My topic of choice was Spanish Geography. While cathedrals are always amazing and Palaces are hot-spots of opulent art, I have always been more interested in natural, rather than man-made architecture. I find beauty more in the art of nature than anything Goya or El Greco could ever envision or create. Therefore, geography was the perfect choice for me.
Spain has one of the most diverse climates in Europe due to its proximity to both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and its mountain ranges. In the North, Spain is mostly green with a landscape reminiscent of Ireland in Galicia and Asturias. This region on the Northern side also remains cooler than the central and southern parts of Spain. The center of Spain is mostly dry with hot summers and cold winters, though not as cold as the north. This region is dominated by the Meseta, a raised plateau of land covering central Spain. Southern Spain deals much with heavy, hot, dry winds and boasts a wide variety of landscapes from deserts to plains to sandy beaches.
My research topic may seem a bit unorthodox, but my research was to see if Spain’s geography was as beautiful as everyone made it seem. Purely based on geography, Spain would not have been by first choice of a European country to visit. Ireland has its rolling green hills, France has its beautiful countryside, and Italy has its rich, rustic plains and shimmering seas. My research into Spain was to see if it could be as enjoyable as I envisioned these other countries to be.
What I noticed about Spain was largely similar to what the book gave as information. Northern Spain was green and rainy and the center was dry and fairly cold since it was the middle of January. Due to the location of Spain, its winters are less cold than ours. Even in the coldest areas of the north, the temperature rarely dipped below 5 centigrade. By far, however, the most prominent landscape design were the mountains, appearing in most of the autonomies the tour visited. From the tree-studded mountains in Galicia to the high peak of Montserrat in Catalonia, mountains were everywhere.
The final verdict remains. Did the Spanish geography live up to my expectations? The answer would be no, it did not live up to my expectations: it surpassed them by far. The mint-green trees and the rain of Galicia reminded me of how I thought Ireland would look, the waves and beaches of the Mediterranean in Catalonia looked as I envisioned Italy would, and the ancient countryside of La Mancha not only served as an excellent substitute for France, but also placed me smack-dab in the middle of Don Quixote. The stone walls and decrepit ruins of stone houses mixed with natural boulders in the embrace of brown pastures made me see Spain as Cervantes did, all of those years ago. In short, Spanish geography was not only a surprise, but a welcome one. I didn’t think I’d be as impressed as I was, but I proved myself wrong about the beauty of Spain. I am eternally grateful that I had this opportunity.
The geography of Spain had the same effect on me as well! It is really amazing how just as many types of terrain that exist in the United States could be represented in a country smaller than Texas, so . What impressed me the most was the difference in terrain during our trip from Castille-Leon to Asturias. Two regions that are so close to each other are almost completely opposite when it comes to terrain!