Spain Things to Do

If you were to put a pin right in the middle of a map of Spain you’d pretty well hit Toledo. 45 miles (70km) south of Madrid. It makes an easy day-trip and is well worth the effort. Toledo sits on a hilltop with fabulous views – once a necessity for seeing the approach of all those invading armies – above a bend in the River Tagus, the Iberian Peninsula’s longest river, which travels through Portugal to reach the sea at Lisbon.

Miradas de Mujeres is a month long festival in Spain taking place in March that is all about celebrating women in art. Across over fifty different venues and galleries and private institutions in the capitol city, Madrid, there will be exhibitions and talks.

Established in the 14th century, Bilbao developed into a port industrial town during the 19th and 20th centuries, growing in population but perhaps not in status. All that changed in the late 1990′s when the Guggenheim foundation decided to build an art gallery in Bilbao.

The Prado in Madrid and the Hermitage in St Petersburg Russia are two of the world’s greatest museums. This past year marked the Spain-Russia Dual Year, so these two world-leaders of culture got together and agreed on a bit of an exchange program. Until March 26^th 2012, you can see 170 treasures from the Hermitage at the Prado…

Madrid is sunshine, culture, atmosphere, tapas… and Inbox 12. Inbox 12 is a unique postcard publication where you receive 12 illustrated cards by local artists designed to celebrate their favourite places in the city. Even if you can’t visit in person, take a moment to enjoy these special places in Madrid through the gorgeous drawings. If you’re there, you can go on a trek to visit in person, although some works are based on intimate personal spaces, others will be possible to find if you look in the right places.