The Spanish schedule is a point of contention which gets noticed in international circles every once in a while. Why do Spaniards go to work at around 9 a.m. and leave as late as 8:00 p.m.?

It's difficult to say, and more so when many of us agree with the critics, and hope for more rational schedules in the future while we read publications like that of the Asociación para la Racionalización de los Horarios Españoles (Association for the rationalization of the Spanish schedules).

A quick way to explain our mismatched schedule is to look back in history. During the Spanish Civil War, and because Spain formed an alliance with Germany and Italy, the rebel side adopted the time zone GMT + 1. What was meant to be a temporary change during wartime stayed put once the conflict ended; meaning today in Madrid  we use the same time as Berlin when geographically we should be using London's time. 

Another factor in the hours we work came post-war. After the war many people had to work more than one job just to survive. That meant finishing one job and starting another right away. Many Spaniards at the time got home practically at dinner time (around 9:30 p.m. in Spain). Today there are not so many people that work multiple jobs to stay afloat, but the long work day culture has prevailed. And this has conditioned much of what is called "post-work" life: restaurants that open at 9:00 p.m., prime time television that starts at 10:00 p.m., bedtimes that start around midnight or later...

Once we know the history it seems like it would be easy to break the habit. But it's not so easy after all. There are many opinions on the subject, but we could summarize them into two big categories: people who think it's necessary, and even more so nowadays, to restructure the schedule; and those who think it's something so ingrained in our culture that any change would cause more chaos than good. Some take exemplary countries like Germany or Sweden into consideration, to which others respond that in Spain, neither the weather, the climate nor the character of the people is the same as in those countries. Others say the schedules is typically Mediterranean, to which others respond that in Italy people go to work at 8:00 a.m. and leave at 6:00 p.m. and that they even have an hour for lunch!

The discussion, at this point, and especially if we were in a bar, would probably lead to "socio-economic" factors: in a country in which the restaurant and hospitality industry is a pillar of the economy, would the famous "menu of the day" and all of the benefits associated with it cease to exist if we only had half an hour for lunch? Conversely, would bars have more clientele if people had more "after-work" hours to enjoy? Many proponents of changing the schedule will tell us that it is precisely the leisure and culture sectors that would benefit the most. Imagine going to the movies on a Tuesday or visiting a museum on a weekday without all the crowds!

But leaving controversy aside, the truth is that more and more people worry about this issue every day. With the current Spanish schedule it is difficult to harmonize work life with family life. Many parents are forced to push their children into Spanish "office hours" with school and then extracurricular activities, because they don't have time to take care of them themselves. In the past, this wasn't as much of a problem because more mothers stayed home or grandparents cared for children during office hours. But since people have begun to move farther from their families and nowadays many grandparents are still working themselves, many people really feel the need for change.

We finish this article without a clear conclusion. Will we will we be able to solve the Spanish schedule problem and make everyone happy one day? Only time, and schedules, will tell.

Many of us are familiar with lunfardo words from the lyrics of the tangos so masterfully sung by Carlos Gardel,  among other great interpreters of the genre. Let's get to know a little better the origins and characteristics of this slang that originated in Argentina, which nowadays has been incorporated to a great extent in the speech of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. It is considered to have more than 6,000 words.

Origins and characteristics of lunfardo

Lunfardo is a slang or repertoire of words originating in the neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires (Argentina), which also developed in other sister cities such as Rosario (Argentina) or Montevideo (Uruguay). Originally, around the middle of the 19th century, it was a slang spoken by delinquents, which incorporated many words from Spanish, Italian and other immigrants. With these special words and expressions, which did not appear in dictionaries, the prisoners managed to avoid being understood by the guards during their stay in prison and could plan their escapes and crimes, etc. These were times of immigration and incessant port activity in the three cities mentioned above. Over time, lunfardo spread through all social classes, so that many of these words permeated the colloquial forms of Spanish speech of Argentines and many other Hispanic countries.

