Spanish & Portuguese Treasures

The airport for Puerto La Cruz in northeast on the Caribbean. Isla de Margarita is off the coast.

Bilbao, city and seaport in northern Spain, on the Nervión River, near the Bay of Biscay, capital of Vizcaya Province, in the Basque region. Bilbao consists of an old section, lying on the right bank of the Nervión, and a modern section, dating from the late 19th century, on the left bank. Several bridges connect the old and new sections. Several railroads and highways and an international airport serve Bilbao. One of the major industrial centers of Spain, the city is within a large iron ore-mining region. The chief industries are shipbuilding and the manufacture of cement, chemicals, foodstuffs,
iron and steel, machinery, paper, and textiles. Bilbao is an important seaport, and iron ore, grain cereals, and wine are major exports. The chief imports are coal and timber.

The Semana Grande is a major annual bullfighting event in Bilbao each August. The city has several churches, among them the Gothic Church of Santiago, dating from the 14th century. It also has a number of museums, with collections ranging from archaeological finds relating to the history of the Basques to modern works of art. Among its educational
institutions is the University of Deusto (1886). The author and philosopher Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo was born in Bilbao.

You’ve heard, perhaps, of the Renaissance? Well, this is the region it started. And without the Renaissance, our art would be poorer, our food and wine would be poorer, and our culture would be poorer plus, the term “Renaissance man” would be meaningless and confusing.

Some interesting sites to visit are the castle where Michealangelo is supposedly tombed, the Arno River, which divides the city in half, with the historical district in the northern part, and the Oltrarno neighborhood to the south. The Piazza del Duomo is usually found with hundreds of tourists, and the Piazza Santa Maria Novella is a regular hangout for immigrants and tourists waiting for the train. Most of the streets are open only to pedestrians, so walking is a welcome reward for getting around, rather than by car or bus. Be sure to get a map with all of the interesting landmarks and entertainment to be found in this great city, available at the tourist office and most hotels. Take your time, there are many Renaissance palaces and Gothic churches to be experienced.

La Coruna is a port city located at the northwest corner of Spain. A frequent stop for cruise ships as well as a commercial port.During your stay, visit the Plaza de Azcarraga and 12th century Romanesque Santiago church.

Portugal is for explorers. Its valiant seamen first charted the Azores, discovered Japan, and unlocked the major sea routes the world over. Now you can share the anticipation they must have felt as you explore this exciting city.

You’ll discover an 8th-century Moorish castle, quaint cafes and a palm-studded coastline. The Alfama district is a maze of narrow, twisting streets, whitewashed houses, flowered balconies, archways, terraces and courtyards that charm your socks off. (And if you can find your way out of this dizzying array, 20th-century Lisbon is just as intoxicating.)

Of course, if you’d rather play by the sea, the Portuguese Riviera lies just outside town, offering something for everyone, from sun, sand and surf to thrilling casinos. Lisbon is a vast garden abounding with flowers and tropical plants. The city’s appeal lies in the magnificent vistas from its many belvederes and in the tree-lined avenues and squares decorated with mosaic pavements.

An ancient capital of the Algarve, Portimao is near the mouth of the River Arade, which is crossed by a fine new road bridge. There are many excellent restaurants and shops in the town. On the western side of the mouth of the river itself is Praia de Rocha, the oldest resort in the Algarve.

Rome wasn’t built in a day…but you can tour it in just over 10 hours. A teeming anthill of humanity and antiquity intermingled with awful traffic jams, Rome grew up on the Tiber (“Fiume Tevere”) among seven low hills that rise from the river’s soggy eastern banks. It’s a city of many peeling layers of history, of which the bottom layer–that of the earliest Roman centuries–is the most interesting and still astonishingly whole. The hub of this layer is the Palatine Hill, the Forum, the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus.

On the western bank is the Citta Vaticana, the independent papal city where the Pope blesses pilgrims from all over the world. Neighboring Trastevere (“Across the Tiber”) is a mix of Roman, Greek and Jewish subcultures, great for little restaurants and nightlife. Further north on the other bank is “vecchia Roma,” medieval Rome of the Pantheon and Piazza Navona; Renaissance Rome is centered south of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Commercial Rome is the city of the Via del Corso, the Piazza del Popolo, the controversial Victor Emmanuel monument and finally the Stazione Termini, the nexus for all trains and roads from Rome.

St. Tropez lies 45 miles southwest of Nice and has a population of about 6,000. But no introduction is needed for what is perhaps the world’s best known and most fashionable resort on the Riviera. Immerse yourself in the splendid scenery of the Cote d’Azur with an excursion to the hilltop villages of Gassin and Il Ramatuelle, and the new town of Port Grimaud, built to resemble an old Mediterranean fishing village.

This historical city, located in Andalusia, is one of the world’s most beautiful cities and contains many landmarks, including the Moorish Alcazar and the Gothic Cathedral. Seville was also the site of the 1992 world’s fair.