Way of St. James - The tomb of the Apostle St. James the Greater, Spain's patron, was discovered at Compostela about A.D. 813 and soon drew pilgrims from throughout Europe. Maintained by the Benedictines and secured by the Knights Templar, the southern route became the principal path. A festival honors St. James each July 25. When the date falls on a Sunday the whole year is declared holy and celebrations abound.
Cuevas de Altamira - The “Sistine Chapel of rock painting,” these caves – closed to the public – contain animal figures painted by Paleolitihic man (sic).
Guernica, the site of a sacred oak that symbolizes Basque liberty, was heavily bombed during the Civil War but has since been rebuilt.
In 778 Basques massacred Charlemagne's rear guard, led by Roland, at Puerto de Ibañeta.
Pamplona, the capital of the Kingdom of Navarre until 1512, holds the running of the bulls each July.
The only snow-free pass in the central Pyrenees, Puerto de Somport was crossed by Pompey's Roman legions, by Saracen raiders, and later by pilgrims.
Barcelona - About 200 B.C., Roman merchants began Barcelona's development as a trade center, and so it continues today as Spain's principal port, second largest city, and core of commerce and industry. As the center of the Catalan literary and cultural revival, Barcelona exhibits art of the 11th to the 18th centuries at the Museum of Catalan Art in the Palacio Nacional and promotes the works of Catalan writers.
BALEARIC ISLANDS - The Balearic archipelago consists of two pairs of islands, Majorca and Menorca, and Ibiza and Formentera, and a scattering of islets. Sea breezes and pleasant climate attract sunseekers .... throughout the year. - Menorca is strewn with megalithic monuments of the second millennium B.C. Its boat-shaped tombs are believed by some archaelogists to honor Isis, the patron goddess of Egyptian sailors.
MADRID - After King Alfonso VI returned Madrid from Muslim to Christian control in A.D. 1083, Spanish royalty intermittently resided here until King Philip II declared it the permanent capital in 1606. Its isolation stifled growth before railroads in the 19th century improved communications. Today Spain's largest city, Madrid has become a major financial and industrial center. In its Plaza de Espana, the statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza honor Cervantes. The Prado, one of the world's finest museums, includes works of the Spanish masters Velazques, Goya, El Greco, Ribera, and Murillo.
STRABO - Strabo, the ancient Greek geographer and historian, wrote the first “travel guide” to the peninsula, compiling information from diverse sources to educate statesmen about various nations, their people, and their resources. Although he never visited Iberia, he mentioned its oxhide shape.
Granada - Captured by the Moors in A.D. 711, Granada became their last capital and final stronghold. The Alhambra, the caliph's fortified palace, crowns the city, its facade concealing an ornate interior of incomparable elegance. One of the country's fine Renaissance cathedrals commemorates the Christian reconquest and entombs Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella.
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