Country Guide for Spain

Why you should read this...

Our General Information series are intended to provide some understanding of aspects of a country which a visitor may encounter and to assist the adoption of appropriate expectations.

Being brief they are highly selective, and should be amplified with an intelligent guidebook or other publications. They attempt to avoid the cosy upbeat tone of much travel writing and sometimes contain controversial passages. While largely compiled by staff in the MRT office, they are critically appraised by natives of the country and our freelance lecturers. They are sent to all participants both with the confirmation of booking and again with the final documents about three weeks before the tour or festival.

Status: this edition was revised in October 2011.

Passports and visas
Spain is a member of the European Union. United Kingdom and other EU citizens do not require a visa. Citizens of Australia, New Zealand or the USA do not require a visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days. Citizens of other non-EU countries should check visa requirements with the relevant consulates. The telephone number for passport and visa enquiries in the UK is 020 7589 8989.
We advise that your passport be valid for at least six months beyond the end of the tour as this is now becoming a standard requirement, even if this information is not supplied by consulates.

We recommend that you take photocopies of the relevant pages of your passport and any visa in case of loss of the original documents.
The advice line for the United Kingdom Passport Agency is 0300 222 0000 and the website is www.ukpa.gov.uk

Safety and security
Street crime is a risk everywhere these days and vigilance should be exercised. Valuables not actually required, documents of no use during the tour (driving licence, library tickets) and items of sentimental value should be left at home. Do not leave passports, money or other valuables in your hotel room except in the safe. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket: spread your money and cards around.
But the prevalence of street crime varies enormously across the country. Madrid and Barcelona suffer more than other cities but generally the larger cities have a higher incidence than the small towns. Be wary of groups of pedlars everywhere, usually offering heather, for they can be persistent. Also be wary of pick-pockets, some of whom have convincing diversion tactics including posing as policemen who ask to see your ID and credit cards.

Terrorism. The Basque terrorist organisation ETA announced a 'definitive cessation of its armed activity' in October 2011.
Up-to-date Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advice is available on the internet at http://www.fco.gov.uk, or by telephone at their travel Advice Unit on 0845 850 2829, or on BBC 2 Ceefax page 470 onwards.

Seatbelts. If coaches are fitted with seatbelts please wear them.

Insurance
If you are ordinarily resident in the UK you are entitled to a UK-issued EHIC (European Health Insurance Card). (This replaced the old E111 in January 2006.) You can apply for an EHIC online at www.dh.gov.uk/travellers, or by telephone 0845 606 2030, or by application form, available from the Post Office.
The EHIC entitles you to free or reduced-cost medical treatment in EU countries and Switzerland. There are very few other countries that have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK for medical treatment.
We must stress that private travel insurance – with adequate cover for medical treatment, repatriation and cancellation – is an essential addition to the EHIC, and is a condition of booking with us. Please register any existing medical conditions with your insurance provider.

Health
Water. Spaniards drink the tap water everywhere in mainland Spain.
Pharmacies in Spain are of a high standard with well-trained staff who can advise on minor ailments.
Vaccinations. Please discuss these requirements with your doctor or practice nurse. Advice can change.
Courses or boosters sometimes advised: hepatitis A. None is mandatory. (Source: www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk)
For more information about medical treatment abroad and staying healthy while travelling we refer you to www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk or a document entitled Live Well: travel health online at www.nhs.uk/healthcareabroad. There is also country specific advice on this webpage. The Department of Health no longer produces hard copies of these documents.

Money
The currency is the Euro. All major credit and debit cards are widely accepted, and can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs. It is advisable to notify your bank if you intend to use your cards abroad.

Prices? Spain is no longer a particularly cheap country for visitors. Restaurant meals are likely to cost more than their equivalents in France and Italy.

Weather and clothing
In many respects, Spain is geographically the most varied country in Europe. It is impossible therefore to give much useful guidance here; see the ‘Further Information’ specific to the tour you have booked for average temperatures.
However, generalities have some validity: long hot summers in the central and southern regions, wet in the north and warmth tempered by some humidity on the eastern coast. The central plain is quite high – some 1,000 metres in places.

Eating and drinking
Food and wine are generally of a high standard across Spain. Regional cooking can be markedly different and many of those regions with a heightened sense of cultural identity also boast very established and defined traditions of cooking – Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country especially.

