Her love for Spain is plain

Gwyneth Paltrow speaks almost perfect Spanish – and she does it with an Iberian accent.

The Oscar-winning actress says she traveled to Spain as a teenager, fell in love with the country, and embraces the culture to the point that she visits at least once a year and makes sure her young children, Apple and Moses, also speak the language.

Paltrow says Spain “became a second home.”

“It is so different from the United States,” she says. “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.”

The 36-year-old actress, who is married to Coldplay’s Chris Martin, says she talks to her children in Spanish.

“Moses speaks a little bit, but understands everything. Apple speaks a lot,” she says.

Paltrow shot “Spain … on the Road Again” with chef Mario Batali, cooking expert Mark Bittman and actress Claudia Bassols.

She’s also writing a book on U.S. cuisine with Spanish influence that is due out next year, and recently launched a Spanish-language version of her Web site, GOOP.com, a weekly bulletin in which she writes on topics ranging from health advice and travel to fashion and cooking.

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