Barcelona

At least I have been there, however briefly, and so Barcelona can be included in ‘my’ European cities. But our visit to this distinct Catalan city was only a matter of hours, and yet it was long enough to confirm Barcelona’s great reputation as a beautiful, lively and vibrant city. It was a wonderful sunny day and as we strolled through the streets, observed the famous art deco buildings and those of Gaudi, visited the Picasso Museu situated in medieval mansions, and of course sampled the famed Catalonian cuisine, we responded to the immense attraction of a city which is now home to people of many nationalities.

Barcelona has had an eventful and often painful history. Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Franks, occupied the area in the first millennium until it became the key city of the Catalonia region under a dynasty founded by a ruler with the evocative name of Wilfred the Hairy (Count Guifre el Pelos) that lasted almost five hundred years. The Catalan connection helps to define the city, which is no doubt why the Bourbon King Felipe V banned the writing and the teaching of Catalan in the early eighteenth century. The demands for autonomy however were never suppressed and remain today as a unifying element in the culture of an otherwise cosmopolitan city. In fact during the brief Second Spanish Republic created in 1931 Catalonia declared independence. During the Spanish Civil War the city was governed by anarchists and Trotskyists. Churches were destroyed and more than 1,200 priests, monks and nuns were shot. The city was frequently bombed by Franco’s forces. Under Franco counter violence continued and many purges and executions took place.

The 1992 Olympic Games marked a new beginning and confidence for the city with an international affirmation in dramatic contrast to its violent history. Its extraordinary tradition of fine buildings was given a new lease of life, right down to the coastal area, and the completion of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Cathedral continued, despite the disapproval of art specialists who believe the original extraordinary design is being undermined. But the realisation of Catalan independence is still a political objective for many traditionalists, even though they are now joined by new arrivals from Europe and notably from South America, in search of the good life.

Barcelona has deservedly become a major if not the major Spanish city (Madrid would not agree) and attracts an enormous number of tourists, of which my wife and I were numbered for a little while. We have ambitions to return for a longer visit. See the euroresidentes Guide to Spanish Cities for much more information, and get in touch if you can with my youngest Anglo-Spanish grandson for the know-how on what is ‘the best football team in the world’!

B.R.

Cordoba

Like our previous city, Cordoba was founded by the Romans and had a strategic importance as a port on the Guadalquivir River, which was used for shipping Spanish olive oil, wine and wheat back to Rome. The Romans built the mighty bridge crossing the river, "El Puente Romano" which despite many changes is still standing and in use, and we have walked by it. Cordoba's hour of greatest glory was when it became the capital of the Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus, and when work began on the Great Mosque, or "Mezquita", one of the largest in all of Islam.

When the city was re-claimed by the Christians in 1236, the new rulers of the city were so awed by its beauty that they left the Mosque standing, building their cathedral in the middle of its rows of arches and columns, and creating the extraordinary church-cum-mosque we see today. It is quite an astonishing building. If it wasn’t real it would be unbelievable! The beauty and the grandeur is overwhelming. Though the Church won’t have realised it at the time, its occupation of the great space makes a powerful statement not of possession, but of the two faiths meeting each other. One with a gentle, elegant presence and the other with a dominant, aggressive one.

As well as the unique mosque-cathedral, Cordoba's treasures include the Alcazar, or Fortress, built by the Christians in 1328; the Calahorra Fort, originally built by the Arabs, which guards the Roman Bridge, on the far side of the river from the Mezquita, and the ancient Jewish Synagogue, now a museum. Cordoba's medieval quarter, once the home of the Jewish community, is called "La Judería" (The Jewry), a labyrinth of winding, narrow streets, shady flower-filled courtyards and picturesque squares such as La Plaza del Potro. In early May, homeowners proudly festoon their patios with flowers to compete for the city's "most beautiful courtyard" contest.

Now a moderately-sized modern city, the old town contains many impressive architectural reminders of when Córdoba was the thriving capital of the Caliphate of Cordoba which governed all of the southern Iberian Peninsula. It has been estimated that in the tenth century Córdoba, with up to 500,000 inhabitants, was the largest city in Western Europe and, perhaps even in the world. As one strolls around the accessible city one is conscious of that legacy, but not intimidated by it.

We have been reminded of our visit some years ago as we watched on BBC 4 TV last night the first of a series of programmes on the art of Spain. Despite the patronising self-projection typical of so many such documentaries, the influence of Moorish culture epitomised by Cordoba was vividly represented.

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Newcastle

Newcastle has a rich history. It was founded by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century and the great wall named after him – spanning the breadth of England – can still be traced in some parts of the city. After the Roman withdrawal from Britain, Newcastle became part of the powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, and after a series of conflicts with the Vikings and the devastation north of the River Tyne inflicted after the 1080 rebellion against the Normans, the city was virtually destroyed, but William the Conquerer’s son, Robert Curthose, built a wooden castle there in 1080 and the town was given its new name : Novum Castellum, or New Castle.

