Tuesday, June 22, 2010

What I Love About Spain

From my YouTube video of the same name, this is the blog version of "What I Love About Spain." My video from many moons ago featured what I love most about Spain as well as some of my favorite cities. This is a blog entry where I share a few ideas based on a very old video I did. How old? It was back when I was mostly using my USB headset along with a project board to form my background. No need for a project board because I'm using my keyboard to type stuff up for you. So please enjoy this blog entry as much as I enjoy posting this material to all of you!

Here is the flag to the nation I'll be discussing here:


^ from: fincasdelaluz.com - The flag of Spain.





--- What I Love About Spain: The Basics ---
Some of the basic reasons why I love Spain is for the Spanish architecture. That sort of architecture presented in Spain is truly lovely. I don't know much about Spain with things like Spanish countrysides or whatever. I don't know a whole lot about Spain to be any kind of pro on it. Only things I like besides some of Spain's cities and structures is the racing tracks. Circuit de Catalunya, Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, and Jarama are some of my favorite Spanish race tracks. Jerez is a great track, but I'm not into it as much as some of the other Spanish tracks I've mentioned.



--- What I Love About Spain: Cities of Interest ---
Feel free to say hello to me if you're from one of these cities, and you're happy I mentioned you. I may add more cities I like as I see fit. Post me some comments also if I get some facts wrong or if you want to tell me more about any city I mention below. If I don't know much about each city to talk about it professionally, you'll just see a picture and a caption to represent what I'm trying to say about each location.

(UPDATED: FEB 19 2011 with links to each city's [English] website (if offered) or to a site offering more info on each location.)


Barcelona.


^ from: hatfieldtravel.co.za - The Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona is perhaps the biggest landmark in Barcelona.

Barcelona (or Barca) is a truly beautiful city. I tend to easily know Barcelona for the fantastic-looking Sagrada Familia cathedral. A lot of people know Barcelona for some of their sports teams. The best sports in Spain are football (as in soccer) and basketball. FC Barcelona is a powerful team in football as much as Regal FC Barcelona is in basketball.


Salamanca.


^ from: images.costasur.com - Salamanca's Old Cathedral and New Cathedral dominate the skyline.

I only know Salamanca for its two massive cathedrals. Both of which, dominate the Salamanca skyline. Both of which, are beautiful cathedrals.


Segovia.


^ from: rwapplewannabe.wordpress.com - Segovia Cathedral.

I know nothing about Segovia except for the lovely cathedral there (shown above) known as El Alcazar.


Toledo.


^ from: destination360.com - The Alcazar and River Tagus in Toledo.

Toledo, Spain is a city southwest of Madrid. Two of its most fantastic structures are the principal Cathedral and the Alcazar. Many in the past say that some of the finest steel blades were crafted here. The city has played a tremendous role in the Spanish Civil War.


Madrid.


^ from: tripadvisor.com - Plaza Ciebeles in Madrid.

Madrid is Spain's capital city. It is also a beautiful city with lovely buildings and architecture. Gran Turismo fans will get to race on the streets of Madrid in Gran Turismo 5. The city is best known as an art capital with many different art works available, including the classic Guernica painting by Picasso.


Seville.


^ from: tripadvisor.com - the Plaza de España is a fantastic structure in Seville/Sevilla.

I know Seville/Sevilla for the fantastic-looking Plaza de España, as you can see in the picture.


Valencia.


^ from: backpackpodcast.com - Valencia is a beautiful city in east central Spain.

While I don't know a whole lot about Valencia, I do think it is one of Spain's loveliest cities as well as one of Europe's loveliest cities. This place has been known as a stop of the America's Cup in sailing. And most recently, the home of the Formula 1 European Grand Prix on the streets of Valencia.


Bilbao.


^ from: www.let.uu.nl - The Guggenheim Museum is the most attractive structure in Bilbao.

Besides the Guggenheim Museum, I know not much else about Bilbao. It's the structure that most stands out to me and reminds me of Bilbao. It is a city in northern Spain near the Bay of Biscay.


Huelva.


^ from: fazia.in2p3.fr - a lovely hotel in Huelva.

The only thing I know about Huelva is that it is a Sister City of Houston. It is a city that we are twinned with via Sister Cities International. Huelva is a coastal city in southwestern Spain not far from the Spain-Portugal border. As the theme of this blog entry is concerned, there is lovely architecture in Huelva as well.


Ibiza/Eivissa.


^ from: moocowtravels.wordpress.com - Ibiza (Eivissa) during the day.

Finally, I pay respect to Ibiza/Eivissa. Who would have known that such a quiet and beautiful city like Ibiza be an incredible nightlife destination at night? The two most popular places in Ibiza are two nightclubs- Pacha Ibiza and Space Ibiza.

Ibiza is widely known for its nightlife, but this video shows you what Ibiza is like when it's NOT nightlife:

^ "Ibiza - there's more than just PARTIES..."





So most of why I love Spain is because of its lovely architecture and its lovely cities. Most of the information to help me better discuss these locales was courtesy of the book, 501 Must-Visit Cities. You can read my review of this book by reading my review of 501 Must-Visit Cities. This book actually features most of the cities I've discussed here.

Thank you for reading my blog entry! I may add more content depending on traffic and other factors. Hope you've had a good read!

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