It is not easy to categorize
Castilla-La Mancha, for it is a region of great variety and complexity.
On the one hand, there is the ruddy red earth, the windmills, and simple
whitewashed villages of the province of Ciudad Real (which encompasses
most of the area commonly called La Mancha). But there are also the strangely
sculpted cliffs of Cuenca and Albacete, the hilly woodlands of Guadalajara
and the dark mystery and ancient cultures of Toledo.
The city of Toledo is the
cultural highlight of Castile-La Mancha, a city that has been over the
centuries an essential stronghold for every civilization that settled Spain.
Once Roman, it became an opulent Visigothic capital, then an important
Moorish center, before becoming the capital of Castile. It was the home
of the School of Translators in the thirteenth century, where scholars
were instrumental in preserving past knowledge during the Dark Ages, and
a unique center of Jewish culture which coexisted in relative peace for
over 500 years, with those of the Moslems and the Christians. Toledo was
also the home of El Greco.
Gastronomy
The main crops of La Mancha
are typical of a dry climate: cereals, especially wheat, olives, and grapes,
from which immense amounts of wine are produced. The world's best saffron
comes from a small microclimate in La Mancha and splendid Manchego sheep's
milk cheese is also from here. A lively crafts tradition continues here,
and entire towns often dedicate their efforts to ceramics, embroidery,
lace, damascene, or knife making.
Attractions
Castilla-La Mancha is a
vast arid meseta some 1,500 to 2,000 feet above the sea, around which mountains
loom in all directions and through which two great rivers - the Tajo
and Guadiana - flow to the Atlantic. A third river, the beautiful turquoise
Jucar, courses to the Mediterranean, carving startling cavities and wierd
rock formations deep into the meseta and creating some amazing scenery
and spectacular village architecture. We owe the numerous castles and fortresses
of Castile-La Mancha to the long and continual hostilities between Moors
and Christians during the Reconquest of Spain.
The fields of Castile form
a beautiful geometric patchwork of golden hues, green plots, and ruddy
red earth. The Man of La Mancha - Don Quixote - keeps raising his head
in Castile-La Mancha and turns this flat arid expanse into a land of fantasy
where every rocky crag becomes a fortress, every flock of sheep a threatening
army and every group of windmills a band of hostile giants.
M A D R I D - Part of
the Castilla La Mancha region
The region of Madrid divides
into two different worlds. Rural Madrid features charming villages like
Patones and Chinchon, and first rate sights, such as the majestic El Escorial
of Phillip II, Alcala de Henares, a premiere university town in the sixteenth
century, and Aranjuez, where the royal court once summered. Outdoor activities
abound, from winter skiing in the high mountains to boating and other
water sports in summer. The countryside around the city of Madrid is the
escape valve, as it were, for the capital's people, a place where they
can relax and enjoy life at a slower pace.
The city of Madrid is relatively
new, established by Phillip II in the sixteenth century at the geographic
center of Spain. In Madrid a cosmopolitan air reigns, and it is a fun-loving
city where life is lived to the fullest. Street life is Madrid's trademark,
be it in the evocative cobbled streets of Old Madrid or in the sleek new
districts. "De Madrid al Cielo"; (from Madrid to Heaven) is the city's
well deserved self-congratulatory motto.
Gastronomy
Restaurants are everywhere,
be they rustic inns serving Madrid's traditional fare of suckling pig,
roast baby lamb and cocido chickpea stew, seafood restaurants, which receive
the finest freshest fish and shellfish rushed to the city every morning
from all of Spain's best fishing harbours, or Madrid's elegant world-class
restaurants, where creative, innovative cooking is the fashion. The tapas
tradition is alive and well in Madrid, and bar hopping is a wonderful way
to revel in Madrid's exuberant spirit while enjoying savory appetizers
of every description.
Attractions
To be sure the visitor will
also want to put aside time to attend a performance of zarzuela, Madrid's
own light opera that has traveled the world, to peruse its large and lively
department stores, and to shop in the city's elegant boutiques, where superb
Spanish leather goods, high fashion clothes, Spanish crafts, like ceramics,
lace and embroidery, and exquisite gourmet food products can be found.
Madrid's five hundred year old Rastro (flea market) is another option for
the visitor, and it is at its best Sunday mornings when vendors crowd the
streets and throngs of shoppers come to partake in this unique experience.
Madrid is a city meant for
walking. Stroll through verdant, peaceful Retiro Park, admire the city's
monumental plazas and fountains, visit the Plaza Mayor - a masterpiece
of Renaissance architecture - and Madrid's opulent Royal Palace. You can
of course spend several days just seeing Madrid's extraordinary museums,
among them the world renowned Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina
Sofía.
Text courtesy of the Tourist
Office of Spain |
