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The Museum of El Prado
The Prado is easily the most popular sight visited by international tourists visiting Madrid, the capital of Spain. It can be found within the “golden triangle” of the city which also houses two other renowned galleries.

The Prado Museum is the largest art gallery in the world and it is home to many world famous paintings, sculptures, illustrations, coins and art in other mediums. In its vaults lie over 6,600 paintings, while only 2,000 of its 8,600 strong collection are on exhibit due to restricted exhibition space.

All works exhibited at The Prado were created between the 12th century and the early 1800s and the works of Europe’s greatest Old Masters can be viewed there.

History

The Spanish King Charles III desired to form a collection of art to be housed in a single building, and this was the origin of the Prado as we know it today.

Fernando VII continued with his vision and Charles’ collection became the Royal Museum of Painting and Sculpture. When the monarchy in Nationalist Spain fell, the collection fell into public hands and became the Prado National Museum.

During the civil war in Spain, the collection was sent to Geneva in Switzerland for safekeeping and was brought back to Madrid only after WWII.

Works of Art

The Prado’s collection of paintings numbers roughly 7,800 and approximately 900 of these are currently exhibited. Spanish artists represented at the Prado include Goya, Velázquez, El Greco and Murillo. The most well known work from the Spanish School would be Velázquez’s Las Meninas.

The Prado does not only contain Spanish works, but art from all over Europe. Italian works include those by Botticelli, Tintoretto, Tiziano and Mantenga. Early Flemish art also has a high profile with paintings from Bosch and Brueghel, amongst many others. German, French and Dutch Art include works by Durer, Poussin and Rembrandt.

The Prado also owns other significant collections; including approximately 5,000 drawings and over 2,000 prints. Also housed at the Prado are around 700 sculptures and 1,000 coins and medals. A further 2,000 objects and works of art fall into the miscellaneous category.

Opening and Entrance Fees

The Prado Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day except Monday, with an admission fee of 6 Euros. However, between 6 and 8 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and between 5 and 8 p.m. on Sunday, admission is completely free. If you are an art enthusiast, taking advantage of free entry will allow you to view more of the vast collection than may be possible in one trip.

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Places of interest in Spain – Zaragoza
Spain is a blessed country. Mother Nature has blessed Spain with her beautiful smile, beautiful mountain range, splendid beaches, vast land full of vegetation and pleasant weather. What more does a tourist require for relaxing? Zaragoza, a city in the Aragon province is considered to be the fifth biggest citiy of Spain and one of the cities rich in turn out of tourists and in its riches. Zaragoza is called the ‘blessed city’ of Spain. Historians say that the city was under the occupation of Murallas and then it was under the occupation of Romans. Tourism is one of the biggest trades in Zaragoza. The tourist centers here are very helpful to the tourists like in other places of Spain.

Canal:

This canal called the Canal Imperial de Aragon is popular for its vast vegetation in its entire stretch of about 62 miles. Along its entire course many tourist resorts have been established. In fact this canal has made Zaragoza a wealthy city and tourism has made it wealthier. This canal is believed to have been built in the 18th century and some improvements have been made to it in recent times.

River Ebro:

This great river Rio Ebro as called in Spanish language has blessed Zaragoza with much natural scenery. The five large bridges for example are one of the most important places of visit. There are many recreational facilities throughout its entire course in the city of Zaragoza. The tourist centers have established boat clubs for the recreation of the tourists. In fact during the period of Romans, this river was their lifeline both as a means of communication and as a means of vegetation. The river also irrigates a large area of land and is responsible for the lush vegetation.

Amusement parks:

This is another most attractive place for tourists. The park has enough amusement opportunities for children, adults and for the old. There are rides like horse riding, cycling, etc. There is a roller coaster, water sports, swimming pools, theme park, etc. The tourist is kept busy throughout his stay in Zaragoza. The amusement parks have restaurants for the convenience of the tourists. Normally tourists who visit Zaragoza will not miss this park; in fact they spend more time in this park.

Calatayud, the nearest city of Zaragoza has many places of interest like centuries old cathedral, churches and many others.

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Lugo – the city of Roman Walls
Overview

The city Lugo is situated on a hill on the Miño river bank in the northwest part of Spain and is in the Galician autonomous community. Its population in 2009 was about 97,000. There are two important things that characterize Lugo – the river Minho and the Roman walls. The remains of the ancient walls from the Roman past have been preserved in this city and are declared as Heritage Site. There are some important buildings inside the walls – Cathedral, City Hall and palace Archiepiscopal.

