Don't let any one tell you differently - Madrid has a long winter!

Don't let any one tell you differently - Madrid has a long winter! I know, it's Spain, so you must be thinking, "It can't really be that cold right? After all, Spain is the land of sunshine- I mean, the center of the capital is called Sol for a reason."

I once thought this too. Coming from sunny California, I did not understand what "cold" meant. But, Madrid does get cold. Temperatures drop below 0 degrees Celsius in winter, especially at night. It also rains, a lot.

We have ten days of rain in the weather forecast this week. This is the last week of February, and Friday is the first day of March. That means umbrellas! Luckily, Spaniards have paraguas available for a few euros in almost every corner store.

My advice to you, world travelers, is to bring winter clothes on your Spanish adventure. Coats, gloves, scarves. Because what you won't bring, you will want to buy in November the moment the weather turns chilly.

Or maybe leave them at home and buy these essentials here anyway to ensure you are fashionably Spanish!