Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for spain
The Horns of a Dilemma
By Linda Tancs
To run or not to run? That is the question this time of year as revelers contemplate the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. The renowned centerpiece of the festival of San Fermin (patron saint of Navarra) takes place each day at 8:00 a.m. from July 7 to July 14. Runners (over the age of 18) must be in the running area by 7:30. The actual run stretches from the corral at Santo Domingo where the bulls are kept to the bullring where they will fight that same afternoon. Undoubtedly wishing to be spared a horn salute, the brave participants will first pray to the saint to guide them in their run, a mad dash that typically lasts three or four minutes. The most dangerous part of the bullrun is a closed curve leading into Calle Estafeta, the longest stretch. The last stretch is also very risky because it leads into a dead end street providing access to the bullring.
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A City of Watchtowers
By Linda Tancs
Cádiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain. In fact, the Phoenicians named it Gadir and established a trading post there in 1100 B.C. It went on to become a thriving Roman port from which Christopher Columbus would later set sail for the New World. In the 18th century the city thrived thanks to international trade, a prosperity symbolized by its watchtowers. Approximately 160 watchtowers dominated the cityscape back then; over 100 remain today. The centerpiece is the Tavira Tower, located in the center of the city’s old town at its highest point above sea level. It’s named for the tower’s first watchman, Antonio Tavira.
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The 2016 European Capitals of Culture
By Linda Tancs
New year, new cultural pursuits. The European Union’s honorees for 2016 Capitals of Culture are the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastian and Wroclaw, Poland’s fourth largest city. San Sebastian, the third largest city in the Basque Country, is focusing their agenda on a community of culture to foster peaceful coexistence. Seeking to link the two cultural capitals, Wroclaw’s opera director is planning a massive Spanish folk musical at the local stadium, featuring 50 dance groups and 80 choirs performing under the direction of a Spaniard. What a perfect way to promote understanding through culture and the arts.
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One Scary Walk
By Linda Tancs
Touted as the world’s deadliest walkway, Spain’s El Caminito del Rey (The King’s Little Path) is a king-sized fright for those daring enough to walk this narrow pathway over 300 feet above a dizzying gorge. Re-opened just a few months ago since its closure in 2001 after a series of deaths, the refurbished 110-year-old walkway features new wooden planks and safety lines. Located in the village of El Chorro (northwest of Málaga), the route’s royal association came when it was inaugurated in 1921 by King Alfonso XIII.
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The Essence of Extremadura
By Linda Tancs
Badajoz is the capital of Badajoz Province in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. Kissing the border with Portugal, a key focal point for spectacular views is Alcazaba, a fortress built in the 8th century by its Moorish conquerors. It’s surrounded by a host of little squares and gardens from which spring other imposing sites like the fortress-inspired cathedral and palatial museums. But nothing is as emblematic as Puerta de Palmas, an entrance point to the city marked by two majestic cylindrical towers guarding their namesake bridge across the Guadiana River. Take a walk across the bridge and enjoy the riverside.
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The Battle Cry in Catoira
By Linda Tancs
Over a thousand years ago the Vikings invaded the town of Catoira in Galicia, Spain. The Galicians have not forgotten. In fact, since 1960 on the first Sunday of August they celebrate a re-enactment of the event at a Viking Festival. Locals dress as Viking warriors aboard a replica 11th century ship headed for Torres del Oeste Castle. A battle ensues between the defenders and invaders where everyone eventually ends up soaked in wine. Well, that’s better than blood.
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In Search of Lynx in Andalucia
By Linda Tancs
The elusive Iberian Lynx is one of many lures in Andalucia’s Doñana National Park. That’s one of only a handful of places you’ll find the world’s most endangered species of cat. Equally endangered is the Spanish Imperial Eagle, down to 15 breeding pairs. You might have better luck glimpsing grey herons, lanner falcons, ring and turtle doves, partridges, oxpeckers, cattle egret, storks and vultures. That’s because the park is one of the largest heronries in the Mediterranean region and a habitat for hundreds of thousands of birds. Springtime is particularly amazing, when wintering waterfowl commingle with summer arrivals migrating between Africa and Europe.
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The End of the World
By Linda Tancs
On the west coast of Galicia, Spain, is Cape Finisterre, the Spanish equivalent of Britain’s Land’s End. The rocky peninsula was thought to be the end of the road, so to speak, in medieval times. The area is rife with memorials and dedications, a place where pilgrims celebrating the end of their Camino burn their clothes and boots in the fire pit. The area’s famed lighthouse sits atop Monte Facho, bearing witness daily to the ferocious Atlantic and its storied shipwrecks.
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A Movable Feast
By Linda Tancs
Tourists are accustomed to eating on the run, often sacrificing finer gastronomic experiences in favor of squeezing in one last attraction. In Barcelona, though, there’s a better alternative: the Gourmet Bus. Imagine dining on a terrine of rock fish and mild mayonnaise coupled with guinea fowl à la royale with parmentier of potato and wild mushroom on a glass roof bus with multilingual attendants, route cameras and commentary. The year-round panoramic sightseeing tour includes such gems as Casa Batlló, Torre Agbar, Plaça d’Espanya and Sagrada Família.
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Paradores and Pousadas
By Linda Tancs
If the usual tourist class hotel accommodations are getting a bit old, why not consider something more exclusive and off the beaten track? Spanish Paradores and Portuguese Pousadas are intimate settings often located in historic buildings such as monasteries, castles, and fortresses. Consider Santa Marinha Pousada, a monastery perched on a hill overlooking Guimarães, known as the “cradle of Portugal” as it’s the birthplace of the nation’s first king, Afonso Henriques. Or sleep like royalty in Pontevedra, Spain in a palace that was formerly the residence of the Counts of Maceda. Best of all, you don’t need a rock star’s wallet to afford these gems; find a property to match your budget and desires.
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