The city became England's most northern fortress and during the fourteenth century was successfully defended against the Scots three times. Newcastle's development as a major city, was made possible because of the River Tyne and its central role in the export of coal In the 19th century, shipbuilding and heavy engineering were central to the city's growing prosperity, and the city was a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. Innovation in Newcastle and surrounding areas included, Stephenson's Rocket, Lord Armstrong's artillery, Joseph Swan’s electric light bulbs, and Charles Parsons’ invention of the steam turbine, which led to the revolution of marine propulsion and the production of cheap electricity.

The city has an extensive neoclassical centre, largely developed in the 1830s by Richard Grainger and John Dobson, and the recently restored. Grey Street (named after Earl Grey, Prime Minister 1830-1834 and the inventor of the famous blend of tea) curves down from Grey's Monument towards the valley of the River Tyne, and was voted England's finest street in 2005 in a survey of BBC Radio 4. The Tyne Gorge between Newcastle on the north bank and the borough of Gateshead on the south bank, is famous for a series of dramatic bridges. Large-scale regeneration has replaced former shipping premises with developments including the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the Sage Gateshead Music centre, both of which we have visited.

Newcastle is a lovely city and has an atmosphere all of its own that marks it out amongst our other notable northern cities. A city is people as well as place, and Newcastle is known for the warmth and friendliness of the ‘Geordies’ for whom it is home - and for its football team with its one-time manager, Kevin Keegan returning to energise the team and give hope to its many fans. And if you visit Newcastle from the south by road or rail, you will see Anthony Gormley’s stunning sculpture ‘The Angel of the North’, in itself an invitation to a unique part of Britain.

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Cambridge

Cambridge (granted city status only in 1951) is of course famous for its university, the second oldest in the English speaking world. About one fifth of the city’s population of over 100,000 are students, the townspeople breathing a sigh of relief no doubt when the university is ‘down’. Established by scholars from Oxford who were being badly treated by the local citizens, the University was founded in 1209. Its origin is ironical because both towns have enjoyed a keen rivalry over the years, despite a association in people’s minds so strong, that the two are often referred to as ‘Oxbridge’. The University consists of a series of colleges endowed by various individuals and trusts throughout its history and most of which have their own chapels and strong cultural links with the Church of England. Many of the buildings, gathered around a grass rectangle, are very beautiful, the most famous being St.John’s College, where every year a Festival of Christmas Carols is broadcast around the world.

But Cambridge is also a centre of research and high tech industry and the several businesses situated in and around the town are often referred to as Silicon Fen. The world famous Cavendish Laboratory has been in existence in Cambridge for a hundred years and of the many luminaries who have taught there, the name of Ernest Rutherford stands out. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1908 he was responsible for the discovery of the atom as a miniature universe in which the mass is concentrated in the nucleus surrounded by planetary electrons. The Laboratory continues to make a major contribution to nuclear physics.

There are several museums in the city, for me the most notable being The Fitzwilliam founded in 1816. Housed in a most beautiful building, here there are world-class examples of art and antiquities spanning centuries and civilisations. Highlights include antiquities from Egypt, Sudan, the Ancient Near East, Greece, Rome and Cyprus, English and European pottery and glass, and paintings and drawings by Domenico Veneziano, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck. Outstanding works by great British artists include those by Stubbs, Gainsborough, Reynolds and Constable and there is a fine collection of twentieth century art.

The city also has a number of theological colleges for training clergy for ordination into a number of denominations, with affiliations to both the University of Cambridge and the Anglia Ruskin University. I stayed in one such college for ten weeks during a sabbatical in the 1980’s, and greatly enjoyed pretending to be a mature student in this lovely, lively city.

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Stockholm

This lively and very beautiful city is built on fourteen islands, part of one of the biggest archipelagos in the Baltic Sea consisting of about 24,000 islands and islets. Approaching it from the North Sea as I did many years ago is to see one of the loveliest scenes imaginable. This of course is the capital of Sweden, and a fifth of the country’s population live here. The city has attracted immigrants from all over the world, and they comprise some 15% of the population. The Old Town is particularly spectacular located on the original small islands of the earliest settlements and still featuring the medieval street layout. Walking around the city's waterways and parks is a glorious way to spend a week-long stretch of European summer, claims the Lonely Planet website. But be warned, it can be very cold in the winter!

It is more than fifty years since I made this my first visit to a foreign city and I have vivid memories of the impressive town centre, especially the magnificent City Hall designed by the architect Ragnar Ostberg and which took twelve years to build. In the latter quarter of the twentieth century many historical buildings were torn down, and replaced with modern architecture inspired by medieval and renaissance styles, though some of the old town still remains.

