Spain – General info

Spain is traditionally a popular travel destination, where visitors are hospitably welcomed and usually spend a carefree holiday. However, especially in the larger tourist centers, caution against pickpocketing and petty crime is advisable. During the holiday season, there are occasional attacks on tourists along the Spanish motorways (especially on the A7 between the French-Spanish border station La Junquera and Barcelona). Those affected are informed of alleged damage to their vehicle (e.g. flat tire) and “assistance” is offered. Make sure that in the event of a breakdown, the tow truck called to help bears the symbol of “Autopistas” or the symbol of the breakdown service you have requested. Always lock your vehicle and do not leave any openly visible objects in the vehicle.

Should we still do this to Spain??? It was once so romantic and safe many years ago…….But we want to go to Africa and therefore have no choice but to drive through Spain.

Here are some facts about the destination Spain:
Area
504,782 sq km
Population
40.341.460 (2005)
Population density
80 per sq km.
Capital
Madrid with population: approx. 4 million (2005)
Geography
Spain occupies about four-fifths of the Iberian Peninsula, which still includes Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar. The Pyrenes form a natural border with France in the northeast. The national territory also includes the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera) southeast of Barcelona in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa. Not to be forgotten and named as problem carriers are the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta, Chafarinas, Melilla and Ladu, all of which are located in North Africa.

Spain is a very mountainous country and is located on average 610 m above sea level. The Pyrenes, which are around 400 km long, stretch from the Basque Country in the northwest to the Mediterranean Sea. Some peaks reach an altitude of more than 3000 m. The highest elevation is the Pico de Aneto with 3404 m.

Inland is the Meseta, a huge 600-800 m high plateau. It is divided by numerous Sierras. To the northwest and north, the Meseta is bordered by the Cantabrian Mountains and the Iberian Mountains. to the south is the Sierra Morena, and beyond the Sierra Morena is the Guadalquivir Valley.

The mountainous landscape of Galicia is located on the highly rugged Atlantic coast in the north of the Iberian Peninsula.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains southeast of Granada in Andalusia are part of the Cordilleras that run parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. The highest mountain on the Spanish mainland is located in this mountain range. It is the Mulhacn with 3481 meters.

All coasts of Spain together are almost 3500 km long. The Mediterranean coast stretches from the French border in the north to the Rock of Gibraltar in the south. The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans, separating Spain from North Africa.
Sights / Attractions
Spain is endowed with countless cultural and must-see places such as Seville, Barcelona, Toledo, Madrid, Girona, etc. In addition, it has scenic attractions and bathing paradises such as the Mediterranean coasts, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, etc.
Form of government
Parliamentary monarchy since 1978. Constitution of 1978. Bicameral parliament (Cortes Generales): Chamber of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) with 350 deputies and Senate (Senado) with 259 senators. Head of state: King Juan Carlos I, since 1975.
Language
The official language is Spanish (Castilian). Catalan, Galician and Basque are regionally distributed; in tourist areas partly English and German.
Religion
Roman Catholic (94%); Muslim, Protestant and Jewish minorities.
Local time
Spain/Balearic Islands: CET. Last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October: CET + 1 (Daylight Saving Time).
The difference to Central Europe is 0 hours in winter and summer.
Canary Islands: CET -1. Last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October: CET (summer time).
The difference to Central Europe is -1 hour in winter and in summer.
Money and price level
in Spain the EURO is a means of payment, in Spain the overall average price level is somewhat lower than in the FRG. However, it is often more expensive in the holiday strongholds.
Mains voltage
220 V, 50 Hz (110/125 V often still in older buildings in small towns).
Phone
Self-dialing long-distance service. The public telephones work with Telefonica coins and prepaid cards, which can be bought in the tobacco shops.
Country code
34. Local network ratios of the major cities: Madrid 91, Alicante 96, Balearic Islands 971, Barcelona 93, Benidorm 96, Bilbao 94, Granada 958, Las Palmas 928, Malaga and Torremolinos 95, Santander 942, Seville 95, Tenerife 922 and Valencia 96.
Arrival
Travelling by car requires time and leisure, but all routes are already developed as motorways. Travelling through France is associated with high motorway tolls. But in Spain, too, fees are now charged for the use of motorways, but they are significantly lower. If you have time, you should drive on the country roads, but this often means only 300 km a day. But then you should travel according to the motto: The journey is the destination.
Information
Spanish Tourist Office
Myliusstr. 14
60323 Frankkfurt
Phone: 069 – 72 50 33 – 72 50 38
Fax: 069 – 72 53 13

Austria:
Spanish Tourist Office
Mahlerstr. 7
1010 Vienna – 1
Phone: 431 – 512 95 80
Fax: 431 – 512 95 81

Switzerland:
Office Espagnol Du Tourisme
15, rue Ami-Levrier
1201 Ginebra
Phone: 022 – 731 11 33
Fax: 022 – 731 13 66
Car
As a driver, you need the national driver’s license, vehicle registration document and the international green insurance card. Spanish traffic rules are not much different from the Germans. Fuel is available as Normal (92 octane), Super (97 octane), Diesel (gasoleo) and Unleaded (sin plomo).

