# Valladolid



## Jen_Magic (Jun 10, 2013)

Hello

I'm considering moving to this part of Spain for work but having done a bit of reading am concerned that its really not a good place "9 months of winter and 3 months of hell" was how someone described it! 

Is there much to do there? How are the people? I don't speak any Spanish at the moment but am keen to learn. 

Is the above an accurate description? 

Jen


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

Maybe you mean Valladolid?


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## Jen_Magic (Jun 10, 2013)

mickbcn said:


> Maybe you mean Valladolid?


Yes sorry I do! I attempted to spell it and didn't succeed too well. 

How is Valladolid to live in?

Jen


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

Im sorry but i never been there.. but i think its ok if you want to learn spanish. maybe is one of the best places. but for find a work.. then is different. maybe if you look for a work as english teacher.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

The "9 months of winter and 3 months of hell" phrase seems to get applied to a few Spanish cities, including Madrid - which just isn't the case. So I wouldn't rely on it. I've never visited Valladolid but know a couple of people from there and, although it's probably coincidence, they do rather conform to a certain stereotype the people from that city have when it comes to political views. They are friendly enough though.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Chopera said:


> I've never visited Valladolid but know a couple of people from there and, although it's probably coincidence, they do rather conform to a certain stereotype the people from that city have when it comes to political views. They are friendly enough though.


Hahaha!

Sorry, never been there either, but people say it's a nice town. Maybe a bit small if you're a foreigner looking for lots to do??


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Jen_Magic said:


> Yes sorry I do! I attempted to spell it and didn't succeed too well.
> 
> How is Valladolid to live in?
> 
> Jen


I've changed it for you



sadly... I've never been there, either....


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## Guest (Jun 11, 2013)

Jen_Magic said:


> How is Valladolid to live in?


Here is a link to a Wikipedia article on Valladolid. May not be as personal as you are seeking, yet it does give a good overview, including monthly weather averages:

Valladolid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Well, you're in wine country. If you don't like the city, at least the wine is good!

I haven't spent much time in the city but I had a friend who taught English there. When she came up to Santander she told me she hated me because it was so pretty. Valladolid is dry Castilla. I'm not a huge fan, but you are in a decent location to travel. It's not that far to Salamanca, Segovia, Burgos or even Madrid. I did know of a person who lived in Valladolid and took the high speed train into Madrid every morning.

It sounds like a horrible research method, but have you spent a lot of time on Google image search? That helped me choose where I wanted to go.


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

Many people from the left call to this city "Fachadolid" (facha = fascist) but i don't think this is true because there are all kind of person everywhere.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

mickbcn said:


> Many people from the left call to this city "Fachadolid" (facha = fascist) but i don't think this is true because there are all kind of person everywhere.


Yes I think that name came from way back in the 80s and should of course not be used to generalise about a city. It's just that the few people I've met from there have been rather fervent supporters of the PP (which of course doesn't make them fascists) and somewhat ultra-conservative. I don't have a problem with that but it does make me wonder how typical it is of that city.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

> The "9 months of winter and 3 months of hell" phrase seems to get applied to a few Spanish cities, including Madrid - which just isn't the case.


It's pretty close - 8 months of heating bills then a few months of sweaty nights!

As an aside, when I started learning Spanish in London, years ago, I was informed that the best Spanish was spoken in Valladolid.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Madliz said:


> It's pretty close - 8 months of heating bills then a few months of sweaty nights!
> 
> As an aside, when I started learning Spanish in London, years ago, I was informed that the best Spanish was spoken in Valladolid.


And I was told the best Spanish spoken was in Valverde


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Madliz said:


> It's pretty close - 8 months of heating bills then a few months of sweaty nights!


As ever it depends on how well heated/cooled your flat is. For the first 3 years in Madrid we had no central heating and no air conditioning and it certainly did feel like that at times.

But generally I'd say Madrid is "cold" from December to March (4 months at most) and even then it's often a pleasant, dry cold with little rain and not much wind, and quite a few sunny days along the way.

It's "very hot" from end of July to the end of August (between 1 and 2 months)

For the rest of the year (at least 6 months) Madrid has very good weather.

However I suspect Valladolid might have more extremes of weather than Madrid. I've been through Segovia, Soria and Burgos in the winter and those places can be incredibly cold.



Madliz said:


> As an aside, when I started learning Spanish in London, years ago, I was informed that the best Spanish was spoken in Valladolid.


Yes I've heard that a few times as well.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

mickbcn said:


> Many people from the left call to this city "Fachadolid" (facha = fascist) but i don't think this is true because there are all kind of person everywhere.


I quote from the book I am reading (this piece I read this morning while waiting for SWMBO)

:Quote: "Onésimo Redondo, although hardly a national figure, he merits attention both as one of the founders of Spanish fascism and because it was largely due to his ideas that his home town, Valladolid experienced greater political violence than other Castilian provincial capitals" and "On 3rd May 1932, a pitched battle was fought with the left in the main square of Valladolid after which more than 20 people were hospitalised." etc

_The Spanish Holocaust pp 44-46._


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

I don't know, guys. For once I agree with Mickbcn  He nailed when he said there's all kinds of people everywhere. I work in a town considered to be very, very conservative (We have a Fascist Party council member!) but the people are great. I wouldn't worry about Valladolid's political leanings.


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## webmarcos (Dec 25, 2012)

I've passed through Valladolid a few times in the past (at the time I worked in Madrid, and the only cheap flights back were from Valladolid with Ryanair) and have stayed a night or two on different occasions too.
From my limited experience, I'd say that Valladolid has the best food in Spain. Possibly because it's close to good wine regions, but local food seems excellent and inexpensive (in comparison to the UK). In contrast to other Castilian cities though, you generally don't get free tapas with your drink.
A lot of the city is modern and dull, but there are nice bits to explore in the centre. Be careful if booking a place to stay, as they host a lot of business conferences and you may find it expensive.
As for the people - they do seem a bit more reserved than normal. It's the one place I've been to in Spain where no-one ever seemed interested in who I am, and where I came from..


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