Spain is a very big European country. People tend to pick cardinal point regions to visit so they can concentrate on the area. We chose mostly Southern Spain but also went to Barcelona. Seville, Granada, Ronda, Malaga, Marbella, Tariffa, Estepona (and Gibraltar; it’s own “country” within a country) were the cities we went to and from what I’ve heard Northern Spain has its own beauty worth exploring. The history of Spain is so rich and having tour guides or tour buses in Barcelona and Seville was very important in order to fully appreciate all of the details. The tour bus in Barcelona was an extensive way to see such a busy, fast-paced city. Barcelona is known for its modernity; and Seville for its antiquity.
My youngest son was most excited about the boqueria in Barcelona. A boqueria is a farmers market so extensive it was like walking through a food museum! Fresh smoothies were a favorite of his daily walk out onto Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is the most famous street in Barcelona because of the mass humanity that walks there daily. Jamon, the Spanish word for ham, would hang in the boquerias, with its raw and pungent aroma.
You could buy slices of it. Items in the Sevilla Cathedral were so inspiring and this altar of pure gold brought in from the Incas. It is said to be the most valuable altar in the world.
Sevilla Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest cathedral in the world. Christopher Columbus’s tomb is in this cathedral. Although it is also said that his tomb is elsewhere. We saw the port in Seville where his fleet embarked from for the famous voyage to the New Word. It’s the farthest inland port which means it’s not on the ocean, but a river.
- Suggested reading:
- Princess Prissypants Goes to Spain by Guerrier and Merka
- Nigel the Navigator Goes to Spain by Evans and Ferguson
- Never Say a Mean Word Again: A Tale of Medieval Spain by Jules and Bernhard
Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family: