Published: December 20, 2008 02:03 pm      

A trip to Spain can be filled with adventure

Which country has the second largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world?

Where can you view an underground basilica larger than St. Peters in Rome?

Have you seen the 2000 year old Roman Aqueduct that was bringing water into town until the late 1900s?

The country of Spain proudly boasts all of the above, along with a rich culture and fascinating history.

Spain is a country in southwestern Europe located on the Iberian Peninsula. Only slightly smaller than France (and slightly larger than California), Spain is the first empire about which it as said that the sun never set.

Between about 500 BC and 300BC the Phoenicians and Greeks founded trading colonies along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Carthaginians took control of the area during the Punic Wars, until they were finally defeated and replaced by the Romans. The region became part of the Roman Empire known as Hispania.

During the Middle Ages the area fell under Germanic rule, only to be subsequently conquered by Muslim invaders.

In 1469 the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon were united by the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand. These united kingdoms began pushing the Islamic invaders out of Spain, and in 1492 the last remnants of the Islamic invaders were pushed out of Granada (ending their 781 year presence in the Iberian Peninsula).

1492 was a historic year for other reasons: Columbus discovered the Americas and Spanish Jews were ordered to convert to Catholicism or face the Spanish Inquisition.

A wave of anti-Semitism beginning in the late 1300s led to thousands of Jewish converts to Catholicism.

Jews were encouraged to convert for reasons of social status as well as to improve employment opportunities.

The Spanish Inquisition began as a way to challenge the “authenticity” of these Jewish conversions, as well as separate the powers of the monarchy from the Pope. Although the Inquisition began with the Jews, it was also implemented against Muslims and Protestants in later years. The Spanish Inquisition was not abolished until 1834.

Spain was the leading world power during the 16th and 17th centuries, but ensuing years of invasion and other problems left the country depleted and fragmented, resulting in a bloody civil war in the early 20th century.

In 1975 Prince Juan Carlos assumed the position of king and head of state. Spain is now a parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy with a Head of State (the King) as well as a bicameral parliament and a President of the Government.

The Spanish Empire at one time included most parts of South and Central America, Mexico, southern and western portions of the United States, the Philippines, Guam, the Mariana Islands, parts of northern and southern Italy, Sicily, cities in North Africa, as well as parts of France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Would you enjoy investigating the museums, castles, palaces, 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites, and culture of Spain? There are many fascinating tours of varying lengths that offer you wonderful opportunities to experience this great country.

Joy Gawf Crutchfield owns The Joy of Travel. Take a look at trips to Spain at www.thejoyoftravel.us.