Visiting+Spain++-++Sample

[[image:http://www.gate1travel.com/spain-travel/maps/7DCrownSpain10.gif width="170" align="right"]]Madrid
I'd start my tour of span in Madrid, the capital and largest city of Spain. The **Palacio Real de Madrid** also known as the **Palacio de Oriente** is the official residence of the King of Spain in the city of Madrid, but it is only used for state ceremonies. King Juan Carlos and the Royal Family do not reside in the palace, choosing instead the more modest [|Palacio de la Zarzuela] on the outskirts of Madrid.

**Valley of the Fallen** The ** Valle de los Caídos ** (Valley of the Fallen) is located in the Sierra de Guadarrama, not far from Madrid. The complex was built between 1940 and 1958 and is a monument intended to commemorate all those who died on both sides during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). About 40,000 Nationalist and Republican soldiers are buried here. However, the Valley of the Fallen is inevitably associated with Franco's regime since the late General is buried inside the basilica and he was the one who ordered its construction. Nevertheless, it is an impressive place that was visited by about 450,000 people in 2005.

Toledo
Toledo, the "Museum City." This is the Museo de Santa Cruz. In 1494 it was built as the Hospital of Santa Cruz. The building is one of the most famous Renaissance buildings in Toledo from the 16th century. The façade is very prominent and is in the Plateresque style. The major art work in the museum is the painting //The Assumption of the Virgin// by El Greco. This was the last painting El Greco did. He has other paintings in the museum.

Córdoba
In the 10th-11th centuries Córdoba was one of the most advanced cities in the world, as well as a great cultural, political, financial and economic centre. The //[|Great Mosque of Córdoba]// dates back to this time and is sometimes known at the "Mosque of the Caliph" or simply "la Mezquita" (Spanish for "mosque"). Under caliph Al-Hakam II Córdoba received what was then the largest library in the world, housing from 400,000 to 1,000,000 volumes. Today, the mosque is the cathedral of Cordoba (officially the **Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption**), but the vast majority of its art and architecture is the work of Islamic architects.

Sevilla
Sevilla is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. The Plaza de España, in Maria Luisa Park (Parque de Maria Luisa), was built by the architect Aníbal González for the 1929 Exposición Ibero-Americana. I'd also visit the //Catedral de Santa María de la Sede//, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and view the Giralda Tower overlooking the Guadalquivir River.