It should be made clear that, despite certain claims and its widespread use, lunfardo is not a language but a very specific lexicon, since it does not contain all the parts of speech. It has three important elements: the noun, the adjective and the verb, but lacks articles, pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions. It therefore lacks syntax, always using the original Spanish syntax.

The sounds of lunfardo are mainly inherited from the languages of Italy. In Argentina, Italian immigration was very important and has influenced its vocabulary. Other words come from French, Portuguese, English and even Quechua, among others. For example, a slang word such as Bacan (a very wealthy person) comes from Genovese. In the same case we find the expression Engrupir, which means to deceive. Tamango (shoe) comes from Portuguese and Cana (prison) from French, while Bichicome (vagabond) comes from English.

Lunfardo and tango

It is impossible to talk about lunfardo without also talking about tango, which has been its best ambassador all over the world. Lunfardo is the repertoire of words used in most tangos. A pioneer of tango, the musician and playwright Pascual Contursi, was the great introducer of lunfardo in this type of music. From then on, lunfardo poets and popular lyricists like Celedonio Esteban Flores further developed this way in collaboration with the singer Carlos Gardel, who recorded more than 20 songs with lyrics by this author. A good example would be the old tango "Mano a mano" (1923) with lyrics by the aforementioned Celedonio Estaban Flores and music by Gardel/Razzano.

But, is it possible to talk about a tango that has all the essence of lunfardo? It is difficult to choose among so many geniuses; but let's say that there is one that was chosen by Federico García Lorca himself. We are talking about "El Ciruja" (1926), with lyrics by Alfredo Marino and music by Ernesto de la Cruz. It is said that a porteño asked Lorca what he thought of the tango, to which the poet responded by sitting down at a nearby piano and began to play and sing the aforementioned song.

Many would have liked to have been present at that conversation. But we would go further even if we were more modest: we would have liked to compose a tango about such a story!

From 10 March to 12 June 2016 at the ABC Museum in Madrid, we can see an exhibition about Spanish cartoonists who were part of the team of well-known publishers such as Marvel and DC.

Superheroes seem to us to be something alien to Spanish creation and, so much so, that it seems that the only way for a Spaniard to be linked to this world is to do the Americas. But the truth is that the creation of Spanish superheroes has been fruitful for almost a century. Here are some of the most outstanding Spanish superheroes.

Súper López

The most famous Spanish superhero is, without a doubt, Súper López, a humorous adaptation of Superman by Juan López Fernández (JAN) in which an office worker who loves origami hides in his skin powers that surpass any human capacity. The author always tries to use different points of view to tackle current issues that Spanish society suffers from every day. Despite his similarity to the famous Kryptonian, Super López has acquired his own personality and international fame.

Capitán España

Project IDE sought to create a European supergroup to confront the villains threatening this part of the world, where the more famous superheroes were not active. One of the original members was Captain Spain, a former soldier named Carlos Fraile who was implanted with biomechanical advantages and nanobots that increased his abilities, including the ability to fly. His greatest achievement was defeating Thor when he went mad.

El Águila

Like Captain Spain, the Eagle belongs to the Marvel universe. His image is a little more cliché: red hood and red tights, black shirt and boots, wide-brimmed hat, an eagle on his chest... and great skill with a sword. Moreover, being a mutant, he has the ability to throw electric charges. Although he looks like he comes from the 17th century, he was born in Madrid and his real name is Alejandro Montoya. Could he be a descendant of the famous Íñigo Montoya from "The Princess Bride"?

El Capitán Trueno

With no powers or technology at his disposal, Captain Thunder has used his own talent with the sword and his passion for adventure to become a classic Spanish superhero. His stories began to be distributed in 1956, with a success that was still unprecedented in the national sector.

He was the leader of a trio of brave warriors formed by Trueno, Goliath and Crispín. The genre of his adventures is medieval action and his different adventures against all kinds of villains have been renewed until his last comic was published in 2010.

