Travels Abroad Spain/Europe
by Anita McDaniel
After 1984 trips with students began to include Spain and later France because either I was teaching French or another teacher was teaching it, and we formed trips together. The first trips were only to Spain, but later usually included Spain & France. One year we expanded into a lot more of Europe and included England, France, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. That was a very busy trip. The trips to Spain were frequent, about every other year, but a couple of times we went every year.
Places visited in Spain include:
Madrid - the capital including Retiro Park, Prado Museum, Queen Sofía's Museum of Modern Art, Zoo, la Puerta del Sol, the Street of Knives, Royal Palace, the old Main Zócalo and much more.
Segovia - Castle, Cathedral and the ancient Roman Aqueduct.
Toledo - Ancient Capital, wall, Cathedral, palace, home of painter Velasquez, Toledo work shops.
Valley of the Fallen - Under ground Basilica where those who lost their lives (on the side of the Dictator Francisco Franco) were buried and are venerated.
Barcelona - City of the Catalan's, Ramblas street, Gothic Quarter, the Cathedral,Main Plaza, Montjuîc Park, Olympic Village, La Puebla Española where all of Spanish crafts are replicated, the beautiful architecture of Antonio Gaudí, his Familia Sagrada Cathedral - still unfinished after 110 years, the palaces he constructed, & Güell Park. The paintings and sculptures of Juan Miró are also housed here.
Figueres - Quaint town north of Barcelona where Salvador Dalí lived and worked. He set aside his home there as a museum that houses his work. The town itself is a typical village of the north in Cataluña.
Valencia - Ancient city of white wash and tiled roofs where the best oranges in the world are grown and the most grapes for eating and wine. This is the area where sherry is distilled.
Cuenca - Ancient town built on a steep cliff with the houses hanging over the cliff. Below is the small river that is their source of water. Buildings are over thousand years old and quaint.
Sevilla - One of the most beautiful cities in Andalucia, the southern sunny part of Spain. Santa María park, the Spanish exhibition from the Latin American exposition in 1902, tower of gold, the Cathedral with it's Moorish bell tower, palace, the horse drawn carriages and old town with the Jewish quarter.
Córdoba - One of the oldest cities in the south, dating from Roman times with Moorish roots and history then adding Castilian (Spanish) Catholicism into the mix. 3rd largest Cathedral, before that a mosque with a beautiful courtyard of orange tress, in the world, palace, ancient tiny winding streets, and buildings thousands of years old white washed and tiled roofs.
Málaga & Costa del Sol - Manufacturing city and port with the famous Costa del Sol beach that stretches all along the southern coast of Spain. Sun drenched white sands and picturesque villages dot the sea shore which dips into the very cool azure Mediterranean Sea. What's not to like??
These are only a few of the interesting, ancient and exciting places that can be visited in the wonderful Iberian Peninsula of which Spain is a part. Due to the Pyrenees Mountains which separate France from Spain (and Portugal) Spain is almost forgotten as a European country, but well worth the time to visit and study. Four languages are spoken, four distinct groups of people live in this marvelous country and for the most part, meld their existences together to create a fantastic country that is "Everything Under the Sun".
