Festes de la Merce

Festes de la Merce in Barcelona and San Isidro in MadridLa Merce, Barcelona's biggest annual festival, takes place on 24th September and lasts for around 3 days. This is a festival held in honour of Mare de Deu de la Merce, the Patron Saint of Barcelona. During this festival, fire-breathing dragons, costumed devils, human pyramids, Sardana dance groups, orchestras, DJs and big-name bands converge on Barcelona.San Isidro is the patron saint of the peasants and is also the patron saint of Madrid. Madrid's main annual festival includes nine days of celebrations as well as the start of the capital's bullfighting season. During these days of celebration many cultural events are offered to the people: contests of "chotis" (Madrid's traditional dance), concerts of folk music, craftsmanship fairs, etc.

Fallas Festival in Valencia

Las Fallas is, without doubt, one of the most unique and crazy festivals in Spain. The Fallas takes place every March in Valencia to celebrate the feast of San José, the patron saint of carpenters. The focus of the fiesta is the creation and destruction of "ninots" (huge cardboard statues made of wood and plaster) that are placed at over 350 key intersections and parks around the city. In fact, in all the town you will see these "ninots" which will be burned at the last day of the festival -March 19th- in a festival of fire, fireworks and organized mayhem.

La Tomatina in Buٌol, Valencia. Tomato FestivalThe "Tomatina" is the world's biggest tomato fight and takes place at Bunyol near Valencia. On the last Wednesday of August this charming town erupts into a fiery blaze of tomato-hurling. This fight takes place between 11am and 1pm on that day. Every year around 30,00 people descend on the Spanish town of Bunyol to throw more than 240,000 pounds of tomatoes at each other.

San Fermin Running of the Bulls, Pamplona

The festival of San Fermin is by far the best known event taking place in Pamplona. Every year from July 7th-14th thousands pack into Pamplona to start Spain's most famous bull-running fiesta to honour Navarre capital's patron saint, San Fermin. The bull run is the most well known act of the Sanfermines and the reason why so many strangers want to come to Pamplona during these celebrations. The bull running consists of running along certain stretches of the streets which have been previously walled off, and the aim of which is to take six bulls from the Santo Domingo corrals to the Bull Ring.

Seville April Fair AndaluciaSeville's April Fair (La Feria de Abril) is a huge annual event which takes place in Seville - Andalucيa - two weeks after Easter. During this festival you have the opportunity to see the typical flamenco dress, which almost all women wear. Also you will hear the songs of the "cantaores" (flamenco singers) and enjoy the movements of the "bailaoras" (dancers).

Spain Fiestas

Carnival in Spain
During the Carnival celebrations in February there are several impressive festivities in all Spain, specially in Tenerife and Cلdiz. In fact, carnival in the Canary Islands and Cلdiz are the bests Carnival celebrations in the world, after Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Trinidad.In those cities, colourful processions are organised and participants wear extravagant costumes. Generally, in many cities of Spain, people dress up and go out, and dance all night long. The Carnival celebrations end on Ash Wednesday with the traditional burial of the Sardine, this event marks the beginning of Lent.

DESSERTS

Compota de Peras
Crema Catalana
Cava Sorbet
Churros
Santiago Almond Tart
Tocino de Cielo
St. George's Cake
Torta de Santiago

MAIN COURSES

Solomillo de Cerdo con Jamَn
Carne Mechada con Zanahorias
Beef with Green Olives
Caldo Gallego
Basque Lamb Stew
Paella a la Valencia
Fabada Asturiana
Madrid Tripe
Chicken with Jamَn Serrano
Braised Rabbit in Rioja
Chicken Basquaise
Pollo a la Campesina
Aves De Guinea con Albaricoques
Paella a la Valencia
Paella
Brema a la Gaditana
Calamar con Las Setas
Salted Cod with Pimentos
Merluzas a la Gallega
Catfish Paella
Marmitako
Piperade
Vegan Paella
Basque Salt Cod
Paella a la Valencia
Paella
Moros y Cristianos

Spain Recipes

STARTERS AND SOUPS
Tapas - Various (9 recipes)
Gazpacho Extremeno
Creamed Almond Soup
Potato and Mussel Soup

Barcelona Travel Guide

Well known as a cultural centre, Barcelona boasts splendid architecture, monuments, historical sites, natural resources, beaches and much more. It is a very modern, multicultural, cosmopolitan city. Almost 4.5 million people live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The city enjoys a prime location, bathed by the sea and has excellent transport links with the rest of Europe. Some people say that Barcelona is Spain's most European city because it is always open to new ideas and trends. You can note this in its people, the Catalans. The Catalan capital's is a modern, cosmopolitan city, but has inherited many centuries of history. There are monuments of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance periods or still before, but most characteristic is what has been built during the last 100 years.

Though the 1992 Olympics focused the world’s attention on the city, Antoni Gaudi’s wonderfully weird architecture demonstrates how long Barcelona has been at the vanguard of all that is new and different.Barcelona, a 2,000-year-old master of the art of perpetual novelty, has catapulted to the rank of Spain's most-visited city. In fact, in 2003 nearly four million visitors came to the city, many on charter flights from Northern Europe. Autumn is the perfect time to visit Barcelona with less heat, fewer tourists and the city’s biggest street party, Festes de la Mercè, on September 24. The city continues to evolve as a centre of design, as a gastronomic powerhouse, as an educational and business centre and potentially the coolest city in the world. And one the world never tires of visiting.Although Barcelona is a large city, it is easy to get around on public transport and on foot. You can reach any point in the city by metro, bus and taxi. Also, Barcelona attracts tourists from all over the world.

