Culinary Impressions from Spain

Fun Facts about Madrid

• Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is the third-most populous municipality in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-most populous in the European Union after Paris and London.
• Its sister city in the USA is New York City.
• Madrid is home to Real Madrid, who plays in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid is one of the most prestigious soccer clubs in the world, having won a record 9 European Soccer Cups.
• The city bid to host the 1972 Summer Olympics, the 2012 Summer Olympics, and the 2016 Summer Olympics, which were lost to Munich, London, and Rio de Janeiro respectively.
• Madrid hosts the largest Plaza de Toros (bullring) in Spain, Las Ventas, established in 1929. Las Ventas is considered by many to be the world centre of bullfighting and has a seating capacity of almost 25,000.
• The Auditorio Nacional de Música is the main venue for classical music concerts in Madrid, is home to the Spanish National Orchestra, the Chamartín Symphony Orchestra and the venue for the symphonic concerts of the Community of Madrid Orchestra and the Madrid Symphony Orchestra.
• The Royal Botanic Garden or Real Jardin Botanico was an 18th century creation. It was used as a base for the plant species being collected across the globe.

Incantato Impressions: Madrid

Explore Oviedo

Oviedo was first founded in 761 by monks Maximo and Fromestanus. It is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and is the administrative and commercial center of the region.

Oviedo annually hosts the Prince of Asturias Awards. The prestigious event, held in the city’s Campoamor Theatre, recognizes international achievement in eight categories. Past winners include Bob Dylan in the arts category and Al Gore for International Cooperation. 

Oviedo is a growing global city, and Oviedo University’s international campus attracts foreign scholars from throughout the globe. The city is recognized as an official UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historical churches and ancient capital.

Oviedo inspired the fictional city of Vetusta in Leopoldo Alas’ La Regenta. Other notable Spanish writers found inspiration in Oviedo, including Ramon Perez de Ayala in Tigre Juan and Dolores Medio in her novel Nosotros los Rivero. Oviedo was recently featured prominently in Woody Allen’s movie Vicky Christina Barcelona. 

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. 

Welcome to Spain!

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco.

With an area of 504,030 km², Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France. Since January 1, 2010, Spain has held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Because of its location, the territory of Spain was subject to many external influences, often simultaneously, since prehistoric times and through the dawn of Spain as a country. Conversely, the country itself has been an important source of influence to other regions, chiefly during the Modern Era, when it became a global empire that has left a legacy of over 400 million Spanish speakers today, making it the world's second most spoken language by native speakers. Spain is a democracy organized in the form of a parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy.

Spain is a developed country with the ninth or tenth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP, and very high living standards.

Welcome to Paris!

Paris is the capital and the largest city in France. Situated on the River Seine in Northern France, Paris boasts a population of more than two million. 

In 2010, the city was ranked among the three most influential cities in the world, among the Financial Times’ first three “European cities of the future,” and one of the world’s top ten most livable cities. Paris’ influences in business, culture, politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and art contribute to its status as one of the world’s most global cities. Paris ranks among the projected top ten wealthiest cities of the next ten years.

  

Paris reigns as the sixth largest economy in the world, hosting 38 Fortune Global 500 companies. Paris also hosts many international organizations such as UNESCO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world. The Paris region receives approximately 45 million tourists annually, 27 million of whom are foreign visitors. This can be attributed to the region’s numerous iconic landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, as well as its many world-famous institutions and popular parks. 

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia