Every year from July 7 to the 14th, thousands flock to Pamplona to celebrate Spain’s most famous fiesta. Although known to Spaniards as the fiesta de San Fermin, it is most commonly known as the Running of the Bulls. And to think, death in the afternoon is only the beginning. Perhaps lesser known, but by no means less spectacular, is the fiesta Tomatina de Buñol. More than a mere fiesta, this is chaos and anarchy at its finest - an all out, town-wide, and no throws barred tomato fight!

For nearly eight hundred years, the southern two-thirds of Spain was known as Al-Andalus, the great cosmopolitan civilization that brought together Muslims, Christians and Jews, and inspired many more than just the Spaniards under its rule. During this period, art, science, music, poetry, philosophy and architecture, all flourished in Spain. Andalusian society was not without its tensions, and happily so, since it was these very tensions - the natural and inevitable product of the mixing and mingling of peoples of widely differing perspectives - which created such a vibrant and dynamic culture in these parts.

Spanish culture today is reflected in the still vibrant Moorish architecture of Seville, Granada, and Toledo, but also in the wonderfully surrealistic structures of Gaudi’s Barcelona. Famous names like Picasso, Goya, Dali, Miro, and Balenciaga, need no introduction to signify their contributions to Spanish art and style. The fictional Don Quixote, the anonymous, yet ever glamorous matador, and the soulful gypsy guitarist too each have a special place in this unique land.