It isn't what I thought it is.No,La Tomatina isn't the only festival.The country which celebrates life,the country where warmth of people is similar to our India,the country where getting lost can land you up either in Mediterranean beaches or in the snow capped mountains of Pyrenees.The country which we know best for the Bollywood blockbuster "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara",the country most of us fancy about now.Spain.Yes,Spain.Hola Spain.Say loud "Spain".
Did you know??Spain will welcome a record number of international tourists in 2013
The Stunning coast of Costa Brava,Spain
Image Source:Bookableholidays.com
Today,I take you to the parts of Spain we know and parts of Spain we do not.And when I tell you that,let me surprise you with the fact that ZNMD wasn't even half of Spain.
Useful webpage : Spain on your own:Spain Travel Tips By Nomadic Matt
There's so much to do,so much yet to discover that 10 days isn't sufficient.Let's begin with some interesting facts:
1)Ever heard of Churros?
Miguel Angel Guerrero from Malaga-Costa Del Sol Tourist Board says Churros are so popular in the province.Made from Bread and fried in Olive Oil,the Churros are accompanied by Chocolate Sauce.San Churro Bandra is already open in Mumbai which offers Churros.The Indians when they come to Spain,never miss the Indian food.Although we have different cuisines for all tastes,They find the Spanish food to be excellent,they find it too good.We have Cooking vacations as well where you can discover,taste and cook the modern Spanish food and the traditional Spanish food i.e Paella and likes as well.We also have then competitions for the best cook.
2)Spain has snow and adventure
Vall De Nuria,Pyrenees in Summer
Image Source:Catalan Tourist Board
Not many know,even I didn't before I met Montserrat Subirana from the Catalan Tourist Board.She says Spain has loads to offer for those looking for adventure.Not only,does it have scuba diving and skydiving as shown in the movie,but many winter and well as summer sports which includes white water rafting and is one of the best country in Europe to do Rafting.Pyrenees is the best location to do this sport, with a better volume of water and a great variety of canyons. But also you can find Rafting in Galicia, Asturias, Murcia and Valencia.Spain has hot air ballooning,mountaineering,kayaking,cycling,helicopter rides etc.Skiing in Pyrenees is popular where we have kilometers and kilometers of Skiing.
Baqueira-Beret,Pyrenees in Winter
Image Source:Pirinalia.com
She also recommends renting a car because then you can take whichever route you wish for.Barcelona to Pyrenees is 3.5 hours,Barcelona to Girona is 1 hour and most of the places are reachable by car.
From the movie ZNMD, the skydive adventure took place at the Skydive Empuriabrava, in Costa Brava in Spain. Skydive Empuriabrava is listed as one of the top three skydiving centers in the world. They have facilitated over a million jumps since opening in 1985.
3)Spain for Sea
Miguel Angel Guerrero from Malaga-Costa Del Sol Tourist Board says Marbella is a city belonging to the province of Malaga and is situated on the Mediterranean Sea and is one of the most popular
marine destinations. There are plenty of Bars,Discos,Nightlife,Restaurants,International Shopping Brands in Malaga.The ideal option is to spend an overnight in Malaga and Marbella(at least 3-4 nights) and then carry out different 1 days excursion may be to Ronda,may be to Seville may be Granada or Cordoba.
Catalonia,Spain
Monica Soles for the Barcelona Turisme says that Barcelona is a very open minded and lively city spread across 5 kms of beaches.Barcelona has culture,astronomy and best bars.The ideal time to come to Barcelona is end of march until Oct when weather is mild.July and August are very high temperatures.A lot of people come to Barcelona,only for shopping where we have local and
international brands.Here are some tricks on how to save money in Barcelona by HostelWorld
Lloret De Mar, Costa Brava, Spain was used by Katrina for her diving excursions in Catalonia.
