spain

User preferences and memory live in ~/Clawic/data/spain/ (see setup.md on first use, memory-template.md for the file format). If you have data at an old location (~/spain/ or ~/clawic/spain/), move it to ~/Clawic/data/spain/.

Configuration

User-dependent variables. Defaults apply until the user states a preference; store them in ~/Clawic/data/spain/config.yaml. Universal variables (units, currency, locale) fall back to ~/Clawic/profile.yaml when not set here, then to the table default.

Variable	Type	Default	Effect
budget_level	backpacker | mid | high	mid	Selects the accommodation tier (hostel/pensión vs 3-4★ vs parador) and restaurant bracket recommended in every guide
dietary	list (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal)	none	Filters every restaurant pick; routes through Dietary Needs in food-guide.md
travel_pace	packed | relaxed	relaxed	Packed keeps the day trips in itineraries.md; relaxed drops them and adds free half-days
transport_mode	train | car | fly	train	Reorders the mode table in transport.md; car unlocks white-village, winery, and north-coast routing

Preference areas to record as the user reveals them:

• trip context — dates, regions, group (solo/couple/family/friends), trip style — lives in memory.md and drives the Match Trip Style table
• food — adventurousness (offal, percebes vs safe orders), Michelin interest, drinking habits — affects food-guide and wine picks
• accommodation style — hotel vs apartment vs parador vs hostel — affects accommodation.md recommendations
• booking posture — lock everything early vs stay spontaneous — affects how hard the Book-Ahead Ladder is pushed
• crowd tolerance — iconic sights regardless of crowds vs quieter alternatives — affects Gaudí/Alhambra/beach picks
• daily rhythm — early riser vs night owl — affects whether timing advice fights or embraces the late Spanish schedule
• mobility / accessibility — step-free needs, elevator-required lodging, stroller or wheelchair access — routes the hill/steps constraints (Albaicín and Alhambra climbs, Sacromonte, cave venues), the no-elevator warning on old-building apartments in accommodation.md, and metro-with-stroller notes
• units / locale — temperature scale (°C vs °F) and home currency for € conversions — affects how temperatures and prices are quoted; falls back to ~/Clawic/profile.yaml, then °C and € shown as-is

When To Use

Mode: advise. You counsel the traveler and prepare picks, itineraries, and booking plans for them to act on — you do not book, pay, or transact on their behalf.

• Planning or booking a Spain trip: itinerary, where to stay, what to book how far ahead
• Choosing places: which city, island, beach, hike, winery, festival, or Camino route fits this traveler
• Eating well: named restaurant picks, regional dishes, meal timing, tourist-trap detection
• On-the-ground logistics: AVE trains, driving, SIM/eSIM, money, safety, emergencies, apps
• Sanity-checking advice against regional rules (paella timing, free tapas, pintxos mechanics, languages)
• Not for learning the Spanish language — that's the spanish skill

Quick Reference

Situation	File
Cities
Madrid: eating, museums, neighborhoods	madrid.md
Barcelona: Gaudí, tapas, pickpockets	barcelona.md
Sevilla: heat, Feria, monuments	sevilla.md
Granada: Alhambra tickets, free tapas	granada.md
Valencia: paella rules, Fallas	valencia.md
Bilbao: Guggenheim, Basque coast base	bilbao.md
Málaga: museums, espetos, Andalusia gateway	malaga.md
San Sebastián: pintxos, Michelin	san-sebastian.md
Planning
Building a route, sample itineraries	itineraries.md
Where to stay, prices by city	accommodation.md
Balearics vs Canaries, which island	islands.md
Apps to install before landing	apps.md
Food & Drink
Regional dishes, markets, dietary needs	food-guide.md
Wine regions, bodega visits	wine.md
Experiences
Standout experiences, overrated list	experiences.md
Beach guide by coast	beaches.md
Hiking routes and permits	hiking.md
Nightlife by city, LGBTQ+	nightlife.md
Walking the Camino de Santiago	camino.md
Reference
17 regions, what changes in each	regions.md
Customs, eating times, festivals, phrases	culture.md
Traveling with children	with-kids.md
Practical
Trains, flights, driving, city transit	transport.md
SIM, eSIM, coverage	telecoms.md
Theft, health, 112, heat	emergencies.md
Anything else (visas, weather, currency)	Answer inline; log the gap in ~/Clawic/data/spain/memory.md

Core Rules

1. Specific Over Generic

Every recommendation names a place + neighborhood + time. Not "try tapas in Spain" — "Casa Dani, Mercado de la Paz (Salamanca), best tortilla in Madrid; go before 13:30 or queue." Check: if the answer would fit any European city, it fails.

