Spain is more than bullfights, flamenco dancers and crowded beaches.
It's a spectacular and diverse country, the north resembling the
rolling, green hills of Ireland and the south giving you a taste of
Moroccan landscapes and architecture. Its tremendous history is
reflected in its prehistoric cave paintings, Moorish palaces, crumbling
castles, Roman ruins, Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals as well as some
very unique modern architecture. The uniqueness of Spain lies in the
separate kingdoms which made up the original Spanish nation. These
regions remain diverse in their language, culture, cuisine and art.
These regions include: Andalucía, Aragon,
Asturias, Basque Country, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands,
Cantabria, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla León, Catalonia, Extremadura,
Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and Valencia. Areas of
interest are not limited to each region, here are some highlights:
The
Moorish influence (the Moors from Morocco were the dominating
civilization for 800 years) in Andalucía can be seen in the sumptuous
Alhambra palace in Granada,
the mezquita , a former mosque in Córdoba and the Alcázar and Giralda
tower in Sevilla. The White villages are hidden joys, as the small
villages surrounded by natural beauty can not fail to impress.
Remarkable
Christian monuments, from Romanesque to contemporary, can be found
throughout Spain. A possible tour to the most fantastic cathedrals will
take you through Toledo, León, Salamanca, Burgos and Segovia. The pilgrim route to Santiago is lined by gorgeous Romanesque churches.
Excellent
and quiet beaches can be found near Cádiz and Almería in the south as
well as near the coasts of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Euskadi. If
you enjoy extremely developed resort towns, there are plenty of crowded
beaches on the Costa de la Luz and the Costa del sol.
Fantastically preserved medieval towns are places not to miss and Toledo should be at the top of the list. Toledo
is the capital of medieval Spain, at its best, with synagogues, an
incredible cathedral and former mosques. Other interesting medieval
towns include: Baeza and Úbeda (Andalucía), Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca),
Trujillo and Cáceres (Extremadura), Albarracín, Sos del Rey Católico
and Teruel Mudejar's Unesco's World Heritage (Aragon), and Santillana del Mar (Cantabria).
The
most spectacular Roman sites are based in Mérida, where you can also
find an interesting museum on Roman era. There is also a remarkable
aqueduct in Segovia and other fascinating Roman ruins in Carmona, Tarragona, Empuries, Italica and Caesaraugusta ( Zaragoza, Aragon).
Very unique modern art and architecture can be found in Barcelona and Madrid.
The visionary architecture of Antoni Gaudí and the Picasso museum are
in Barcelona while Madrid is home to Spain’s top three art museums.
If
you would rather get some fresh air, Spain is filled with opportunities
to visit wildlife parks as well as trekking. The Pyrenees, especially
around the Aragón area, are the best areas for trekking. Andalucía has
smaller mountain chains, though still spectacular. The Picos de Europa
in Cantabria and Asturias are also worth a trek. Beautiful parks
include Monfrague in Extremadura and Ordesa in the Aragonese Pyrenees.
Information gratefully provided by World 66
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