what is spain famous for, shopping wise
 

going to spain soon, anything special to look for. do they have any kind of craft. what are the buys that show the spanish spirit.<BR>thanx

I enjoyed buying ceramics and tiles in Seville.

Saffron!

Spain:- Jamon, Jamon! (a whole one if you can fit it in your suitcase!)

If you want to contribute to the customs agents' lunch and get a stern lecture and possible fine, try to bring in a ham.<BR><BR>It's illegal, you see, and while many people slip through, others do get caught. <BR><BR>

Lladro' porcelain.

Ceramics, Toledo steel, Filigree silver.<BR>I found an artist in a street market selling his original watercolor white village cityscapes. Really pretty and very reasonable. Cost me more to have them framed when I got back than what I had paid for the paintings!!

someone, some time ago, mentioned buying a big huge hooded cape there. it sounded gorgeous - and pricey. handmade, and around a grand. I think there is a website?

Hi Beth,<BR>here you have it. Personally, I find it too "typical spanish" and too old fashioned.<BR>http://www.sesena.com/<BR><BR>Rgds, Cova

Lladro!!!!!

How about a few bottles of their wonderful Sherry?

If you go to La Mancha, you must buy a figurine of Don Quixote.

Don't forget the Mallorca pearls and the fans.

We just came home with 3 beautiful leather jackets--beautifully made and soft as butter. Be sure to bargain!

LLADROS!<BR><BR>My wife thinks that they grow on trees. We have anumber of them and they are beautiful...and they appreciate in value!

Beth, as another poster mentioned it is Capas Sesena, at <BR><BR>www.sesena.com<BR><BR>It is the best outerwear to use when wearing black tie; all my friends comment on it (ok some give me grief!) when I wear it to events.

Lladros, sherry,lace tablecloths and placemats, Toledo steel jewelry and the boots-oh the boots, shoes and leather belts!!

In addition to leather goods, shearling.

LLADRO! Buy as many as you can. You can get terrific Lladros there. I'm a collector and would kill to be able to buy more each time I'm in Spain. The only better place to buy them (if you get real lucky) is on ebay.

<BR>A previous poster mentioned this, but didn't go into a lot of detail. While still not cheap, saffron is MUCH less expensive in Spain than in the US. It is sold in boxes, some of which are as big as kitchen match boxes, in grocery stores in Spain, and the price of these boxes is actually not in the three figures (which it would be in the US). A great purchase if you or your friends love to cook.<BR><BR>Also there is Sargadelos contemporary decorative ceramics and dinnerware, which is very well known in Spain but apparently not so elsewhere. You can check it out at www.sargadelos.com. There is even a "knock-off" of the real Saragadelos which I have seen for sale in the tourist shops in Santiago de Compostela.<BR><BR>The traditional ceramics and tiles of Andalucia are legend, but there are several modern lines inspired by ancient Moorish designs - these can be found in better tourist shops in Andalucian towns. ("Wallada" and "Al Yavvar" are two that come to mind, though please don't trust my spelling). <BR><BR>CDs! CDs are expensive in Europe, but naturally the selection of Spanish music much better in Spain - "tunas" (groups of student traditional singers, not fish), Galacian and Asturian bagpipe music (Carlos Nunez, Milladoirio, Jose Angel Hevia to name a few popular ones), and so on.<BR><BR><BR>