The Timeless Charm of the Iberian Peninsula

Places, stories, curiosities and... beyond. The vibrant Iberian Peninsula bestows many keys to the mind and soul. Everyone can get to know them and feel their powerful interplay. EXCERPT FROM THE INTRODUCTION: Spain and Portugal contain a whole range of unusual phenomena whose references and contexts reach far beyond the very territory of these countries. It is impossible to discuss them all since it would be an attempt to describe almost the entire world, or at least the world in miniature. Still, it is possible to take a perspective that allows one to explain universal motives associated with archetypes, myths, fairy tales, history, art, as well as the Jungian lens of the soul, or the collective (un)conscious. This is what we will mainly deal with in this book, looking for valuable hints hidden in the Iberian Peninsula and trying to rediscover them for the reader, as well as presenting their potential therapeutic and strengthening effects for processes that are always worth cultivating. Various cultures - ancient Rome, the Moors during the early Middle Ages, the Iberians, the Celts, the Visigoths, and many others left their mark on the local areas, leaving behind the highest class monuments. At many stages, these cultures interpenetrated, coexisted, or followed each other smoothly. Nowadays, everyone who visits the Iberian Peninsula has a chance to experience this incredible diversity and history almost everywhere. Visitors will find them in both small towns and large metropolises, e.g., Lisbon, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga, Granada, or Cordoba. In essence, we could go on and on. Tourists also enjoy the relatively mild climate, sun, excellent cuisine, great coffee, wine, lots of greenery, picturesque coastlines and beaches. What more could you want?However, to understand how much Spain and Portugal have to offer, it is worth staying there longer and exploring the very personal connection that many locals have with their hometown. Each region (often a separate kingdom in the past) has a different story, and usually even a different climate. During a two-day car trip, if you drive a total of 500 miles, for example, especially in winter, you can experience six distinct types of weather and vegetation. The scenery shifts like a kaleidoscope from high mountains through dry, desert-like spaces to almost tropical humidity and natural exuberance. There is a multitude of colours and forms. You get the impression that if you change even one element in this puzzle, something will be missing - some subtle balance of the whole will be upset. In fact, it would be difficult to find something that is missing here. In a sense, there is simply everything.