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Museo del Prado, Calle de Ruiz de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain

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Museo del Prado, Calle de Ruiz de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain

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Museo del Prado, Calle de Ruiz de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain

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The Prado Museum is Spain's main museum for national art. It is widely considered to have one of the world's finest collections of European Art from the 12th century to the 20th century. El Prado features numerous works by Francisco de Goya, El Greco, Diego Velazquez and many more. The museum's collection contains 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints and 1,000 sculptures. Since 2012 the museum has only displayed about 1,300 pieces in the main building. Approximately 3,100 other works have been on temporary loan to other museums and institutions. The remainder of the pieces are in storage. The best-known work on display at the museum is Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez. (Shown above).

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Royal Palace of Madrid, Calle de Bailén, Madrid, Spain

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Royal Palace of Madrid, Calle de Bailén, Madrid, Spain

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Royal Palace of Madrid, Calle de Bailén, Madrid, Spain

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The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family in the city of Madrid; however, the building is only used for state ceremonies now. The palace has 1,450,000 sq ft of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the largest functioning royal palace and has the largest floor area of palaces in Europe.  The interior of the palace is notable for its wealth of art and the use of a variety of material in its construction. The palace features paintings by a large amount of notable Spanish artists such as Francisco de Goya and Velazquez. Other collections in the palace includes the Royal Armory of Madrid, porcelain, watches, furniture, silverware, and the world's only complete Stradivarius string quintet.

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Synagogue Santa María La Blanca de Tolède, Calle de los Reyes Católicos, Toledo, Spain

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Synagogue Santa María La Blanca de Tolède, Calle de los Reyes Católicos, Toledo, Spain

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Synagogue Santa María La Blanca de Tolède, Calle de los Reyes Católicos, Toledo, Spain

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The Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca is now a museum that is owned and preserved by the Catholic Church. Erected in 1180, it is said to be the oldest synagogue in Europe that is still standing. The building was constructed under the Christian Kingdom of Castile by Islamic architects for Jewish use. This synagogue is considered to be a symbol of the cooperation that existed between the three cultures that lived in the Iberian Peninsula during the middle ages. The synagogue's architecture demonstrates the three cultures in its design as details were added as the purpose of the building changed over time. The synagogue was converted into a church shortly after 1391 when Vincente Ferrer incited a massacre of the Jewish. Later the building was converted into a monastery and later an armory and warehouse. In 1856 the building was declared a national memorial site and was restored.

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Puente de San Martín, Bajada San Martín, Toledo, Spain

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Puente de San Martín, Bajada San Martín, Toledo, Spain

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Puente de San Martín, Bajada San Martín, Toledo, Spain

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The Puente de San Martin is a medieval bridge that crosses the river Tagus in Toledo, Spain. The bridge features five arches with a large middle arch that spans 40 meters long. At its time of construction, there were few bridges in the world that reached that distance. Constructed in the late 14th century, the bridge aimed to provide access to the old town from the west. Both sides of the bridge were fortified with strong towers in the 16th century.
There is a legend surrounding the bridge's original construction. The architect supposedly realized the day before the bridge was due to be inaugurated that the bridge would collapse once the supports were removed. The architect ran home to tell his wife about his mistake. Once he went to bed, his wife secretly made her way to the bridge and set fire to the supports causing the bridge to collapse. She saved her husband from disgrace and the bridge was rebuilt correctly.

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La Giralda, Avenida de la Constitución, Seville, Spain

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La Giralda, Avenida de la Constitución, Seville, Spain

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La Giralda, Avenida de la Constitución, Seville, Spain

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La Giralda is the bell tower of the Seville Cathedral. It is 324 feet in height and it has been one of the most important symbols of the city since the middle ages. La Giralda contains a series of winding ramps around the perimeter of several vaulted chambers at the tower's core. These ramps were designed with enough height and width to accommodate the donkey of the bell ringer that would carry the bell ringer to the top of the tower several times a day to ring the bells. Once at the top of the tower, a variety of bells can be seen overhead and fantastic view of the city can be seen from every side.

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Royal Alcázar of Seville, Patio de Banderas, Seville, Spain

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Royal Alcázar of Seville, Patio de Banderas, Seville, Spain

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Royal Alcázar of Seville, Patio de Banderas, Seville, Spain

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The Royal Alcazar of Seville is a royal palace that changed hands many times throughout the different conquests of Spain.  This palace endured five hundred years worth of construction and is a very good example of Mudejar architecture with influences and features from Gothic, Renaissance and Romanesque designs from older stages of construction. The upper floors of the Alcazar are still occupied by the royal family when they are in Seville. The walls of the Alcazar are filled with seemingly endless details and designs. Every wall, ceiling, doorway and floor are covered in hand crafted details.
Fun Fact: Many scenes from the fifth season of Game of Thrones was filmed in the Alcazar and other locations in Seville.

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Fun Fact: While Gibraltar is located at the bottom of Spain, it is actually owned by Great Britain. The area is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is referred to as the rock in the shoe of Spain. There is a British Customs check point at the entrance of Gibraltar and it does require a valid passport to enter. In Gibraltar, you can look across the sea and see the Northern Coast of Africa on a clear day.

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Cour des Lions, Calle Real de la Alhambra, Granada, Spain

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Cour des Lions, Calle Real de la Alhambra, Granada, Spain

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Cour des Lions, Calle Real de la Alhambra, Granada, Spain

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The Court of Lions is the main courtyard of La Alhambra. Watch the YouTube video to hear the Leyenda del patio de los leones.