El Coyote

His story is reminiscent of that of "El Zorro": Don César, a rich Mexican heir with a reputation for being a lecher and a lecher is, in reality, a vigilante who fights for the rights of his people in the California that has been annexed to the United States. Hidden behind a mask, under a charro hat and displaying his skill with a pistol, he is an incarnation of justice created by the author José Mallorquí.

El Coyote was born as a character in pulp novels, but quickly became a comic book character and one of the first "fan phenomena" in the history of Spanish culture. Today, volumes of the character are the object of collection and reprinting.

Iberia Inc.

Probably the most unknown superhero project of all, despite its great potential. Behind it were the artists Rafael Marín and Carlos Pacheco. It began in 1992, but did not obtain publication rights until the end of the decade.

It is only a mini-series with 6 issues in which 8 superheroes work in the service of the Spanish government. The group was made up of Aquaviva, Dolmen, Drac de Ferro, Lobisome, Melkart, Traka, Trasnu and Trueno. The quality of the comic encouraged the creation of other parallel miniseries.

Some are more serious, others more parodic; but what is clear is that there is no lack of superheroes in Spain.

The dramatic literature of Spanish theatre has a long history, with authors who have marked an era and have influenced Spanish society over the centuries. Moreover, it has provided hundreds of very interesting characters, who belong to the imagination of Spaniards and of many foreign readers and spectators, who have helped generations and generations of people to enjoy and better understand life. Spanish theatre has made a definitive contribution to world literature and is the subject of study in schools and universities all over the world.

Medieval theatre

The theatrical production of the Golden Age was so great and so outstanding that we often forget that there was also theatre before that time. During the Middle Ages, there was religious drama (some plays are still performed today); court theatre, whose plays were performed by the king himself and his court as a pastime; or university theatre, written by students as an exercise in understanding classical plays. Another problem with this type of theatre is that there is no record of authors. Some would say that we would have to wait for the Celestina to know an outstanding author; but we must bear in mind that the name of Fernando de Rojas was not known until 1632.

The Golden Age

The Spanish Golden Age, the period of maximum apogee of Spanish Art and Literature, around the 16th and 17th century, which saw an impressive theatrical production, is especially well known and studied all over the world.

The best-known author of the Spanish theatre developed in the Golden Age is Lope de Vega, surely the most dazzling genius of those times. So much so that he was known in his time as "the phoenix of wits". He wrote thousands of works, novels and poems, including the plays Fuenteovejuna, La dama boba and El Perro del hortelano.

Calderón de la Barca is another of the great examples of that century of cultural flowering. His most outstanding and internationally best-known work is La vida es sueño (Life is a Dream).

One of the most outstanding names in classical Spanish theatre is Tirso de Molina. El burlador de Sevilla - the clear predecessor of the romantic "Don Juan Tenorio" - is his greatest work. The famous Miguel de Cervantes also wrote brilliant plays, such as El cerco de Numancia. Curiously, Cervantes' facet as a playwright is unknown to many.

The Enlightenment

The Golden Age was followed by a certain decline in dramatic art. The great playwrights had passed away and, although their continuators strove to keep the style alive, they did not achieve the greatness of their predecessors. The great renewal was influenced by the French Enlightenment movement. Reason, harmony and sobriety prevailed. The greatest exponent of Enlightenment theatre was Leandro Fernández de Moratín and his play El sí de las niñas. Less well known is the prolific work of the author Ramón de la Cruz, perhaps because of his dedication to more "popular" themes.

Romanticism

Another boom period of Spanish theatre is to be found in the age of Romanticism. A play from this period that has been performed millions of times is Don Juan Tenorio, by José Zorrilla. Another good emblematic example is Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino, by Ángel de Saavedra. The works of this period are characterised by their high dramatic tone, their passionate themes and even the incorporation of supernatural elements. These works are still very popular today.

