Tag Archives: Spain

14 June 2018:
Bilbao, Spain:
Ancient Peoples, Modern Art

June 14, 2018 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

After a relaxing day at sea across the top of northern Spain, we have arrived at Bilbao.

The city is on the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula about 19 kilometers or 12 miles from the Bay of Biscay, the largest municipality of the autonomous community of the Basque Country.

Depending on your political point of view, that makes it either a part of Spain…or a place within Spain. It is an issue that remains highly contentious in (or within) the country’s various regions.

It is believed the Basques are the distant descendants of some of the earliest inhabitants of Western Europe. Genetic studies indicate Basque tribes predated the arrival of planned agriculture in the Iberian Peninsula, about 7,000 years ago.

Today, Bilbao is most known for its museum centerpiece: the Guggenheim Bilbao, designed by architect Frank Gehry and opened in 1997.

Built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao, it is one of several museums belonging to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

It features permanent and visiting exhibits of modern art works by Spanish and international artists.

The museum came about because of an effort by the autonomous Basque government to have a rebirth of the city’s decrepit port area.

In 1981, the government offered to fund a Guggenheim museum, covering the $100 million U.S. cost of construction, a $50 million acquisitions fund, and to subsidize the annual budget.

Not a bad deal if you’re a foundation looking to add a new museum to your collection.

Now, I realize I am somewhat out of the mainstream in my appraisal, but for what it is worth: I am not a fan of Frank Gehry.

His buildings, to me, always look like the aftermath of some terrible industrial accident.

But the Guggenheim Bilbao, to me, is among his better works.

And the glories of Bilbao are reflected in its metallic shell.

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12 June 2018:
La Coruna, Spain:
Seeking Enlightenment

June 12, 2018 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We have crossed the border from Portugal into Spain, and many Spaniards call this interesting, somewhat remote port La Coruña.

But we are also in the autonomous community of Galicia, and there the official name of the port is A Coruña.

If you want to venture into the obscure, the English called the place Corunna and you will see some reference to that name in history books.

And if you want to go from the obscure to the archaic, then let’s throw in The Groyne.

You can’t go wrong with any of the first three.

La Coruña is sometimes called “The Crystal City.” That nickname is derived from its many galerías, or glazed window balconies, said to have been adopted from the windowed stern of warships.

They help bring a lot of light into the homes here, in a place where the sun regularly seems to be absent. Here are some photos I took today in grey Galicia.

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

About an hour away from La Coruña is the city of Santiago de Compostela, a handsome place that had its origin in the establishment of the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the city’s cathedral.

The shrine was the destination of the Way of St. James, a leading Catholic pilgrimage route begun in the 9th century.

According to legend, the remains of the apostle James were brought to Galicia for burial.

In 813, according to medieval legend, the light of a bright star guided a shepherd to the burial site. The shepherd quickly reported his discovery to the bishop, who declared that the remains were those of the apostle James and immediately notified King Alfonso II in Oviedo.

To honor St. James, the cathedral was built on the spot where his remains were said to have been found.

The story ties in with one possible explanation for the name Compostela, which would be from the Latin Campus Stellae, “field of the star.”

Modern scholars think the name may have a less lofty origin, from the Latin, composita tella, “burial ground.”

The Way of Saint James, the Camino de Santiago, has seen a resurgence in recent decades

And today tens of thousands of people make the pilgrimage each year.

You are supposed to start from your own doorstep, although many follow a path from the French border.

That trip is about 800 kilometers or 500 miles, and the trip usually requires about one month.

Some people make the pilgrimage in a single trip, while others perform portions of it stretched over several years.

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20 May 2018:
Cadiz, Spain:
The Frontier

May 20, 2018 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

Cádiz is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the Iberian Peninsula, and possibly the oldest in all of southwestern Europe.

Think of it as a frontier town, the Wild West of Europe.

Today I went with a group of guests to the splendid city of Seville, about 90 minutes away. The gems of Seville include the Alcazar, a palace constructed for the Catholic royalty but mostly designed by and built by Moorish artisans after the reconquest of Spain.

