You will find two very different Spains as far as I am concerned. You have the coastal strip where the holiday makers rendezvous, universally known as the 'Costas'. The other Spain is everywhere else. The 1st is really nasty, the rest completely beguiling and quite engaging.
I have to admit I know very little about areas like the Costa Blanca, the Costa Brava, and the Costa del Sol, and I can't ever see that changing. There have however in my youth been times where my journey south needed to be made right next to the Mediterranean coast. Unhappily it was in August, and the traffic was unbelievable, at less than ten miles an hour all the way. All I saw of Barcelona was flats and factories, although I'm certain it must have lovely parts to it. Far to the south on the Costa del Sol, well known holiday destinations such as Torremolinos have to be just my idea of the worst holiday in the world with less than wonderful beaches packed with holidaymakers. Behind them are miles of virtually the same cafes offering almost identical food catering to tastes from every area of Europe with not a real Spanish dish to be seen. The old town, well it lies about hidden under tons and tonsof high rise concrete.
The real Spain can be discovered not so far away. Thanks to some impressive roads it is easy to journey from north to south in Spain in around 10 hours, with not a vehicle in sight even in Aug. Just stay away from the coast, and do the research. Find a Spain where life still stops at lunchtime and does not begin again until sundown, as the afternoon siesta still commands. No shops open, just one or two cafeterias, no hustle, no bustle, just peace. Add to this no Sunday megastore opening, barely even a tiny shop unless you are sufficiently fortunate to come on one in one of the tons of spotless tiny whitewashed towns you may well be staying near.
A life actually little changed over the last 30 years. Yes there might be 1 or 2 Brit expatriates enjoying the climate and the tranquil surroundings, satisfied in the understanding that they selected the right place to put down roots. No hideous urbanisations where you live cheek by jowl with others you share a typical language with. What's the point in being English in Spain and living next to other English people. It becomes like suburbia in a better climate, and you probably don't learn Spanish because you don't have to.
How much more fun it is to rent a finca in the countryside, than a villa on a small plot. It's tough to make yourself accepted in a local shop that has fruit and veggies to die for, and succeeed in making a transaction and then discovering that Spain inland away from the crowds is still cheap. Buy a enormous bag of shell on gambas and pay only small change, then if you've got to visit a town on the coast discover you are coughing up less than half of the tourists there are paying.
The other Spain is lovely, and is just waiting to be discovered. I adore my Caribbean Holiday Spots but inland Spain runs it a close second.
I have to admit I know very little about areas like the Costa Blanca, the Costa Brava, and the Costa del Sol, and I can't ever see that changing. There have however in my youth been times where my journey south needed to be made right next to the Mediterranean coast. Unhappily it was in August, and the traffic was unbelievable, at less than ten miles an hour all the way. All I saw of Barcelona was flats and factories, although I'm certain it must have lovely parts to it. Far to the south on the Costa del Sol, well known holiday destinations such as Torremolinos have to be just my idea of the worst holiday in the world with less than wonderful beaches packed with holidaymakers. Behind them are miles of virtually the same cafes offering almost identical food catering to tastes from every area of Europe with not a real Spanish dish to be seen. The old town, well it lies about hidden under tons and tonsof high rise concrete.
The real Spain can be discovered not so far away. Thanks to some impressive roads it is easy to journey from north to south in Spain in around 10 hours, with not a vehicle in sight even in Aug. Just stay away from the coast, and do the research. Find a Spain where life still stops at lunchtime and does not begin again until sundown, as the afternoon siesta still commands. No shops open, just one or two cafeterias, no hustle, no bustle, just peace. Add to this no Sunday megastore opening, barely even a tiny shop unless you are sufficiently fortunate to come on one in one of the tons of spotless tiny whitewashed towns you may well be staying near.
A life actually little changed over the last 30 years. Yes there might be 1 or 2 Brit expatriates enjoying the climate and the tranquil surroundings, satisfied in the understanding that they selected the right place to put down roots. No hideous urbanisations where you live cheek by jowl with others you share a typical language with. What's the point in being English in Spain and living next to other English people. It becomes like suburbia in a better climate, and you probably don't learn Spanish because you don't have to.
How much more fun it is to rent a finca in the countryside, than a villa on a small plot. It's tough to make yourself accepted in a local shop that has fruit and veggies to die for, and succeeed in making a transaction and then discovering that Spain inland away from the crowds is still cheap. Buy a enormous bag of shell on gambas and pay only small change, then if you've got to visit a town on the coast discover you are coughing up less than half of the tourists there are paying.
The other Spain is lovely, and is just waiting to be discovered. I adore my Caribbean Holiday Spots but inland Spain runs it a close second.
About the Author:
Ian Smith the author writes about vacation spots all over the world. He at present is working on Caribbean Holiday Spots, and Worldwide vacation Spots
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