Tag: Spain

Seville, Jerez and Cádiz: An Andalucía Itinerary for Seniors

Seville, Jerez and Cádiz: An Andalucía Itinerary for Seniors Seville, Jerez de la Frontera and Cádiz sit within roughly ninety minutes’ drive of one another, yet each pulls at a different thread of the same Andalusian story. Seville carries the formal weight of Golden Age wealth; Jerez holds the sherry houses and stable yards that […]

Mérida, Spain’s Roman Ruins: Inside Ancient Emerita Augusta

Mérida, Spain’s Roman Ruins: Inside Ancient Emerita Augusta The two-tiered marble stage backdrop of the Roman Theatre, built between 16 and 15 BC, still hosts performances each summer. Long before Madrid existed as anything more than a fortified outpost, Emerita Augusta stood as the capital of an entire Roman province, its theatre seating six thousand […]

Toledo Day Trip from Madrid: Spain’s City of Three Cultures

Toledo’s old town, wrapped almost entirely by a bend in the Tagus River, with the Cathedral and Alcázar anchoring the skyline. Forty-five minutes from Madrid by high-speed train, the medieval streets of Toledo climb a granite outcrop wrapped almost entirely by a bend in the Tagus River — a defensive position so complete that the […]

The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao: A Modern Landmark on a Spain Journey

The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao: A Modern Landmark on a Spain Journey Most of the buildings on a Spain and Portugal itinerary are older than the nations that now claim them — Roman theatres, Gothic cathedrals, Moorish palaces built and rebuilt across a thousand years. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is barely three decades old, and that […]

Basque Country, Spain: Why the Northern Route Changes Your Trip

Basque Country, Spain: Why the Northern Route Changes Your Trip La Rioja’s vineyard terraces mark the first stage of the route north from Barcelona. La Rioja’s vineyards run out to the horizon in tidy rows, the light turning them copper by late afternoon. Two hours north, Pamplona’s medieval walls still enclose a city famous for […]

Francis Drake & Birth of the British Empire

Sir Francis Drake and England’s Challenge to Spain’s Global Supremacy On the morning of December 13, 1577, Francis Drake, a pirate and former slaver, ordered his small fleet in Plymouth, England, to weigh anchor. Two of the most consequential figures of this era, Francis Drake and Queen Elizabeth I, knew the expedition’s true purpose: to […]

Pillars of Hercules: History, Location, and Myth at the Strait of Gibraltar

The Pillars of Hercules is the ancient name referring to the two promontories at the eastern entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow opening 14 kilometres wide between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean separating the continents of Africa and Europe.

Cadiz, Spain

Cadiz city, on the western coast of southern Spain, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe. Its archaeological remains date back to the 8th century BC, around the time it was founded as a Phoenician outpost. Since then, it has played an important role as a sea port for trade and exploration and a strategic naval base amongst a host of cultures and civilisations, including the Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Spanish to name a few.

The Phoenicians and Purple Dye

The most expensive and treasured product of the Phoenician civilization was the famous Tyrian purple dye (also known as Phoenician purple, royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye) extracted from the mucus of the murex shellfish.

Highlights of Seville

Seville is a lively and disarming city, and a popular tourist destination in Spain.

Challenges of Art Restoration

The Challenges of Art Restoration For centuries, professionals have been restoring masterpiece artworks back to their original appearance or function so that future generations can also experience their grandeur. Restoration involves any attempt to preserve and repair paintings, drawings, sculptures, architecture, or objects of the decorative arts. It focuses on the repair or renovation of […]

Pamplona, Spain

Pamplona, Spain Pamplona, the capital of Navarre in northern Spain, is famous worldwide for the running of the bulls during the San Fermin fiesta, and for being one of Ernest Hemingway’s favourite cities. Hemingway visited Pamplona numerous times and wrote about the city and his experience of it in his first novel, The Sun Also […]