SEVILLE, SPAIN: THE ALCAZAR

SEVILLE: THE CATHEDRAL

The spectacular Cathedral of Seville includes the tomb of Christopher Columbus…or someone like him…or maybe not. Nice tomb, though.

A CADIZ ALBUM

Cádiz was part of the Muslim realm of Al-Andalus, now the Spanish region of Andalusia.

Its history and culture are built on a base of Moorish or Muslim cultures, and by earlier forces: the Iberians, the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Roman Empire, the Vandals, and the Visigoths.

The Phoenicians built an outpost here about three thousand years ago and called it Gadir, which means walled stronghold. And for most of its existence, that was its role: a fortress and an armory.

During the Age of Exploration, the city was re-energized.

Christopher Columbus sailed from Cádiz on his second and fourth voyages.

By the middle of 16^th century, when the Spanish Empire ruled or traded with much of the world, Cádiz was the receiving end of the treasure train from Asia and the New World.

Spanish Galleons would pick up gold, silver, and other treasure from Mexico, South America, Japan, China, the Philippines and other parts and try to get it past the real Pirates of the Caribbean.

The intermediate goal was one of their local strongholds including Cartagena in Colombia or Havana, Cuba. And then from there they would cross the Atlantic to bring the treasure back to Spain, through Cádiz.

CADIZ, SPAIN

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17 May 2018:
Malaga, Spain:
Gateway to the Costa del Sol and Granada

May 17, 2018 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

Málaga: its very name brings to mind sweet repose, and sweet wine.

The town is handsomely set between the mountains and the sea. On a bluff above are the rust-colored walls of the Alcazaba fortress. In the town, the dramatic flair of Spanish architecture.

All are conducive, I suppose, to great art, and it was here that Pablo Picasso was born. There’s a very life-like statue of an adult Picasso seated on a bench in the center of town.

For all of these reasons and more, Málaga has wrapped itself in a mantle of art.

Near the port is The Centre Pompidou Málaga, a “pop-up” extension of the famed Parisian museum. In the center of the city is the Picasso museum, a small but rich collection of pieces—many of them from the private holdings of the great artist’s family.

And nearby is the Carmen Thyssen museum, an outpost of a great Spanish collection.

Today was a spectacular early summer day. The jacaranda and other flowers were in full bloom and fresh paint awaited the arrival of peak season in a few weeks. We had quiet enjoyment.

FROM EARLIER VISITS

GRANADA

One of Spain’s most spectacular and famous cities is Granada, just under two hours to the northeast.

Granada sits at the base of Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers.

The city has been inhabited for thousands of years and about 12 centuries ago it was a center of Islamic and Jewish culture. The city became the capital of a province of the Caliphate of Cordoba; it was mostly destroyed in war in 1010.

In January 1492, the last Muslim sultan in Iberia surrendered control of Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella, Los Reyes Católicos (“The Catholic Monarchs”.)

By the 16^th century, Granada took on a Christian and Castilian character, as immigrants came from other parts of the Iberian Peninsula.

Although many Muslim buildings were destroyed by the Catholics, those that remain represent the most complete group of Moorish domestic architecture in Europe including Granada’s public baths, including El Bañuelo or the Alhambra Baths, and the complex of Arab public fountains and wells, unique in Europe.

The Alhambra, Arabic for “the red one”, or the red fortress, was built in the mid-14^th century. It originally was the residence of the Muslim rulers of Granada and their court. With the reconquest by the Spaniards, it became a Christian palace.

After falling into disrepair, the Alhambra was “rediscovered” in the 19th century.

It is now one of Spain’s major tourist attractions.

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16 May 2018:
Cartagena and Murcia, Spain:
The Warm Coast

May 16, 2018 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

Cartagena is one of Spain’s more historically significant places because of its superb and easily defended naval port.

But Cartagena is less-known than many other coastal cities of Spain,

In fact, its distant namesake, Cartagena de Indias, in Colombia, may be much better known. Cartagena, Colombia grew as one of the principal Spanish fortresses to hold the treasure taken from South America, the Caribbean, and Asia. I will be the last to complain; just a few months ago I was in that other Cartagena aboard ship.