20th century

During the 20th century, the theatre of Jacinto Benavente stood out with plays such as Los intereses creados. The versatile writer Federico García Lorca offered some of the great works of this century, such as Yerma, Bodas de sangre or La casa de Bernarda Alba. For his part, Ramón María del Valle Inclán is another of the best exponents with titles such as Luces de bohemia and Divinas palabras. The 20th century also saw a vindication of humour through the theatre of the absurd, as demonstrated by the success of authors such as Miguel Mihura, author of Tres sombreros de copa or Maribel y la extraña familia; or Enrique Jardiel Poncela, author of Usted tiene ojos de mujer fatal or Las cinco advertencias de Satanás.

And with these we have practically reached what the textbooks give about Spanish theatre. What does the future hold for us? Theatre continues to be produced in Spain and of very good quality; but it is still too early to analyse. So the best thing to do is to experience it for yourselves.

In the middle of the lively tourist center of La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, is perhaps the craziest and most interesting market in South America: the "Mercado de Hechicería," or Witch's Market. This famous market is located between Sagamaga and Santa Cruz in Calle Jimenez. Dozens of vendors line the streets selling their fascinating and unusual products.

• The Witch's Market sells many crazy products, but the strangest is dead llamas and their fetuses. The idea is that the fetuses will be buried under a cornerstone near a newly built house and that is supposed to bring good luck.
• Wealthier Bolivians often sacrifice a live llama at a new-build house, said to bring more good luck.
• Another interesting market close to the Witch Market is the "Merca Negro," here they really offer everything: fruits, clothes, fireworks and electronics.

The market sells various products that Bolivian vendors and locals consider magical. Herbs, stones, figurines and... yes, also fetuses of llamas and dried frogs, turtles and snakes. These crazy products are all sold at the Witch Market and each has a magical side effect such as bringing good luck or curing disease. The products are mostly used by traditional Bolivian healers to influence good and evil spirits. In addition, the market is very popular to visit while on vacation in Bolivia.

The goodies are often packaged very nicely by the vendors, in cozy and colorful bags. These bags of products are still offered daily to Pachamama, the Mother of the Earth. This is an old-fashioned ritual that is still performed every day by the inhabitants of Bolivia. Indeed, according to tradition, it brings good luck if you bury a llama fetus under the cornerstone of your newly built house.

Besides dead llamas and dried frogs, some normal goodies are sold such as amulets with different images that stand for different things. For example, the sun stands for energy, the cougar for strength, the snake for cunning and wisdom, the condor for travel and change and the llama for health. You may also encounter a real traditional Yatari during your visit to the Witch Market. This is a medicine man who wears a large tall black hat. Yataris can predict the future but unfortunately do this mainly for the locals.

The Witches Market in La Paz is one of the most colorful and interesting markets in South America and well worth a visit during your trip through Bolivia. Not only are there weird souvenirs for sale, but the market also showcases much of Bolivia's faith and culture. And it's something different to take home a llama fetus as a souvenir instead of a magnet, right?

They are eaten for breakfast, as a daily snack and sometimes even after a party. We are talking about the crunchy fried flour stalks dipped in melted chocolate, or Spanish churros.

This Spanish delicacy is composed only of flour, oil, sugar, and salt. Eating churros, with or without chocolate, is an authentic Spanish tradition and is considered a very cozy and social act because, according to the Spanish, it is unthinkable to eat them alone! Take advantage of your stay in the country to learn Spanish and try this authentic breakfast in Spain.

Read this article in Spanish.

Churros con chocolate: a Spanish tradition

Spanish churros are a unique delicacy in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. This dough is made only of flour, oil, salt, and sugar and is usually eaten dipped in melted chocolate. But do you know their origin?

The origin of the Spanish churros is not clear, but it is believed to have its roots in Spain for centuries. There is a popular theory that churros were brought by Spanish shepherds traveling through the mountains. It is said that they prepared a simple dough of flour, water, and salt, and fried it in hot fat to obtain food quickly and provide them with energy for long days of work. This practice would have been inspired by a technique of the Moors, who used to fry a similar dough to make 'xurros' (a variant of churros), during the Arab period in Spain.