The trio from ZNMD along with Laila (their diving instructor) go to the Medas Islands to complete their first adventure, Deep Sea Diving / Scuba Diving.Barcelona to Lloret De Mar is an hour.
4)The Surprising Architecture and world renowned Artists
World Renowned Architecture
I didn't know until Miguel told me that Picasso was born in Malaga and is their ambassador and hence they have a Picasso museum in the city which offers an impressive collection of 150 masterpieces. Malaga also offers a mix of Arabic culture,Muslim culture,Catholics and roman culture. The Cathedral of Málaga were built on the foundations of the old mosque.It also has the Arabic fortress which is a heritage site and the roman theater which is in the heart of the city.
Ronda,Spain
45 minutes from Marbella and one hour from Malaga is Ronda where a 100 meter high bridge surrounded by mountains divides the old from the new.On one side we have the ancient and unique mixture of culture,Arabic bath,Muslim palaces and Arabic architecture;on another side we have the whitewashed villages.
Barcelona on the other hand is popular for the Gaudi work.Monica says that Gaudi work,which is
internationally known and modern architect Gaudi who has constructed the basilica(Sagrada FamÃlia.) is the most famous tourist spot.Thanks to pope who came here 2 years ago to make it a basilica,before it was just the church ,and now you can go there and see the mass.Gaudi was inspired by elements of nature,and that depicts in his work.Park Güell which is till now a public park with a free entry will from 25th Oct have an entry fee of 7-8 euros that will go into the development of Catalonia.
5)The Lively Festivals of Spain
While Miguel tells us about the different local fairs of Andalucia which are celebrated with much zeal that includes Feria De Malaga where one week people wear Flamenco dresses and come to street dancing and drinking with friends and family,we have International Jazz Festival,Cave Festival,Malaga Film Festival to add it onto the list.But what surprised me most was..this!
Human Castles..
Yes,a human castle.One more similarity we share with them,or they with us.Remember our own celebrations on Janmashtmi where we build human castles and break the pot hung over a certain height.Almost similar is the human castle.Monica says in Barcelona spain they start with the first step,then second step and on the top is usually a child.Nowadays,they make the top person wear
a helmet.
Barcelona has lots of festivals like the electronic musical festivals named Sonar where tourists come from afar only to be part of the festival.Then we have flamenco festivals,jazz fetival,music and
exhibitions.Sonar international festival of advance music and multimedia art is where group of a band
called Kraftwerk in the 80's and now they are becoming very popular because they were the first German band and they use the electronic music in the 80's.
St Valentines Day on April 23rd is much more than a simple feast day in Barcelona. It is the Catalan equivalent to Valentines Day and love is in the air! Each year, the streets are filled with people strolling around grasping books and roses wrapped in ribbons in the colours of the Catalan flag.
And of course how can we forget La Tomatina in the Valencian town of Buñol,where Tomatoes are on fire.Malaga also has the most creative bull-fighting in Spain says Miguel.The Bull Racing scene in the movie ZNMD was shot in Pamplona,Spain which is 4 hours from both Madrid/Barcelona.Held since 1591, the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain attracts thousands of foreign visitors each year for 9-days (July 6-14) of revelry, morning bull runs and afternoon bullfights.
6)Ibiza isn't just party and Spain's World Heritage Cities
Silvia tells me that Ibiza is very famous for Indians,but Ibiza isn't just a party place but has a
rich museum and history.Toledo,which is one of her favorite place is just half an hour from Madrid and Cordoba,Toledo and Salamanka are wonderful world heritage cities
7)Offbeat Experience of Spain
Flamenco,Spain
Image Source:Holabarcelonatours.com
Miguel says apart from Cooking,one can experience wine boutique and wine cellars specially made in the mountain ranges.Seville as he says is a perfect family gateways where they can enjoy family activities,two aquatic parks,resorts,cable cars etc.From Marbella,for dolphin watching they can head to Montego Bay.Flamenco dances can be enjoyed in Malaga. In Ronda we have the longest private race course in Europe where you can drive your own cars such as Ferrari etc.
