lokalokaloka

I know they're part of Catalonia and there are a lot of German ex pats too, do they feel Spanish compared to the mainland?

Fred James

Thay are not part of Catalonia - they are an autonomous community in their own right.

steviedeluxe

Perhaps a better question would be, which is the most Spanish community?

Many of the stereotypes can be found in Andalucia. But that accent isn't accepted as "proper" Spanish elsewhere..
Valencia? No way - they're Valenciano, despite being big eaters of Paella and hosting important bull fights.
Madrid then? Too international nowadays.
Asturias is sometimes claimed to be the true Spain. But the rain, cider and hearty stews may come as a shock to those with pre-fixed ideas of Spain.

cricketman

Asturias is pure Asturias. It doesnt even have a Castillian heritage - it is Celtic which is why people are much blonder up here.

Nobody says its pure Spain, they say the Castillian spoken here is very standard - and it is. It is incredibly easy to understand Asturians. Until you go to the villages where they speak Asturian of course

There is no such thing as "typical Spanish". It is an invention which Franco's palls used to hook in ignorant tourists

Pocaloca

It's a bit like someone from the USA or Japan asking what is "typically British". They envisage thatched cottages around village greens, or the changing of the guard. You can always find (or avoid) the stereotypes if that's what you want!

The Balearics are as Spanish as anywhere else in the country, they are just different. If you want to avoid the tourists just go inland a bit.

Dick Dasterdly

Well there's only Mallorca where you can get any distance inland at all and even there the paths have all been well trodden by tourists also the locals seem to me to be more indifferent to visitors than most places I've seen.

Yes,I know they have their fiestas and beauty spots, but overall I found the Spanish side of things a little drab and lacking in vitality, in comparison to many other areas of Spain.

cricketman

I thought Menorca was beautiful with lovely coastline, two pretty cities and excellent "Spanish/Balearic" food

Although we did go in April before it filled up for the tourist season

steviedeluxe

To me old Castilian cities like Segovia, Cuenca, Leon or even Valladolid, feel the most Spanish. Partly because you don't yet see many Brit expats (although tourists are common) but also because they have the old part of town and the routine tends to be more regular. It'd be interesting to live in a place like that for a couple of years or so.

cricketman

You could probably add 30 or so more cities to that list, some of which are in the regions

e.g. Santiago, Oviedo, Gijon, Burgos, Santander, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Girona, Zaragoza, Pamplona, Salamanca, Valencia, Cordoba, Sevilla, Granada, Plasencia, Cáceres, Málaga even

They all felt very Spanish to me. And all have a beautiful old town

For me, these are the jewels of Spain, the mid-sized cities. Much more so than Madrid or Barcelona, or the Coastal areas

mackiemoo

I think most areas feel properly Spanish out of season.

Abyss-Rover

It all depends where on the islands you go. In Mallorca, in a place like Sa Pobla, is 100% more Spanish than Marbella. During the tourist season, the coastal areas are very busy but after that, it's heaven.

cricketman

I dont know why you picked on Marbella. Most times I went to the city or even had a walk down the paseo maritimo the only langauge I even heard was Spanish

Fuengirola, Torremolinos and Benalmadena are much more foreign, as are the urbanizations around Marbella. Still the majority of people are Spanish though, unless you hang out in British bars..

doo

I seem to read that a lot, why do some British people think the costas are 'full of brits'? We're the minority all over the costas. Spain is full of, well, Spanish people.

Pocaloca

Yes, I like Menorca. I went for a couple of weeks in September one year, stayed in Mahon. It was a really nice place with lots of art galleries, open-air concerts and great food. The only downside was all the posers on the posh yachts in the marina, but they tend to keep themselves to themselves.

Domino

aren't posh yachts in marinas just for posers ?
some of them never even leave their berth.

anything useful would rarely be berthed in a marina


will have to get my captain to take ours for a spin for a couple of minutes round the bay.