Having travelled through most of the north and a bit of the south of Spain you get a fair idea how things work. There are so many things to love, you can see why people flock here. Things we love about Spain and don’t love are…….

  1.  It’s cheap for food….. fruit and veg, fresh from the market, Panaderias for bread and pastries and pescaras for fish.
  2. Alcohol is also cheap, bottle of Sminoff Vodka about €7 and vino from 89c
  3. Hummus, a staple in our household, something we couldn’t find in Portugal anywhere. Personal favourite Kalamata olive hummus.
  4. Paella, traditional in La Palma del Condoda, the best we have ever had ever.
  5. Orange and lemon trees everywhere, makes some streets stunning to look at.
  6. The weather, it’s generally sunny and warm in winter, even though it’s a little on the chilly side right now
  7. Storks… magnificent birds with their huge nests built anywhere with a view-point, on top of lamp posts, power poles, any pole.
  8. Labour on mechanical stuff is cheap at about €30 an hour
  9. Autovias (highways) and roads in general, some of the best we have seen and well maintained
  10. The fact they say Bom dia in the south, like they do in Portugal and nearly everyone greets you with this or Ola
  11. Religious monuments and churches, some are truly spectacular, like Bom Jesus in the north, and the thousands of pilgrims that follow trails to get there
  12. The scenery, beaches and mountains both equally as breath-taking
  13. Dog friendly restaurants, more than you think
  14. The older generation, generally out walking and exercising, probably something they have done all their lives
  15. Cyclists, its like the tour de france every day
  16. Fresh seafood is a plenty
  17. Eating out is reasonably cheap
  18.  Local potato chips (kiwi) and crisps (uk) addictive and so good
  19. Siestas…. rest on a sunday and anytime between 12-3pm daily
  20. The language, fairly easy to learn and most speak a little english… or spanenglish I call it
  21. The gas stations have attendants
  22. History and lots of it
  23. Some of the best places we have been to are little unknown villages, but a few have been cities like Seville and Cadiz and are amazing places to stay.

Things we don’t love so much

  1. Those caterpillars, that can kill dogs
  2. They way some Spanish drive, unless you have a flash car nearly all cars are dented on more than one panel
  3. Siestas, mostly as they close things not at specified times
  4. Cant take dogs on public transport unless in a carrier, mine obviously don’t fit in a handbag

That is about it generally speaking, most people would love Spain like we do. A must on the travel list if you ask me…………….