8)Connections
The route from anywhere to everywhere is well connected.Miguel says you can take a high speed train from Barcelona/Madrid to Sevile and Malaga.From Malaga it takes 2.5 hours to reach Madrid,and 4.5 hours to reach Barcelona.Barcelona also has hop on hop off buses.We have emirates and qatar via doha with daily flights to Barcelona Barcelona to Pyrenees is 3.5 hours.
9)Stay Options
Nomadic Matt recommends Kabul in Barcelona as one of the best hostels in Europe.Imagine staying at a place which is filled with buzz of interesting people!Spain also has 3-4-5 stars hotels,24 michelin stars hotel and boutique resorts.According to Bollylocations ,the hostels and hotels used for the stay in the movie ZNMD were
Hostal Posada Venta Pilar, Bunyol, Valencia, Spain
Scene: Hotel where they stayed at Bunyol
Hotel Casa Fuster, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Scene: Their hotel in Barcelona
Hotel Don Jilton, Bunyol, Valencia, Spain
Scene: Hotel in which they asked Abhay whether he is happy with Natasha
10)Souvenirs
Miquel recommends us Flamenco apron which is very popular in Spain as one of the Souvenirs to bring back
I haven't been to Spain,but it is in my list! The place looks like one of the most interesting destinations in Europe,what do you think?Have you been to Spain,how was your experience like?
For more information visit Spain Tourism Official Webpage
Like their Facebook page for recent developments Spain in India
Did you know??Spain will welcome a record number of international tourists in 2013
Image Source:Bookableholidays.com
Today,I take you to the parts of Spain we know and parts of Spain we do not.And when I tell you that,let me surprise you with the fact that ZNMD wasn't even half of Spain.
Useful webpage : Spain on your own:Spain Travel Tips By Nomadic Matt
There's so much to do,so much yet to discover that 10 days isn't sufficient.Let's begin with some interesting facts:
1)Ever heard of Churros?
The yummy Churros,Spain
Image Source:Bakingbites.com
Miguel Angel Guerrero from Malaga-Costa Del Sol Tourist Board says Churros are so popular in the province.Made from Bread and fried in Olive Oil,the Churros are accompanied by Chocolate Sauce.San Churro Bandra is already open in Mumbai which offers Churros.The Indians when they come to Spain,never miss the Indian food.Although we have different cuisines for all tastes,They find the Spanish food to be excellent,they find it too good.We have Cooking vacations as well where you can discover,taste and cook the modern Spanish food and the traditional Spanish food i.e Paella and likes as well.We also have then competitions for the best cook.
2)Spain has snow and adventure
Image Source:Catalan Tourist Board
Not many know,even I didn't before I met Montserrat Subirana from the Catalan Tourist Board.She says Spain has loads to offer for those looking for adventure.Not only,does it have scuba diving and skydiving as shown in the movie,but many winter and well as summer sports which includes white water rafting and is one of the best country in Europe to do Rafting.Pyrenees is the best location to do this sport, with a better volume of water and a great variety of canyons. But also you can find Rafting in Galicia, Asturias, Murcia and Valencia.Spain has hot air ballooning,mountaineering,kayaking,cycling,helicopter rides etc.Skiing in Pyrenees is popular where we have kilometers and kilometers of Skiing.
Image Source:Pirinalia.com
She also recommends renting a car because then you can take whichever route you wish for.Barcelona to Pyrenees is 3.5 hours,Barcelona to Girona is 1 hour and most of the places are reachable by car.
From the movie ZNMD, the skydive adventure took place at the Skydive Empuriabrava, in Costa Brava in Spain. Skydive Empuriabrava is listed as one of the top three skydiving centers in the world. They have facilitated over a million jumps since opening in 1985.