Others claim that churros were first consumed in Catalonia in the early 19th century. And there is another theory that Spanish gypsies sold churros at fairs and that this is their true origin.

Not even the Provincial Association of Churro Manufacturers has an explanation of the origin of churros. It is a great mystery, and we may never know exactly where Spanish churros come from....

But, although the exact origin is not known, Spanish churros have become an iconic element of Spanish gastronomy. They are enjoyed all over the country for breakfast, as a snack, as an afternoon snack or in the evening after a party. Churrerías usually open from 6 a.m., so many people who go out to party stop by after going out to eat churros with chocolate. You can also find churros in Spain at fairs or festivals, as well as in the dessert menu of some restaurants.

Wherever they come from, Spanish churros are very popular in Spain. As is typical in the country, you can order a cup of melted chocolate or a café con leche to dip the churros in.

Where are Spanish churros sold in Spain?

Nowadays churros are sold everywhere, but the tastiest ones are still in the churrerías. The churrero, the person in charge of making them, is a true artisan who knows exactly when the dough is perfect to pass it to a churrera, the machine used to shape the churro dough. 

Once the dough is shaped in the churrera, it is poured into abundant hot oil and fried briefly until it acquires a golden color. You can choose whether to sprinkle them with a little sugar or dip them in hot chocolate.

Although if you want to enjoy some authentic churros with chocolate in Spain, you must make a mandatory stop at Chocolatería San Ginés in Madrid. This is one of the most popular churrerías in the country. You will recognize Chocolatería San Ginés by its marble floor and its small tables, besides being in the heart of Madrid.

Another very famous one in Madrid is La Mallorquina. Although both places are usually crowded, you can't forget to visit them and try some authentic churros with chocolate.

Don't forget to try this delicacy during your stay in Spain!

When we talk about Spanish products, SEAT's cars are definitely among them. In the 1960s, you mainly saw only one type of car on the road, namely the Seat 600, which is why the Seat 600 symbolizes Spanish industrial development.

• The SEAT brand stands for Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo.
• Seat names all of its models after Spanish towns. Examples include the Seat Ibiza, the Marbella and the León.
• The owner of SEAT is Volkswagen Auto Group.

On May 9, 1950, the company ´Sociedad Española de Automóvil de Turismo´ was founded. At that time, dictator Franco was in power, who wanted to encourage motorization within Spain. However, Spain was unable to produce cars on its own, so outside help was needed. Through state-owned company INI, an agreement was made with Italian brand Fiat to manufacture some of their models. A key requirement, however, was that 90% of the production materials would be domestic.

To realize car production, a large factory was built in Zona Franca, just outside Barcelona. On November 13, 1953, the very first car was made there: the Seat 600 made partly from Italian parts. Since 1957, all car parts have come from Spain and the first truly Spanish car was produced. The Seat 600 became a wildly popular car among the Spanish population. Consequently, Seat produced a total of 800,000 cars of it over 16 years. Even today, these cars are still popular because of their nostalgic past.

After the death of dictator Franco, Spain turned into a democracy and sought to join the Western European countries. Seat came up for sale and Fiat seemed the most obvious candidate to take over the company. A negotiation between the two companies resulted in an agreement in 1976. However, Fiat was in dire financial straits at the time and the deal ultimately fell through. INI decided to take over Fiat's deal, so Seat remained a truly Spanish company.

Seat continued to expand over the years, producing its own models such as the Ibiza and the Marbella. Several models later followed, which, like the Ibiza and the Marbella, were all named after Spanish towns such as the Toledo, León and Córdoba.

In 1982, an agreement was made with Volkswagen to produce more Volkswagens in Spain. Over three years later, Volkwagen took over 51% of Seat's shares. This grew to 100% in the following years. Seat thus became part of the Volkswagen Auto Group. Over the years, this also became evident as models came out that were almost identical to the Volkswagen models. A good example of this is the similarities between the VW Sharan & the Seat Alhambra.

