Spain

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Spain

 

The Life:

• Spain is considered to be a diverse and exotic country in Europe due to “its friendly inhabitants, relaxed lifestyle, its cuisine, vibrant nightlife, and world-famous folklore and festivities”
• Among many places worth visiting are Spain’s thriving capital Madrid, the vibrant coastal city of Barcelona, the famous “Running of the Bulls” at Pamplona, major Andalucian cities with Islamic architecture, like Seville, Granada and Córdoba, the Way of St. James and the idyllic Balearic and Canary Islands.”

-Wikitravel

Cost of Living: Medium

• Not ridiculously expensive like NYC but also not cheap.

Poker: No

• Online will be regulated, possibly heading towards an intrastate format like Italy and France.
• April 13, 2011: Spanish Congress Approves Legislation
• “the approved legislation will see the introduction of a transitional period “so that companies can regulate their status and sponsorship activities.”

Internet Speed:

Weather:

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U.S. Visa/Entry Difficulty Level: Easy

• U.S. Citizens may enter Spain up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a Visa.
• Beginning Jan 1st 2011, should you wish to stayin Spain for three months or longer, you must get an FBI criminal records check before you can apply for your Spanish visa.

• “When I studied there I personally didn’t get one because it was a huge hassle. I was there longer then 90 days and travelled all over Europe, including outside the Schengen countries and had no problems. The customs people just stamp your passports all over, they dont actually check dates. You can’t reset I don’t believe.” -Jeffmet

Banking for US Citizens:

• Banking Options for Expats:
• USA:  There are Citibanks in Spain, but it doesn’t make your international banking any easier: the same charges apply as if it were a different bank. With some Spanish banks, you can open both dollar accounts and euro accounts, and transfer between them.
• If you’re under 26 you can qualify for a foreigner’s account with Caixa Catalunya that includes a Visa debit card and all transaction fees are free (in general, not including other banks’ fees). They seem to have nice people, but you’ll probably have to speak Spanish.

Language:

• Spanish is the official language, however in regions like Barcelona and Valencia, Catalan is spoken.  IT IS NOT A DIALECT, YOU WILL PISS THEM OFF IF YOU CALL IT THAT, LIKE WHEN I KEPT ASKING THE AUSSIES WHERE I COULD GET TICKETS TO THE U.S. OPEN WHEN I MEANT THE AUSSIE OPEN, AWKWARD.

Food:

• The Spanish are very passionate their food and wine.  Their style leans towards lighter meals with a lot of vegetables and a huge variety of meat and fish.  They do not use many spices and instead rely on the use of high quality ingredients for taste.

WikiTravel’s Lengthy Entry on Eating

Recreation:

Additional Sources:
http://www.spainexpat.com
USA Gov’t Website

http://wikitravel.org/en/Spain