10 Nights in Spain

Über das Reiseziel:

Madrid has a tempo of its own: The dry air of the Castilian plain crackles with its cosmopolitan crowds. If the illuminated shop windows along the Gran Vía, and the unrelenting elegance of Paseo de la Castellana are overwhelming, retreat to Old Madrid. Its tangle of side streets south of Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol are what makes the real Madrid. Spend half a day in the Prado Museum, thaat sit to rest on the steps leading down to the lake in lush Retiro Park. The city begins to live it up as soon as the sun goes down. Madrid claims to boast the largest number of bars per capita of any European city. Madrid teems with cultural events all year round. After concert, play or film, you can choose among literally hundreds of tapas bars and an endless array of nightspots. Madrid successfylly combines its cosmopolitan sophistication with its most cherished local traditions, the result is fascinating to explore.

Über das Reiseziel: Seville has a special colour, this effervescent city is filled with captivating traditional architecture in colours of lemons, plums and oranges. The River Guadalquivir runs approximately north-south through Seville. Most of the city, including the old quarter of Barrio de Santa Cruz, is on the east bank, while the Barrio de Triana lies on the west bank. At midnight, impromptu singing, clapping and guitar playing fill bars and streets. By day, the diversity of the city’s heritage becomes apparent. The Romans, Moors, Catholic Spaniards, and now, hordes of tourists have all tried to claim Seville as their own. Indeed, Seville has never failed to spark the imagination of newcomers. From the street, the cathedral seems unimpressive; you must go inside to get some sense of its dimensions. Massive pillars support the vaulted roof, and the wealth of treasure is fabulous beyond belief. Another major sight of the city is La Giralda, which was the minaret of the Almohad mosque. From the top, there’s a fantastic view of the city across the barbed spires and buttresses of the roof. La Torre del Oro, a symbol of the city, originally covered in golden tiles, watches over the town as it has always done since 1220. Seville at night is wonderful, everything takes on a mystical air able to hypnotize and if you know how to live it, you will fall under its spell.

Über das Reiseziel: Die muslimischen Herrscher von Granada verehrten und schmückten diese Provinzhauptstadt. Ignorieren Sie die niedrigen Gemächer von Granada und schauen Sie nach oben: Der majestätische lehmrote Alhambra-Palast erhebt sich vor der Sierra Nevada, Europas sonnigsten Skipisten. Und auch die erfrischende Küste ist in der Nähe. Die Alhambra, die Rote auf Arabisch, ist ein islamisches Denkmal von weltweitem Ruhm und unvergänglicher Pracht, erbaut auf einem Hügel, der mit herrlichen Wäldern und Gärten bedeckt ist. Die zahlreichen Höfe und Räume in den Palästen der Casa Real gehören zu den schönsten Beispielen der Mudéjar-Kunst und -Architektur. Die Kathedrale von Granada wurde nach der Reconquista von Granada als Ersatz für die Moschee an dieser Stelle errichtet und ist die erste reine Renaissance-Kathedrale in Spanien. Die Königliche Kapelle, die über einen separaten Eingang erreichbar ist, enthält das kunstvolle Grab von Ferdinand und Isabella sowie Isabellas prächtige private Kunstsammlung. Südlich der Kathedrale liegt das Albayzin, das alte arabische Viertel, eine Reihe verwinkelter Gassen mit Torbögen im maurischen Stil, die die Wände schmücken. Granada ist berühmt für seine Karwochenfeiern mit Festen und Prozessionen. Wer weniger kulturelle Abwechslung sucht, sollte sich an die Studentenkneipen rund um die Universität halten.

Über das Reiseziel: Barcelona is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within city limits,[7] its urban area extends to numerous neighbouring municipalities within the Province of Barcelona and is home to around 4.8 million people, making it the fifth most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, the Ruhr area, Madrid, and Milan. It is one of the largest metropolises on the Mediterranean Sea, located on the coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs, and bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range, the tallest peak of which is 512 metres (1,680 feet) high.