Burgos, Spain

Burgos, Spain Burgos in northern Spain is the country’s original heartland, initially known as Castilla la Vieja – the old part of the kingdom of Castile. The city of Burgos, founded in 884, was the capital of Castile from 1073 when it became united with Leon. This beautiful city served as an important commercial centre […]

Montserrat, Spain

An hour outside of Barcelona is the impressive multi-peaked mountain range known as Montserrat. Within its dramatic, rocky mountain tops hides the Benedictine Monestir de Montserrat, a monastery popular with visitors from all over the world. Everyone from pilgrims and culture lovers to hikers and speleologists love the spot thanks to the gorgeous hiking terrain and beautiful abbey village built into the mountain and to top it all off, it is an easy day trip from Barcelona. Today, Montserrat is often used to refer to both Montserrat mountain and Montserrat Abbey.

Girona, Spain

Girona is Northern Catalonia’s biggest city, an hour and a half’s drive from Barcelona. A compact medieval fortress city with the best-preserved Jewish quarter in Europe, Girona offers a medley of galleries, churches, restaurants, museums and medieval architecture to explore.

Toledo, Spain

An hour south of Madrid, sitting atop a gorge overlooking the Tagus River, is the magnificent city of Toledo. Often called ‘Imperial City’ because it was the main venue of the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in Spain, Toledo is a medieval town that has been heavily influenced by its mix of Christian, Jewish and Muslim inhabitants throughout the centuries. You will find monuments scattered throughout the city that reflect Toledo’s ‘three cultures’ and many of the city’s most visited attractions are religious. The historic city of Toledo was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 for being ‘a repository of more than 2,000 years of history’ and for its architectural masterpieces that hold such importance for Christians, Muslims and Jews. 

Figueres, Spain

On Catalonia’s Costa Brava, 45 minutes from Girona, lies the small town of Figueres, the birthplace of surrealist artist Salvador Dali and home to the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dali. Apart from the Dali museum, Figueres is a lively and vibrant town with great restaurants, local boutiques, interesting architecture and dreamy beaches only a short drive away.

Zaragoza, Spain

The city of Zaragoza, the fifth-biggest city in Spain, lies in the region of Aragon in northern Spain and is easy to reach from both Madrid and Barcelona. Home to beautiful Moorish architecture, Roman ruins, two magnificent cathedrals and a rich collection of street art, Zaragoza is often underrated as a tourist destination despite having a lot to offer. As well as this, the city has an incredible food scene and visiting the city’s famous tapas bars is an amazing culinary experience and will give you a taste of Aragonese cuisine. Zaragoza is also the hometown of the artist Francisco Goya, considered to be the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and you can see his work throughout the city.

Tarragona, Spain

Just over an hour by train from Barcelona is the magnificent port city of Tarragona. Located on the Costa Daurada, Tarragona is home to sparkling beaches and a wealth of Roman ruins. Once a major Roman city, you can feel Tarragona’s history all throughout the city as you wander through the charming old town. Perched on the Mediterranean, you can also expect fantastic places to eat and delicious food. Romesco, a sauce usually made with dry peppers, garlic, oil and nuts, originated in Tarragona and you can find it at restaurants paired with fresh seafood and fish. The province is also known for its fine wine.

Andorra

One of Europe’s micro-states, you will find Andorra tucked away the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. With quaint villages, stunning ski resorts and plenty of shopping opportunities, this tiny country has beautiful natural surroundings and a bustling capital full of character. Although many people don’t even know it exists, this doesn’t mean there is nothing to do. Whether you’re a skier, a hiker, a shopper or a budding historian, you will find Andorra has something to offer.

The Sagrada Familia, Spain

La Sagrada Familia The Sagrada Familia, still under construction A small group guided tour of La Sagrada Familia, perhaps one of the world’s most iconic buildings, including the Basilicai Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia (otherwise known as the Sagrada Familia). This is a Roman Catholic church in Barcelona designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi […]