Is This What Ben Gets Up To In Spain

How often does it snow in Spain?

If your perception of Spain is based on Mediterranean coastal resorts, generally located in places like Malaga that have gentle climates year round, you might be surprised how cold it can get in Spain. Certainly coming from Scotland, I’ve experienced colder conditions here at times than I ever did in Glasgow (which is in general colder, just it never gets below a certain temperature normally because of it’s Atlantic location). I’ve experienced -12 in Segovia and -7 in Toledo in the last couple of years and wind chill can make it feel even colder. In Glasgow, those temperatures would be considered uncommonly cold.As people have pointed out, Spain has a lot of climate variablility from places like Almeria that are pretty much desert, to places like Galicia that are wet and mild, a bit like the UK or Ireland but a few degrees warmer. Parts of Spain never really get cold, parts of it can be absolutely freezing in winter because of distance from the sea (more continental/extreme climate) or altitude - there are cities like Segovia or Avila that are over 1000 metres. Don’t forget that Spain is one of hte most mountainous countries in Europe.However, this doesn’t always mean snow - A lot of the time the temperature will be cold at night and in the morning but become quite warm in the afternoon and a lot of places where it gets cold are also quite dry meaning that actual snow is rare. But in the regions where colder temperatures and higher precipitation coincide, it’s not that uncommon. You get heavy snow falls in some places every year and TV news will usually show it. You can tell from the architecture of the buildings - places like the Sierra de Madrid have more “Alpine” architecture with sloping roofs cos of the snowfall, compared to the flat roofs of Andalucia.So really it depends where in Spain you are. At the moment I live in Seville where it almost never snows. It has famously only snowed once here since the death of Franco and that was just a few snowflakes over Sevilla Este rather than anything heavier.

Which soccer team was better, Spain 2010 or Germany 2014?

A2A.Lets compare position wise and then as a team.Goalkeeper: Casillas was the best around in 2010. Neuer is the best around right now. But, surely, Neuer was better. So, Germany 2014.Defence:  Boateng and Howedes are right now not as good as Puyol, Sergio Ramos, and Pique were in 2010. Lahm, probably the best RB this world had seen. Hummels, an amazing defender too. So, right now, because of Boateng and Howedes, Spain 2010.Midfield: Xavi, Xabi Alonso, and Iniesta in 2010. It rarely gets better than this. Schweinsteiger, Muller and Kroos are really very good, but right now, Spain 2010 has the edge. Maybe a few years down the line, Muller and Kroos will surpass them.Attack:  David Villa and Pedro vs. Ozil and Klose. It was going to be a Klose call, but Germany 2014 has an edge here. Ozil is an amazing playmaker and Klose has a knack for performing really well in the Cups. Spain's Tiki-Taka vs Germany's possession-speed-attack game. Although, many would say Tiki-Taka is over, but if executed well, it can still be dangerous. Germany's style is really good. We did get a good look at it at the World Cup. Trust me, Brazil(even without Silva) had a decent defence. Seven goals against them in a single match is almost impossible. This Germany side has it all. Teamwork, leadership and a vision for victory.All in all, it would be Germany 2014's midfield+attack vs Spain 2010's strong defence. It would be a tight match. I would put my money on Spain 2010 because they have the edge over Germany 2014 in two departmens(big ones). Also, with Xavi and Iniesta, as they were 4 years back, Germany's defence lines would be tested in a manner they never faced in this World Cup.Although the World Football Elo Ratings disagree with me, but there's a reason Spain dominated World Football for as long as six years. And 2010 was almost their prime. So, there's that. Maybe by Euro 2016, Boateng, Howedes, Kroos, Muller will get better and then Germany 2016 will be able to defeat Spain 2010.

What if Catalonia gets separated from Spain and does it affect the EU? If yes, then how much?