Cartagena, Spain has long been a crossroads of civilizations and navies.

It has a spectacular Roman Theatre and remains of Phoenician, Byzantine and Moorish structures capped by a fine collection of early 20^th century Art Nouveau buildings.

On this visit, I returned to the wondrous city of Murcia. We visited the Church of Fuensanta, a lovely spot in the hills above town, and then its corresponding cathedral in Murcia itself.

And then we went to secular treasure of Murcia, the Royal Casino.

It was founded in 1847 as a gentleman’s club for the very wealthy of Murcia, later extended to people of the feminine persuasion. It has rooms with exquisite Moorish or Arabic style, an English-style library, a formal ballroom, and much more.

I’ve been there many times, and still manage to find new ways to make its portrait:

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15 May 2018:
Ibiza, Spain:
Your Right to Party

May 15, 2018 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

Ibiza is about 120 kilometers or 75 miles southeast of Valencia in the Mediterranean Sea, the little sister of the Balearic Islands of Spain.

Mallorca, as in major, is Spain’s largest island possession. The second largest of the islands is Menorca, as in minor, at least in comparison to Mallorca.

This morning dawned clear and bright, and I got up early to catch a photo of Ibiza town at sunrise and then an early light image of a portion of town:

The Balearic Islands are very attractive in many ways. Rich and fertile land. Safe harbors. And located on the ancient trading routes for long-vanished peoples as well as for wave upon wave of empire builders including the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Vikings, the Spanish, and the English.

And then they were right along the watery highway for incoming Islamic tribes, and later for outgoing Crusaders.

Today the islands are close enough for invading holiday makers to hop on a ferry or a flight from the mainland to the beach for the weekend.

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14 May 2018:
Valencia, Spain:
Fallas and Fireworks

May 14, 2018 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

It was a beautiful day in Valencia, but I repeat myself. It is always beautiful here.

Valencia is Spain’s third largest city, after Madrid and Barcelona.

That’s pretty impressive company.

But Valencia can stand on its own as a wondrous old city.

The former capital of the Old Kingdom of Valencia.

The birthplace of paella.

The deathplace of the fallas.

And home to a massive modern project by Santiago Calatrava that used the old riverbed of the city as the cradle for a phantasmagorical city within the city, a place–I imagine–Antoni Gaudí would have enjoyed. That is, as far as I am concerned, as high an honor as a Spanish architect could hope for.

TODAY IN VALENCIA

The City of Arts and Sciences in the noonday sun

The Silk Exchange in the heart of the city

The ingredients of Valencia at the public market

FROM PREVIOUS VISITS TO VALENCIA:

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12-13 May 2018:
Barcelona, Spain:
New Works of Art Afloat and Ashore

May 12, 2018 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

We have arrived in the glorious city of Barcelona, a place that is in love with art of all forms.

We docked at the World Trade Center near the base of Las Ramblas.

The Silver Spirit, one week out of the shipyard where she was extended by 15 meters or 49 feet, is the newest work of art in town.

On this visit, I made a pilgrimage to the newest old showpiece in town: the rejuvenated and restored Casa Vicens, the first major building designed by Antoni Gaudi. Work began in 1883 and was completed in 1888, and for nearly all of past 130 years or so, it has been a private residence.

Five years ago it was purchased by MoraBank of Andorra, and just a few months ago it was opened to the public. Casa Vicens is not as phantasmagorical as Casa Pedrera or Palau Guell or as spiritually uplifting as La Sagrada Family. But it offers an amazing view of the developing skills of Gaudi; he was all of 30 years old when he received the commission.

Casa Vicens was built alongside a cloister that had a wall of ivy, and Gaudi continued that theme within the home. Here is some of what we saw:

CASA VICENS

To those guests who are leaving us here, I wish you safe travels, buen viaje, until we meet again.

And for those joining us here, bienvenido. Welcome aboard.

We’re going down and around, from Barcelona to the equally differently wondrous city of Valencia and then out into the middle of the Mediterranean to the island of Ibiza.