A keen user of the painting technique decalcomania Oscar Dominguez was a surrealist painter in the early 20^th Century. Heavily influenced by Pablo Picasso and Yves Tanguy, Domínguez died at the age of 51 in 1957, and despite his relatively short career, he enjoyed much success with several of his paintings selling for thousands of dollars.

• Before moving to Paris in 1927 at the age of 21, Oscar Dominguez was brought up by his grandmother in the town of Tacaronte in Tenerife
• This Spanish painter, although having a relatively short painting career, became renowned for painting surrealist and avant-garde pictures

Oscar Dominguez spent his early years in Tenerife with his grandmother, having been born in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna that also sits on the island. Dominguez became interested in painting from a young age as an outlet to the severe illness he had that slowed his growth and provoked a gradual deformation of his limbs and face. Following his move to Paris when he was 21, Dominguez spent time working in the Les Halles market in the centre of the city, and passed much time in cabaret bars. His interest in art increased while in Paris, as he was to be found on many occasions in museums and galleries, as well as occasional attendance at various art schools.

Towards the end of his twenties Dominguez spent time developing his Surrealist preferences. He became close with artists such as Man Ray, Yves Tanguy and André Breton who were leaders in Surrealism at the time, who also introduced Oscar Dominguez to the Parisian avant-garde scene. He began making more prominent artwork and had his first solo exhibition in 1933 at the Fine Arts Circle (Círculo de Bellas Artes) of Tenerife.

The 1930s were an incredibly important period for Surrealism, and this is when Dominguez really made a name for himself. He adopted the technique of decalcomania when thick oil paint – known as gouache – is spread on paper or, on occasion, glass and other materials, before being pressed onto a canvas, for example. This technique was especially popular in Russia at the time, and Dominguez successful created several paintings using this unusual method. During this period as well Dominguez became internationally famous, with exhibitions in Tokyo, London and Paris.

During the 1940s, and following the Nazi invasion of Paris, Dominguez moved to Marseille, when he worked underground with several other surrealists. He spent time with Pablo Picasso between 1944 and 1948, who influenced Dominguez’ work hugely; indeed, much of Doninguez’ early work also contained influences from Picasso, while his bohemian lifestyle could be seen to be modeled on Picasso as well. After World War II, Dominguez saw his work travel to New York, Milan and Prague, and he had a career highlight when he was asked to paint the set for Jean Paul Sartre’s play “The Flies”.

Oscar Dominguez’ career, took a downturn in the 1950s, alternating between successes when his work was sent abroad for exhibitions, to nervous, psychotic outbursts. His deformity that he had been suffering since childhood was becoming too much for Dominguez to cope with, and that – along with other factors – led him to suicide in December 1957. Tauromaquia (1951) and Composición con Fondo Azul (1949) are some of his most famous paintings. Dominguez indeed has a legacy thanks to these paintings, and there was a film made in 2008 called Óscar: Una pasión surrealista (Oscar: The Colour of Destiny), directed by Lucas Fernández commemorating his life and the Surrealist movement in France. 

Many people do not know that Spain has a wide variety of cheeses. Yet you can find all kinds of different cheeses in Spain. One of the most famous is the Manchego cheese, but Spain has many other different cheeses. Most Spanish cheese finds its origin in the area of Asturias, which is known as a real cheese region.

• Manchego is one of the best known Spanish cheeses and is also widely eaten in the Netherlands.
• The famous cheese region of Asturias hosts an annual cheese market, where farmers from all over the region sell their products.

Spain has a wide variety of cheeses, so you can find many different cheeses, all with very different tastes. Actually, all types of cheeses are made in Spain. For example, you can find the well-known young and old cheese, but also white cheese, blue cheese or extra spicy cheese. Some well-known cheeses from Spain are the Manchego, the Tetilla and the Cabrales. Spanish cheese is made from the milk of cows, sheep, goats or a combination of these three.

