RESEARCH
Spain is located south of France, east of Portugal and north of Morocco. Mallorca is one of the Balearic Islands, which can be found to the east of main land Spain.
Spain was one of the twelve countries that adopted the Euro on January 1st, 2002. On February 28th 2002, pesetas, which were Spain’s national currency, were no longer accepted.
Healthcare in Spain is pretty much equivalent of health care here in Canada. It is recommended that each visitor have their hepatitis A, hepatitis B and tetanus-diphtheria shots before arriving in Spain. While traveling in Spain, the average Canadian requires additional medical insurance because Spanish hospitals demand money up front.
There are about 800 hospitals throughout Spain. This number
includes private institutions as well as public ones. Private hospitals
offer phone, TV and radio as well as having the luxury of choosing
their own staff while being a patient in the hospital. Expect to pay
between $200-$400 Canadian per night at a private institution.
Public hospitals are run by the Spanish Red Cross and none of the
above luxuries are offered. Pharmacies in Spain can be located by
their green cross (some of them flash to let you know they're open).
On the island of Mallorca (the island that I'm staying on);
40 of the 90 beaches
have been awarded "blue flag
beaches" by the European Foundation of Environmental
Education. This foundation distinguishes the best beaches
throughout Europe every year.
Different flags can be found on the beaches. Green, which means bathing permitted; yellow, which means bath with caution; and red which means no bathing permitted.
Telefonica is the main telephone company in Spain. The company provides many phone banks throughout that country that accept pre-paid phone cards or Euros. Many of these phones have instructions in English.
Spain is part of the Mediterranean climate. In Mallorca it is quite warm during the summer as you can see on the graph below. It also doesn't receive that much rain during the summer months.
Mallorcan cuisine is based on pork and vegetables. Mallorca is famous for its mayonnaise which is called salsa mahonessa in Spanish. Another popular Mallorcan favorite is sobrosada, which is spicy sausage. Olives play a big part in Mallorcan gastronomy since the island is covered with olive trees. There are many almond, fig and orange trees that flourish throughout the island they came with the Moors. Peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes originated from Spain’s New World colonies.
Spaniards are avid football fans. There are about 300 football clubs in the Balearic Islands and Real Mallorca is the largest and most popular one. Sailing is also a very popular sport to follow. Especially in August when Mallorca hosts sailing events such as the Copa del Rey (the King’s Cup) and the Princess Sofia Cup.
Locals in Mallorca are known for their hospitality and respect for tradition. A couple of years ago it was not unlikely that a new homeowner would wake up to find a gift of some sort on their front step as a welcoming gift from their neighbor’s. Mallorcans are known for their strong sense of family belonging- children were of most importance. Tourism has replaced fishing and agriculture as Mallorca’s main industry and has quickened their pace of life.