History

Paulus Fabius Maximus founded this city in the year 13 -14 BC and named it Lucus Augusti on orders from the Roman Emperor Augustus. The word Lucus indicates Holy Wood and the word Lugo is derived from the word Lucus. The city went through a number of bloody episodes because of various takeovers by Suevi, Visigoths, Muslims, Christians, etc. During the war of independence, the French damaged the walls constructed by Romans to protect the city.

The Roman walls are the best example of Roman legacy. Later on the Romanesque Cathedral was built inside. There are ten gates in the walls through which one can access the pedestrian street networks and also the granite buildings. The popular gates are – Porta Miñá or Carmen gateway, Nova gate, Santiago gate or San Pedro gate. Carmen gateway was normally used by the pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela. The Santiago gate was constructed in the 18th century through which you can enter the Lugo cathedral directly.

Climate

The maximum and minimum average temperatures in Lugo are 19 °C and 7 °C respectively.

Cultural Heritage

The Regional Museum at Lugo has been in existence since 1957 and it has some of the important religious art collections.

Important monuments in this city are as follows:

1.Inside the Spa of Lugo you will find the Roman thermal baths.

2.Roman walls of Lugo were built in the 3rd century for defending the city from Barbarians.

3.The convent San Francisco houses the Provincial museum of Lugo.

4.The Lugo Cathedral was built during 1129-1273.

Cuisine

Pork and veal are the main things used in Lugo’s traditional cooking. However the tourists might also get seafood and fish items in the restaurants. The dish – lacón con grelos that is made with ingredients such as pork shoulder, turnip, chorizo and potatoes – is the most popular dish in this place. During the festival a dish made from Octopus, paprika, marinated salt and olive oil is eaten extensively.

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Sitges – The Jewel of the Mediterranean
Overview

Sitges is a small city in Catalonia in Spain and is situated 35 Km from the Barcelona city. It is well known throughout the world for its carnival as well as film festival. It is very popular for the historic sites, nightlife and beaches. This city is famous for gay tourists who visit this place in July-August every year.

Nowadays this city has earned the reputation of a dynamic cultural oasis and its economy is dependent mainly on tourism and culture. It has a good quality infrastructure because of which congresses, seminars, conferences and company meetings are conducted in this city.

History

In the 19th century, the Catalan painter – Santiago Rusiñol started living in this city, thereby increasing its reputation as an artsy city. However, this town got recognition only in 1960s and it became the only center in Spain for the counterculture and was known as Ibiza in miniature.

Climate

The maximum and minimum average temperatures in this city are 28 °C in July-August and 13 °C in January. The best time for tourists to visit this city is in late spring and early autumn when the heat is tolerable and there could be showers that cool the city.

Art and Culture

The following museums in Sitges can be visited by the tourists:

Cau Ferrat – this has works of Santiago Rusiñol and his contemporary artists. This also exhibits wrought iron collections from all over the world.

Romantic Museum – is housed in an old 18th century building and exhibits a rich Catalan family lifestyle during the Romantic Movement.

Maricel Museum – has a large collection of medieval art.

Zonas de la villa – exhibits artifacts of ancient Iberian settlement as well as a Roman villa.

Cuisine

The popular dish in this place is xató and the ingredients in this are cod, tuna, escarole salad, anchovies, black olives, etc. But the taste is given mainly by the sauce made from scalded chilies, garlic, toasted almonds, olive oil, vinegar, salt and hot peppers.

Sports and Entertainment

This city has a total of 17 sand beaches where tourists can spend their time. In addition there are a number of marinas and golf courses existing in this city. The marinas have different nautical activities; many companies have adventure programs like hiking, potholing and climbing. Motor racing is very popular in this city. Events have been organized from 1908-1920 on public roads.

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Places of interest in Spain – Mijas

Tourists who have visited Spain say that it is very difficult to select the best tourist spot of Spain. This is because in Spain, every tourist spot is beautiful, unique in its own way, creates more interest amongst tourists and leaves indelible sweet memories in the minds of the tourists.  That is Spain. Now let us go the small village called ‘Mijas’ located on a hill at a height of about 1150 meters in Malaga province.

According to historical evidence so far collected, this place was under the occupation of a very old civilization called ‘Tartessian civilization’. Thereafter, Romans built a fort around Mijas. For some time it was under the rule of Moors before the Christian dynasty took over the place. Fight for Mijas by all these civilizations is because of its strategic location and unbelievably beautiful natural sceneries.

