España

España. Spain. According to Wiki: ‘Officially [known as] the Kingdom of Spain’.

To the Brits stereotypically speaking, Spain is a country full of beaches, beer, sun, sea, Benidorm and questionably pronounced ‘gracias’-es. And, it is true – Spain offers this to those who seek just that.

However, there is so much more. I visited my grandparents who live there, and we went to a Medieval market, which was (bearing in mind my current obsession with ‘A Game of Thrones’, ‘Lord of the Rings’, ‘The Hobbit’, anything Tudor and by Philippa Gregory) honestly the best market I have been to. Ever.

Shortly afterwards we went to Bilbao – an inland city in northern Spain. Surprisingly, for a country reported to be struggling economically, Bilbao was a modern metropolis, with smooth roads, clean streets, complete with metro, trams, trains, boats (there is a large river called the Nervión that runs straight through the centre of Bilbao).

Whilst there, like the tourists that we are, we visited one of the top city attractions – the Guggenheim Museum, which houses a huge art collection (luckily the collection is not overwhelmingly large – don’t even get me started on the thought of tackling the Louvre) and some questionable pieces of ‘art’. Regardless of such ‘art’, the building is pretty amazing and in itself deserving of a visit.

Aside from the main tourist attractions, we tackled Bilbao on foot, seeking out little local places. My favourite local eatery was suggested by the hotel secretary – a breakfast bar, ‘El Manuel’. It was as though I was Charlie in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. No, scrap that – Augustus Gloop in Wonka’s Factory. I have never seen so many sweet things in one place: tarts, pastries, little cakes, chocolate, big cakes, iced buns, custard creams... all especially delightful when accompanied by a ‘cafe con leche por favor’ (coffee with milk), with a piece of chocolate thrown in (on the saucer, heavens not in the coffee) for good measure.

There were other places close to Bilbao, all of which are in the Basque Country, such as Sans Sebastian and Vitoria. I have never seen so many people crowded onto one beach as I witnessed in Sans Sebastian, and I (not being a major beach gal at heart), could not understand the attraction of a standing-room-only beach. Still, the Spanish holiday-makers were definitely enjoying themselves, and I was perfectly happy strolling along the promenade (sorry for sounding so 19^th Century bourgeois!), so it was all fine – each to their own.

I won’t go on recalling my holiday, lest you (my dear reader) grow bored or lest this entry becomes like a diary entry, so I will call a close here. My main point is that Spain is a country full of diversity, and it is a shame that there is a misconception that it is mostly beach and booze. The coast is beautiful but inland speaks the true nature of the country – one full of history, culture, good food...and places that make you feel like the only tourist in the region.