On the most important roads and in large cities, blue and yellow road patrol vehicles of the RACE (ADAC partner club) are on the road. Nationwide and available around the clock at Tel: 91 – 4 41 22 22.

The mainland of Spain has recently had hotter and hotter summers. In the summer months, it is often only bearable in the houses with the air conditioning switched on. In the deepest south of Andalusia, temperatures of over 40 degrees are often reached, which leads to the water reservoirs drying up and water being rationed. As a result, the owners of houses can no longer fill their pool facilities and the outdoor facilities are no longer watered. Particularly dramatic are the water supplies, which in some places are completely stopped for certain times, i.e. the tap remains dry.

The winters, on the other hand, are getting colder and colder. Recently, it has happened that even in January and February, snow still falls in the beach areas of the holiday regions of the Costa del Sol.

Nevertheless, there is no best time to travel. Every era has its specific characteristics. In the summer months, the holiday areas (and they are almost only found on Spain’s coasts, which means that the entire Mediterranean coast from Port Bou to Marbella is built up with holiday resorts) are hopelessly overcrowded. In addition, the temperatures are almost unbearable and exercise in the great outdoors becomes a stress factor. On some beaches, the tourists lie like sardines next to each other. Some people seem to like this very much.

The off-season months in spring and autumn are not only more bearable because of the temperatures, but also because of the flow of visitors. The prices for accommodation costs and food etc. drop drastically during this time.

Tourism (even mass tourism in most coastal regions) has even found its way into the rural areas of Spain.

The quite good development of the entire coastal region of Spain (not only for tourists) makes every corner of the Costa Blanca visible or conquerable. The people (not only the Spaniards) have an engaging nature when it comes to their supremacy. The native animal species in Spain have a hard time surviving.

The biodiversity of the animal inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula, especially on the coasts, is now severely decimated.

At least in a few places on the densely populated coasts, the Spaniards have managed to place the wetlands under nature conservation, not least because of their high zoological and botanical importance. For the migratory birds that occur here, these nature reserves represent an important wintering place.

In the interior, the bird life is hardly present. Larger mammals such as deer, wild boar, martens, foxes, hares and rabbits are more likely to be found in the more uninhabited regions of inland Spain.

The abundance of fish on the coasts of Costa Brava, Costa Daurada, Costa Blanca, and Costa del Sol is impressively low. Most fish intended for cooking pots nowadays have to be imported. Nevertheless, there is a rather little-known fishing center with an impressive fishing fleet of several hundred fishing boats in St. Carles de la Rapita, a few kilometers south of Tortosa at Cap de Tortosa. It is impressive to see the endless queue of boats out to sea in the early morning.

Some boats are seaworthy and therefore stay on the sea for several days. When they return to the harbour in the evening before sunset, lined up like a string of pearls, you can watch the unloading of the boats in the fishing harbour. In view of the totally overfished seabed, the catches are usually rather modest. At most, small fish, crabs, shrimps and lobsters are brought ashore in baskets. Squid, jellyfish, sardines and tuna can also still be found

The Cantabrian mountain range roughly divides the country into two climate zones. You will find very different plant species. The plant world north of the mountains benefits from a maritime climate. There are not too many temperature fluctuations here.

Not only is the climate more stable here, but it also rains more often here. This, in turn, promotes the growth of the plants. For this reason, the Cantabrian area also has lush vegetation. There are about 5000 different species of plants that contribute to the diversity of Spain’s fauna.

Often you drive on roads that lead through areas with little vegetation. In particular, the forest poverty is striking here. The destruction of the forests, which probably began centuries ago, was accompanied by soil drying out in these areas. This again caused major changes in the water balance, which led to considerable soil erosion. Monocultures (e.g. pines and eucalyptus), guided by economic interest, hardly support a new development of the species-rich forest flora.

Ferns and various types of broom as well as heather are widespread. Only 30 percent of Spain’s area is forested. Through various reforestation programs in large parts of Spain, mainly monocultures of pine and eucalyptus trees have been planted.

In a few mountain regions you can find forests with beech stands and various types of fir trees. In lower areas, deciduous trees also occur. Particularly noteworthy are lime trees, chestnuts, maples, elms, ash trees, hazelnut trees and the common oak so typical of this region.

South of the Cantabrian Mountains, the fauna and vegetation are subject to significant temperature fluctuations. In the summer months, temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees. In particular, the long dry periods demand a lot from nature. In these areas you rarely find forests. The landscape here is characterized by fallow land or scrub. But there are also some tree species that have adapted to these dry conditions. To mention here are the pine, the holm oak, the maritime pine or the Zenneiche.

