Name: Marcos Piris González.High Shcool: IES Lázaro Cárdenas

MY CULTURALDICTIONARY

MEI’m Marcos Piris González and I’m 14. I live in Collado Villalba, a ville of Madrid the capital of Spain. My high school is Lázaro Cárdenas. I’m going to speak about me.

IES Lázaro Cárdenas

MY FRIENDS

My friends. Thy’re very important in my life because when I’m sad and bad they can make me smile :) .

They’re fantastic.

MY FAMILYMy family is the most important aspect in my life. Because they wanna make me happier and happier.

MY HOBBIES

In a normal day of my life I make a lot of things, but my favourite hobbies are listening to music, reading and the music (I play the clarinet).

My favourite book

CULTURAL ASPECTS

OFSPAIN

The Alhambra

The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex constructed during the mid 14 th century thet hosted the Nasryd dinasty and his cpurt. After the “Reconquest” by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492 some buildings were used by the Cristian Rulers. The Palace of the King Charles V, built in 1527, was inserted within the Nasryd buildings.

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Conected to the Alhambra, you can find the Palace of Generalife, where you can enjoy its marvellous gaden, wich is one of the major tourist atraction in Spain.The Alhambra is considered one of the most well known Islamic architecture and it’s a world Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Barcelona

It preserves several remains from Roman time (like the towers of the wall).Antonio Gaudi’s monuments stand out such us as the Sacred Family.In addition, the Olympics of 1992 took place there.

Barcelona is the second most important city in Spain, and the capital of Catalonia Comunity.The Universal Exposition of the year 1888 caused the arrival of inmigrants from all over Spain, and that was accentuated in the Universal Exposition of 1929.The principal economic activity is manufacturing.

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CervantesMiguel de Cervantes, called “the Prince of Wits”, was a Spanish novelist, poet and playwriter born in “Alcalá de Henares”. In 1571, he took part in the battle of Lepanto, where he lost a hand and since then, he was known as “the one-arrived man of Lepanto”.He wrote poetry, plays and fiction novels. His main novel “Don Quijote” is world-known and it’s considered one of the best fiction ever written.

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FootballFootball is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a ball. It’s the world’s most popular sport. The object of the game is too score by drving the ball into the opposite goal. Last year, Spain won the World Championship in South Africa. The whole country celebrated the victory.Spain has one of the best leagues in the world, and also most of the best players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

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Spanish ham Spain is popular for its dry cured-hams. The “Jamón Ibérico” is mad from the same black-fooled breed of pig and is a common part of daily life in most Spanish homes.Cured-hams come from pigs fed with acorns. Ham is conveced with salt and some nitrates and it takes a long time to dry (they are hung, for at least, six or seven months).One of the most famous types of hams comes from the province of Huelva (Ham of Habugo).In Spain, ham is normally served in slices, or eaten in sandwiches.

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IbizaIbiza is a Spanish island that belongs to the Balears Island. It’s the third largest island and the closet to “Iberian Peninsula”.Its average temperature is quite high during the whole year around is tourism. It has a great abundance of tourists from all over the world, due to its good climate and its marvellous bays and cliffs.In addition, it’s a very well-known place for great night atmosphere and discos.

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Madrid

Madrid is the capital of Spain and the most important and largest city.It’s in the centre of Spain and it’s where al the bussinesses and offices are.Madrid has a dry climate. Most rain falls in autumn and spring. The winters are cold and sometimes there is snow.As it’s the capital cuty, Madrid is where the king lives and also where the goverment meets.

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The population of the city has increased enormously in the last years, partly due to a grat number of inmigrants, from all over Spain and some South-american and European countries.The most important and famous museums are The Prado Museums, The Queen Sofia Museum and the Thyssen.Although it’s a modern city, a lot of its hirtory can be seen along the streets and in the large squares. There are beautiful parks, famous buildings, art galleries, musuems…The Royal Palace is one of the largest palace in Europe and it’s used for important events.

Paella

Paella is a Spanish dish originated in an area called Albufera in the province of Valencia. Paella consists of white rice, green vegetables and meat like chicken, duck, rabbit…Some people replaces the meat for seafood (shrimps, musselsiclams…). Paella is a traditional dish and a part of our culture.

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Quijote“Don Quijote de la Mancha” is the character who gives name to the novel of Mguel de Cervantes “El ingenioso hodalgo don Quijote de la Mancha”.This novel was published in two volumes written ten years apart. In the novel, a gentlemanly poor person, obsessed with books of chilvary leaves his house in search of adventures, riding his horse “Rocinante”, in search of justice and the honor of his love “ Dulcinea” in company of his page and confident “Sncho Panza”.

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Santiago of CompostelSantiago of Compostel is a Spanish town situated in the west of Spain and it’s the capital of Galicia. It’s a World Heritage City and and a pilgrimage destination, wich attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. Santiago has also a deep-rooted university tradition. Its university is one of the oldest in the world.The city began to grow in the 9th century, due to the high number of people who`peregrinated to visit the tomb of the Apostle Santiago, in the cathedral of Santiago. Pilgrims travel to the city each year from all over Europe and other part of the world.

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ToledoToledo is a Spanish city located in central Spain, 70 Km south of Madrid, It’s the capital of the province of Toledo. It’s also the capital of autonomun comunity of Castile-La Mancha. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its expensive cultural and monumental Heritage as one of the former capitals of the Spanish Empire and place of coexistence of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures. Many famous people and artists were born or lived in Toledo, including Al-Zarqali, Garcilaso de la Vega, Eleanor of Toledo, Alfonso X and El Greco.

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WineWine is the resultant product of the fermentation of the juices of grapes. Spain has a long history of produicing wine.It’s one of the most popular products of Spain, and it’s also one of the products Spain exports the most. The area of La Rioja stands out in the production of wine in Spain.Spain is the third largest producer of wine in the world, both in quality and quantity.

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