Spain and Portugal are the two countries of the Iberian peninsula, on the southern part of Europe, bordering Morocco, Andorra, France, Gibraltar and Portugal. They also border the Mediterranean Sea, the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean. Spain has a population of 48 million people and an area that covers 505,000 square kilometres with a coastline of 5,750 kilometres. The mountain ranges are mainly in the centre of the peninsula.

Popular places to visit are, Costa Blanca, Costa Dorada, Majorca, Salou, Costa Del Sol, Benidorm and Ibiza. Europe awards a status of Blue Flags to beaches and resorts that attain a certain level of excellence, that is for cleanliness and purification of the water and the environment. Blue flags have been awarded to 680 Spanish resorts, the most to any country’s beaches in the Northern Hemisphere. With the length of the coastline the choice of beaches is overwhelming.

For sports fans and supporters of soccer clubs a visit to Barcelona or Valencia could be included in a trip. The Olympic Games were held in Barcelona in 1992, in the Catalonia area of Spain. The Olympic Stadium, was built in 1929 in the failed attempt at being awarded the Olympic Games of 1936. The games were held in Berlin instead. Barcelona soccer club used the stadium afterwards. Today the Nou Camp stadium is Barcelona’s soccer football ground, it has a capacity for almost 100,000 spectators. It is open as a visitor-attraction centre throughout the year, not on football match days of course. 

Cultural and business tourism is very popular in Spain. Madrid is the capital city of the country but it is also the world’s headquarters of the tourism industries, UNWTO which is the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Including Barcelona these two cities have an extensive market for commercial conferences, media, education, entertainment, fashion, science, technology, arts, sports, pharmaceutical, filmmaking and computer software. Museums, libraries, galleries abound and for the museum of the Americas, there are no others worldwide to compare with this one in Spain. From Arab, Byzantine, Hellenistic, Roman, Medieval or Renaissance periods there is an avalanche of artifacts to be seen in every museum and gallery in this country.

Religious holidays, Catholicism and Spain are interlinked. After the Vatican in Rome and Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela (the way of Saint James) in Galicia, is the third holiest place to visit in Europe. In Saville the processions of Holy Week, at Easter time are an outstanding celebration of colour and devotion. At Christmas the festival begins on the 22nd of December and continues until 6th of January. Christmas Eve is the special event for exchanging gifts, celebrating a meal with friends and families. Strolling through Christmas Markets in cities and towns with the beautiful aromas of spicy food, mulled wine and candles or looking at scenic Nativity cribs.

Festivals are a part of the pageantry of what makes Spain so attractive. Most of the festivals revolve around Labour Day holidays or Patron Saint’s days. Folklore embraces legends of local cultures, music, dance and costumes for old and young. The running of the bulls in Pamplona is world famous but there are many more areas throughout the country where similar events are held. 

Wine tasting and manufacturing gatherings:

With the exception of Italy, Spain is the largest wine-producing nation in the world. France and the USA follow on. The export of wine has been popular since early times, when monks in the monasteries and abbeys discovered the art of distillation and brewing. With famine and plague throughout Europe, water was not safe to drink but turning the water into alcohol was a better prevention rather than a cure. Speaking of Abbeys, the order of the Poor Clare’s was an order of nuns that were founded in the 13th century, in the 15th and 16th centuries the order attracted young widows and spinster noblewomen, each having a sizeable dowry with them when they entered the convent. A shortage of men due to Wars and the demand for sailors left a shortage of husbands. The convents of the Poor Clare’s were to become the richest in Europe. At the beginning of the 20th century during the construction of the Underground Railroad, in Madrid, the remains of some Mercedarian Monks were discovered at one particular location. Not knowing what to do with them the workers gently deposited the remains on the platforms and then covered them with plenty of mortar and thick commercial floor tiles. Be careful as you walk through the stations, ‘You’re being watched by some of these spirits’. 

Madrid and all the major cities and towns in Spain such as Granada, Santander, Bilbao, San San Sabastian and others all have wonderful museums, galleries, libraries, gardens, Cathedrals, churches, restaurants, town centres and squares, beautiful architecture, universities etc. The subway in Madrid is worth a visit to experience the engineering work that went into the design and creativity of the tiered lines on the different levels that’s a city below a city. 

The Canary Islands off the coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean, are Spanish territory and a very popular destination for tourists. Known for the volcanic activity, it has one of the third largest volcanoes in the world measuring 3,700 meters from its base. The film starring Raquel Welch ‘One million years BC’ had some of the scenes filmed on the island of Lanzarote. The average number of tourists visiting here each year is about 3.5 million. The islands in the Mediterranean belonging to Spain are Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca. 

Spain together with Portugal and Greece became members of the European Economic Community in 1986. The EEC as it was called back then, had been founded in 1957 by France, Italy, West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, in the hope of achieving an end to European wars, especially between France and Germany. Britain, Ireland and Denmark were admitted in 1973. Bringing the total number to twelve states, if you look at the EU flag it has twelve stars on a blue background. Regardless of how many more countries join the EU this will remain its flag. The EEC became known as the European Union in 1993. Tariffs were lifted between member states and the freedom of movement was granted. Through the years, other countries joined, 10 countries joined in 2004 including some from the former eastern Soviet bloc. The total number of countries in the European Union now is 27. Britain voted to leave in 2016. 

Most of the countries within the EU, including Spain, use the Euro as a common currency. The use of the euro has made travel through Europe so much easier. No more changing money as you go from one country to the next. One knows the price of goods compared to one’s home country. There is an old saying attributed to Oscar Wilde ‘he knows the price of everything but the value of nothing’.

The employment industries in Spain are the Automotive sector, Commercial Banking, Finance, Medical technology, Chemical production, Shipbuilding, Textiles, Electronics, Computer Software, farming and wine making and tourism. 

The age of discovery in Spain.

From the early 1400s sailors were encouraged by the monarchies of different European countries to explore the world in search of new lands, products, materials and wealth. Portugal was one of the first nations to begin exploring. Spain followed very quickly and started to conquer and develop new territories for Spain. The Conquistadores, were explorers-soldiers who conquered much of South America, Herman Cortes claimed Mexico, Francisco Pizarro conquered Peru, Balboa got Panama, De Vaca reached Texas. 

Christopher Columbus was born in Italy but went to Spain at an early age, he was a worthy seaman. King Ferdinand II and Isabella I of Spain sponsored him to captain a ship to India via the Atlantic Ocean. There were three ships with a crew of 90 men in total. The trade routes around the cape of Good Hope off the African coast were too dangerous and the routes through the Danube and the Black Sea were no longer safe due to the fall of Constantinople. He believed that the earth was round so if he went west he’d get to India. Heading west however, there was a chunk of land that no one knew of.

Columbus arrived in the Bahamas, marking the first European to discover America in 1492, he returned with wealth in gold and silver, spices, plants, shrubs and trees. He was to make a further three trips before his death in Valladolid, Spain in 1508. Many areas are called after him, including Columbia in South America, British Columbia in Canada, towns, cities, schools and universities. In the 16th and 17th centuries Spain was the largest Empire in the world. 

For those travelling to Spain your suitcase can be lightweight. The temperature in the springtime from April to June are in the low 20 C in summertime July to September is usually around 30 C. The food is exceptional for the tastebuds, the wine is a titivation for the palate and after lunch it’s “siesta” time. Food is worth preparing and waiting for, to eat in a relaxed atmosphere and a time to digest in comfort.

For more information call or email Further Afield Travel and Tours.