For me, the annoying thing about Spain is that, in the UK, there's a certain association with it being the default place to go for 'some warm', thanks to it being the nearest & cheapest place to go where the temperature is that bit higher - and, of course, the inevitable associations with Channel 5-type shows following 'Club 18-30' goers who get to further their binge-drinking instincts whilst wearing shorts.
If that's your thing, well, fair enough - I've had my fair share of drunken nights out in clubs, and I can kind of get that people who lead busy lives may well want a week or two of doing nothing in unfamiliar climes for a bit, so I'm not going to start belittling - but it just seems a shame that these associations might be preventing people from going on any cultural exploration of the place. There are, of course, other issues - the cruelty of bullfighting, for one (which I've never understood as a thing) - but, clearly, there's more to the place than that.
I think my initial interest in Spain was from an amusingly innocuous place - Dogtanian & the Three Muskehounds; a cartoon series from the 1980s that I loved when I was little (and still do - I rarely go longer than a year or two without a watch through the series). The show was actually made by a Spanish animation studio, BRB Internacional - although that's more coincidence than anything else. Specifically, there is a story arc over a couple of episodes late in the run, which involves the protagonists taking a perilous journey into Spain. Spanish stereotypes are inevitably abundant - there's a bullfight, lots of wine - but regardless of all that, because the show was sent in France, it portrayed this trip to Spain with a sense of mysterious exoticism, which I think I've always associated with the place as a result. There's even a quote in the episode that goes, "But, for now, danger and intrigue are far from their thoughts, as they enjoy the exhilaration and adventure of a place they've never been before!"
Years later, when in my mid-teens and increasingly discovering music, I got into The Clash - in particular, their album London Calling - and immediately I was drawn to the song Spanish Bombs. I don't think I really knew enough - or much at all, even - about the Spanish Civil War at the time to fully recognise that that was what the song was about, but their evocative near-storytelling lyrics full of name-checked places and names I didn't know anything about - complete with a chorus sung in Spanish - compelled me to discover more.
Coincidentally, around the same time - although I don't think I was knowledgeable enough to make the link straight away - I had a huge book about Picasso borrowed from the library. It was because of a bit of English homework; for the presumed sake of prompting us to give presentations and improve our communicative abilities, we were asked to select from a list of paintings to research into and talk about to the class for a few minutes. The one that got my attention much more than the others was the Picasso one (annoyingly, I can't remember what it was called and seem to remember it was obscure enough that it was hard to find much out about it, so I can't find an image of it) - thus the book. Although I'd already had some exposure to various artists I think it was the first time I properly read up on a specific one - and I found myself compelled by this newfound canon of work. And, of course, Guernica was a prominently featured work.
Immediately, it hit me as a powerfully dark, angry and painful piece in a way that I don't think any other piece of art had done before. I just had to know more - what could prompt something like this? So, after some further research, I found out about the 1937 bombing of the town with that name and the context surrounding it - which, of course, linked back to that song by The Clash. This interest carried on and, by the time of university, I found myself buying and reading books about the subject - including one by Russell Martin called Picasso's War, which sought to document and discuss the entire story of Guernica the painting, from the context of the event and the story of the painting being created to its aftermath, continued controversy and museum-hosting debacles. It's been about ten years since I read it, but I remember it being a fascinating read (which I'd recommend to anyone who has any interest in the subject) and, throughout, I thought how great it would be to go to Spain and see the place and / or the painting itself. Regarding the painting, it's notorious for being huge (to heighten its impact) and, as good as it is to have immediate access to seeing an image of it online, I suspect it's of little comparison to seeing and being dwarfed by the physical painting itself.
These days, Guernica is housed in a museum in central Madrid. Conveniently, to make it out to Salamanca where Flo is staying, the cheapest way is via Madrid - which is the very place that houses Guernica. So, about sixteen years after being taken in, I actually get to see it!
Hopefully I've just about gotten across my general feeling towards Spain. Despite this interest I essentially know no Spanish, and there is a certain nervousness at traversing a country I've never been to before for the first time (and, short of Salamanca, on my own), but any anxiety is far outweighed by my sheer enthusiasm. For me the trip will provide that perfect combination of early-memory evocation and the much-anticipated realisation of a coming-of-age interest - and, of course, I get to spend a few days with Flo. Fantastic. Who needs Club 18-30? Fittingly, by the time I go, I'll be 31 anyway.
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