Language reflects character. A people with a language like Spanish, in which a deeply guttural 'ch' and a roaring 'rr' dominate the sound, must be a stubborn and enduring, resilient people. Whether the theory is valid everywhere or not, does not matter. For Spain it works. Spain is a country with character, stubborn, resilient and proud. Observe the sharp, nearly choreographed movements of the torero and the bailaor, the flamenco dancer, and sense the emotion they radiate. They do not express an emotion of disdain or contempt, they express an emotion of having things under control, an emotion of immense pride, an emotion of endurance and determination. And that is exactly what Spain is, and what Spain demands from its visitors. Like more or less in all Mediterranean Europe, the coastal regions of Spain are lush and invitingly laid back; but behind the often snow-capped Sierras lies another Spain, the Spain of the baking hot 'sartén', ... the frying pan, the Spain of the arid Extremadura, the Spain of hard working mountain villages, the country where travel requires resilience and endurance. And Spanish pride? Well, reason enough, with the cultural baggage of art cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Cuenca, Segovia and so many more. Not to mention Andalusia, the intriguing cocktail of Moorish and Western civilisation, unique for what it has meant for the world, with the cultural refinement of the Umayyads and the Western drive to go out there and discover the globe. Which we do ....