From there, back to the mainland to call at Cartagena and Malaga before politely leaving Spain for two days to visit the British exclave of Gibraltar. From there we cross over to Africa for a call at Casablanca.

Then back to Spain for Cadiz before heading north to Lisbon.

Here’s our plan:

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27 May 2017:
A Coruña, Spain:
Crystal City

May 27, 2017 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

La Coruña was the political capital of the Kingdom of Galicia from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

Spain has 17 autonomous communities, a first-level political division that came out of the Constitution of 1978 which was intended to retain the autonomy of the nationalities and regions of the Spanish nation.

Today, La Coruña is in the autonomous community of Galicia. The place has other versions of its name, in Galician and British English: A Coruña and Corunna respectively.

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La Coruña is sometimes called “The Crystal City.” That nickname is derived from its many galerías, or glazed window balconies.

LA CORUŇA MAY 27, 2017

Naval architects adopted the design of the windowed stern of a warship and applied them as balconies to many places in northern Spain, including Galicia and the Basque region.

The first settlement was believed to have been on the peninsula that extends out from the present city, probably established by the Artabrians, a Celtic tribe.

Then came the Romans in the 2^nd century BC.

They were attracted to the strategic position at the edge of Iberia, and they called the region Finis-terrae, the end of the world.

Its name in the Galician language evolved from that to Fisterra.

Under the Romans, the settlement they called Brigantium became important in maritime trade, and even drew the notice of Julius Caesar who visited in 62BC.

Commerce in metal and other materials grew, with connections what is now France, England, and Portugal.

Brigantium reached its peak in the 1^st and 2^nd centuries, but declined after the 4th century and especially with the incursions of the Normans, which forced the population to flee towards the interior of the Estuary of O Burgo.

It was in the 2^nd century that the Farum Brigantium was built.

Farum is the Latin version of the Greek work pharos, meaning lighthouse.

The other name for the farum was the Tower of Hercules.

That tower, restored and elaborated a bit over 1,900 years, still stands on the peninsula about 2.5 kilometers or 1.5 miles from the center of La Coruña.

It has been in more-or-less continuous use since first built, and may well be the oldest lighthouse still in existence.

According to some, it may have been modeled after the great Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

SANTIAGO DEL COMPOSTELA

About an hour south is the town of Santiago de Compostela, a place of pilgrimage for Christians for centuries.

We visited the cathedral on an earlier visit, watching vendors offering walking sticks topped by a carving of a scallop shell–proof to some of the accomplishment of their peregrino or pilgrimage, and topped it all of with tapas and a music and dance performance by a Galician folk troupe: Celtic bagpipes of northwest Spain.

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23 May 2017:
Cadiz, Spain:
The Wild West

May 23, 2017 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

Cadiz is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the Iberian Peninsula, and possibly the oldest in all of southwestern Europe.

Think of it as a frontier town, the Wild West of Europe.

Cádiz was part of the Muslim realm of Al-Andalus, now the Spanish region of Andalusia.

Its history and culture are built on a base of Moorish or Muslim cultures, and by earlier forces: the Iberians, the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Roman Empire, the Vandals, and the Visigoths.

The Phoenicians built an outpost here about three thousand years ago and called it Gadir, which means walled stronghold. And for most of its existence, that was its role: a fortress and an armory.

CADIZ MAY 23, 2017

Inside the small Jesuit chapel, all but hidden by the massive Cathedral of Cadiz.

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A CADIZ ALBUM

Roman Theater of Cadiz

Alameda district of Cadiz

The Moors ruled between 711 and 1262, until they were finally ousted by Alphonso X of Castile. During the Age of Exploration, the city was re-energized.

Christopher Columbus sailed from Cádiz on his second and fourth voyages.

By the middle of 16^th century, when the Spanish Empire ruled or traded with much of the world, Cádiz was the receiving end of the treasure train from Asia and the New World.

Spanish Galleons would pick up gold, silver, and other treasure from Mexico, South America, Japan, China, the Philippines and other parts and try to get it past the real Pirates of the Caribbean and back to Europe.