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Flamenco dancing is an art form based on folkloric music traditions. Flamenco has been influenced by and associated with the Romani people of Spain.  The exact origin of Flamenco is unknown. The most wide-spread hypothesis is that flamenco was developed as a part of the cross-cultural exchange between the Moriscos and Gitanos (Romani people of Spain). While Gitanos translates to gypsies, this is considered an offensive term and should not be used in front of Romani people.  There are three fundamental parts of flamenco, tonality, rhythm and the performer. Tonality refers to a vocalist however it is not similar to the songs we listen to today but rather much more historical. The rhythm is usually directed by a guitarist, however when a guitarist is unavailable then rhythm usually comes from drumming one's knuckles on a table or clapping. The performer, typically a dancer, is known for demonstrating emotional intensity, proud posturing, expressive use of the arms and rhythmic stamping of the feet in a way different than that of tap dancing or Irish dancing.

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Alhambra, Calle Real de la Alhambra, Granada, Spain

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Alhambra, Calle Real de la Alhambra, Granada, Spain

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Alhambra, Calle Real de la Alhambra, Granada, Spain

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La Alhambra means "The Red One". It was named La Alhambra because its stones were once red in color but have faded due to exposure to the sun for many years. La Alhambra was a small palace and fortress that was originally constructed in 889 AD on the remains of a Roman fortress. The palace did not receive much attention until it was renovated and restored by Nasrid emir Mohammed Ben Al-Ahmar the Emirate of Granada in the mid-13th century. It was later converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada in 1333. After the Christian Reconquest in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella. This is where Christopher Columbus received his royal endorsement for his infamous expedition.
La Alhambra is one of Spain's most significant and well-known pieces of Islamic architecture.

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Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Avinguda del Professor López Piñero, Valencia, Spain

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Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Avinguda del Professor López Piñero, Valencia, Spain

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Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Avinguda del Professor López Piñero, Valencia, Spain

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La Cuidad de Artes y Ciencias  is a cultural and architectural complex in Valencia, Spain. It is considered to be one of the 12 Treasures of Spain.  The city is located at the end of the former riverbed of the Turia river. The river was drained and rerouted after a flood in 1957. The old riverbed was converted into a picturesque sunken park. Shown above, the L'Hemisferic is also known as the planetarium or the "eye of knowledge" The Museu de les Ciencies Principe Felipe is an interactive museum of science which is contained in a building that resembles the skeleton of a whale. L'Umbracle is an open structure that houses many plants that are indigenous to Valencia. L'Umbracle also houses the Walk Of Sculptures which features scupltures by contemporary artists.

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Torres de Serranos, Plaça dels Furs, Valencia, Spain

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Torres de Serranos, Plaça dels Furs, Valencia, Spain

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Torres de Serranos, Plaça dels Furs, Valencia, Spain

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Los Torres de Serranos  is one of the twelve gates that formed part of the ancient city wall of Valencia. The gate was designed in a Valencian Gothic style and was built at the end of the 14th century. This important landmark is one of the most well preserved monuments in Valencia. The adjoining wall that surrounded the ancient city was torn down in 1865 on the orders of Provincial governor Cirilio Amoros. The Torres de Serranos, The Quart Tower and a small amount of other archaeological remains and ruins such as the Puerta de los Judios still remain.

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Parque Güell is a public park composed of gardens and architectural elements. Eusebi Güell assigned the design of the park to Antoni Gaudi, a renowned architect. The park was built from 1900 to 1914, yet it wasn't officially opened until 1926. The park's name sake Eusebi Güell had originally intended the park to be part of a housing development with six houses. In the end only two houses were built and one of which was a show house that never sold. Gaudi eventually moved into this house with his family. This house is now known as the Gaudi House Museum and it was declared a historical artistic monument of national interest in 1969 as it contains original work by Gaudi and several of his collaborators. The park features a variety of mosaics. The focal point of the park is the long bench in the form of a sea serpent that surrounds the main terrace. Gaudi's work mosaic work features broken pieces of glass dishware; however, it is default to notice due to his clever combination of the pieces.

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La Sagrada Família, Carrer de Mallorca, Barcelona, Spain

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La Sagrada Família, Carrer de Mallorca, Barcelona, Spain

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La Sagrada Família, Carrer de Mallorca, Barcelona, Spain

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Also known as the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. Construction of the Sagrada Familia began on March 19th, 1882 with architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. A year later, Antoni Gaudi took over as head architect giving the Basilica a unique design by combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudi continued to work on the project until his death in 1926. At the time of his death, less than a quarter of the Basilica was finished. In July of 1936, revolutionaries from the Spanish Civil War set fire to the crypt and broke into Gaudi's workshop, destroying many of his original plans, drawings and models. It took 16 years for the fragments of the original model to be pieced back together. Since the 1940s a variety of architects have worked on the masterpiece. The Church has three grand facades, the Nativity Facade, the Passion Facade and the Glory Facade. The Nativity Facade was finished in 1935 and contains the most prominent influences of Gaudi. The Passion Facade was finished in 1976 and was built according to Gaudi's designs, yet features some controversial designs such as emaciated figures of Christ and Christ on the Cross from Josep Maria Subirachs. The Glory Facade began its construction in 2002 and has yet to be completed.