3)Spain for Sea
Andanlucia,Spain
Miguel Angel Guerrero from Malaga-Costa Del Sol Tourist Board says Marbella is a city belonging to the province of Malaga and is situated on the Mediterranean Sea and is one of the most popular
marine destinations. There are plenty of Bars,Discos,Nightlife,Restaurants,International Shopping Brands in Malaga.The ideal option is to spend an overnight in Malaga and Marbella(at least 3-4 nights) and then carry out different 1 days excursion may be to Ronda,may be to Seville may be Granada or Cordoba.
Monica Soles for the Barcelona Turisme says that Barcelona is a very open minded and lively city spread across 5 kms of beaches.Barcelona has culture,astronomy and best bars.The ideal time to come to Barcelona is end of march until Oct when weather is mild.July and August are very high temperatures.A lot of people come to Barcelona,only for shopping where we have local and
international brands.Here are some tricks on how to save money in Barcelona by HostelWorld
Lloret De Mar, Costa Brava, Spain was used by Katrina for her diving excursions in Catalonia.
The trio from ZNMD along with Laila (their diving instructor) go to the Medas Islands to complete their first adventure, Deep Sea Diving / Scuba Diving.Barcelona to Lloret De Mar is an hour.
4)The Surprising Architecture and world renowned Artists
I didn't know until Miguel told me that Picasso was born in Malaga and is their ambassador and hence they have a Picasso museum in the city which offers an impressive collection of 150 masterpieces. Malaga also offers a mix of Arabic culture,Muslim culture,Catholics and roman culture. The Cathedral of Málaga were built on the foundations of the old mosque.It also has the Arabic fortress which is a heritage site and the roman theater which is in the heart of the city.
45 minutes from Marbella and one hour from Malaga is Ronda where a 100 meter high bridge surrounded by mountains divides the old from the new.On one side we have the ancient and unique mixture of culture,Arabic bath,Muslim palaces and Arabic architecture;on another side we have the whitewashed villages.
Barcelona on the other hand is popular for the Gaudi work.Monica says that Gaudi work,which is
internationally known and modern architect Gaudi who has constructed the basilica(Sagrada FamÃlia.) is the most famous tourist spot.Thanks to pope who came here 2 years ago to make it a basilica,before it was just the church ,and now you can go there and see the mass.Gaudi was inspired by elements of nature,and that depicts in his work.Park Güell which is till now a public park with a free entry will from 25th Oct have an entry fee of 7-8 euros that will go into the development of Catalonia.
5)The Lively Festivals of Spain
While Miguel tells us about the different local fairs of Andalucia which are celebrated with much zeal that includes Feria De Malaga where one week people wear Flamenco dresses and come to street dancing and drinking with friends and family,we have International Jazz Festival,Cave Festival,Malaga Film Festival to add it onto the list.But what surprised me most was..this!
Yes,a human castle.One more similarity we share with them,or they with us.Remember our own celebrations on Janmashtmi where we build human castles and break the pot hung over a certain height.Almost similar is the human castle.Monica says in Barcelona spain they start with the first step,then second step and on the top is usually a child.Nowadays,they make the top person wear
a helmet.
Barcelona has lots of festivals like the electronic musical festivals named Sonar where tourists come from afar only to be part of the festival.Then we have flamenco festivals,jazz fetival,music and
exhibitions.Sonar international festival of advance music and multimedia art is where group of a band
called Kraftwerk in the 80's and now they are becoming very popular because they were the first German band and they use the electronic music in the 80's.
St Valentines Day on April 23rd is much more than a simple feast day in Barcelona. It is the Catalan equivalent to Valentines Day and love is in the air! Each year, the streets are filled with people strolling around grasping books and roses wrapped in ribbons in the colours of the Catalan flag.
