1. What is the one place in Spain that you would most like to visit and why?
2. Find one of the newspapers published in Spain.  What is the headline on the day you arrive?  (Specify the date and the paper).  Read at least one article and tell me what it is about. (Not a word for word translation, just the main ideas.)
3. Choose a restaurant in any city in Spain that you would like to go to (tell me where, the name of the restaurant, and why you chose it), and describe the meal that you plan on having there. 
4. What is the political system and who is the head of the government?  What type of relationship does the Spanish government have with the United States?
5. You will be leaving tomorrow for Spain.  You would like to see some type of cultural event while you are there.  Look and see what kind of events will be going on three days from now (make sure to specify date) and choose one to go to.  Why did you pick this particular event?

ANSWERS

1.    Barcelona is one of the biggest city in the kingdom of Spain. It is the capital city of the people of Catalonia. Being the second largest and most populated cities in the country of Spain, Barcelona provides a great opportunity to visit, enjoy the scenery, rich culture and the diverse society. This is a city located along the Mediterranean Sea in the northeastern part of the country. It is a city quite rich in history, culture, sports and many other aspects that would make traveling there very enjoyable. It is considered a city that never sleeps, and it’s always active day and night. It has beautiful beaches, buildings, restaurants and a great place to tour. The climate of the city is the typical Mediterranean climate that is conducive for touring because of sunshine all year round with not so very harsh winters (Barcelona, 2017).

2.    During a festival in the year 2016 which took place in France was associated with the death of a matador from Spain by the name of Ivan Fandino. He was a well-known matador from Spain and had taken part in countless bull fighting events. 18th of June 2017 was a day of mourning as people from Spain and the rest of the world mourns his death, where he slipped, stepped on his cloth and the bull gored him on the chest, and this led to his death in front of thousands of spectators. The bull gored his chest breaking his ribs and puncturing his lung. He was taken to hospital where he died in the process of treatment. He died at the age of thirty-six years and had come from the Basque region in Spain. Many people from Spain such as politicians and the royal family took this day to mourn the death of the well-known matador. Bullfighting is a very common and popular tradition in Spain and has been practiced for many years. He was loved by many and therefore mourned by many as well. The sport though very popular in the country is now finding a lot of pressure with many states in the country demanding its ban because the negative implications on the matadors themselves as well as on the grounds of animal rights where the bulls suffer from (The Local, 2017).

3.    The Tickets bar is a bar and restaurant situated at Avinguda, in the city of Barcelona Spain. It is one of the well-known restaurants in the city characterized by great food and wonderful service. It has a wide variety of food that represent Catalonian’s rich culture, history as well as their artistic value that also represents the Spanish Kingdom it would be a great experience to visit this restaurant and have a taste of what they have to offer. While on my visit to Tickets bar and restaurant I will make sure I get a taste of their Tapas and stake. This is one among many of my favorite meals that I order when I tour, and I always like to compare the way it is prepared at different places (Ticket Bar, 2017).

4.    Spain exists as a monarch which is hereditary. It is also represented by a parliament.  Country’s executive branch is represented by a council consisting of ministers for various aspects of government and are headed by a prime minister. The prime minister of the nation is usually appointed by the monarch and is confirmed by the parliament of the country. The relationship between Spain and the United States is as old as the American Revolution. The Spaniards had helped there revolutionaries in the fight against the British. However, they still did not recognize the independence of the United States. The American and Spanish war was also another aspect that saw the great conflicts the two nations had in the past. In the world of today, the two nations are more of allies. The United States offered Spain the marshal plan during after the Second World War, and today they are both allies and together help each other in the fight against terrorism in the world (Spain US relations, 2016).

5.    Night of San Juan is an upcoming event soon to take place from 20th to 24th in Valencia. It is a costume festival associated with parades. It is a celebration of the equinox and is more of a pagan event. However, it is a very exciting event that attracts crowds from many parts of the country as well as the world in celebration (San Juan, 2017).