Facts of Spain

Full name: Kingdom of Spain

· Population: 45 million (UN 2009)
· Top 3 Largest cities in Spain: Madrid 5.9 million inhabitants, Barcelona 5.3 million inhabitants, Valencia 1.6 million inhabitants.
· Capital: Madrid
· Area: 505,988 sq km (195,363 sq miles)
· Size: 506,000M square meters (Spain is the second largest country in Europe after France).
· Major languages: Spanish (Castilian), Catalan and its variant Valencian, Gallego (Galician), Euskera (Basque)
· Foreigners Living in Spain: officially there were 3.7 million foreign residents in 2005. Independent organisations such as Red Cross put the number at 4.8 million
· Highest Point: Pico de Teide in Tenerife 3,719 m.
· Tourism: Over 52 million tourists visit Spain each year, Spain is in the top 3 most visited countries in the world.
· Regions: Spain is made up of 17 autonomous regions.
· Political Structure: Parliamentary monarchy (since 1978).
· Religion: approximately 90% of the population are Catholic and there is freedom of religion in Spain.
· Life expectancy: 78 years (men), 84 years (women) (UN)
· Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
· Main exports: Transport equipment, agricultural products
· GNI per capita: US $31,960 (World Bank, 2008)
· Time zone: +1 GMT except Canary Islands +2 GMT.
· Internet domain: .es (.cat for Catalonia)
· Labor force: approximately 20 million.
· Measures: Weight measured in kilograms, distances measured by the metric system, temperature measured in degrees Celsius.
· Spanish Gastronomy: typical for Spain is its Paella and tapas.
· Electricity: 220volts.
· International dialing code: +34

• I can't wait to go to Spain!! I am very exited about this trip because I am Hispanic ...
  
  
  Before the Trip….

  And my family background is from Spain. I am looking forward to visit “Museo del Prado” and its paintings n Madrid; also I would like to eat a lot of tapas. I would love to drink a good Spanish wine and also to dance flamenco. In Barcelona I am looking forward to see the Gaudi buildings and to eat Mediterranean cuisine.

  In Granada I would love to visit the Alhambra building because it is a historical icon. In addition, I would love to visit Toledo and all the museums and churches there.

  I know that 9 days will be not enough time to enjoy this trip because definitely I need more times….

  After the Trip…

  I confirmed that 9 days were not enough, because Spain is beautiful… Barcelona is my favorite city because of its buildings, food, people, and beaches, in special the architecture.

  I visited Granada and I bought a lot present and souvenirs for my family and friends.

  I also visited the Alhambra as I expected. The building is awesome and the construction of it is real historical icon.

  At the end the visit to Toledo was unique. I took a lot of pictures and I really enjoy that visit. I am very happy to visit Spain…

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  Two sisters learn that the bonds of family don't always end after death in this gentle observational comedy drama that marks celebrated Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's 16th feature. The story explores the interactions between three generations of women in a Spanish family. Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) was born and raised in the apocryphal village of Alcanfor de las Infantas, in La Mancha, Spain. However, she now resides in Madrid, where she works as a janitor. She is married to Paco (Antonio de la Torre), an unemployed layabout, and looks after her daughter, Paula (Yohana_Cobo). Raimunda's mother, Irene (Carmen_Maura), died several years back (along with her father) in a house fire. Raimunda's younger sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), also lives in Madrid and works as a hair stylist, while their aunt Paula (Chus_Lampreave) still makes her home in La Mancha, with occasional help from neighbor Agustina (Blanca_Portillo). The story takes an unusual and mystical twist when Agustina mentions that Irene has begun reappearing in ghostly form -- a fact questioned by Raimunda and Sole. After a murder and an unexpected family tragedy, Paula's story is indeed corroborated by the appearance of Irene's spirit (who has come to comfort her family), and Sole must decide how to respond to the long-dead mother's strange, enchanting presence.

• Media in Spain

Broadcasting in Spain has witnessed a spectacular expansion in recent years with the emergence of new commercial operators and the launch of digital services.
The cable and satellite TV markets are growing steadily and a free-to-air digital terrestrial TV (DTT) service was relaunched in late 2005. Spain aims to switch off the analogue TV signal by 2010.
Home-produced dramas, reality shows and long-running "telenovelas" are staple fare on primetime TV.
Public radio and TV are run by RadioTelevision Espanola (RTVE), which is funded by advertising and state subsidies. As well as public and commercial national TV networks, there are 13 regional stations backed by regional governments and many local stations.
Multichannel TV is offered by the satellite platform Digital Plus.
In spite of the proliferation of print and broadcast media, and their diverse political stances, concerns have been raised about political influence in the media, and particularly in public broadcasting.

The press
· El Mundo - Madrid-based daily
· El Pais - Madrid-based daily
· ABC - Madrid-based daily
· La Razon - Madrid-based daily
· La Vanguardia - Barcelona-based daily
· El Periodico de Catalunya - Barcelona-based daily
Television
· TVE - public, services include national networks La Primera and La 2, satellite-delivered TVE Internacional, rolling news channel 24 Horas
· Tele Cinco - national, commercial
· Antena 3 - national, commercial
· Cuatro - national, commercial, formerly Canal+ Espana
Radio
· RNE - public, services include speech network Radio 1, cultural network Radio Clasica, youth-oriented Radio 3, news station Radio 5.
· Cadena SER - commercial, operates more than 50 national, regional stations
· Onda Cero - commercial
· Cadena COPE - church-controlled
· Punto Radio - commercial
News agencies
· EFE - government-owned
· Europa Press - private
· Colpisa - private

The first day of Spain

We arrived to Barcelona airport, The trip was long but finally we got there. Everybody were tired but very exited to see the city. Our tour was Nancy, a very nice lady who helps us with all the details about Spain. About the hotel, the beds were very small something that really surprised me. Florencia and I went shopping a lot.

Day 2

We went to the to Gaudi Park. I took a lot pictures and footage. The view was great. After leaving the park we went to the Cathedral. Then we went on a bicycling tour. We went around the city, the beach and we passed by the Olympic village.

At the end of the day I went shopping with Flo and also we ate a lot tapas…

Day 3

Flo, Bernadette, Billy, Bret, Kristen, Hameenah, and I all went to the Beach again . There we ate tapas and paella. We saw nude person on a bike. We then got together with the group at the Hotel to go visit the Gothic part of Spain. We also visited the Gothic headquarters…

Day 4

We visit Granada, we walked up and down hills for 2 hours. From where we were, we could see caves where gypsy’s live, we went to a nice restaurant that was in a cave. That night also we learned how to dance flamenco.

Day 5

We took a bus very early and he hit the road. The trip was like 5 hours… We were going to Madrid… but before to arrive there we will stop in Castilla La Mancha.

Day 6

This day I visited my sister and my family in Spain… I had a great time because I did see my sister in one year…

Day 7

This day we visit Madrid and also Toledo.. I am addition we went to a cuisine school in Toledo were we learned to cook “ tortilla Espanola” and “ arroz con leche” After leaving we took pictures of the view of Toledo that was spectacular. We also went shopping… again…

Day 8

We left the hotel at 7:30 we went to the airport to take our pale to go back home but the plane was delayed and we would have to wait for a few hours to get a plane. After many hours of almost passing out in different parts of the airport, we finally got on the plane!. I got home tired and I slept for almost 2 days to catch up….