In December, 1997 I spent two and a half weeks travelling all over Spain and had a wonderful time (except for that one horrible waitress in Barcelona, but that's another story). I would highly recommend Spain to anyone who loves to travel. A real high point of my trip was the chance to actually meet face-to-face one of my most faithful Van Gogh correspondents: Jose Navarro of Utrera. Jose is also one of the best contributors to my On-line Forum page and it was a real treat to spend some time with him. We discussed some of his wonderful and very interesting interpretations of Vincent's works and then Jose was kind enough to show me some of his favourite architectural spots in Sevilla. I'll look forward to meeting Jose again (maybe this time over tapas and a bottle of Rioja) on my next visit.
A non-Van Gogh recommendation: The Prado (Paseo del Prado, Madrid, tel. 91-420-28-36): The Thyssen Bornemisza is the only art gallery in all of Spain to display any of Van Gogh's works. This is not to say, however, that it's the only gallery worth visiting. On the contrary. The Prado is, without question, one of the greatest art galleries in the world. The Prado houses an absolutely breathtaking collection of works ranging from El Greco to Goya (incredible works by Goya) to Bosch. I spent several hours in the Prado and my only complaint would be what I sometimes think of as the "British Museum Syndrome"--a feeling of being completely overwhelmed at the sheer size and greatness of the collection. A few hours isn't enough--a few weeks wouldn't be enough. Without a doubt, one of the most outstanding collections in the world. Highly recommended.
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