BRIGHT skies and warm weather may not have been our only reason for moving to Spain, or even have figured among our top 50 priority reasons, but they certainly help.
Even if you're not a fan of intense heat, it somehow improves a deep-winter morning chill when the heavens are lit up in a radiant, gleaming blue; sunshine might not change the fact that it's -7ºC, but lifts your spirits a little whilst watching your fingers turn to icicles and snap off one by one.
Of course, for some parts of Spain, -7ºC would make international front-page news, although in others, it's no more headline-grabbing than the fact Mondays come straight after the weekend, but that depends upon where you are and, contrary to widespread misconception, there's literally a climate in Spain for any preference – settling here for 'the weather' could just as easily mean your objective was guaranteed snow as it could finding a place where coats were unnecessary for 10 months of the year.
‘Cheddar Man’, one of the earliest native Britons from about 10,000 years ago, whose diet included vitamin D-rich shellfish; where this was not available, humans tended to be pale-skinned, to absorb the sun's rays (photo: Natural History Museum in London)
And our lives basically revolve around the sun, even if we live in the Arctic Circle. The sun tells us what day of the week and month of the year it is, and what time of day. It helps crops grow so we can eat – yes, that includes deep-fried chips with tomato ketchup washed down with a pint of beer and a kilo of chocolate for dessert; the main ingredients in all these come from the soil – and even affects our natural skin tone. It's said that the earliest humans, if they lived close enough to the sea to be able to feast off shellfish, got enough vitamin D from their diet, so they were of a darker complexion; those who did not became paler so as to absorb the rays more and get this vital nutrient.
As a sun-worshipping species, it helps to know where we'll get the most of it. And to lead us to the bright lights and soothing thermal comfort, travel accommodation portal Holidu has been busy doing some homework: Compiling a list of the sunniest cities in Europe.
Guess which country the majority of them are in?
Sunseekers don't have to search too hard in Spain
Of the top 10 cities in Europe with the most sunshine, six are in Spain, and of the top 15, a total of 10 are in Spain. So, consistently between a half and two-thirds – despite the fact it's only one of many countries in the south of the continent.
In the top 30 list, Spain's total is 12 – a lower percentage of the whole ranking, but that's because its entries are nearly all close to the peak of the sunny standings – also, it's the country which features the most, pipping Italy at the post with 11.
No other nation gets near Spain or Italy – Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria and Albania each have one entry, and France has two.
And, as well as hogging three-quarters of the top four, Spain, as you'd have expected, takes the number one slot.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com