The first country in my “efforts to travel the world” will be Spain. The reason is simple. I live 70 km from the Spanish border so it’s the easiest way to start the project.
Between 1977 and 1992 I traveled a few times to the Canary Islands for a typical vacation. First time with my grandmother :) I spend usually two weeks in an ugly holiday resort and saw the usual tourist stuff on Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife and Fuerteventura. I was happy to enjoy the good weather, drank cheap wine and after the first day I was sunburned because I forgot sunscreen and my skin wasn’t used to the intense sun. Compared to the north of Germany (where I come from) it was wonderful.
Three things I still remember today really impressed me.
- the work of Cesar Manrique in Lanzarote
- the area around the Teide volcano in Tenerife
- the sandy beaches and the wind in Fuerteventure
Today I often use the airport in Barcelona because it’s the nearest international airport. I visited a few places in Catalonia, was once in Bilbao, but I want to now more about the country.
So … where to go?
World Heritage List Spain
When I look at the World Heritage List these are the places to go
- Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
- Burgos Cathedral
- Historic Centre of Cordoba
- Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid
- Works of Antoni Gaudí
- Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain <- *
- Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias
- Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches <- *
- Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct <- *
- Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) <- *
- Garajonay National Park
- Historic City of Toledo <- *
- Mudejar Architecture of Aragon <- *
- Old Town of Cáceres
- Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville
- Old City of Salamanca
- Poblet Monastery
- Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida
- Route of Santiago de Compostela
- Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe
- Doñana National Park
- Historic Walled Town of Cuenca
- La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia <- *
- Las Médulas <- *
- Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona
- Pyrénées – Mont Perdu <– *
- San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries
- Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde
- Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula
- University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares
- Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture
- San Cristóbal de La Laguna
- Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco
- Archaeological Site of Atapuerca
- Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí <- *
- Palmeral of Elche
- Roman Walls of Lugo <- *
- Aranjuez Cultural Landscape <- *
- Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza
- Vizcaya Bridge <- *
- Teide National Park
- Tower of Hercules <- *
- Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana
- Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija
Now I have to read …
please comment in the meantime if you have an idea what to visit in Spain.
Discoveries while reading …
My favorite place is Cordoba with its beautiful patios and the Mezquita. All of Andalucia is worth a visit and cheap too, compared to Germany. There are plenty of cool places like Sevilla, Granada, Ronda, good beaches, Gibraltar nearby, great food and coffee. Just make sure you don’t go in the summer :)
Thank you aschiwi :)
I’m discovering more and more. As far as I can see I have to split it into two or three tours … Northern, central and southern Spain.