Bilbao--->Madrid

Most of the foreigners I've met in Bilbao have visited Spain before. Vacations or university study-abroad programs bring them through Madrid, Barcelona or the sunny southern coast. They fall in love with Spain and decide to come back, though it seems like some of them get quite the surprise when they get off the train in the Basque Country. It's sometimes not the Spain they thought they knew.

The country is made up of distinct regions and peoples, each with their own language and culture. Galicia, the Basque Country, Catalunya, Madrid, Andalucia-all part of the mosaic that makes up Spain. In the Basque part of the mosaic, the food, people and customs are different than in other sections. Some say the people are more reserved, harder to get to know. That it lacks the everyday passion and panache of the rest of the country. Oooh, but the food...Mmm!!!
The differences in climate and landscape are like a visual reminder of the cultural differences between the north and the south. In five hours on the bus to Madrid, we went from Bilbao's misty green hills dotted with orange terracotta roofs, to wide open plains, dry and yellow under the sun. From 15 degrees to 25.

I can't personally speak for the differences between northern and southern Spain, as I haven't yet visited much outside the Basque Country. But I'm happy to have had Bilbao as my first point of contact with Spain. I really like it here. Maybe coming in with no expectations is a good thing.