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Like the Basque country, mountainous Cantabria continues to contradict the stereotype for which My Fair Lady is partly responsible. The rain in Spain is not mainly on the plain, and there is more hill than flat; the average height above sea level of Spain is 660 m, second only to Switzerland in Europe. And as Walter Kaufmann, a Swiss living in Santander, says, "Spain is so much bigger." No wonder Kaufmann, an engineer, feels at home: he designs bridges for a Spanish firm. As well as olive oil, chorizo and the equally delicious actress Penélope Cruz, Spain exports engineering and architectural skills, especially in the area topography has dictated since Roman times: building bridges.
This is appropriate in another sense. Spain's — and continental Europe's — southernmost city, Tarifa, is only 13 km from Africa. More and more Africans are crowding into little boats to cross this dangerous strait, many then traveling up to France and other countries luckier than theirs, often wedged into container trucks. Recently Spanish police have been catching or rescuing as many as 250 people a day on or off the south coast. Many others drown en route. Those who succeed slip into Europe's communities of "illegals." The issue is too politically fraught for most E.U. governments, which is why Tarifa is better known as Europe's windsurfing capital. But as Europe's economies demand workers that its birthrates can't supply, one day it will have to cross this psychological bridge.
Crossing Cantabria into Asturias one is reminded of the times when Africans ruled this far north in Spain. It was here that the Visigoth warrior Pelayo fought the Moors in 722, inspiring the Christians to begin reconquering the peninsula. Today there are many Pelayo Streets around Spain, but Asturias is better known for rock climbing, cheese and cider.
Asturias goes greenly into Galicia, where men playing bagpipes and women in broad straw hats working the fields contrast with surfers in the latest wetsuits. As an investigative journalist, I am obliged to follow some of the latter to bodysurf cold but punchy waves at a deserted bay called Castro. This is a common name here, castro meaning stronghold. Fidel Castro's father was Galician, and Francisco Franco was born at Ferrol, on the west coast. This means Galicia is responsible for two of the world's most durable dictators, one tyrant of the left, one of the right.
There are better Galician products at a bakery tucked behind a house in a small town called San Cosme. The "shop" is just an outbuilding where an old couple makes loaves worth eating naked — the bread that is; it's almost too good to dress with olive oil. The couple say they can't afford to retire, but the impression is of artists who just can't stop creating. She proudly shows off her rising dough, he his oven and wood heap to prove it's not "electric bread."
Most travelers come to Galicia for a more directly religious experience. At Santiago de Compostela stands a cathedral believed to be built above the remains of St. Iago, or St. James, one of the 12 Apostles. Pilgrims walk or ride ancient paths and modern roads from all parts of Europe. By the end of this month, about 50,000 will have made the journey in 2000, the minimum walk to get a certificate of pilgrimage being 100 km. They stay in hostels along the route. Fit-looking Swedish couple Hans and Kia Ahlstedt flew from Stockholm to Bilbao with their bicycles, took a bus to the Rioja region, then rode 700 km to Santiago in 11 days. Hans gives their reasons as "philosophical-religious."
In the square in front of the cathedral, Charlie, a dog dressed as a pilgrim, poses for tourists. His owner requires for every click 200 pesetas — a bit over $1. They've been at it for six years. I guesstimate Charlie could be a $50,000-plus Pekingese. Also in the square is "the oldest hotel in the world," the Parador of the Catholic Kings. Opened in 1509, it was built for the pilgrims. Today it's a five-star hotel, the cheapest room about $140 a night. I make a pilgrimage to a nearby three-star, seeking consolation in a bottle of Galicia's delicious Albariño white and vieras, or scallops. These, too, are a religious experience; the scallop shell is the symbol of Santiago.
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Iberian Connections
A count with a social conscience, flourishing ancient trades and folk-singing Irish pilgrims
Photo Gallery
Check out the photos from this leg of TIME's Fast Forward Europe voyage
Immigrant's Tale
An African from a former Portuguese colony is now a Lisbon architect with political aspirations
Bilbao Reborn
The Guggenheim museum is just a part of this rust belt city's renaissance
Dotcom Paradise
The Catalan capital is becoming a hive of young Networkers
It's Up to Us
Spanish footballer Josep Guardiola on the price of players and the need for cultural identity
Fine Art of Science
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's buildings echo the natural world
Language of Bridges
A Spanish-led team always has one more river to cross
'I Can Only Be Happy if My Neighbor Is Happy'
Missing family jewels are the last things on the mind of a modern Portuguese count
Engine of Change
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao has helped turn the region's economic fortunes around
Between Two Worlds
TIME talks with Roma journalist Joan Manuel Oleaque
People To Watch: Leire Pajin | Madredeus | Ariadna Gil
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