Tour of Spain

I don't include the dates of the trip because I don't remember them, so much time having passed. Besides, I have been to Spain both before and after this trip. The tour I am about to describe is an integral part of a larger journey that also included Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar, to which I refer you for the respective descriptions. This tour was made with a friend aboard my Fiat Tipo. My first contact with Spain was at the enclave of Llivia in French territory, a few kilometres from the border. A brief stop just to say I had been there. Having left the enclave I re-entered France and, after a few kilometres, made my actual entry into Spain and stopped at La Seo de Urgel, whose Cathedral houses the Bishop who, together with the French President, is co-prince of Andorra. From here we again leave Spain for Andorra, where we spend the night.

The following morning we re-enter Spain and, passing through La Seo de Urgel, head for Barcelona. This splendid city welcomes us with its very long and lively Ramblas, lined with characteristic kiosks and frequented by storytellers, mimes and jugglers. The Ramblas begin at Plaça de Catalunya with its majestic fountain and end in front of the tall column of Christopher Columbus overlooking the port. During a previous trip of mine here I climbed the reconstruction of a Caravel, now removed. Near the Ramblas is the Gothic Quarter with its gloomy buildings and the Cathedral. The memory of Gaudí is perpetuated by the Sagrada Familia, his unfinished masterpiece, a tangle of pinnacles reaching up towards the sky. Overnight in Lleida and in the morning a visit to the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Zaragoza.

The church is dedicated to the patroness of the Hispanic peoples and inside are kept the flags of all the Spanish-speaking countries. The square that hosts it is immense and modern, while the Cathedral inside is austere. From here to San Sebastián-Donostia, the capital of the Basque Country. An area of ETA unrest, and indeed in front of the Cathedral some were protesting for the release of political prisoners. The city has a fine seafront called “La Conchiglia”, the old town has ancient buildings, a fine monumental bridge and some dilapidated buildings on whose walls the boys play Basque pelota. The next city, Burgos, is dirty but, having been the first capital of Spain, it has interesting monuments: the Cathedral and in particular the Monasterio de las Huelgas, which preserves a good slice of national history.

Continuing to Valladolid to admire its Cathedral, then an evening in the charm of Salamanca: a beautiful and large Cathedral, a very lively central square with hundreds of young students. But Salamanca also has a series of hidden corners that will fascinate you. From here, towards the border with Portugal, a stop at Ciudad Rodrigo, interesting because it is entirely walled. A few kilometres to leave Spain and enter Portugal through the Fuente de Honoro border (see the Tour in Portugal). I re-enter Spain from northern Portugal and arrive at Santiago de Compostela to visit the famous Cathedral, a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages. From Santiago I re-enter Portugal through the border at Tui (for the Tour in Portugal see the relevant itinerary). I re-enter Spain from Portugal at Ayamonte, where we spend the night.

The following day we continue to beautiful Seville, with its Cathedral, which has a romantic cloister and the tall bell tower known as the “Giralda”, from which you enjoy a splendid panorama over the city and the famous bullring. A stone's throw from here are the palaces and the majestic gardens of the Alcázar, with finely decorated stucco in Moorish style, fountains and water features. We reach the sea at Tarifa, the extreme European tip reaching towards Africa. Near La Línea we leave Spain for an hour to stroll through the British colony of Gibraltar (see the relevant tour), then we re-enter Spanish territory, continuing along the coast road to Málaga, where we sleep. The next day it is the turn of Granada, another beautiful Andalusian city dominated by the hill that houses that jewel of Moorish architecture, the Alhambra, a veritable city within the city.

The palaces of the Alhambra are set amid greenery and look as though they came out of a fairy tale, as do its fountains and water features. The Generalife garden and the Alcazaba are enchanting. Coming down from the hill we can admire side by side the Madrasa, the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel with the remains of Isabella of Castile and her consort. In the afternoon another beautiful Moorish city awaits us, Córdoba. You enter the old town by crossing a bridge over the river, then, following characteristic little streets full of small shops, you come across the Mezquita. But the most beautiful thing about Córdoba is getting lost in an intricate maze of little streets dominated by the white of lime.

From here a long transfer to Toledo, a beautiful medieval city with streets that rise and fall, old workshops of makers of white weapons, a Cathedral on whose walls the chains of slaves are displayed, the Alcázar dominating from a hill and the memory of the painter El Greco. Continuing, bypassing Madrid, to El Escorial, that is the enormous palace that represents both the Spanish Versailles and the Pantheon of the Iberian monarchy. Having visited the palace we head for Ávila, the city of Saint Teresa, which we observe from the top of a hill with its fine turreted wall. Also fleeting is the visit to Segovia with a brief stop beneath the bulk of the fairy-tale turreted Alcázar. In the evening to Madrid, the capital, to take a look at the entrance of the Royal Palace and the square Plaza Mayor.

I had been to Madrid some years earlier, stopping over at the airport before reaching La Coruña by bus. From Madrid I return without stops. As for my other visits to Spain, I remember having been there a first time following the rink hockey team of Forte dei Marmi to Barcelona and Oviedo; this trip was made by coach. On another occasion I set off alone by train and reached Spain at Irun, then a change at Venta de Baños station and arrival in Oviedo, where I stayed a week for the European Rink Hockey Championships. The same route on the way back. On another occasion I arrived in Spain by plane, landing in Madrid, from where I took the bus to La Coruña for the Rink Hockey World Championships. The same route on the way back. On another occasion I arrived in Spain by plane, landing in Barcelona, where I stayed for a day before returning home by the same means.

On another occasion, by coach, following a rink hockey team, I went to the area around Barcelona, and precisely to Sant Sadurní d'Anoia and Vilafranca del Penedès. The last time I was in Spain I crossed it by coach to reach Algeciras, from where I took the ferry to Tangier in Morocco. On the way back from Morocco I retraced the same route. I found Spain very interesting, a country certainly worth visiting. The landscape is also distinctive, especially on the Meseta plateau, where you come across desert territories of ochre earth. By contrast, in Andalusia you can see numerous meadows with grazing bulls alternating with desert areas.