Introducción: Los días

Madrid is a city with beautiful architecture. The picture here is the Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace in Madrid. The King and Queen no longer live in the Palacio Real but at one time, former kings and queens of Spain did live here. Now, you can go in to the Palacio Real and admire the many marvelous works of art that are inside its walls. The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almudena, just across from the Palacio Real, was the site of the 2004 marriage of the King and Queen's only son, Felipe. In May of 2004, all of Madrid was aglow with the splendor of the country's first royal wedding in Madrid in a great many years. Neither of his sisters, who are married, nor his own parents, were married in Madrid. The King and Queen of Spain are not the political leaders of the country. Spain has a Prime Minister for those kinds of duties. The King and Queen are diplomatic spokespeople for the country and are very respected by Spaniards.

España

Hopefully you realize that the first group of Spanish speakers came from Spain. Spain is located in Western Europe and is not quite as large as the state of Texas.

In Saludos, you studied some things about Mexico, the country that is closest to us where Spanish is spoken. In this unit, we are going to learn some fascinating things about Spain. First, look at the country that you see on the map to the right.

From the map, you can see that in the center of the country is the capital city, Madrid, which is also the country's second largest city. Barcelona, on the Mediterranean coast very close to France, is the country's largest city. Both of these cities are very rich in European history.

There are seventeen regions in Spain similar to what we call states. Spain is on the Iberian Peninsula and is bordered by Portugal to the west and the Pyrenees Mountains and France to the east. To the north of Spain is the Atlantic Ocean and to the south is the Mediterranean Sea.

Madrid is Europe's highest capital, at 2100 feet above sea level. The attractions and sights of Spain's capital draw millions of visitors each year. In Madrid, you might want to go see the Palacio Real—the former residence of the royal families of Spain; or you might want to see a game of Real Madrid—the capital's fútbol (soccer) team; or you might want to shop in the beautiful downtown area Puerta del Sol; or you might want to eat in some of the famous tapas cafés; or you might even want to go to a Corrida de Toros (bullfight). One thing is certain; you will find plenty of things to do in Spain's beautiful capital city.