The most affected would be Catalonia itself: Out of EU,the Euro and the credit circuits of Bank of Europe,not recognized as a state internationally could hardly finance it public services, if at all(currently it is receiving partial funding from Spain State Treasure), forcing a devaluation of their currency so making all catalonians poorer (up to 20–25% poorer as for the worst scenario).Then it would affect Spain,Catalonia is about 19% of internal GDP but if we take apart tourism the rate is even higher. Of course there several big companies who have affirmed than they would oust Catalonia in case of not agreed independence,but not all of them have stated clearly that they will move on to Spain,so there is a matter of incertitude on how much exactly it will finally affect Spanish economy,not for any good that is sure.As for EU it may have an impact,but considering how many tears have been poured for Brexit (not many apparently), that UK economy is more than twice the size of the Spanish (it would make 12 times the one of Catalonia) and it's internal market population sums up almost 10 times the customers of Catalonia I would say Brussels is not amused but even less impressed about the attitude of independentism.This analysis is only based in macroeconomical data as you see,just because it is the easiest to calculate. Micro economy,social or political affection often happens to be both subjective and uneven.

Which is more beautiful : Spain or Italy?

Thanks for the A2A.I'm an Italian that lived for 30 years in Italy (Rome and Milan) before moving to Spain with his Spanish girlfriend.Italy and Spain are very similar and at the same time very different. It depends pretty much on what you value the most.Nature: they are both amazing countries when it comes to natural beauties. Italy has the advantage of having an incredibly high bio-diversity in a much smaller space.Culture/history: we could spend hours simply writing a list of the cultures and peoples that made both countries great. Italy was the cuddle of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, Spain started one of the biggest empires ever existed and financed the exploration of most of the current known world…Food: I'm biased. I love to merge with every culture I get in touch with. But there is a limit to how long I can stay in a place without cooking my own traditional Italian meals. Both countries follow a Mediterranean diet, and meals are very healthy. They are also very similar in how North and South recipes differ.People: both very passionate. I had a feeling across the years that:Spain is more uniform. Yes if you ask them Bascs are quite “peculiar”, people for Sevilla very cheery etc, but nothing compared to the differences between somebody grown up on the Alps and somebody from Sicily.Italians are (generically speaking) more belligerent. We fight more, over a lot of things.Work/life balance: it is more at city level. I found Madrid so perfect in terms of work/life balance that I would go back there any second. I'm not sure I would go back to Rome or Milan - although I will be eternally in love with the first.Government: both embarrassing, as most of the southern-European countries. I think Italy is a step further for the complete lack of any reliable political party.My 2 pence.

How do you say "the early bird gets the worm" in Spanish?

There are a ton of expressions to convey that moral, several of each from a regional “refranero” (collection of proverbs) in Spain (let alone those developed in Latin-America!). The one everybody will probably know comes from the Castillian collection of proverbs and goes likes this: a quien madruga, Dios lo ayuda, roughly translated as: “God will help whom gets up early”.It admits replies as continuations: A quien madruga, Dios lo ayuda, si se levanta con buen fin (“if he does so with good intentions”), that also may work as counters. E.g.: A quien madruga, Dios lo ayuda. Uno que madrugó un duró se encontró.—¡Pero más madrugó el que lo perdió!… “God helps the ones who get up early; one who did so found some money… Yes, but the one who lost it got up even earlier!”.These continuations or counters are very common in the everyday language, especially in the elder people (people in their 60s or older):—Buenas nochas, ¡hasta mañana!—Si Dios quiere…Roughly going as:“Good night, see you tomorrow”.“God willing…”Which is something I only meet from time to time in English literature but a lot in “Catholic-dominated countries” languages, like Irish, which finish most expressions with Buíochas le Dia or le cúnamh Dé, both convey that meaning of God’s will or help.Cheers!

How hard or easy is it to get by in Spain with speaking only English?

I went to Barcelona, Spain recently with little to no knowledge of Spanish. Barcelona is probably the only place where spaniards respond in English to you and help you make your way around the city!They try their best to understand what you’re saying and sometimes even go as far as to translate it on their phones and help you!However, it is common courtesy to learn atleast a few greetings before visiting a country.If you’re visiting Spain, here are a few:Hola! - hello / hiComo estas- How are you?Muy bien- very goodGracias- thank youDe nada - no problemBueno Dias- good morningBuenas tardes- good afternoon/eveningBuenas noches- good nightComo te llamas - what is your name ?Me llamo (your name)- my name is ________Y tu? - and you?If you need any more help, you can always ask in the comments below!Hope this helps!!!!