Virgin of Rock:

This shrine has great religious importance. The shrine has an interesting story. The image of Virgin de la pena was hidden for about five centuries. However in the year 1586 a dove prompted a builder and led him to the place where the image was hidden. After removing the image, a shrine was built at the place where the image was recovered. This is one of most sacred places for the local people of Mijas. Normally no tourist misses this place.

Church:

According to historians, this church called the Parish Church was built in the year 1565. It is actually built on the place on the existing Moorish castle. This stone building has a bell tower and has marble pillars. The church is also popular by the name of ‘Immaculate conception church’. Some of the frescos in the church believed to belong to the year 1632 were discovered from this church by archaeological experts. They were discovered during 1991-92. From then on the church has become more popular.

Town hall:

A separate building was built for the Town Hall. Actually the Town hall building was inaugurated in the year 1987. The building designed by the renowned architect Antonio Heerzuelo is a very beautiful building which does not miss the eyes of visitors.

Museum:

Among the museums, the Folk Museum is very popular because it shows the traditions of Spain and of the region Mijas. This museum is quite entertaining. Tourists never miss the antique olive mills and the wine, bakery products and the some of the works of traditional art and artifacts.

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Places of interest in Spain – Guadalupe

Guadalupe, a village under the province of Extremadura, Spain has been one of the most preferred places by those tourists who want the blessings of Virgin Mary. Apart from the beautiful Church, the village is popular for its beautiful buildings fully whitewashed, narrow roads, beautiful environment and many other cathedrals. This is a village of traditions and miracles.

The star attraction of this little village is the Guadalupe’s monastery. In Spanish language it is also called ‘Monasterio de Santa Maria de Guadalupe’. This monastery has a story behind it. Way back in the year 1325, Virgin Mary ordered a farmer to request the priests to dig for the statue in his field. The villager followed the orders and the priests found a statue of Virgin Mary which was half buried in the field of the farmer. It is believed that this statue had been carved by St Luke. It is also believed that this statue was buried by the priests when Moors attacked the province of Seville.

After endorsement by Columbus and the Queen of Isabella, a shrine was built and it became a popular religious place and its fame spread world over. Later, a chapel was also built where the statue was kept. The chapel is filled with most intricate artifacts never before made. People visit this miracle place not only for the blessings of the Virgin Mary but also to see the beautiful chapel built in traditional Gothic style and the paintings and other sculptures and artifacts.

This is one of the most important religious places not only for the local population but also for those who visit Spain. This is a place of miracles and many of those who have visited this shrine have experienced the miracles. The statue was crowned in 1928. The crown was designed by father Felix Granda.

There are other Churches around this tiny village. As said earlier, the village apart from being a pilgrimage centre is also known for its most beautiful environment and location. Also visit the Town hall building located at the centre of the village. The building is so beautiful that you will certainly love it. As a matter of fact, there are many buildings in and around Guadalupe which are built in typical Gothic architecture.

There are many hotels in and around the village and they offer luxurious stay for the visitors. The restaurants are popular for serving the traditional food and wine. Just visit Guadalupe and have the blessings of Mary Virgin.

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Costa Brava – the beauty of Spain

Many countries around the world have beaches and mountains but what makes the difference in the beaches of Spain is their impeccable natural beauty. The row of mountains which run almost parallel to the beach, buildings built in traditional Gothic or Romanesque architecture, parks – it is just a paradise on earth. One such beautiful place of Spain is the Costa Brava which is a part of the province of Catalonia.

Across the 60 km length of this beach, the visitor will come across many small villages and cities which have many places of interest and some of these places have historical importance also. Just join us; you will be convinced how much Costa Brava can entertain the tourist. Costa Brava also has many villas, apartments and hotels where the tourist can get luxurious accommodation at the most reasonable rentals. These villas and hotels are located at most strategic locations so that the tourist can enjoy the impeccable beauty of nature.

Beach:

This is the star attraction of Costa Brava. The uniqueness of beaches in Costa Brava is the maintenance of the beach. Nothing is left to chance, every aspect of cleanliness is taken care of; it is just ‘immaculate’. The natural beauty of the beach should be experienced rather than being explained. It is no wonder that Costa Brava beach is always on the top of the most preferred beaches for entertainment and sports like water sports, beach volley ball, etc.

Parish church:

According to historians, this church was built in the year 1522 at a cost of about 3000 Catalan pounds! Some of the great paintings of 16th century are on display in this church. The bell tower is another attraction of this church.

Town hall:

The city municipality purchased this building in the year 1982 from the previous owners Cabanyes Font family. This house is believed to have been built in the year 1877 by St Pere del Bosc. The building is a masterpiece work of architecture which deserves to be preserved as an example for the future generation. It is converted as a municipal museum. Of course now the town hall is relocated to another historical building believed to have been built in the year 1872.

