Why go half way round the world to visit Spain and Portugal, the two countries that make up the Iberian Peninsula? For Taiwanese, the reasons can be many and varied. Start with the simple matter of history and destiny. After all, it was a Portuguese trade ship passing through the Taiwan Strait in 1566 that gave Taiwan its centuries-old name La Ilha Formosa, or Beautiful Island. That appellation would stick and clearly mark Taiwan on all future maps. And then there is the link made by the Spaniards who came up from the Philippines and established colonies in northern Taiwan as well.
WINDMILLS and ROYALTY
Of course, there are more traditional reasons to visit Spain and Portugal like gaining a sense of Old Europe with windmills near Madrid that remind one of Don Quixote, walking the many quaint village streets and touring the numerous castles and palaces of royalty.
Photo: Jerome Keating
For those more into the modern, there are bull fighting rings made famous in literature by fight aficionado Ernest Hemingway, as well as the land that gave birth to contemporary artists like Goya, Picasso, Miro and Dali, but which also accepted El Greco (born in Crete) as a contributor to the past Spanish Renaissance. Dance is another part of this artistic culture; who does not recognize the passion and intensity of Flamenco?
Architecture and history provide other reasons for tourism. In addition to the elaborate cathedrals found in all major cities there are also ruins from the past. The Romans occupied Spain as part of the Punic Wars with Carthage, and the later Moorish influence came across from Africa (711 AD) and clearly made its mark. In this vein, the Alhambra, the last Moorish stronghold, has long captured the imagination of writers and historians with its decorative patterns and inner courtyards expressing a totally different culture.
In the present, there is the magnificent and imaginative architecture of Antonio Gaudi found in Barcelona with La Pedrera, the Basilica of the Holy Family, and colorful Park Guell. Here is a man who bent and broke past rules to make new ones in architecture and ones more patterned after nature.
Photo: Jerome Keating
For those into political controversy, at the southern tip of Spain sits the Strait of Gibraltar and the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. This sticking point in the relations between Spain and the UK is the fact that since its capture in 1704, the Rock of Gibraltar, the guardian of the entrance into the Mediterranean, remains in British hands. From that location one also can easily see the coast of Africa.
And then there is the food. We are not just talking about Portuguese egg tarts — though they’ve become a popular sweet in Taiwan — but things like Tapas, and other many culinary delights that Spain and Portugal imported from the vast empires that they had set up around the world.
Except for the northeast corner, which links Spain to the continent via the Pyrenees, the Iberian Peninsula is almost an Island. It fronts the ocean on both its northern, western and southern coasts, and on the east it fronts the Mediterranean Sea. The Iberians may like their bull fighting, their Flamenco and even their soccer, but they have also never forgotten their pride in being “children of the ocean.”
Photo: Jerome Keating
TAIWAN CONNECTION
Throughout Spain and Portugal are monuments that attest to their pride in being the ones that sailed to and opened Asia in the 16th century as they pursued the spice trade. The city of Lisbon definitely shows pride in Portuguese navigation with the its gigantic Monument to the Discoveries, which contains numerous statues of past navigators. Most surprising is that Portugal began its sea-faring Empire with a little more than a million people. Another clear marker stands at Cabo da Roca, Portugal, the most western point of continental Europe.
Markers note Columbus was temporarily buried in Seville, the city that gained a monopoly on trade from the Americas even though Columbus started his first voyage down river at Palos de la Frontera in southwestern Spain. Magellan, as well as many Conquistadors, began the first round the world trip from Seville. Not to be outdone, Barcelona has erected its own large column dedicated to Columbus and trade in its harbor.
Like the Spanish and Portuguese, Taiwanese could be considered “children of the ocean.” In recent theories, the vast Pacific Austronesian network originated from Taiwan. Chang Yung-fa (張榮發), the chairman and founder of the Evergreen Group (長榮集團), sensed the island’s natural identity with the sea. For that reason, he built the Evergreen Maritime Museum, reminding us of the nation’s connection to the sea, where visitors can find remnants of the Portuguese and Spanish who once occupied its shores.
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