Jennifer Jansen
Spain is a fascinating place and one of the most popular destinations in the world for travellers. As far as I’m concerned, there’s always an excuse to visit Spain. Perhaps it’s the glorious sunshine, the lazy-day siestas, the daring modern architecture, or the sophisticated cities. Perhaps it’s all of the above. And that’s before we even mention the food and wine!
Gaudi architecture in Barcelona
The Spanish enjoy one of the best lifestyles and quality of life in Europe and the world. Family and community are essential and treated with respect, with close family ties and deep respect for the elderly very obvious.
This lifestyle seems to be working in their favour with the Spanish predicted to have the longest life expectancy in the world by 2040. The Spanish are only rivalled by Japan in this regard.
Spain is often referred to as the gay capital of Europe. It is a safe and welcoming place for the LGBTQ community. Despite being steeped in Catholicism, especially in places like Barcelona, same-sex couples are very comfortable walking together, holding hands and even taking part in Pride Barcelona’s festivities to which more than 200,000 people showed up to support last year.
The Spanish people are known for their friendliness. They are an open and hospitable bunch, not to mention very good looking! This is where the inspiration for my book The Spaniard’s Claim comes from. It is a second chance romance with a secret baby storyline, and only 99 cents.
Of course, I cannot mention Spain without mentioning all the art galleries and museums within the nation. This is a country with over 800 museums and collections, particularly in Madrid and Barcelona and there has been an explosion in the number of galleries within the last decade.
Spain has a distinguished history in the field of art and has produced many great artists such as Picasso, Goya, and El Greco. In Madrid, the Museo Nacional del Prado houses more than 5,000 paintings, each of them a masterpiece. It is one of the world’s richest art collections and includes an unrivalled collection of Spanish masters.
I urge anyone who is able to travel to Spain to do so. In fact, I urge anyone who is able to travel to any other country to do so. As I have said before, travel will open your eyes, open your mind and always leave you the better for the experience. It is the best education one can get.
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