Spanish coin advice please...

Stork

I am closing down a big chapter in my life, I am about 2 weeks away from leaving Japan from my second tour here (I had a nice early morning earthquake today to wake me up as a good bye!). I can't imagine returning unless it's at a tourist at some point. I'm very sad about it--heck even the police/ambulance sirens are making me misty-eyed! My family just left to visit the grandparents for a couple weeks and almost all my stuff is in some kind of storage or in transit--including my Krause books. So I'm sitting alone trying to figure out the really important things...

My next (and likely last) duty station is Rota, Spain. I've not looked too much into the Spanish coin history but I'm thinking after I'm settled I will want to start...so my questions are:

1. What is/are the must have reading reference(s)?
2. What is the must have pricing guide?
3. Has anyone here ever been to the Rota/Cadiz area? If so, shop recommendations?
4. What are the must visit places in the Andalusian region? My hubby is great at figuring out trips, but I think he is going to be focusing on the 'big' ones..I'm thinking day trip/weekend type stuff in the area.

I think I'd like to start off focusing on Spain itself--at this point going worldwide would be a bit too much!

In any case, from the Spain collectors...how do you focus/collect etc?

Pictures always welcome


Cathy

MrEureka

Get this book:



Follow this website:

Panorama

And if you can get to Madrid, check out the Sunday coin shows at Plaza Mayor.

Andres

I like the big 5 peseta silver coins:






places of interest:
Day trip to good old England aka Gibralter

Alhambra - Granada , moorish palace , from which Spain was ruled untill the end of the 15th century,
the Catholic Kings Isabell & Fernando put an end to that , and kicked the moors out of Spain back to present day Marocco.

Elche - if you like palm trees go to the park overthere, biggest palmtree park in Europe.

Bjorn

Unfortunately, I cannot answer questions 1 through 3, but I can give my own advice for number 4. I would certainly visit the Mezquita in Cordoba - a Visigothic basilica church convered into a mosque, greatly expanded during the period of the Caliphate, converted back into a church by the Castilian kings, and further modified up until the 16th or 17th century. You can really sense the layers of history there, almost like peeling an onion or stripping layers of old wall paper and paint. Also, the town is quite pleasant during the early evening, at least while I was there in 2008.

I have heard many people rave about the Alhambra, so it would probably be a good choice to visit as well. I would try to avoid the tourist resorts, or at least the ones with the fake Irish pubs and fish and chip shops - unless you are looking for a wild night out and not history/culture One last thing - if you make it up to Madrid, I would check out the Prado, a great art museum, and make a trip up to the old Medieval mountain town of Segovia. It was one of the major mints in medieval and early modern Spain, and in fact it used the Roman Aquaduct which still runs through the middle of the 'new town' as its mintmark on coins! A wonderful place, and very scenic!

--Bjorn

theboz11

I was stationed in Rota '72-'75 on Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines, and found Cadiz to be a wonderful and historic place with gobs of shops. Ernest Hemingway's wrote some fantastic books on the life and ways of Spain. If the Tender is still parked in the harbor, don't eat the seafood. Topa hopping is a common pass time for the military, the slots in the O-Club were loose and paid well.

josemartins

4. ...you can always visit the nearest European capital...






Jose

Stork

Thanks all!

I can't wait until I get settled and able to play with coins again!


Cathy

worldcoinguy

Beautiful part of the world - lucky you...

I would highly recommend reading James A. Michener's Iberia from cover to cover. It is a great read and covers culture and history of many of the souther Spanish cities.

I lived in Seville for 6 months back in the early 1990s and loved it. It is an hour train ride from Rota. My time in Seville is actually what reinvigorated my collecting. There was a monthly coin fair in one of the historic little plazas that I stumbled on early in my time there and I revisited each month after that.

worldcoinguy

Cathy - following up on my previous email, I think Seville is worth at least a 3 day visit. I listed a few of the most popular sites below. I would also recommend Ronda, Jerez de la Frontera, and Cordoba for possible day trips or overnight visits - all of which are within a 2 hour train rides from the Rota area.


The "must see" things in Seville:

Cathedral / Giralda - Seville's amazing cathedral; the third largest cathedral in the world. Dates to 1401; originally a mosque constructed during Arab occupation, converted to a cathedral after the reconquest. The Giralda is the remains from the original mosque. The tomb of Columbus is said to be located here as well. I literally spent hours exploring all the nooks and crannies in this place.

Reales Alcazares - Known as the Royal Palace in Seville. Construction first began in the early 10th century. The tile work and fountains are simply exquisite and could take hours to explore. Located next to the cathedral and the old Jewish Quarter in Seville, which is worth a few hours of wondering and exploration on its own.

Torre Del Oro - Dates back to the 13th century; during the Arab occupation it served as main point of defense and control of the river. The tower was connected to the city walls, and a large linked chain ran from the building to the other side of the river to control maritime traffic into the city. Worth an hour to explore the local maritime museum.

Plaza de Toros - Bullfighting ring constructed over several decades during the 18th century. Scheduled fights run April through Sept. The museum is worth a visit to see statues of famous bullfighters, posters and other memorabilia.

Palacio de Lebrija - A 16th century palace with a very impressive collection of Roman mosaics from the nearby ruins of Italica. The courtyard style architecture and Moorish influence hints at the hidden grandour behind the walls in Seville’s old homes.

Casa de Pilatos - A palace was built in the 16th century by a wealthy aristocrat with architectural styles of Baroque, Renaissance and Mudéjar. Nice for an hour tour.

Italica - Roman ruins near Seville (20 minute bus ride). Birthplace of Roman emperors Trajan and Adrian. Contains an unexpectedly nice amphitheater. Some intricate mosaic floors are still visible.

Archivo de Indias - Building dating to 1676 – church and archive museum for all voyages to the new world. Fascinating history; next to the cathedral.

Plaza de Espana - Plaza de España was designed and constructed for the 1929 Ibero-American Expo. Amazing tiles and ceramic work.

SaorAlba

I heard an interesting story about the commander, well former commander at that base that happened earlier this year while I was at a party recently. Hmmm.