ARCOS DE LA FRONTERA ALBUM

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22 May 2017:
Malaga, Spain:
Wrapped in a Mantle of Art

May 22, 2017 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

The rust-colored walls of the Alcazaba, the azure waters of the Mediterranean, the dramatic flair of Spanish and Moorish architecture.

All are conducive, I suppose, to great art, and it was here that Pablo Picasso was born.

For all of these reasons and more, Málaga has wrapped itself in a mantle of art.

This small city has developed a remarkable portfolion of world-class art collections, starting with a Picasso collection and a branch of Madrid’s Carmen Thyssen museum.

More recently, the Centre Pompidou Málaga and a branch of the Russian Museum of Saint Petersburg opened.

MALAGA MAY 22, 2017

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On one visit, I went up into the hills to visit the ancient city of Mijas, the “Balcony of the Costa del Sol.”

It was the morning after the night before, in Feria or fair season.

A MALAGA ALBUM

Granada, one of Spain’s most spectacular and famous cities lies just under two hours to the northeast of Málaga, at the base of Sierra Nevada mountains.

The city has been inhabited for thousands of years.

In the 8th century, the city became the capital of a province of the Caliphate of Cordoba.

The Alhambra, Arabic for “the red one”, or the red fortress, was built in the mid-14^th century.

In January 1492, the last Muslim sultan in Iberia surrendered control of Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella, Los Reyes Católicos (“The Catholic Monarchs.”)

By the 16^th century, Granada took on a Christian and Castilian character, as immigrants came from other parts of the Iberian Peninsula.

Many of the city’s mosques, some of which had been established on the sites of former Christian churches, were converted to Christian uses.

GRANADA ALBUM

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21 May 2017:
Cartagena, Spain:
The Warm Coast

May 21, 2017 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

Cartagena is on the Costa Cálida, the Warm Coast of Spain’s Murcia region. Cartagena is one of Spain’s more historically significant places because of its superb and easily defended naval port.

But Cartagena is less-known than many other coastal cities of Spain,

In fact, its distant namesake, Cartagena de Indias, in Colombia, may be much better known.

Cartagena, Colombia grew as one of the principal Spanish fortresses to hold the treasure taken from South America, the Caribbean, and Asia.

Cartagena, Spain has long been a crossroads of civilizations and navies. It has a fine collection of early 20^th century Art Nouveau buildings, intermixed with a spectacular Roman Theatre and remains of Phoenician, Byzantine and Moorish structures.

SUNDAY IN CARTAGENA

Continue reading 21 May 2017:
Cartagena, Spain:
The Warm Coast →

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20 May 2017:
Valencia, Spain:
Arts, Sciences, and Paella

May 20, 2017 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

València is Spain’s third largest city, after Madrid and Barcelona, which is pretty impressive company.

But València can stand on its own as a wondrous old city, the former capital of the Old Kingdom of València.

The birthplace of paella.

The deathplace of the fallas.

And the modern resurgence of an ancient settlement around the spectacular Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, the City of Arts and Sciences, completed in 2008 in the old bed of the river Turia.

It was a spectacular day, weatherwise, in this spectacular city today.

And so I chose to conduct a photo safari in which I focused on the parts rather than the whole of Valencia. Here is some of what I saw.

VALENCIA

Its highlights include structures by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, among them the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia opera house and performing arts center which is topped by a swooping wave which overhangs the structure.

L’Hemisfèric, an IMAX Cinema and planetarium is the centerpiece of the project. Its eyelid is reflected in a water pool, creating the illusion of a giant eye.

El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe is an interactive museum of science that resembles the skeleton of a whale.

L’Umbracle is a landscaped walk with plant species indigenous to Valencia including rockrose, lentisca, rosemary, lavender, honeysuckle, bougainvillea, and palm trees.

L’Oceanogràfic is the largest oceanographic aquarium in Europe. Built in the shape of a water lily, it is the work of another architect, Félix Candela.

CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

We eat oh so well aboard ship, but that is no excuse not to indulge in local specialties when given the chance. Few places are more worthy than this region of Spain, the birthplace of paella.

The dish is named after the pan used to prepare it. You can, if you wish, think of it as a Spanish version of a wok.

