The Nation of Catalonia

The Spanish autonomy of Catalonia is far more than just a place in Spain. The best way to describe it in comparision to Spain is like comparing England's relationship with Scotland, rather than a rivalry between two English counties.

Catalonia has a unique language and culture that differentiates it from other parts of Spain. There is a strong separatist movement in Catalonia, although this has never manifested itself in violence. The Catalan people tend to advertise their superiority to  Spain through demonstrating superiority over other parts of Spain. The Barcelona football team would be a good example of this, who are the best team in Europe and full of native Catalans.

To help you understand the people of the area in which you will be walking, I found a website which, whilst being a bit bias, does give a fairly accurate picture of how the Catalan people think.