And of course how can we forget La Tomatina in the Valencian town of Buñol,where Tomatoes are on fire.Malaga also has the most creative bull-fighting in Spain says Miguel.The Bull Racing scene in the movie ZNMD was shot in Pamplona,Spain which is 4 hours from both Madrid/Barcelona.Held since 1591, the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain attracts thousands of foreign visitors each year for 9-days (July 6-14) of revelry, morning bull runs and afternoon bullfights.
Silvia tells me that Ibiza is very famous for Indians,but Ibiza isn't just a party place but has a
rich museum and history.Toledo,which is one of her favorite place is just half an hour from Madrid and Cordoba,Toledo and Salamanka are wonderful world heritage cities
7)Offbeat Experience of Spain
Image Source:Holabarcelonatours.com
Miguel says apart from Cooking,one can experience wine boutique and wine cellars specially made in the mountain ranges.Seville as he says is a perfect family gateways where they can enjoy family activities,two aquatic parks,resorts,cable cars etc.From Marbella,for dolphin watching they can head to Montego Bay.Flamenco dances can be enjoyed in Malaga. In Ronda we have the longest private race course in Europe where you can drive your own cars such as Ferrari etc.
8)Connections
The route from anywhere to everywhere is well connected.Miguel says you can take a high speed train from Barcelona/Madrid to Sevile and Malaga.From Malaga it takes 2.5 hours to reach Madrid,and 4.5 hours to reach Barcelona.Barcelona also has hop on hop off buses.We have emirates and qatar via doha with daily flights to Barcelona Barcelona to Pyrenees is 3.5 hours.
9)Stay Options
Nomadic Matt recommends Kabul in Barcelona as one of the best hostels in Europe.Imagine staying at a place which is filled with buzz of interesting people!Spain also has 3-4-5 stars hotels,24 michelin stars hotel and boutique resorts.According to Bollylocations ,the hostels and hotels used for the stay in the movie ZNMD were
Hostal Posada Venta Pilar, Bunyol, Valencia, Spain
Scene: Hotel where they stayed at Bunyol
Hotel Casa Fuster, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Scene: Their hotel in Barcelona
Hotel Don Jilton, Bunyol, Valencia, Spain
Scene: Hotel in which they asked Abhay whether he is happy with Natasha
10)Souvenirs
Miquel recommends us Flamenco apron which is very popular in Spain as one of the Souvenirs to bring back
I haven't been to Spain,but it is in my list! The place looks like one of the most interesting destinations in Europe,what do you think?Have you been to Spain,how was your experience like?
For more information visit Spain Tourism Official Webpage
Like their Facebook page for recent developments Spain in India
Spain is really Interesting and a sure place to visit..But I don't know when I will be able to visit Spain.. :(
ReplyDeleteOoops where did my earlier comment go?
ReplyDeleteAnyway here I go again. Spain is a beautiful destination and I've been there twice!
May I ask how did you meet Montserrat Subirana if you haven't been there? :) She's a lovely lady.
Amazing Spain indeed!
ReplyDelete@Harshabhuyan:Same here,I have been dying to go to Spain with friends,but you know my friends are now all in their jobs,devoid of leaves and all..But I think spain is a great destination to be in a group.. :) Of course some day,I will but god knows when that someday will be :)
ReplyDelete@Nisha:Hey you are so lucky dear that you got to go twice...Feeling incredibly J J J ::) Share your pictures and stories on my blog if you feel like,might help some people in the online sphere.I met Montserrat Subirana in a road show that was happening in Bangalore,yes she indeed is a lovely lady
ReplyDelete@MagicEye:Hmm that it is,no second thoughts about it!
ReplyDeleteNice info about spain ....its also in my wish list especially La Tomatina festival :)
ReplyDeleteI am making few notes from this post as I prepare for a big European summer :)
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing! Trip On!
@Trippinonlife:Cool.Do share your pics and stories when you come back.I am glad that my post did help :)
ReplyDelete@njoyeverymoment:Same here.Its my dream to celebrate Tomatina with friends..!
ReplyDelete