Welcome to BoS - Best of Spain

Barcelona or Madrid.

2006-08-31T16:05:00.000+02:00

It is a common question when planning a trip to Spain: Barcelona or Madrid? My advice would be: both. But if you are to choose I'd rather suggest Madrid.

Barcelona's boom came along with the Olympic Games (1992), but I've heard many people say the city has lost most of its magic for the last few years. Barcelona is not the open city it used to be during the nineties, but an old lady eager to collect every coin on sight. Even more, certain areas are no longer safe for tourists. On the other hand, Madrid offers a large array of musts: from El Prado Museum to theaters, musicals, concerts or shopping areas... From the point of view of a Spaniard Barcelona is the city of the past 15 years, while Madrid is a city for the next 20.

Why Marid

Spain Barcelona Madrid

Smile! You're in Spain...

2006-08-17T00:46:00.000+02:00

You know we Spaniards love siestas and fiestas... That's why this blog looks so unkempt. But I'm working on it, be sure. And I'll soon be back with fresh ideas and articles worth reading.

Come back and check!

Roman Circus in Astorga.

2006-06-29T20:41:00.000+02:00

July 30 (Sunday) - Roman Circus. Activities include emperor Josefus Orologius I's parade, the Circus itself (en the bullring) and the roman dinner in different squares all round the city. There´ll be a roman camp in the outskirts of the city, and access is free to all of the activities but the dinner.

Astorga: chocolate heart.

2006-06-27T20:06:00.000+02:00

There is much more to Astorga than the well-known "Palacio Episcopal" (Disneyesque ^^)... I'm thinking of the Chocolate Museum, or the Cathedral.

Astorga's Chocolate Museum (its doors open since 1994) shows how crucial the chocolate industry was for the city development during the XVIII and XIX centuries.

Astorga, a city with a chocolate heart.

Astorga's Cathedral, the "beautiful unknown", awaits passers-by surrounded by silence and indifference. And so do other monuments such as Panero's house or Casa Granell...

Casa Granell, in Astorga.

Summer guide to inner Spain.

2006-06-16T00:47:00.001+02:00

S. "S" for Spain; "S" for summer; "S" for sun; "S" for siesta; "S" for SICA. SICA? "S" for sorry. SICA won't take place till next February 07. (SICA: International Chocolate Show Astorga '07).

Madrid: exhibition not to lose: Picasso: Tradition and Vanguard.

Hotel deals in Spain.

2006-02-14T21:02:00.000+01:00

There are dozens of web pages, travel agencies and companies offering accomodation in Spain. The only thing you need to know in order to take advantage of their hotel deals is when to book and where to. Booking about six months in advance not only gurantees you a room, but also a good price... After comparing several pages, hotels and prices I would make you two suggestions:

- hotels.com

- hotelopia.es

Both of them offer similar prices and conditions for most of the hotels, the main difference being that Hotelopia covers most of Spain while Hotels.com focuses its attention on the major cities and touristic areas. For example, Hotelopia offers you a room in Astorga, while Hotels.com directs you to Astoria (Orlando). Maybe the reason is that Hotelopia is a Spanish company, and so the best option when looking for something off the beaten track...

Best of Spain v 0.2: Madrid.

2006-01-19T15:51:00.000+01:00

If I were to define the Spanish capital, I would say that Madrid offers everything but the beach...

The Prado National Museum is a must. So are the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the MNCARS. Each of them requires a minimun of 4-5 hours, and might take up to a week!

But there is more to Madrid than the astonishing works of Velazquez, El Greco, Goya, Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Juan Gris... You'll find everything you need in Lonely Planet: Madrid.

Spain on the Net.

2006-01-15T15:06:00.000+01:00

I've decided to see what the World says about Spain before telling the World what I think about it... There you go:

- CIA's World Factbook: Spain. [English]

- Lonely Planet World Guide: Spain. [English]

- Freelance Spain: Spanish Brief. [English]

Looking good? Yeah, looking good... Looking. There you are The Truth:

- Uncyclopedia: Spain. [English]

Time to learn Spanish: v. 0.1

2006-01-12T17:00:00.000+01:00

I could speak Spanish when I was 1 year old, and a year later I was able to translate my sister's babbling into Spanish more accurately than anyone else at home. Am I a genius? Well, err, yes, I am... But that's not the point... Learning Spanish is not that hard, and whoever remotely curious about languages will find it easier than learning French, German, Russian or Japanese. And more useful, I would say. Even more, speaking Spanish is a must for anyone anxious to have a siesta before a night out de fiesta... Ready?

- BBC's on-line Spanish courses and tips.

- Learning Spanish in Spain, by the Instituto Cervantes.

You're not convinced, are you? Ok, one more reason:

Her name is Natalia Verbeke, she was born in Argentina and she speaks Spanish.

Best of Spain, v. 0.1: Astorga.

2006-01-08T14:43:00.000+01:00

Astorga is a small city in the middle of nowhere, northwest of Spain.

The "Camino de Santiago" is the Way of St James; the "Vía de la Plata" is a roman paved road between two of the most important roman settlements in Hispania: Asturica Augusta (Astorga) and Emerita Augusta (Merida). Both ways meet in Astorga, and both are used nowadays as pilgrimage routes.

But it is Astorga that we were talking about. Founded by the Roman emperor Augustus on the fourteenth year BC, most of its Roman ruins are reasonably well-conserved, its sewers said to be the best in Europe (and some of them still in use). The Middle Ages left nothing in Astorga but desolation (the city was destroyed and rebuilt several times prior to and after the Reconquest). In the XVIIIth century Napoleon Bonaparte himself directed his troops against Astorga, destroying almost everything but the Cathedral. In the XIXth century, Gaudi (maybe the best Spanish architect ever) built the Episcopal Palace, and the XXth century saw Astorga decay and become just another small city somewhere in Spain. Its four museums, its historic relevance and its remarkable monuments and ruins manage for Astorga still to be remembered (and visited).

- Astur Plaza Hotel (Astorga)

- Astorga's City Council

- Cafe Pop Art (Astorga)

- Astorga images (courtesy of Google).

A few words to get started...

2006-01-04T19:03:00.000+01:00

My intention is this blog to serve as a different guide to know the Other Spain, the one without beaches.

I will just write about cities and places I've actually visited, that's why I intend this to be a guide rather than The Guide.

I will talk about my home city, Astorga. I will also devote some posts to Madrid, where I lived for a year. Salamanca, Toledo or Zaragoza (Saragossa) are some of the cities I've planned to write about...

And I think that's it. I'll just apologize for my English, which I feel will be the weakest point of this blog...