Constant throughout the country is the great importance given to mealtimes. Meals are late, leisurely affairs. In Spain it is normal to dine from about 10.00 p.m. onwards; as MRT makes reservations for 8.30 or 9.00 p.m., we are often on to dessert before Spaniards are even sitting down. This is a sustainable pattern as lunch rarely begins before 2.00 p.m. and most Spaniards also stop mid-morning for breakfast (sometimes their second). Food is central to the day.

Fundamentally, Spanish cooking is simple, although the wave of Spanish chefs of worldwide renown prove time and again that it can be as refined as the most sophisticated of cuisines. The quality of the raw ingredients – meats, fish, vegetables – is usually very high. As a result, even the most humble, straightforward dish can be extremely good.

Countering this are hoteliers and restaurateurs who believe that visitors to Spain do not want to eat as the Spaniards do or that groups prefer to eat vaguely international fare. The results are invariably substandard. Cafés and restaurants surrounding tourist hotspots are prone to this attitude. State-run paradors, which sometimes insist on groups eating a pre-ordered menu in the hotel restaurant, can also disappoint. But not always.

We try to make reservations in good restaurants outside hotels and are always grateful for recommendations for places to try.

Spaniards have a natural tendency to be over-generous with portions. The first course often takes the form of a series of entrantes which are sometimes enough on their own. Negotiating smaller helpings or removing dishes can end up in offending our hosts. On the other hand, you will not offend if you cannot eat everything, so please do not feel obliged to.

Vegetarianism is little understood in Spain. Meat and fish are on every menu. We forward to the hotels and restaurants any requests for special diets made to us, but arrangements often have to be made again on the spot.
Although every market in Spain boasts wonderful displays of fresh fruit and vegetables, it is surprisingly difficult to find leafy salads or fresh fruit on menus. These are things one eats at home, not being sophisticated enough to warrant the attentions of a restaurant.

Hotel breakfast coffee is usually disappointing and often diabolical. Bars tend to serve a better cup.

Language
English is not widely spoken outside the major tourist cities and often not at all understood in the rural interior of Spain.

The common language is Castilian. In addition, many regions have their own language in which people communicate on a daily basis. Television channels, radio stations and newspapers all employ these languages in certain regions.
Gallego, in northwestern Galicia has striking parallels with Portuguese. In Catalonia and Valencia and across to the Balearic islands, Catalan, in one form or another is spoken. This is the second language in Spain after Castilian and is straightforward enough for Castilian or French speakers. The other important and still very much used language is Euskera (called Basque in English). Euskera bears no relationship to any other European language and to the untrained ear is quite unintelligible.

The rest of the country speaks in Castilian although accents, expressions and colloquialisms can differ. Although language has often been a contentious and highly politicised issue, a visitor to Spain with even minimal Castilian will be warmly welcomed no matter where he or she is.

Society
Tertulia culture – the habit of conversation in cafés and public places – is very much alive. It is refreshing to see people from every walk of life debating issues both of direct and indirect relevance to them. The general level of education is high and family life still very important, creating an environment that encourages discussion. Hours are spent chatting in bars and on squares throughout the long, hot evenings of summer, transferring to private living rooms in the colder months to gather round the brazier or brasero.

It is fair to say that the average Spaniard is pretty abreast of international affairs and has an opinion to voice on most matters. The country's media channels are helpful in this regard. Broadsheets dedicate many columns to the domestic affairs of other nations, and news broadcasts follow suit. In the absence of tabloids, Spaniards, if they are going to read a newspaper, read ones of calibre. (They also love gossip columns and founded Hello magazine.)

The self-confessed tendency towards being inward looking may simply stem from the fact that most Spaniards have such a good time in Spain. At the same time, with increasing wealth, Spaniards are travelling more and more beyond their borders.
Class is not much discussed in Spain. This is perhaps because it has no real importance any more. The overwhelming majority of the population would describe themselves as middle class if asked. Society is homogeneous and there is little or no stigma attached to your place of birth, schooling, family life or income. Having said that, in the horrifically competitive job market, life is less meritocratic and the odd enchufe (‘helping hand’) goes a long way.