In many ways it brings together the Roman and Arab and indigenous flavors of the region.

In Moorish Spain, farmers improved the old Roman irrigation systems along the Mediterranean coast, leading to greater yields in rice production. And from this came casseroles of rice, meat, fish, and spices.

Paella Valenciana includes meat (usually chicken or rabbit). Paella de Marisco, with fish or seafood, or even Paella Mixta, with meat and fish. Not with sausage, ham, or meat broth; those are for tourists.

Paella is typically eaten at midday, so many restaurants do not serve it at dinner, which in Spain can be deep into the night. In its classical version, paella is cooked over a wood fire. Not gas. And if you see a microwave in the kitchen, run away.

MERCAT CENTRAL

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19 May 2017:
Barcelona, Spain:
Rambling

May 19, 2017 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler

As far as I am concerned, there are two types of travelers: those who love Barcelona, and those who have not yet experienced its many charms.

We come to Barcelona six or eight times a year in this job. Tough work, but someone has to do it.

The most famous street in Barcelona is Las Ramblas, or the Promenade. It is actually a series of linked streets, each one of them a rambla mostly dedicated to a particular set of markets: flowers, art, pets.

Few cities are more imbued with the artistic vision of one man than is Barcelona. The visions, all of them beautiful and some of them a bit strange, were those of Antoni Gaudi, one of the masters of the Modernist or Art Nouveau style.

His crowning achievement was—or will be—LaSagrada Família, the Holy Family.

Gaudi designed it to have 18 towers: 12 for the apostles, 4 for the evangelists, one for Mary and one for Jesus.

Gaudí died in 1926, and they’re still working on the basilica, with plans to complete in in 2026, the centenary of his death.

Like many of you I have visited hundreds of cathedrals all over the world, many of them many centuries years old. Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia may well be the last monumental cathederal to be built, and it is amazing scene to watch the work underway.

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BARCELONA TODAY

GAUDI IN BARCELONA

The waterfront at the base of the city, near the place where much of Spain’s great fleet of exploration was built and where Columbus returned from his first voyage, has been restored and improved.

Maremagnum, a sprawling shopping, dining, and entertainment complex has pride of place. Literally translated from the Latin it means the “great sea.” But as a Spanish idiom, it means an abundance or an overabundance or a confusion born of excess.

Much like Barcelona itself.

MAREMAGNUM

If somehow you’ve seen everything you want to see in Barcelona, here are two great out-of-town trips: the Montserrat Monastery, about 30 minutes by car, bus, or train and a world away, and Girona, a mini-version of Barcelona with a river running through it.

MONTSERRAT

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27 Sep 2016
Porto Mahon, Menorca, Spain:
In the Middle

September 27, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We are back at Menorca, the middle piece of the big three of the Balearic Islands.

We headed off in a different direction today, along the waterfront to find the old electrical generation station of Porto Mahon from 1892, and then climbed up the hill to visit the 15th century Church of San Francesco.

The church combines Gothic, Baroque, and other elements including some interesting monochrome frescoes flanking the altar.

We were last here on 14 September, and you can see more photos and commentary in the blog entry for that day.

A MENORCA ALBUM

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26 Sep 2016
San Antonio, Ibiza, Spain:
The Party Line

September 26, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Early Monday morning we sailed around the corner to San Antonio on the west coast of Ibiza. In doing so, we moved to the second-largest town on the island, and a place that has only a bit of history.

The rest? Bars, restaurants, hotels, beaches, and clubs including Es Paradis, one of the first of Ibiza’s party sites.

Also in San Antonio one of the architectural highlights is an odd monument called “The Egg.”

It was erected in the 1990s—in the middle of a round-about, a traffic circus—in honor of Christopher Columbus.

Why? Because of a very flimsy claim by a writer and now by tourism folk that Columbus had been born on the island of Ibiza. (There may have been a party that preceded the claim.)

But just for the record: Columbus, it is pretty widely believed, was born in the Republic of Genoa.

But that’s kind of like saying Rudyard Kipling was born in the United Kingdom; Kipling was born in Bombay in British India in 1865 and died in London in 1936. British all the way.

