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The Attraction of Galicia and Northern Spain

Galicia and Northern Spain in particular in general have long been considered a hidden gem in the Spanish tourism industry as a whole. The climate is much milder than in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and all the autonomous regions in Northern Spain can provide all the necessary ingredients that can be a successful holiday.

The Atlantic coast of northern Spain has beautiful sandy beaches while inland mountain ranges are criss-crossed by many footpaths. If you look at all the autonomous regions that make up modern day Spain, Galicia is the most remote areas. Located in the northwestern corner of Galicia in the Iberian Peninsula is a green, rain swept through the area noted for its diverse landscapes, where cliffs alternate with coastal plains and "rias".

Galicia is the proud home of one of the most visited religious pilgrimage in the world, whereas a more mundane nature of the region is famous for its excellent food especially fruits Wed Indeed, an entire tourist industry has emerged around Saint Jacques de Compostela and the Way of Saint-Jacques while otherwise known as the Camino de Santiago. "

Galicians, whose origins are Celtic, are fiercely proud of their culture and language. Historically, always classed as the poor relation of some of the richest regions of Galicia other economies that do not easily lend itself to modernization. Because of its location and partisan traditions Galicia was always fairly inward-looking having managed to survive through the centuries without ever really been conquered by anyone. Only very briefly an independent monarchy in the 10th and 11th centuries.

Bordering Portugal to the south and bounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the west Galicia could offer its inhabitants little in the way of new lands for cultivation. The end result of all this is that like Ireland in the north of Galicia, emigration became a major industry. Thankfully slowly throughout the 20th century Galicia has begun to develop a way to manage the traditional lifestyles with a modern community to ensure that none of its rich history is lost.

Galicia has always maintained close links with the sea and the port cities of Vigo and La Coruna are centers of culture and industry. As befits a province that has such confidence in the sea, the seafood here is among the best in Spain and fisheries is vital to the economy. And the main ports of the coast of Galicia is dotted with tiny fishing villages. The coast of Galicia, which was devastated in 2002 with the sinking of the tanker Prestige was able to recover slowly, and in some cases is now better than ever.

The main geographical point on the Galician coast is probably Cape Finisterre which is the westernmost part of mainland Spain. Inland, the hills that are quite often in the mist hiding the rest of Celtic settlements throughout the region. Other examples of the Celtic tradition can be found in the stone cross at a crossroads and junctions throughout the region, just as the continued use of old traditional stone barns in many villages.

As with other Celtic regions, love music and the arts is very common in Galicia and its own traditional language, Gallego, Galicia has a traditional musical instrument of the bagpipe! The other way to the Celtic tradition is also represented in Galicia lies in art and cultural forms. Regarding the Galicians, there is a certain melancholy to their traditional songs and poetry and this too they have in common with the Irish, Breton, Scottish, Welsh and other Celts. Regarding Galicia (as with the County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland), as someone who has experienced one of the storms from the Atlantic perhaps this is understandable.

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