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Flamenco and fiestas...
...castanets, Picasso, Moorish palaces. All synonymous with the exuberant,
diverse and sun-kissed country that is Spain. A Spanish sojourn is one you won’t
forget.
Spain lies on the Iberian Peninsula on the far
southwestern edge of Europe. Occupying an area of 504,788 square kilometres, it
is home to 39.2 million people. Situated at the crossroads between Europe and
Africa, Spain has long been a target of invading races and civilizations. The
Greeks, Carthaginians, Visigoths and Romans all invaded Spain at various times.
The Moors arrived from Africa in 711 and were to occupy southern Spain for 800
years. The country developed a huge empire in the New World in the wake of
Columbus’s arrival in the Americas in 1492. Its empire stretched from Mexico
and Peru to Cuba and Bolivia. Spain made the transition from dictatorship to
democracy in 1975 when the right-wing dictator Franco died.
The glorious
sunshine in which the country basks has long made it a mecca for sun seekers
from chillier climates. There is far more to Spain, however, than bronzing,
beer and beaches. It is soaked in the historical pageantry of empire and
conquistadors and has a fantastic artistic legacy in the shape of painters
like Goya, Picasso, Dali and Velazquez. Don Quijote by Cervantes is one of the
world’s greatest works of fiction. The
sophisticated, elegant and exciting cities of Barcelona, Sevilla and Valencia
are well worth a visit. See a fiesta, dine late into the
night as is the Spanish custom, enjoy glasses of Rioja accompanied by the great
Spanish invention tapas. These are small savoury dishes served up with your
drink to tide you over until the late evening meal. Sun-kissed, spirited and stylish,
Spain will charm you time and again.
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