Or, for what it is worth, that George Washington (and John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and half a dozen more of the first American presidents) were born in the United States. There was no such place when they were born.

Back to Columbus: Might have been born in Genoa, where they can show you a house that is almost certainly not his. Or Corsica—which was fully part of the Genoese empire—where they can show you the ruins of a house in Calvi. Or Aragon in what is now Spain, or in Portugal.

But Ibiza? Local politicians and the tourist bureau will have you believe that Columbus was born in Dalt Vila, the medieval part of Ibiza Town.

Why? Because his style of writing in his journals is said to be Ibizan, and because he used coastal names from the Balearic islands for some of his discoveries in the Caribbean: Punta de la Mata and Punta de la Rama among them.

That’s the party line, anyhow.

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25 Sep 2016
Ibiza Town, Ibiza, Spain:
The Party Begins

September 25, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

From the mainland of Spain at Porto Denia to Ibiza, it is about 75 miles or 120km. Mallorca and Menorca are 150 and 250 miles away, respectively.

On some summer weekends the Balearics seem like a suburb of Valencia…mixed in with jet-setters from around the world.

Looming over the old city are the massive medieval stone walls of Dalt Vila—a UNESCO World Heritage site—and its Gothic cathedral.

Modern Ibiza is very much a party town for the young. But it does have an ancient past. Its history is similar—but not identical—to that of Menorca and Mallorca.

The island’s largest cities are Ibiza Town; in Catalan called Vila d’Eivissa, or simply Vila, as well as Sant Antoni de Portmany, or San Antonio.

The Spanish have been trying for years to make the claim that Ibiza is not just beaches, bars, and bikinis.

Not very successfully.

Some call the place, “Gomorrah of the Med.”

If you ask someone about the principal attractions of Ibiza, you’re not likely to hear about great museums, cathedrals, and historical sites.

You are much more likely to hear about Paradis, Amnesia, Privilege, DC-10 and other clubs presenting live acts or DJs featuring techno or dance music.

The peak Gomorrah season runs from about June through September.

AN IBIZA ALBUM

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24 Sep 2016
Palma de Mallorca, Spain:
The Green Boulevard

September 24, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We return to the largest of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca as in major. On this visit, Silver Cloud we called at the capital city of Palma, a very green and handsome city in the Mediterranean.

Sailing over last night from Barcelona we enjoyed a spectacular thunderstorm, a wondrous sight from aboard ship with 360-degree views of the horizon. This morning dawned clear, and we hope for dry days on land.

I went out in search for remembrances of Antoni Gaudi along the lush and green boulevards of Palma.

PALMA DE MALLORCA TODAY

We were in Palma de Mallorca on 13 September, and in the resort town of Alcudia on Mallorca on 20 September. You’ll find additional photos and commentary in the blog entries for those days.

It was under Roman rule that the towns of Pollentia and Palmaria were founded. The local economy was based mostly on the cultivation of olives and grapes and the mining of salt.

The Romans were ousted in 426 when the Vandals sacked the island. And then came the series of back-and-forth invasions and clashes of culture that is part of the Mediterranean story.

In 534, Majorca was conquered by the Byzantine Empire, and administered as part of the province of Sardinia. Under Byzantine rule, Christianity flourished and numerous churches were built.

But starting in 707, the island was increasingly attacked by Muslim raiders from North Africa. In 902, the Caliphate of Córdoba conquered Majorca and eventually the island was managed from Damascus.

The locals were quite active in the sacking of ships (both Muslim or Christian) which passed nearby. Eventually, the piracy lead to retaliation from Al-Andalus, (Moorish Iberia) which launched its naval power against the city and the whole of the Islands.

And then about 844 came the first of a number of attacks by Vikings; they sacked the entire island.

But through it all, the Muslims were the dominant power until 1114.

Now the Europeans came storming in, at least for a brief moment. In 1114, an expedition of Pisans and Catalans overran the island, laying siege to Palma for eight months. After the city fell, the invaders retreated, and were replaced by tribes from North Africa, Berber Muslims who ruled until 1229.

