|
It
is not possible to see in one trip everything Spain
has to offer, the country part of Europe
but with very interesting unique features different from others countries of
the continent. There is something unique about Spanish cities and landscape.
Maybe it has to do with their age and the country’s location in the
southernmost west of
Europe surrounded by seas, or the contrast
of each region's culture and history.
The area has been a refugee of peoples since
prehistoric times and attracted during the ages different groups of
ethnicity and religuion that built important centers of culture in different
parts of the peninsula.
Caves testify to the
country’s oldest inhabitants. The oldest piece of human bone in Europe has
been found in Spain,
an early testament to human cohabitation with Neanderthals. The
Cave
of Altamira
near Santander
with its sophisticated paintings of bisons, boar and horses give evidence to
an old Stone Age
hunting culture.
In historic times the oldest
cities can trace their origins to enigmatic Phoenicians, Iberians and Celts,
Germanic tribes
and of course the powerful Romans. Later several kingdoms of
Iberia
with their own distinctive culture, artistic traditions, cityscapes and
attitudes colorized the land.
Every region you visit has
its own favor, traditions and artistic excellence.
Madrid, with its formal regal
splendors, medieval Castilian towns of the middle plains, Barcelona with it
lively promenades of the Las Ramblas;
Valencia,
the Vibrant Levantine city with lively art scene and nightlife;
the northern
regions of green Spain with their maritime cultures, Celtic settlements and
elegant seaside promenaded bays. The white villages of Andalucia glitter in the
mid-day sun with fiery
Seville
having given birth to
passionate
Flamenco.
Cordoba
and its Moorish Mesquita and of course the
marvel of Spain, Grandada’s outstanding Moorish palace, the Alhambra and its
gardens of Generalife, once headquarters
of
Spain’s Moorish kingdom, are an absolute must to see for all visitors.
|