10,000 BC
The Iberian Peninsula is populated by Iberians, Celts, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Arabs and Romans. They were the ancestors of the Spaniards.
1 000 – 700 BC
Trading colonies on the Spanish Mediterranean coast are founded by the Phoenicians.
600 BC
The Greeks are displaced by the Carthaginians. They found their first settlements.
200 BC
The Romans conquer Spain. They erect a large number of buildings. This also included aqueducts or amphitheatres. Spain becomes part of the Roman Empire.
400 AD
The Vandals conquer Spain
7th – 11th century
Gothic rule in Spain lasted until 711. The Gothic king Roderik is defeated by the Muslims who come across the Strait of Gibraltar. The Moors made the south of Spain a flourishing region. They achieved this due to their Arabic irrigation technique.
12th – 15th centuries
The Catholic Church is strengthened by the Spanish kings. Through the Inquisition, all non-Christians are expelled. This also led to the economy and trade having to undergo a severe recession.
16th century
The colonization of other countries makes Spain one of the richest countries in Europe. However, not all wars fought are won. Some wars also end in defeat.
17th/18th century
The Habsburgs are replaced by Philip V of Castile.
19th century
Napoleon occupies Spain. The victory did not last long, as only a few years later the Spanish king returned to the throne through the freedom struggle of his people. The country is shaken by unrest and power struggles. A little later, the republic is proclaimed and replaced by the monarchy for a short time.
1923 – 1930
In the 1920s, there was an economic crisis. General Primo de Rivera establishes a military dictatorship.
1931
The military dictatorship is ended by the proclamation of the republic.
1936
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), the Nationlists under General Franco received support from fascist Germany and Italy. After the end of the Spanish Civil War, Franco takes power.
1975
Franco died in 1975. A constitutional monarchy is proclaimed.
1978
Spain is getting a new constitution.
1986
Spain joins the European Union.
1992
The Olympic Games will take place in Barcelona. The Universal Exhibition is coming to Seville.

Dinner is the most important meal of the day. Compared to Germany, however, people in Spain go to dinner relatively late, usually only from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. There is a lot of talking, so that a dinner can often last several hours. On the other hand, lunch is almost always rather narrow. Breakfast often consists of a cup of coffee with a small piece of pastry.

Spain’s cuisine is extremely diverse. In the coastal towns, fish is often on the menu. Salads or vegetables are almost always served with it. Inland, on the other hand, quite hearty meals are served. These are either meat dishes or, in autumn, game dishes. Rice and vegetables are usually served with it. Typical for rural cuisine are hearty vegetable or meat soups based on tomatoes, potatoes and onions. If you choose the meat variant, pork, chicken or lamb are added to the vegetable base. But you also know stew with fish.

An important and often eaten specialty is paella. This consists of a rice pan with a wide variety of vegetables, meat and fish as well as various seafood and rice. Fish dishes in all variations are also extremely popular. Especially in the Mediterranean cuisine on the coast, fish can always be found on the menu. Spiny lobsters, mussels and squid are also offered in many restaurants.

For the small hunger in between, tapas are suitable. Tapas are very popular in Spain. These are small appetizers, snacks and other smaller meals. Since the Spaniards almost always skip breakfast and don’t eat lunch until around 2 p.m., the meantime is bridged with a few tapas. There is a very large selection here. From small bites like a few olives to chicken thighs, a wide range of tapas is offered. Another popular appetizer is salads in all variations.

The red wines from Spain are the ideal accompaniment to food. also knows it as the basis for sangria, into which fruit or juice as well as schnapps and mineral water are mixed.
Reference
In Spain, too, the custom has become established in restaurants that a seat is usually assigned by the serving staff. It is considered rude to sit down at a certain table without being asked. It is also frowned upon to sit down at the table without inviting other people. The often heard question “Is there still a free space here?” is considered intrusive. It is customary for a joint bill to be brought after the meal.

Accommodation options are plentiful in Spain and can be found in every price category. In addition to the usual information from travel catalogues, it is also worth getting other suggestions from tourist offices.

The holiday destination Spain does not end on the Costa Blanca with its mass tourism. But you have to search long and specifically until you find a goal without these negative phenomena. This applies above all to the coast from Bacelona to Malaga.

Hotels can be found from simple guesthouses to 5* hotels. However, the standard is often different from what is usually the case in Germany. Often a small but well-run hotel with three stars can be better than a four-star hotel that has been run down. There are huge differences here.

All these accommodations have a long tradition in Spain. Apartments are available as well as campsites in large numbers. Often the choice is difficult and you should, if you have not booked in advance, find out about available accommodation and prices in the local tourist offices. In the smaller towns and the more remote regions, however, these do not exist and so the only way left is to get on your own and scour accommodation after accommodation….an often arduous way, especially in the high season.

For individual travellers, the prices in the high season months from June to September are completely excessive, especially in the tourist strongholds. The only way out is to go to the closer hinterland, but this is often problematic, as accommodation is very sparse to be found there.

In the off-season, many landlords allow themselves to be bargained with and give not inconsiderable discounts, which amount to up to 50% (and more) of the usual price. Here, demand and supply regulate the market.

Paradores can be found especially in the interior of Spain. They are the most original type of hotels in Spain. A total of 86 establishments in this category offer castles, palaces, abbeys, monasteries and palaces that have been specially converted for overnight stays.