The explosion of low-cost, Internet airlines, plus the good value at hotels and restaurants compared to other European cities, has made Barcelona the European weekender capital.The area around the Catalunya Place, including the city's historical center includes the Passeig de Gracia, the Rambla de Catalunya and the upper half of the Diagonal avenue is the main commercial area of the city. "La Rambla", a pedestrian street, is the best place to watch people go by, to stroll or simply relax. Also, here you can find dozens of outdoor cafes. Nearby is 'Plaça Real', with plenty of bars and restaurants, and 'Palau Guell', built by Antoni Gaudي in his undulating art-nouveau style.

The Balearic Islands lie to the east, the Costa Brava to the north, the monastery at Montserrat to the west, and to the south, the Roman city of Tarragona, and the playground resort of Sitges. Barcelona's inhabitants are open and welcoming. The people of Barcelona speak Catalan, their own language, and Spanish. Many of them also understand a little English and French.

Madrid Travel Guide

Madrid is the capital of Spain since 1562. Madrid is located on the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. Due to this central location and high altitude, the climate of Madrid is characterized by warm dry summers and cool winters. Madrid is the political center of Spain. This is also a cosmopolitan city with cultural and political importance. Its position as a centre for economics, finance, administration and services combines the most modern infrastructure with an important cultural and artistic heritage, the legacy of centuries of fascinating history. So, while Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods and streets. For instance, some of its main historic places are the huge Royal Palace of Madrid; the Teatro Real (Royal theatre); the Buen Retiro park; the imposing 19th-century National Library building (founded in 1712); an archaeological museum of international reputation; and three superb art museums: Prado Museum, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofيa and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, housed in the renovated Villahermosa Palace.But Madrid is not just a cultural destination. It is also a lively metropolis with many pubs, cafes, discotheques and nightclubs open late into the night (nobody is really sure when the Madrileٌos sleep). It may be the afternoon siesta that gives them the endurance to keep things going well into the night. In fact, on weekends, Madrilenian youth are famous for dancing all night long, stopping off only for having some chocolate y churros at dawn, go home, take a shower, shave, and go to work. Madrid has an amazing quantity of dance halls, tascas, cafes, theaters, movie houses, music halls, and nightclubs. However, many of these offerings are strictly for residents or for Spanish-speakers.After spending much of the 20th century sequestered at the center of a totalitarian regime, Madrid has burst back onto the world stage with an energy redolent of its 16th-century golden age. Beginning in the early 20th century, Madrid grew to be an important industrial centre. Its commercial and industrial life developed very rapidly after the 1890s and is rivalled in Spain only by that of Barcelona. The city's major industrial products include motor vehicles, aircraft, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, processed food, printed materials, and leather goods. Besides its many manufacturing industries. Most of its industry is located in the Southern fringe of the city, where important textile, food and metal working factories are clustered.Especially around Puerta del Sol, you'll find a high concentration of everything relating to food, drinking, entertainment and staying away from your hotels as long as possible. Madrid, during the summer, becomes a virtual free festival because the city sponsors a series of plays, concerts, and films. If you're in Madrid during the second half of May be sure to join Madrileٌos in celebrating the Feria de San Isidro, which has music, operas, concerts, bullfighting and dancing. In the same way, mid August is when the city celebrates the Verbena de la Paloma.

Social cultureSpanish people are very open-hearted and comunicative. You won't have any problems to get to know someone, especially in the big cities like Madrid or Barcelona. It's often said that the Spanish living room is the bar where the people usually spend a lot of time in the mornings and in the evenings.

CountrysidesIf you would rather get some fresh air, Spain is filled with opportunities to visit wildlife parks as well as trekking. The Pyrenees, especially around the Aragَn area, are the best areas for trekking. Andalucيa has its Sierra Nevada mountain chain with luxurious skiing resorts near Granada. Ski-sports are possible from November up to May. Between Guadix and Baza (famous horsemarket) one can find cave-dwellings, cave hotels, and beautiful natural parks. North and between these towns still are unexplored desert sceneries, with hamlets not even found on maps! The highway infrastructure in this "wild" part of Andalucia is excellent.

BeachesExcellent and quiet beaches can be found near Malaga, Huelva and Almerيa in the south as well as near the coasts of La Manga, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Euskadi. If you do enjoy extremely developed resort towns, there are plenty of crowded beaches on the Costa de la Luz and the Costa del Sol. Interesting is the harbour of Almerimar with cosy bars, just south of El Ejido (Almeria). Very unique architecture can be found in Cَrdoba, Salamanca, Granada, Toledo, Madrid... The visionary architecture of Antoni Gaudي and the Picasso museum are in Barcelona while Madrid is home to Spain’s top three art museums.

Spain Travel Guide

Spain is more than bullfights, flamenco dancers and crowded beaches. It's a spectacular and diverse country, the north resembling the rolling, green hills of Ireland and the south giving you a taste of Moroccan landscapes and architecture. Its tremendous history is reflected in its prehistoric cave paintings, Moorish palaces, crumbling castles, Roman ruins, Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals as well as some very distinctive modern architecture. The uniqueness of Spain lies in the separate kingdoms which made up the original Spanish nation. These regions remain diverse in their language, culture, cuisine and art. They include: Andalucيa, Aragon, Asturias, Basque Country, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla Leَn, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and Valencia. Areas of interest are not limited to each region.