Castles:

Some of the important castles are the castle of Sant Joan believed to have been constructed in the 11th century which suffered damages during Napoleon’s rule and the castle of En Plaja built right opposite the Lloret beach known for its natural beauty.

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Bullfighting - A Spanish culture
One of Spain’s oft discussed traditions in other parts of the world is Bullfighting, a cultural tradition that is in part art, costume, performance and drama, and part a controversial animal killing sport.

Past To Present

Bullfighting has been a part of Spanish culture for thousands of years and draws huge crowds of several thousand every week to stadiums to watch the matadors and toredors engaged in a battle of wits with a bull.

Bullfighting was once conducted on horseback by members of the aristocracy but in the early part of 16th Century, the King of Spain banned the upper class from involvement in the sport. It was subsequently adopted as a sport by the peasants, who without the means to employ horses, fought on foot instead, as the bullfighters of the current day do.

Popular support has dwindled in recent years however and events are no longer as widespread. Animal Rights campaigners are vocally against the tradition and the international sentiment is not generally one of support.

Bullfighting may be watched at live events every summer in Andalucia and Madrid, but the local authorities of Barcelona have recently voted against allowing the city to play host to bull fights.

Bullfighting Events

These usually proceed as follows: When the bull is released into the arena, a coloured cape is used to taunt the bull and make it charge. Picadors armed with barbed spears weaken the bull by driving their weapons into him. The Matador then enters the arena with a red cape, and through a combination of grace, nimbleness, athletic ability and intelligence spurs the bull to charge, dodging his advances and showing his skill to the crowd. When this has been done and the bull has been weakened, the Matador uses a short sword plunged between the bull’s shoulder blades to strike the death blow. There is much adulation and celebration from the audience.

Reservations and Support

In the opinion of Animal rights campaigners, Bullfighting is cruel and barbaric and causes unnecessary stress and pain to the animal. Killing for sport rather than out of need, they feel is unacceptable. Though the death blow is quite quick, the injuries that the bull suffers during the fight can cause terrible and sustained pain.

However the bull’s carcass does not go waste, it is butchered and eaten, ensuring that there is no waste of life. Some supporters view the bull’s struggle as a noble way to die, especially taking into account the inhuman conditions in many abattoirs employed in meat production.

Having read arguments for and against bull fighting and gathered information on what it actually involves, you may now be in a better position to make the choice as to whether to attend a bullfight during your Spanish holiday or not.

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The Dalí Theatre-Museum of Figueres
Figueres is a small town not far from Barcelona which is the birth place of the world famous Spanish Surrealist artist Salvador Dali (1904 – 1989). It is now also the home of the Dali Museum, a structure conceived and designed by Dali himself according to Surrealist principles. It is an impressive undertaking and offers visitors a unique and interactive experience, allowing them not only to view Dali’s art but also become part of his bizarre world.

History

In the early 1960s, Dali was approached by the Mayor of the town with the idea of creating a collection of his works in the town. Dali decided to build his museum to house his art in the derelict Figueres Municipal Theatre that had been damaged by a fire during the Civil War. Dali believed that it was the perfect location for three reasons- it was opposite the church in which he was baptised, it was the venue for his first exhibition and because he felt that his theatrical work and grandiose way of life was well suited to the spirit of the building.

Structure

The old museum was not restored to its former glory but transformed entirely.  The Spanish architect Emilio Pérez Piñero worked with Dali’s vision and designed a geodesic dome that is transparent, the skeleton of which can be clearly seen.

Works

The art on display includes work in a variety of mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture, film and photography, showcasing the amazing scope of Dali’s skill. Some of Dali’s most famous work can be viewed there, including Soft Self-Portrait with Fried Bacon, Galarina,and Galatea of the Spheres. Several installations were created specifically for exhibit at the museum, like the famous Mae West Room with an image of Mae West’s eyes hung as a portrait, with a large red lip shaped couch beneath it. Dali also chose to display the work of other artists that he admired such as that of El Greco, Urgell, Duchamp, Vallès and many others.

Since 1989, the year in which Salvador Dalí died, the crypt that houses his body stands at the museum’s centre, a fitting tribute to the artist, his work and his life. The Dalí Theatre-Museum is the pinnacle of Dali’s creativity and an impressive representation of his singular and often eccentric outlook on life. Whether you are an art enthusiast or not, the Dali Museum is something you will not have the opportunity to experience anywhere else in the world.

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