This portion is meant to be a brief overview of the country of Spain so as to better understand the work going on there. _____________________________________

What the cities look like

Large capital cities and small pueblos appear throughout the country. We spent most of our time in the large capitals because that is where the majority of the populous lives, and therefore the greatest ministry opportunities are found.

The cities are tightly packed and built upwards. Many of them still contain walls from the Roman times which limit the sprawl. For this reason, most people live in apartments.

A common feature among nearly every large city is the Plaza. It is affectionately called, “The City’s Living Room.” This is where to go to meet people, hang out, take a stroll, buy dinner, or just watch people. Everything flows out of the center square. The one in Salamanca, that you see above, was where they filmed the movie, “Vantage Point.”

The streets are often times tight and and incredibly “un-grid-like.” Imagine a wheel with the center being the Plaza and the protruding spokes being the streets. Major avenues often run around the city like the tire.