Michelle Obama visits Spain

 TRACKING THE FIRST LADY’S FOOTSTEPS ON HER SPANISH SOJOURN

New York, August tk, 2010--Surrounded by the waters of the sparkling Mediterranean from the Costa del Sol to the Balearic Islands, Mrs.Obama’s recent trip to Spain highlighted four of the Iberian peninsula’s most diverse sites in Andalusia -- Marbella, Granada, the white town of Ronda and Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands.

        Travelers will find one of the glitziest, nonstop-action places on the Costa del Sol in Marbella, a town with many identities: from its elegantly designed hotels positioned as retreats from the maddening world to golf courses with magnificent views of the Mediterranean Sea, some of which boast the finest courses in Málaga province and in Europe, to incomparable nightlife for those who know they will live just once, clubs, casinos, cinemas, discotheques, bars, restaurants, Marbella, they say, is a party town from sunset to sunrise.

        By day, Marbella is home to lush and tranquil gardens throughout the city – from the Parque de la Constitución to the Plaza de la Alameda – tropical flowers and shrubs wend through the city while the Moorish-influenced Plaza de los Naranjos is flanked by orange trees and stately buildings. Four million visitors a year stop, shop and stroll along Puerto Banús marina just west of Marbella where international designer shops face a virtual chorus line of some of the world’s most luxurious yachts.

        After visiting inside Granada’s imposing Cathedral that houses the tombs of Spain's Catholic monarchs -- King Ferdinand of Aragón and Queen Isabella of Castile – Mrs. Obama headed for the Alhambra, that incomparable haunting and romantic UNESCO World Heritage Site that never ceases to dazzle visitors, and is among Spain’s most visited sites. 

        At sunset, the outline of the Sierra Nevada mountains form the backdrop for the Alhambra when viewed from the medieval Albaicín Quarter that sits high on a slope – a vantage point where President Clinton stood a few years ago, and Mrs. Obama just visited.

        A few miles inland from the Costa del Sol, the Obamas visited the region’s superb vantage point, the town of Ronda, a white town and a dream city that sits on either side of the Tajo del Ronda, a narrow gorge more than 450 feet deep where several bridges link this whitewashed village in the hills. As a walled Roman city, Ronda dates back to the 1st century AD yet visitors can still view remains of the Roman amphitheater, forum and thermal baths about 3,000 feet above sea level. And no matter how one feels about the sport, Ronda’s Neoclassical bullring, one of the oldest in Spain, was designed to seat 6,000 spectators. Perhaps the best-known festival in Ronda is the “Feria de Pedro Romero” that takes place each year during the first week of September, followed by the “Corrida Goyesca” a bullfight in which everyone dresses in 18th century Goyesque costumes.

        Coveted by the Romans, the Arabs and Berbers, some say Palma de Mallorca is like a sliver of the Spanish sun, Europe’s sailing paradise, a soft adventure haven for bikers, hikers and plenty of watersport enthusiasts.

        Its historic quarter is among one of the best preserved in Europe with impressive highlights such as the Gothic Cathedral with the unexpected wrought iron baldachin or canopy over the altar designed by Catalan master Antoni Gaudí;  the Almudaina, a former Arab palace and later the residence to Mallorcan monarchs; the spiral columns found in the Lonja fish market in the Paseo Sagrera is among the best examples of civil Gothic architecture in Spain.

        For a look at modern Mallorca, visit the Es Baluard Museum of Modern Art collection that includes works by Cézanne, Gauguin, Picasso, Tàpies, Kiefer and Barceló; the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation or the March Foundation that feature works by Miró, Dalí and Juan Gris. Take an evening stroll along the spectacular Paseo Marítimo, among the many sites that complement the pine groves, palm trees and fishing boats of Mallorca that leads to the great avenues that make up the new Palma de Mallorca.

For more details, visit:

Marbella

www.visitcostadelsol.com

www.marbellaexclusive.com

Mallorca

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