In 1988 the city was deservedly designated as the European City of Culture, for there are some fine museums here, over 70 of them, visited each year by as many as 9M people. Dating back to the sixteenth century, the National Museum is the most famous and has a vast collection of paintings and art handicraft. Other museums worth seeing are The Museum of Modern Art, the City and Nordic Museums and the open air museum of Skansen, the first of its kind.

Every year since 1901 the Nobel Prize for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace, has been awarded in Stockholm. Alfred Noble was a renaissance man of his day. The inventor of dynamite, he founded 90 factories in 20 different countries. Victor Hugo called him Europe’s richest vagabond. Despite his chemical and industrial interests, he was committed to social and peace-related issues and wrote poetry and plays. The awarding of the Nobel prizes for which he left his fortune, reflect those interests.

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The City of York

Founded in A.D. 71, the city has a rich history, being the site of settlements of the Brigantes and Pasisii tribes before the Roman invasion, when a military fortress was built which at onetime was occupied by as many as 6,000 soldiers. Various Roman Emperors held court in York during their English campaigns and Constantine the Great was proclaimed Emperor there in 306 AD. In the seventh century York was the chief city of the Anglo-Saxon King Edwin of Northumbria and during his reign the first church (or ‘minster’ )was built. Anglo-Saxon York lasted 450 years, and during that time, the English scholar Alcuin (735-804), made it into a centre of learning famous throughout the Christian world. In 866 the Vikings overran the city, and called their new possession, Jorvik.

The Jorvik Viking Centre is now one of the major attractions for visitors to York. Based on archeological evidence unearthed by the York Trust, an immense treasury of artefacts were found in an area of moist spongy ground which had preserved them for a thousand years. The actual Viking-Age streets which once stood on this site have been reconstructed and the houses and shops are laid out in exactly the same pattern as they were in 975, and even the faces of the people have been reconstructed from Viking skulls. It’s all a bit commercialised to me, but even so gives a fascinating glimpse into a way of life that is more than the usual picture of the Vikings as pillaging invaders.

But the jewel of the city is the Minster, one of the very finest of European Cathedrals and the largest gothic cathedral in N. Europe. There was a Christian presence here from 300, but the present building was begun in 1215 and as finally completed was consecrated in 1472. Its lofty splendour is enhanced by some beautiful stained glass windows, said to be the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. The Rose Window is a particular delight. This is a wonderful place to visit and be still, whether you are a person of faith or not.

The old part of the city is of interest but very congested, and visitors are well advised to park outside the city boundary and use the park and drive facilities. This city, proud of being in the north and a focus for Yorkshire loyalists, is a ‘must’ for people wanting to get the sense and feel of northern England. But try to make sure you don’t visit when the easterly winds are blowing, introducing a Siberian chill to the old cobbled streets. That happened once when we were entertaining Spanish friends. It was not a good introduction to an important part of Britain!

Bryan

Florence

Here is medieval Europe and the Renaissance period at its worst and its best, and it is impossible to do justice to its riches in a few hours as a tourist (as we have been), or in a few fragments of memory as I share now. But you have to go there, if only to savour the extravagant splendour of the buildings and the glorious and inglorious history which so many of them represent.

The centre of the city is dominated by the plazza del Duomo, the outer walls of the vast cathedral inlaid with green and pink marble, the massive cupola above the east end crowning the building with magnificence. I have a book about its architect, Brunelleschi. The intrigues attending the competition before he was appointed and the difficulties of building it,are examples of the intense rivalries that were typical of the Florentine Republic. The old city is divided by the Arno River bridged by the famous Ponte Vecchio, with its shops built on its edges and held up by stilts.

The history of the city is entwined with the accomplishments and scandals of the Medici family who at various times so dominated civic and religious affairs that at times the republicanism for which Florence was famed amongst the Italian states, faded into insignificance. Their authority and influence extended from the 15th to the 18th centuries. We visited the mausoleum in San Lorenzo where various members of the family are entombed, a dark and forbidding place which to us breathed power and corruption.

But the family of course were wealthy patrons of every form of art, which made Florence a byword for the achievements of the renaissance. Many such works can be seen in the Uffizi gallery, one of the world’s finest, the opulence of many of the paintings in contrast to the bleakest moments in the life of Jesus, notably his death, which fill the ornately framed canvases of so many paintings of the period.

Michaelangelo’s David is perhaps the most famous statue in the world. Moved around quite a bit since its difficult journey from the sculptor’s studio, its present site is in the Accademia Gallery, whilst a convincing replica stands outside the Palazzo Vecchio. It is an astonishing work, the youthful David awaiting calmly his encounter with the giant Goliath, beautiful, confident and yet vulnerable. Out of proportion in some ways, we noticed the huge hands as they wait to use the young warrior’s deadly sling.

Bryan