In recent years, thanks to a raft of anti-macho legislation, the position of women has improved considerably in workplaces and public life. The 'new man' is not to be found everywhere, but he is by no means the rarity he once was.
Attitudes and (in)action

Mañana. One of the potentially most frustrating aspects of travelling in Spain (for up-tight Brits) is the laid-back attitude of the Spaniards. Life does move at a different pace. To come to terms before you arrive with the inevitability of mañana will undoubtedly enhance your experience.

In common with people in many countries around the world, the Spanish have a deep-rooted desire to create a good impression. This has its advantages, obviously, but also disadvantages. If you ask for a certain service, they might agree but actually produce something they consider to be better. A requested (and agreed) buffet may materialise as a full sit-down meal, a simple drinks party as an occasion for interminable speeches by local worthies. Alternatively, an agreement might not be followed through with appropriate attention to detail.

Self-belief is another prevailing characteristic, consequences of which include not wanting to be in the wrong and failing to listen. Suggestions or advice are habitually ignored; complaints can be met with sultry silence, denial or defensiveness.
Spaniards can be abrupt, aloof and noisy – they are also among the most fun-filled, warm and welcoming of peoples.

Politics and economy
Since the early 1980s Spain has been a stable liberal democracy. The death of Franco drew a line under a stultifying chapter of Spanish history enabling it to embark on a remarkable course of political and economic change and development that continues today. In the early and mid-eighties membership of NATO and of the EEC affirmed Spain's new position in European and World affairs. Since then, the economy has been one of the fastest growing in Europe. Social acceptance came with the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, an event so well executed it surprised and impressed not only Spain's European neighbours but her own people too.
Each year, Spain has moved further away from the suffocating days of Franco rule. The balance of power has swung from the General's Madrid-based dictatorship to an organised and accountable administration.

Although it retains a national assembly at is centre, Spain has undergone perhaps the most extensive programme of decentralisation in Europe, giving its seventeen regions a high degree of autonomy. Each of the comunidades autonomas has an elected government with devolved powers extending to such issues as taxation, transport, health and education. It goes without saying that proportional representation is the system employed.

The extent to which regional governments have sought increased independence from Madrid has varied. Although each region in Spain can boast its own history, tradition and cultural identity, those with their own language have been more determined to loosen ties with Madrid. Catalan, Euskera and Gallego were all banned in the Franco era with Castilian the only recognised language. There now exists huge impetus to revive the use of these languages, in schools, at home, in public institutions and the arts.

Although at times it seems the political correctness that goes with this movement is stretching a point, there is no denying that much good has come out of it. Broadly speaking, Spain fits very happily into the European ideal of unity within diversity.
Miscellaneous information

Smoking. A law banning smoking in the workplace and bars and restaurants larger than 100m2 came into effect in January 2006. The vast majority of restaurants are therefore not smoke-free. At group meals we request that our tables are in non-smoking areas if possible.

Electricity. Spain uses 220 V, AC at 50 cycles/second (as in the UK). Sockets take standard continental round two-pin plugs.

Shops are generally open Monday to Saturday from 9.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 20.00.
Banks are generally open Monday to Friday, 9.00 to 13.30/14.00. Some exchange bureaux are open daily.

Rubbish collection. Dustbins are emptied on a daily basis last thing at night (any time after midnight) rather than first thing in the morning. This can be noisy.
Streetcleaning also takes place every night in many cities. This can be another source of sleep-disturbing noise.

What to take. If you are sensitive to noise you may wish to take some earplugs. Binoculars may be useful in churches and palaces or for the wildlife. In some churches torches are also a help.

Bathrooms. Floors in hotel bathrooms are often tiled. These can prove both cold and slippery and slippers may be useful. The Spanish prefer showers to baths, and hotel bathrooms are frequently designed accordingly; although most bathrooms are equipped with baths, it is often impossible to run the thing without first climbing into it.
Outskirts. The historic centre of nearly every town and village in Spain is surrounded by a belt of unattractive, high-rise buildings which have very successfully lured inhabitants away from the streets of the old quarters. Not only do the blocks of flats provide functional and comfortable accommodation, they foster great community spirit. This, disappointingly for the aesthetically sensitive, ensures their continuing proliferation.

Local guides. Although Spain is a member of the EU, local legislation exploits a loophole and requires us to employ local guides at certain sites. We try to find good ones but rarely succeed, and anyway conventions of guiding allow for substitution without our prior knowledge.

...Qualification
The necessary brevity of these paragraphs has resulted in some crass stereotyping. There are of course exceptions to every rule.