Spain is full of wonder, beauty, and history. You don't have to walk far to find something historical or unique. In 1997 I traveled the country quite extensively, starting in Madrid, taking the bullet train to Seville, driving to Cordoba, Cadiz, Malaga, Granada, and a number of smaller towns, known as the "White Cities," due to the white lye based paint used on almost every building. I then traveled by train to Barcelona in the Northeast. In 2002 I returned to Spain, traveling mainly to Salamanca on my way to Lisbon, by train. My third trip to Spain was in August of 2009 as I started my travels to North Africa and the Middle East. Spain is a country I can return to again and again and I did just that in 2012, traveling to Palma de Mallorca and Valencia on my forth visit. On my fifth visit, I traveled to the Northwest of Spain, visiting Vigo, La Coruna, and Santiago de Compostela, in 2015. Because Spain is on my top 10 list of places to retire, I fully expect to return in the future.
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Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). In the second half of the 20th century, Spain has played a catch-up role in the western international community; it joined the EU in 1986. |   |
