"Spain; the view of an american" a Spain Travel Page by magictravelers

I moved to Spain in 1999. I had been here before, so I had an idea of what it was like, but still find myself learning new stuff six years later. And still, get mazed by some of the questions people ask me about Spain. So the other night while trying to fall asleep, I though I should write a bit about my "new country" as an american comming for the first time. I will write all that comes to my mind that surprised me, things I found I needed of missed and forgot, and the things I didn´t. I hope I can help at least 1 person and my goal will be acomplished. lso, I hope anyone tells me what they found interesting, dificult, lacked, etc. so we can help people that come here have the greatest time possible.
I also hope no one thinks I am an idiot for writting some basic stuff; I think there isn´t a stupid questions if it exits.
Have fun and feel free to write with any suggestions or correcions!

Believe it or not, I have ran into people who think Spain is a small town, or an island. We ran into a lady who heard Javi´s accent and asked him where he was from. When he said Spain, sge quickly replied: my greatgrandparents were from there,: the Rodriguezs. Javis face was worth a million bucks.
Another time while in PR, we got pulled ove by a cop because we were speeding (did not mean to). THe cop asked Javi for his license and the cars papers and when he saw the license he asked: where are you from? Javi said Barcelona. Next thing the cop said: where is that? Near Cokombia? Oh! too bad I was a bit scared, I could have fallen to the ground laughing! But these are only 2 of the questions we have been asked and I can only wonder what people who have not traveled to Europe think of Spain.
Well, let me start by sayung that guys don´t walk around with the bullfighters dress on the streets, and women do not walk with those long dresses with white circles everyday. Spaniards eat a lot more than paella and drink a lot more than wine.
Spain has 17 autonomic communities (Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Balear Islands, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla Y Leon, Castilla La Mancha, Cataluña, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, BAsque Country, La Rioja and Valencia) and each one has its own laws, customs, diet, and some have their own language.
There are 1030 kms from Barcelona (Catalunya- East) to Badajoz (Extremadura- West), and 986 kms from Bilbao (BAsque Country- North) to Cadiz (Andalucia- South).
Public transportations is excelletn between Capitals by air, car, bus or train (No, no horses).

Comming from US, you will notice: clothes are more expensive, hotels are cheaper as well as food. But let me tell you, Spain is one of the cheapest countries in Europe, besides the old URSS cpuntries.
The coin is the EURO, and now it is expensive againts the dollar, but still you´ll find great deals around. Also depending on the City you are in and if you walk away from touristy places (best way to travel for us). You may find a great hotel for about 75 euros a night with breakfast included, so if you have a budget, you better "shop" around for the best hotels. The only thing I find expensive is clothing, because I use a size 12/14 and these are huge sizes for Spanish women. Also, gas is extremly expensive as well as tolls where you may pay up to 16 euros for a trip. If you plan to rent a car, keep this in mind (and also that cars here are stick shif, really small compacts)