Charles C. Milliken: So much to see, learn during Iberian odyssey
Bonnie and I have just returned from five weeks of driving around Spain, Portugal and the tiny country of Andorra, all of which constitute the Iberian Peninsula. This week I'll share what we saw, and next week, lessons learned.
We love to travel, and one of our favorite means of doing so is flying to Europe, renting a car for a month or so, then going wherever the wind takes us. This time – the sixth time – the destination was Madrid. We rented a pretty yellow (but badly underpowered) five-speed, stick-shift Kia, and off we went to our first destination, Toledo. (Although Toledo, Ohio, was named after it, all similarities end there.) As a preview of coming events, we sat behind a garbage truck making pickups for about 20 minutes before we could get out of the airport.
On our way at last, we set out on our one-hour drive. More preview of coming events, as we discovered getting from Point A to Point B in Spain usually involves many turns and changing of roads, plus dozens of roundabouts. Our GPS was indispensable, but left some ambiguities. What exactly do you do when it says “turn right,” when there are three possible right turns? Add operator error from unfamiliar roads and exits, and the hour turned into two before we found our motel.
Toledo, like practically all of Iberia, was beautiful. It was built on a hill, mostly surrounded by medieval walls, and inside those walls were all sorts of historic buildings, churches, little squares full of restaurants and shops (and pickpockets), and quaint, narrow, winding streets not updated since Columbus discovered America. Bonnie quickly started taking the first of her 4,795 pictures, thanks to the efficiencies of a digital camera. At the bottom of the hill, hundreds of feet below, the scenic Tagus River formed a moat three-quarters of the way around the town. Awesome!
Iberia is mountainous, ranging from high hills and Appalachian-scale mountains, to snow-covered peaks over 11,000 feet. We were never out of sight of some elevation, even in the middle of a flat plain. Beautiful to look at, but not so much fun to drive in. Blind curves, narrow roads and bicycle riders only added to the excitement. Only about 100 riders are killed each year. I am surprised the toll is so low.
Iberia oozes history – everything from the Romans to the Visigoths to the Muslims to medieval Christians. Roman ruins are common, and not all the ruins are very ruined. In Segovia, a Roman aqueduct soars over the center of town and looks like it was built last year.
Not many people are aware that what is now Spain was first occupied by the Romans over 2,200 years ago. In fact, it was the first significant Roman possession outside Italy, and the entire peninsula was Roman well before Christ was born. I specifically mention this, since the Roman influence, lasting more than six centuries as it did, has left a significant impact. Roman roads were usually engineered to be 16 feet wide. Guess how wide many Spanish roads are? Not to mention two long bridges, one of which I drove over, which are still the original Roman bridges. Ancient chariots were about 4 feet wide. Modern cars about 6 feet. You can do the math, and realize that driving in Spain requires acute alertness – and not a little anxiety. I didn’t want to scratch my little yellow rental car – or worse. The Romans also didn’t make much provision for parking, as we quickly discovered.
In these few words I cannot begin to list all the beautiful things we saw, both natural and made by man. Breathtaking cathedrals, monasteries and palaces seemed to be around every bend. In short, if you’ve never been to Iberia, try to do so.
All was not perfect, and lessons were learned. Next week I’ll deal with those. But, as a sneak preview, lesson No. 1: Don’t drive in Iberia!
Charles Milliken is a professor emeritus after 22 years of teaching economics and related subjects at Siena Heights University. He can be reached at milliken.charles@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Charles Milliken: So much to see, learn during Iberian odyssey
