WITHOUT doubt, Spain is truly a haven for tourists. Different people have different choices on where to live. For example, if you are a firefighter from London who has just retired by you still are 40 years old and you just got married to a lovely Spanish wife from Salamanca, then you may want to settle down somewhere near the Costa del Sol area where everything that you see is the sea. I remember this scene from the movie The Bourne Supremacy where Jason Bourne and his wife settled down somewhere in Goa with a commanding view of the coast. Everything is so serene and surreal. Costa del Sol is the Goa of Europe. The 365 days of the year are definitely like living in paradise.

Also, there are lots of nudist beaches in Costa del Sol so once in a while; you may want to go to these beaches for your unending honeymoon. Just don’t go out alone in nudist beaches because these are not usually patrolled by the Guardia Civil or by the resort lifeguards for privacy is the key in a nudist beach. But if what you like is hip urban adventure, then go to Valencia. Valencia is gearing up for the biggest real estate and tourist development for the next two years for the two major activities lined up in 2008 and 2009 – the Spanish Grand Prix of the Formula One this August and the premier sailing race in the world, America’s Cup, which will have a Valencia leg by 2009. If what you like is that endless warm summer feeling, then go to Barcelona and enjoy all the bull riding and rodeo stunts. These bull riding activities are year round and every night is barn dance night. Who knows, you’ll meet your soul mate in one of these barn dances? It’s just like a house music party infused with Western-style music and dancing.

If you are the more religious kind, then you better go to the mountains of Garabandal. There is a shrine there dedicated to the Virgin Mary because of an apparition some decades back. Although the apparition itself has not yet been officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, the phenomenon of the people flocking there is overwhelming.

But despite Spain being a predominantly Roman Catholic country, there are tons of gay expats here coming from northern Europe in such countries as Holland, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Because of a burgeoning gay population and to boost the tourism industry even more, the liberal government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has proposed before the Spanish parliament legislation of same-sex marriage. This is a complete turnaround of official Spanish policy wherein 500 years ago conquered the world and proclaimed essential Christian values such as the sanctity of man and wife in marriage. So whether you’re a conservative or a liberated individual, there is always something for you here in Spain.