That's like knowing how to say 'where's the train station?'
'Spanish enjoy time with their family instead of their Blackberry', says Gwyneth Paltrow
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:04 PM on 01st July 2009
I love Spain: Gwyneth Paltrow gushes about her love for Spain in a new interview
In a new interview which is sure to irk her best friend Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow has criticised Americans for allowing their Blackberries to interfere with family life.
Hailing her 'second home' of Spain for putting family first, Gwyneth complains her native New Yorkers are too concerned with their work to fully immerse themselves in their family.
Her comments come a year after her close friend Madonna admitted she sleeps with her Blackberry beside her.
Gwyneth compared Spanish culture to American during a recent interview she conducted in fluent Spanish.
In a new interview which is sure to irk her American fans, Gwyneth belittles her native country's 223 years of history compared to the older nation of Spain.
The Oscar winner fell in love with the country when she spent a month living with a family in Talavera de la Reina in central Spain when she was 15.
Speaking in Spanish, she said: 'When I was 15, I went to a small town outside Talavera de la Reina and I had the most wonderful experience. It really changed my life.
'Spain became a second home. It is so different from the United States. It seemed to have a history, and the buildings are years and years and years old.
'Here in the United States an old building is about 17 (years old), and over there it's from 500 B.C., it's incredible.
'Also, the way people live over there. They seem to enjoy life a little bit more. They aren't running around as much as in New York. They enjoy time with the family. They don't always have their Blackberries on.'
Last year, speaking when she was still married to Guy Ritchie, Madonna said: 'We lie right next to each other with our BlackBerrys under our pillows.
'It's not unromantic. It's practical. I'm sure loads of couples have their BlackBerrys in bed with them.
'I have to sleep with my BlackBerry because I often wake up in the middle of the night and remember that I've forgotten something, so I jump up and make notes.'
Gwyneth may have lived in London for the past six years, but she prefers to call Spain her 'second home'.
After learning the language fluently, Gwyneth is teaching her daughter Apple, five, and son Moses, three, to speak it.
Learning about Spain: Gwyneth, pictured with Alhambra Archaeology Technical Assistant Jesus Bermudez in Alhambra castle in Granada last year, filmed a documentary on the country
The 36-year-old spent several months in the country filming her documentary series Spain... On The Road Again last year and is currently writing a book about U.S. cuisine with a Spanish influence.
Gwyneth has split her time between London and the U.S. since marrying Coldplay rocker Chris Martin in 2003 after a whirlwind romance.
The couple live together in Belsize Park, north London, in a house they bought off Kate Winslet.
Twenty-one years after she was an exchange student in Spain, Gwyneth still contacts the family regularly.
After improving her Spanish language skills to almost fully fluent, Gwyneth is passing her skills on to her children.
She explained: 'Moses speaks a little bit, but understands everything. Apple speaks a lot.'
Such is her love of the language, Gwyneth has launched a Spanish version of her lifestyle website Goop.com.
She is also hoping to show off her skills in a Spanish movie in the future.
She said: 'I would love to. I haven't found the script yet, but the first (movie) would have to be a small role, not very important, because I imagine I would have to get used to acting in Spanish.'
Gwyneth is currently reprising her role as Pepper Potts in Iron Man 2 alongside Robert Downey Jnr, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke.