Back came the Europeans: in 1229 King James I of Aragon launched an invasion with 15,000 men and 1,500 horses.

And then from 1479, thirteen years before Columbus, the Crown of Aragon was in dynastic union with Castile, during the buildup of the ambitions and the power of Ferdinand and Isabella.

I’ll stop here–skipping over the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 18th century, the Spanish Civil War in the early 20th century, and the modern invasion by tourists.

Let’s just say that Mallorca has seen history come at it in all directions.

A PALMA MALLORCA ALBUM

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22-23 Sep 2016
Barcelona, Spain:
Hola i adéu

September 22, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Hola i adéu. Hello and goodbye, in Catalan.

Adéu to guests leaving us here in the glorious city of Barcelona.

And hola to those coming aboard for a winding path that will take us to three of the Balearic islands of Spain, the Italian island of Corsica, the French island of Corsica, the glitzy principality of Monaco, the charming port of Portofino, the gateway city of Livorno, and finally to the port of Rome at Civitavecchia.

It’s all good, and I hope you’ll join me here. Here’s our plan:

A BARCELONA ALBUM

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21 Sep 2016
Castellon de la Plana, Spain:
The Orange Blossom Coast

September 21, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

In this regions of castles, King Jaume I (James I) granted a petition to move a town from the top of a hilltop down to a fertile plain near the Mediterranean.

And thus was born in 1251, Castellon de la Plana: Castellon on the Plain.

It’s on a handsome stretch of about 75 miles of the Spanish coast with dramatic rocky cliffs, hidden coves, handsome beaches, isolated villages, modernist buildings, 15^th century palaces, and some extravagant resorts.

In modern times, the promoters of tourism ask you to call the place the Costa del Azahar, the Orange Blossom Coast.

I went with guests up the coast to the castle-crowned town of Peniscola, at one time a rock cut off from the sea at times, a small version of Mont St-Michel. Its name, from the Latin, means “quasi-island.” That is similar to the origin of “peninsula.”

The castle was begun in 1294 by the Knights Templar. From 1415 to 1423 it was the home of Benedict XIII (Pedro de Luna, also known as Papa Luna), one of the Avignon popes during the Catholic schism.

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Around the World with Corey Sandler

Tag Archives: Spain

14 June 2018:
Bilbao, Spain:
Ancient Peoples, Modern Art

12 June 2018:
La Coruna, Spain:
Seeking Enlightenment

20 May 2018:
Cadiz, Spain:
The Frontier

By Corey Sandler

17 May 2018:
Malaga, Spain:
Gateway to the Costa del Sol and Granada

By Corey Sandler

16 May 2018:
Cartagena and Murcia, Spain:
The Warm Coast

By Corey Sandler

15 May 2018:
Ibiza, Spain:
Your Right to Party

By Corey Sandler

14 May 2018:
Valencia, Spain:
Fallas and Fireworks

By Corey Sandler

12-13 May 2018:
Barcelona, Spain:
New Works of Art Afloat and Ashore

By Corey Sandler

27 May 2017:
A Coruña, Spain:
Crystal City

By Corey Sandler

LA CORUŇA MAY 27, 2017

23 May 2017:
Cadiz, Spain:
The Wild West

By Corey Sandler

22 May 2017:
Malaga, Spain:
Wrapped in a Mantle of Art

By Corey Sandler

21 May 2017:
Cartagena, Spain:
The Warm Coast

By Corey Sandler

20 May 2017:
Valencia, Spain:
Arts, Sciences, and Paella

By Corey Sandler

19 May 2017:
Barcelona, Spain:
Rambling

By Corey Sandler

27 Sep 2016
Porto Mahon, Menorca, Spain:
In the Middle

26 Sep 2016
San Antonio, Ibiza, Spain:
The Party Line

25 Sep 2016
Ibiza Town, Ibiza, Spain:
The Party Begins

24 Sep 2016
Palma de Mallorca, Spain:
The Green Boulevard

22-23 Sep 2016
Barcelona, Spain:
Hola i adéu

21 Sep 2016
Castellon de la Plana, Spain:
The Orange Blossom Coast

Cruise Photos and Stories by Corey Sandler