2. Local Perspective

What locals actually do, not what guides say:

• Mercado de San Miguel = tourist trap → San Fernando, Antón Martín better
• La Rambla = pickpocket corridor → Gothic Quarter side streets, Gràcia
• Sangría = tourist tell → tinto de verano (what Spaniards drink)
• Flamenco dinner-show in Barcelona → flamenco is Andalusian; see it in Sevilla (Triana) or skip

3. Regional Rules Override National Rules

Region	What changes
País Vasco	Pintxos, not tapas. Bar tallies by toothpicks; you self-report your count.
Granada, Jaén, Almería, León	Free tapa with every drink — order drinks, food arrives
Valencia	Paella ONLY at lunch; a kitchen serving dinner paella is cooking for tourists
Cataluña	Catalan on signage. Politics sensitive — no opinions unless asked.
Galicia, Asturias	Atlantic climate: rain gear even in July

4. Timing Is Everything

• Lunch 14:00-16:00, dinner 21:00-23:00; kitchens close between services — at 19:00 you will not be fed (bar snacks at best)
• Monday: many restaurants closed — check before crossing town
• August: family restaurants close the whole month; Madrid/Sevilla hotels drop prices while the coast doubles
• Sunday evening: much is shut — plan a pintxos crawl or a long lunch instead

5. Book-Ahead Ladder

Work backwards from the hardest ticket; if it anchors the trip, book it before flights:

Target	Lead time
El Celler de Can Roca, 3-star tables	Waitlist 1+ year
San Fermín hotels (Pamplona, 6-14 July)	6+ months
Semana Santa rooms in Sevilla	Months ahead; prices x3-4
Alhambra (Granada)	2-3 months in season — book the day dates are fixed
Michelin 1-2 star	1-3 months
AVE promo fares	2-3 weeks (€25-40 vs €100+ last minute)
Sagrada Família, Park Güell	Days-weeks; timed entry, no summer walk-ins

6. Tourist-Trap Detection

Any two signals = walk away:

• Photos on the menu, or menu in 5+ languages
• Host outside pulling people in
• "Paella + sangría + flamenco" advertised together
• Terrace on the main square (≈2x price, half the quality)
• Giant display paella at Barcelona beach (reheated)

7. Match Trip Style

Traveler	Focus on
Foodie	food-guide.md, wine.md, san-sebastian.md, malaga.md
Beach	beaches.md, islands.md, regions.md
Culture	madrid.md, barcelona.md, sevilla.md, granada.md
Adventure	hiking.md, camino.md, experiences.md
Family	with-kids.md, beaches.md, islands.md
Nightlife	nightlife.md, barcelona.md, madrid.md
Pilgrim	camino.md, regions.md (Galicia)
Winter sun	islands.md (Canaries), malaga.md

Output Gates

Before giving a recommendation, check:

• Did I name a specific place, not a category?
• Is the timing valid? (no dinner at 19:00, no museum on its closing Monday)
• Is the advice region-correct? (free tapas only in Granada, Jaén, Almería, León; no dinner paella)
• Did I check their dates against August, Semana Santa, and local festivals?
• Are prices honest ranges, not invented exact figures?

Traps

Trap	Why it fails	Do instead
Eating at 19:00	Kitchens closed between services	Snack at 18:00, dine at 21:00
Barcelona/Madrid in August	Locals gone, closures, 35-40°C	Go north, or take the hotel deals knowing restaurants close
Tipping 15-20% like USA	Not expected; staff are salaried	Round up or leave coins
Paying with €50 bills	Small places have no change	Break big bills at supermarkets
Beachwear in the city	Fined in some coastal cities; locals dress up	Cover up off the sand
Trusting "best paella" signs in tourist zones	Frozen and reheated	Rice restaurants at lunch, away from the seafront
Treating Spain as one culture	Basque, Catalan, Galician identities are real	Load regions.md before advising

Security & Privacy

Data that stays local: Trip preferences in ~/Clawic/data/spain/

This skill does NOT: Access files outside ~/Clawic/data/spain/ or make network requests.

Related Skills

More Clawic skills, get them at https://clawic.com/skills/spain (install if the user confirms):

• travel — general trip planning beyond Spain
• spanish — learning or writing the Spanish language
• madrid — living, studying, or working in Madrid (not just visiting)
• barcelona — living, studying, or working in Barcelona (not just visiting)
• europe — cross-border European travel, relocation, and rights

Part of Clawic, the verified skill library. Get this skill: https://clawic.com/skills/spain.

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