The Knights Templar Castle, Iglesia de la Vera Cruz, in Segovia, Spain.   PHOTOS BY NEAL BEARD

I never thought I’d get the chance to visit Spain, but at the age of 68, three years ago, my son, David, my wife, CJ, and I went there for a week of frantic exploration — so much to see, and so little time to see it in. 

As a child, I learned from school books that Spain played a significant role in the exploration of the Americas. I remember trying to imagine what Spain and Spanish people might look like. In my mind, Spain was a dry mountainous country with vineyards and farmland strewn with cattle and horses. I painted the people as being olive-skinned with thin, sharp facial features and pointed noses. I was partly right. I had imagined the countryside much like it exists, but the people were Caucasian, like you and me, and not dark-skinned as I had pictured them in my mind. 

We flew into Madrid on a weekday and spent four of our days there exploring the city. On two of those four days, we took small bus tours into the country to explore the towns of Toledo, Segovia, Avila and Baga; it almost felt like we had stepped back into Medieval times.

Neal Beard, wife CJ and son David at the Alcazar Plaza in Segovia, Spain, 2022.  

While in Segovia, Toledo and Avila, we saw Templar castles, massive stone walls surrounding the cities, lofty stone churches and cathedrals. We saw bridges, aqueducts and roadways built by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago that are still in use today and are still as beautiful as when they were first built. Almost every new home or building, regardless of its size, had stones used in its construction that had come from ancient Roman ruins. The older civilizations had been recycled into the new. The Spanish people’s history isn’t just a memory; it’s a beautiful, living part of their everyday lives. 

A nighttime shot of the La Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, Spain.

The parts of Spain that we visited were indeed dry, rocky and mountainous, just as I had imagined them as a child. The countryside reminded me of my visits to Arizona, Nevada, Guatemala and Honduras. There were very few trees compared to what we have in Tennessee. Everywhere we went, we were fortunate to find someone who could speak English. Despite what you might think, language was not a barrier to communication. Sign language, a smile or pointing to a picture on a brochure or magazine, or the words on a diner menu could get you the information or help you needed to navigate the city and countryside — people were glad to help you. Google Translate on our phones was a big help, as were searches on the internet. Not once did we ever feel lost or threatened. 

Our last three days in Spain were spent in Barcelona, where, on the second day, we took a day trip by bus north into Southern France and then over to Andorra. Our first stop of the trip was at a small, French alpine commune (civil township) aptly named Ax-les-Thermes. Ax-les-Thermes is situated in the Pyrénées mountain range, close to the tiny, landlocked country of Andorra, and stands at the confluence of the Oriège, Ariège and Lauze rivers. We had lunch at a small café beside the Oriège and afterwards soaked our feet in a pool of water in the center of the town square. The steaming pool of water was fed by a thermal spring of sulfurous water, which passed through a clay pipe underneath the town. Imagine soaking your feet in a pool of water while wearing a coat to keep off the chill, watching your steamy breath mix with the steam coming off the water. It was a magical moment!

Four of the roof support columns inside the La Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, Spain. Note the colored light coming through the stained glass windows. 

Time got away from us, and before we knew it, it was time to leave. On the way back to the bus, we passed a small open-air bakery where the smell of fresh-baked bread and pastries filled the air. The temptation was too great; the bus would have to wait. We joined others from our tour and bought loaves of fresh hot bread and an assortment of donuts, fried pies and cookies to take along for the remainder of the trip.

From Ax-les-Thermes, the bus wound its way upward through snow-capped mountains, often following serpentine mountain streams for several miles, where we crossed over into the tiny country of Andorra and had our passports stamped. Andorra sits atop the Pyrénées Mountains with a view of France to the north and Spain to the south. Ski slopes were everywhere on either side of the highway that snaked through the mountains. Breathtaking vistas of deep, tree-lined valleys partially covered with snow appeared around every hairpin curve. Halfway into Andorra, we stopped at a modern city filled with gift shops, restaurants and shopping malls, and spent a couple of hours aimlessly wandering around. It felt as if we were at the top of the world and, in a way, we were!

A view from a hill overlooking the bay leading to the Sea of Rambia de Mar, in Barcelona, Spain.

Our bus tour ended around 6 p.m. in Barcelona at the docks overlooking the Balearic Sea, where two enormous cruise ships were tied up in the distance. There were several hours of daylight left; sunset didn’t occur until 8:15 p.m.. We visited the Museum of Catalonian History, attended Mass at the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar (a highlight of our visit to Barcelona) and wound our way toward our BNA apartment past the Sagrada Família (a Massive Catholic Basilica), where I took pictures of the church all lit up in the low light of a moonlit sky. 

We visited the interior of the church the following day, and I bet I took a hundred pictures or more. We were all mesmerized by the church’s beauty! The church is awe-inspiring, inside and out, and unlike anything I had ever seen before.

The Roman aqueduct in Segovia, Spain, was built in AD 50 and supplied water to the city. It still does today.

The Sagrada Família is still in the last phases of construction, which began 19 March 1882. Construction started under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. The following year, 1883, Villar resigned, and Antoni Gaudi took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his own architectural and engineering style. Gaudi combined Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. He died in 1926. Work has continued, unabated, on the Basilica according to Gaudi’s original designs. Construction was still ongoing while we were there. We get our present-day word, gaudy, from Antoni Gaudí, the architect and engineer. 

I would be amiss if I didn’t mention the food at the many wonderful restaurants and cafés that we  ate in. We had Ibérico Ham (a signature food in Spain), Patatas Bravas (fried cubed potatoes), Croquette (a deep-fried roll with a filling, usually ham or chicken), tapas (which are small plates of food typically eaten for dinner), and Chorizo (a type of pork sausage) just to name a few of the traditional Spanish foods we tried while we were there; the tapas were our favorites. There were also fast food places like McDonald’s, Burger King, Five Guys, KFC and Taco Bell, though we tried to avoid them, preferring to experience as much of Spanish cuisine as possible before we headed home. 

The Palace Hotel in downtown Madrid, Spain, is all lit up at Night. Most of the buildings near where we stayed in Madrid were four to six stories high.

We did a lot of walking while we were there, which is the best way to enjoy the cities’ and small towns’ delights. We were exhausted by the time our week was over and were ready for our flight back home. Next time, if we ever get to go back, we’ll get a rental car and spend more time in the country. 

I recommend a trip to Spain for anyone who wants to see something different and profoundly beautiful. If you do go, allow more time than a week, as we did. Two weeks is barely enough time to see the country; a month would be better, and six months would be best.

One of several ski slopes in the Pyrénées Mountains of Andorra. We felt as if we were on top of the world.