A different kind of independent travel
In 2017 Catalonia held an independence referendum. Despite
brutality from the Spanish police, the Catalans stood their
ground. Independence, it seemed, was worth bleeding for.
Catalonia isn’t the only Spanish region with a desire for
freedom. By total area, a whopping 64% of the country has
campaigns to free themselves from the supposed shackles of
Madrid. And I discovered just how many other countries are
equally flaky while planning my latest long-distance bicycle
ride, one designed to link such regions together. After weeks of
research, I left Cómpeta on April 2nd 2018 and spent five
months cycling over 6,000 miles (10,000 km), travelling
through 18 countries and visiting 39 of these unstable
independence seekers.
Perhaps this local lack of
nationalist feeling is best
illustrated with Nerja’s Plaza
Andalucia. Within the tiny square
sits a bust of Blas Infante, the
father of Andalusian nationalism.
Any idea where it is? I hadn’t, and
I lived about 200 metres from it
for over five years.
From Andalusia my Spanish route
took me through the
independence claims of Murcia
(very weak), Valencia (stronger),
Catalonia and finally Val d’Aran, a
beautiful valley high in the
Pyrenees, the far north-west corner of Catalonia. They had
their own referendum and decided if Catalonia leaves Spain,
they’ll leave Catalonia. Spain’s a bit of a mess. I weaved my
way through France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Slovenia,
Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Ukraine
and Romania, visiting independence movements in each, but it
wasn’t until later, when Russia gets involved, that the
independence movements get dangerous and people end up
dead.
Not all movements I saw had the same level of support or
press attention. Some were even more vicious than Catalonia’s
and yet remained off the front pages. In fact, two were
technically still at war over their respective desires for
independence while another was actually at war. Fortunately,
not all the movements on my journey were so serious. Many
were laughably trivial. One such movement is Andalusia’s.
Although the appetite for Andalusian independence is weak,
Pedro Ignacio Altamirano, president of the Andalusian
National Assembly, definitely wants it. He announced he’d
declare independence for Andalusia on December 4th 2017, an
Andalusia containing all its traditional bits but also
neighbouring Murcia, the Algarve and lumps of Morocco,
whether they liked the idea or not. On the big day, he hoped to
entice 400,000 people on to the streets to seal the claim for
independence. In reality, everyone went to work as normal and
later asked “Altamirano who?”
The first of these was Transnistria, a region that severed itself
from Moldova in 1990 but still remains internationally
unrecognised. Russia supported them in a war against Moldova
that claimed the lives of several hundred people on both sides.
A ceasefire was brokered, but the conflict remains frozen. The
UK government warns about visiting because of its corruption,
one example of which was a nuclear bomb’s worth of
radioactive matter that went missing from a former USSR
arms dump in the north of the region. Unfortunately, no one
knows where it went, which is something of a worry.
The Arts Society, Nerja
The Night Before the Morning After:
Hard Drinking and Harlots in Art
The second governmental warning came about Abkhazia, a
region of Georgia that separated in the early 90s, once again
backed by Russia. Thousands of combatants died but also tens
of thousands of civilians, mostly local Georgians at the hands
of the Abkhaz in ruthlessly efficient acts of ethnic cleansing.
With its long beaches backed by 4,000 metre mountains, this
attractive region was once Georgia's premium tourist
destination. Apart from me, the only visitors there last August
were a few die-hard Russians. No sane Georgian would go
there now, even if they could get permission.
Tuesday March 12, 2019
The Cultural Centre (Casa Cultura) Calle Granada, Nerja.
6pm (Doors open at 5pm and tickets only available on the
night) Visitors are most welcome. Entrance €10 (Members
of other The Arts Societies €5) A fully illustrated lecture in
English by John Iddon MA BA PGCE, sponsored by Blevins
Franks.
The third warning was for Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous
area still fought over by Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia isn’t
involved militarily but it brokered an unresolved ceasefire,
keeping the conflict open. In all these cases, while the conflicts
remain in place, their host countries cannot join NATO. Russia
keeps the instability stable for its own benefit. Although
warned not to go to these places, I entered each with open
eyes. I’m no hero nor reckless idiot. Reading other travellers’
reports, the dangers presented by the authorities were
exaggerated. Even so, they were definitely thrilling. And while
sometimes depressing, they were also more captivating than
your average European city break. Let’s hope any Catalonian
independence turns out better than it did for these
unfortunates.
STEVEN PRIMROSE-SMITH
In 2015 the Musee d’Orsay mounted a fascinating
exhibition entitled ‘Splendours and Miseries’ featuring how
‘ladies of the night’ had been depicted in art. At the same
time Tate Britain displayed paintings on the theme of
‘Alcohol and Art’ The two subjects are often closely
interwoven in the work of many great artists including
Hogarth, Rowlandson, Cruikshank, Degas, Lautrec and
Picasso and others.
About John Iddon
Lecturer and Guide at both Tate Britain and Tate Modern.
Ran an MA course in Heritage Interpretation at St Mary's
University College. Has lectured freelance to numerous art
societies, to the National Trust and the Peggy Guggenheim
Gallery in Venice. Lectures on art for cruises. In 2012, he
wrote the guidebook to the newly opened Strawberry Hill.
Steven’s book about his experiences, Biking Broken Europe,
is available from Amazon for Kindle and as a paperback.
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