A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “THE ORIGINAL TOURIST IN SPAIN”, 5 May 1967, Last Installment »
Although some passages in his book are dated, they make us realize what hardships The Original Tourist endured in roughing it on horseback across torrid plains and hostile mountains. Much has changed since Ford's day, but among the trifles of which he wrote so well remains unaltered today. "Gatherings from Spain" is more than an extraordinary eye-witness report on Spain in the early 19th century; it is more than a travelogue teeming with adventure and erudition; it is an honest record of a remarkable Englishman's reactions to a country he described as "the most romantic, racy, and peculiar of Europe, which hovers between Europe and Africa, between civilization and barbarity".
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND WITH THE MAN OF LA MANCHA. FREE HOTEL ACCOMMODATION! »
Alcala de Henares will raffle off 100 free hotel double-room accommodations to promote tourism in this city where Miguel de Cervantes of the "Don Quixote" fame was born. Winners will enjoy their free hotel accommodation in April when they will be able to join the Holy Week celebrations declared Fiesta de Interes Turistico Nacional (Tourist Festival of National Interest), and other exciting events.
FINDING DON QUIXOTE »
I had given up finding my favorite Street Performer Don Quixote. I was afraid he had gone the way of the many other performers, not to be found again. But to my surprise, on one of my last days in Madrid I rounded the corner and there he was. Tall, handsome, and lance in hand, waiting for people to take his picture. I have always loved finding him.
GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “SUMMING UP THE SPANIARDS, AN ACCOUNT OF HOW SOME FAMOUS TRAVELLERS HAVE SEEN SPAIN,” 3 OCTOBER 1969 — (1) Knowlege In-Depth »
In our own day [i.e. in 1969] when 20 million foreigners swarm into Spain every year, the rage to sum up, to label, to praise and criticize, to explain, dissect and generalize on Spain has been an almost compulsory urge of travellers. Most, however, are content to accept its inhabitants uncritically, happy to loll on the beaches without racking their brains about the ultimate truths of the Spaniard. At any rate, Spain is changing and even its most entrenched characteristics are undergoing modifications as they are buffeted by the impact of modern communications and ideas.
Alcalá de Henares: The Birthplace of the Legendary Miguel de Cervantes »
"Seeing Cervantes’ birthplace reminds us of the fact that the most renowned 'writers' were real people with real lives and real histories"
WHY YOU SHOULD BE IN ALCALA DE HENARES THIS WEEKEND (OR ANY OTHER DAY ON THE CALENDAR) »
What’s the use of coming to Madrid if you don’t snatch the chance to experience Spain’s star writer of all time and the world’s first novelist ever?
JUST A LITTLE DID-YOU-KNOW? »
"By 2050 the United States of America could be the biggest Spanish-speaking country in the world!"
AH, ROMANCE! »
By Mary Foran
In these oh-so-serious times, it’s amazing how St. Valentine’s Day, celebrated on February 14th, is still in
