Northern Spain

by Andy Symington

Overview

Vital, vivid and engaging, this cluster of ancient kingdoms is home Gothic cathedrals, stunning mountain ranges, charming seaside towns and buzzing cities. From sampling fresh seafood and delicious cider to walking the medieval pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, Footprint's Northern Spain Handbook will help you make the most of your trip.

• In-depth coverage of the region's activities, from skiing and surfing to the best fiestas

• Highlight maps to help you get the best from this vast region

• Exceptional background and history section - from the Reconquista, to pilgrims, to politics

• Where to stay and eat for your budget; also offers information on the best refugios, paradores and sidrerias

• Includes feature on the Camino de Santiago

From the gourmet scene of San Sebastian and Bilbao’s iconic Guggenheim museum, to the wild and dramatic coast of Galicia, Footprint’s Northern Spain Handbook will ensure that you get the best out of this culturally rich destination.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781911082484
Publisher:	Footprint Handbooks
Publication date:	03/31/2017
Series:	Footprint Handbooks
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	584
File size:	63 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Andy Symington hails from Australia and, after much time spent prowling and working in various corners of the world, he settled in Spain, where he has now lived for several years. He is enamoured of the art, architecture, wildernesses, and tapas of Andalu

Read an Excerpt

Spain began in its north. Say that to the Asturians and they’ll puff up with pride, for when the moorish wave swept rapidly across the peninsula in the eighth century, the small mountain region stood indomitable. It was from here that the long process of Christian reconquest began, laying the foundations of modern Spain. It wasn’t necessarily subtle, and the culturally sophisticated Moors must have wondered where they had gone wrong, but the tide turned. The Asturians erected beautiful churches in the eighth century, León had 24 kings before Castilla had laws, and Castilla

was a muscly European kingdom centuries before Madrid was heard of. Aragón ruled the western Mediterranean and half of Italy, and progressive Navarra briefly united the whole of Christian Spain in days when Vikings still prowled the seas.

Fascinatingly, these ancient kingdoms still exist, and not just as modern administrative boundaries. Travel between the Basque Country and neighbouring Burgos and you’re crossing a sociocultural border that’s immediately evident in every way: how people eat, dress, earn a living and even what language they speak. The same goes for Asturias, for Aragón, for Galicia; and the cities of the plain in Castilla seem like little autonomous kingdoms.

One common aspect is the region’s immense architectural wealth. Even the most forgotten of villages may flaunt city walls, a majestic church and a handful of imposing stone palacios unchanged by the passage of time. On the natural side is a series of fabulous protected parks and reserves

backed by a network of excellent rural accommodation.

Tourism in the north is a world away from the crowded southern coasts. It’s the original Spain, or more accurately Spains, and whether you’re admiring Gothic vaulting, nosing wine in the Rioja, surfing Basque waves or pacing the pilgrim road to Santiago, it’s a vital, vivid and engaging place.