Don’t just take our word for it. Here are 15 opinions from the world’s greatest minds that will convince you to do an international internship in Spain:
1) It’s friendly:
“I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!” – George Orwell
2) It’s ripe for exploration:
“Madrid is enjoyed most from the ground, exploring your way through its narrow streets that always lead to some intriguing park, market, tapas bar or street performer. Each night we’d leave our hotel to begin a new adventure in Madrid and nine out of 10 times, we’d walk through the Plaza Mayor.” – Emilio Estevez
3) The beloved Spanish night: “There is no night life in Spain. They stay up late but they get up late. That is not night life. That is delaying the day.” – Ernest Hemingway
4) It’s a country connected to its history: “Like Spain, I am bound to the past.” – William S. Burroughs
5) It’s cultured: “Nature and man are opposed in Spain.” – Gertrude Stein
6) It’s familiar with tragedy and drama: “Bullfights aren’t a form of sport, they are a tragedy. A bullfight is a tragedy in three acts. These noble creatures, who are waiting for their death this afternoon are the heroes of that tragedy. The tragedy of the bullfight is based on the innocent of this creature. Of course, his innocence, his perfect virginity, is the basis of the tragedy of the bullfight.” – Orson Welles
7) It has its own poetry: “I have seen dawn and sunset on moors and windy hills coming in solemn beauty like slow old tunes of Spain.” – John Edward Masefield
8) Its past lives on: “In Spain, the dead are more alive than the dead of any other country in the world.” – Federico Garcia Lorca
9) It’s a place of truth and art: “Art is a lie which brings us closer to truth.” Pablo Picasso
10) It’s beloved: “I love Spain. It’s my favorite country that I’ve been to and I’ve traveled quite a bit.” – Bitsie Tulloch
11) It loves a party: “To go to bed at night in Madrid marks you as a little queer. For a long time your friends will be a little uncomfortable about it. Nobody goes to bed in Madrid until they have killed the night. Appointments with a friend are habitually made for after midnight at the cafe.” – Ernest Hemingway
12) It’s home to some of the world’s greatest artists: “There´s nothing as surreal as reality.” – Salvador Dalí
13) The lively city streets: “Madrid, Madrid, Madrid / you’re very thought in Mexico / because of the flavor of your open-air dances / because of so many good things we dream about from here / and you’ll see what is to be outstanding / and kick up a row when you arrive to Madrid” – Sara Montiel (Madrid, Madrid, Madrid)
14) Madrid: “I adore Madrid. It’s my city. If I ever move, it will only be for work. Whenever I travel, I always want to get back home.” – Maria Valverde
15) The architecture: “Cubism is a part of the daily life in Spain, it is in Spanish architecture. The architecture of other countries always follows the line of the landscape . . . but Spanish architecture always cuts the lines of the landscape.” – Gertrude Stein
Sources: BrainyQuote, TakeLessons.com, Topfamousquotes.com, GoodReads.com, TheLocal.es, LyricsTranslate.com, Spanish-learning-corner.com
Photo 1. based on Atardece en El Retiro, Madrid, by Gregorio Puga Bailón, CC-by-SA 2.0
Photo 2. based on ALCAZAR DE SEGOVIA, by Luis Antonio Fernández Corral, CC-by-2.0
Photo 3. based on Plaza de Pilar Zaragoza #iphone #Spain# #reflections, by Les Haines, CC-by-2.0
Photo 4. based on Puente Besalú (IV), by Danny Hevia, CC-by-SA 2.0
Photo 5. based on Winter in Crystal Palace (just before the dawn), by Felipe Gabaldón, CC-by-2.0