Spain's most famous cheese region is Asturias in northern Spain. In this region, small family farms have been making cheese for generations.  What is nice to see when you visit this region is that shepherds still roam the area with their flocks of sheep and goats. The most famous cheese from this region is the Cabrales, a mold cheese that comes from the combination of cow, sheep and goat milk. This cheese owes its special taste to the aging process in limestone caves.  Every last Sunday of August, the area hosts a large cheese market, where cheese farmers from all over the area gather to sell their products.

Manchego Cheese

The most famous cheese from Spain is the Manchego cheese. This sheep's cheese is named after La Mancha and has been made here from the whole milk of Manchega sheep for over two thousand years. Manchego has a rather sweet but mild flavor. The cheese used to be very popular with shepherds, who took it with them on their treks, because it had a very long shelf life. Today, the cheese has an aging period of about two to three months and can be divided into 4 categories. Young Manchego is called "fresco" in Spain, young cured is called "semicurado", cured is called "curado" and old Manchego is called "viejo" in Spain.

Manchego cheese is one of the many Spanish specialties and is used in many different ways. It can be eaten as a tapa, incorporated into a salad or, of course, served on a cheese board, where it is often combined with a paste of quince and nuts. What is special about Manchego cheese is that nowadays it is actually produced all over Spain but no one has ever managed to recreate it perfectly like in La Mancha. This is because the weather conditions in La Mancha are unique. The summers are long, dry and very hot, while the winters are very cold. 

Spain is known to many Dutch people as the ideal summer destination: sun, sea and beautiful Spanish costas. Spain has much more to offer than just this. For example, there are several large mountain ranges in Spain and there are also some perfect ski resorts.

• The largest mountain range in Spain is the Pyrenees.
• Two thirds of Spain consists of a central plateau.
• The Sierra Nevada is the most famous winter sports destination in Spain.
• Spain has the most mountains in Europe except for Switzerland.

The largest mountain range in Spain is the Pyrenees. The Spanish Pyrenees are located in northeastern Spain on the border with France. The Pyrenees are about 430 km long from east to west. Of the Pyrenees, about two-thirds consist of the Spanish Pyrenees. The Pyrenees are great for a skiing or hiking vacation. Fromigal is one of the most famous ski resorts in the Spanish Pyrenees. Fromigal has more than 137 km of slopes.

Another well-known winter sports destination is the Sierra Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is located in the Betic Cordillera in southeastern Spain. It is the southernmost ski resort in Europe. The Sierra Nevada has 65 km of slopes and the ski season lasts 5 months. In the Sierra Nevada, Pradollano and Borreguiles are the main ski slopes. The Sierra Nevada has as many as 16 mountain peaks that rise above 3,000 meters. The highest point on the Spanish mainland is therefore found in the Sierra Nevada and has a height of 3482 meters. The special thing about a winter sports vacation in the Sierra Nevada is that while skiing you have a view of the Spanish coast! Skiing in Spain combined with a few days at the beach is therefore an excellent possibility!

Besides the Sierra Nevada and the Pyrenees, Spain has a number of other Spanish mountains. For example, there is also the Castilian dividing mountain range. Spain consists of about two-thirds Spanish plateau with an average height of 600 meters. This mountain range, as it were, splits the Spanish plateau in two. The Castilian Divide mountain range begins north of Madrid and runs south of the region of Castile y Leon to just across the border with Portugal.

In northwestern Spain there is also the Cantabrian Mountains. This mountain range lies west of the Pyrenees and is the separation between the green Atlantic coast and the dry Spanish plateau. Although the Cantabrian Mountains also have some ski resorts, this mountain range is mostly known for its many hiking opportunities. This mountain range is also home to the deepest caves in Spain.

Besides all these outdoor skiing opportunities, there is also the possibility to enjoy the snow in the heart of summer in Madrid. This is because Madrid has the largest indoor ski center in Europe. Its perfect location in southwestern Europe and its many opportunities make Spain the sunniest winter sports destination in Europe.