European Explorer

The south of England boasts a dramatic coastline that encloses some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain. The landscape of hills and heaths, downs and forests, valleys and dales, is without rival. Southampton serves as your gateway to the countryside – and to a wide variety of historic sites, national landmarks and charming. And of course, London is a two-hour drive by modern highway.

The United Kingdom’s premier passenger ship port, Southampton was home for many years to the great transatlantic liners of yesteryear.

As the cultural heart of Spain’s celebrated Basque country, the shining city of Bilbao is filled with Gothic architecture and landmarks that herald its centuries-old history. But the more modern additions to this post-industrial port town — namely, the spectacular Guggenheim Museum — seem to be drawing the most attention these days.

Draped across seven hills, Lisbon was once the center of a vast maritime empire that stretched from the west coast of Africa to the Spice Islands of the East Indies. Then, on November 1, 1755, a violent earthquake destroyed two-thirds of the city in the space of 10 minutes. Only the Alfama, the old Moorish quarter, survived. Today, Lisbon is a stately city of Neoclassical buildings and wide plazas. Eternally linked to the sea, Lisbon’s magnificent harbor is spanned by the longest suspension bridge in Europe.

Tangier – the very name conjures up an air of mystery and adventure, a place where Berber tribesmen, Europeans and assorted adventurers meet and mingle in the narrow streets of the Kasbah. The city’s history and culture does little to dispel that sense of mystery. Founded by Carthaginians in the 5th century B.C., the city has seen great powers and would-be conquerors come and go; the city always abides. There is also the Tangier of the mind. Since the 19th century, European and American painters, poets and writers have been drawn to the narrow streets of old city. Delacroix first immortalized Tangier’s landscaped and publicized its charms, giving Europe a taste for the exotic. And American writers like Paul Bowles, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg made the city a veritable suburb of modern American literature.

One of Spain’s oldest cities, Malaga has been inhabited since the time of the Phoenicians, who called it Malaka. A city of narrow streets, whitewashed houses, churches and sunny plazas, Malaga offers an idealized image of Spain. Andalusia’s main port is also your gateway to the resorts of the Costa del Sol. No visit to Malaga would be complete without a trip to Granada and a tour of the fabled Alhambra.

Malaga was the chief port for the Kingdom of Granada, the last stronghold of Moorish Spain. The city fell to Ferdinand and Isabelle in 1487. The re-conquest of Spain ended with the fall of Grenada in 1492, the year Columbus discovered the New World.

Palma is the capital city of the island of Mallorca, which is one of Spain’s Balearic Islands. The city is tucked into the protected Bay of Palma, creating an impressive view from the Mediterranean Sea with its imposing Gothic Cathedral towering above the old town and remnants of medieval walls that testify to its ancient history. Mallorca has a varied history, from the Roman occupation in the 2nd century to Moorish control from the 9th to the 13th century. Later reconquered by the Spanish kings, it rose to wealth and power due to its strategic position along the seagoing trade routes between Africa and Europe.

Today, Palma is the largest city, and also the main tourist area, with beaches on either side of the city that overflow with resort hotels. If you venture beyond these environs, the island’s natural beauty abounds, and life continues in a predictably underdeveloped atmosphere of simplicity. This aspect has long been an attraction for writers, painters and musicians that find inspiration here.

Two main languages are spoken on Mallorca – Castilian Spanish and the Balearic dialects of Catalan – hence the different versions of names and spellings throughout the Balearic Islands.

The 1992 Summer Olympics revealed to the world what Europeans and seasoned travelers already knew – Barcelona is one of the world’s greatest treasures. Vibrant and earthy, commercial and cultural, this city of two million residents is the capital of Spain’s autonomous region of Catalonia. Stroll along the wide, tree-lined promenades of Las Ramblas and marvel at the spires of Gaudi’s Basilica La Sagrada Familia. Or visit the former Olympic Ring on the hill of Montjuic – also home to world-class parks, fountains and museums. Barcelona, which nurtured such artistic giants as Picasso, Dali, Miro and Casals, is definitely a traveler’s paradise.