Spain

I keep looking at the map of Spain and realized I have been to a few of them in recent years. Has anybody been to San Sebastian and Navarre in the Basque Country. I have been to Madrid. Aragon, Castille, Asturias, Burgos, Salamanca and Santiago de Campostela. I have not been to Barcelona, Seville, Toledo and the beaches. Can anyone share about their experiences with Spain. Has anybody tried the immersion classes? Are they just for young people?

Santiago de Campostela is one of the places that always shows up on those airline maps when I'm crossing the Atlantic. I always wondered what was there... I go up to the Costa del sol (Fuengirola) once a year usually, mostly for just a long weekend to chill on the beach, hit the restaurants and pubs, do some shopping, etc. So I'm a terrible one to ask questions of. As I've mentioned in previous posts, the accents are really difficult to understand. If you did an immersion class there though (of which I have no experience), I'm reasonably confident they would speak with the standard accent from Madrid. I have been to Barcelona. Very interesting place to visit (beaches, buildings, culture, etc.). As you probably know, it's the home of the architect/artist Antoni Gaudí where you can see his work everywhere. My visit there gave me a whole new appreciation of the expression, "It's so gaudy!" :-) [Apologies to any fans of "nouveau catalan" art!]

Nunca he estado en España. (Wasn't that the title of a Three Dog Night song back in the day?) Viajando a España no es muy interesante para mi, pero me gustaría viajar a las Islas de Gran Canariá.

There is a movie called "The Way" starring Martin Sheen and directed by his son Emilio Estevez. You can see it in Netflex. It features Santiago de Campostela. I saw the movie in the tour bus on the way there. I went because I was interested in St. James the greater, one of the apostles.

Interesting. I'll see if I can get a hold of it. One cautionary note on the south coast of Spain. Generally speaking, from Alicante / Benidorm west all the way to Algeceres is an English speaking enclave. East from there through Barcelona to the French border that will not be the case although you will be dealing with Catalan around Barcelona.

I keep dreaming about Madrid!

Me gustaría ir a España el próximo mes, sólo para un fin de semana. Quiero hablar Español y tomar el sol. Creo que voy a ir a valencia tal vez.

Has anyone been to Valencia? Or can suggest other alternatives?

I would go anywhere in Spain. Different parts seem to have their own unique stories. I googled almost all the major cities in Spain. Be sure to tell us when you come back. I would like to stay for a week in Madrid, then a week in Barcelona and another week in the Basque country where I heard the food is good.