December – 2009 – Iberianature: The travel guide to Spain -

Archive for December, 2009

Calatanazor juniper forest

The Sabinar de Calatanazor is a remarkable forest of Spanish juniper (Juniperus thurifera) in Soria near the village of Calatanazor. Read The Sabinar de Calatanazor is a remarkable forest of Spanish juniper (sabina albar – Juniperus thurifera) in Soria near the village of Calatanazor. The forest is a fenced dehesa grazed by cows preventing undergrowth from developing. Some of these ancient junipers are 20 metres high, and the Sabinar de Calatanazor is, I believe, the largest Juniperus thurifera forest in the world, covering 22ha. More information here

The Spanish juniper is found in Spain, France, Morocco and Algeria, and is Continue reading

Places in Castilla y León, The best forests in Spain, Wild Spain | Tags: Interesting forests in Spain, Juniper forest in Spain, Wild places in Soria|

Aneto

Aneto is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees at 3,404 metres is part of the Maladetta ridge. The Aneto glacier is still the largest in Spain with 163 ha. though it is melting fast due to climate change and is predicted to succumb by the mid-late 21st century. The glacier covered some 692 ha in 1894 at the close of the so-called Little Ice Age. Aneto’s French name, Pic de Néthou, is in disuse as the mountain lies entirely within Spain, specifically in the province of Huesca in Aragon. First climbed in 1842 by a Russian named Chikhachev. Continue reading

Geographical features of Spain, Geological sites in Spain, Natural wonders of Spain, Places in Aragon, Places in The Pyrenees | Tags: Mountains in the Pyrenees, Mountains of Aragon, Places in Huesca, The highest mountain in the Pyrenees|

La Torca del Carlista

The Torca del Carlista in the Basque Country is the largest cavern in Europe. It is currently only accessible to expert cavers. It is the fourth (not the second as some sources claim!) largest cave chamber in the world. Legend has it that a Carlist follower threw himself to his death here rather than be taken alive.

Torca del Carlista

Photo of the Torca del Carlista

Geographical curiosities in Spain, Geographical features of Spain, Geological sites in Spain, Natural wonders of Spain, Places in the Basque Country | Tags: Caves of the BAsque Country, largest cavern in Europe|

El Cortijo del fraile

blood wedding cortijo... por EnKayTee.

The 18th century Cortijo del Fraile (The Friar’s Estate) is a wonderfully atmospheric spot in Cabo de Gata Natural Park with a dark secret. The farmstead was the site of the tragic Crime of Nijar, the murder which inspired Lorca to write Blood Wedding. Scenes from The Good the Bad and the Ugly and several other films were also shot here. Photo by Enkayte on Flicr.

Places in Andalusia | Tags: Blood Wedding, Crime of Nijar, Dark history of Spain, Hidden Spain, history of Cabo de Gata, Interesting places in Cabo de Gata, Murder sites in Spain, Places in Almeria, Places in Cabo de Gata, Unusual places in Almeria|

The Torcal de Antequera

El Torcal de Antequera in Malaga is one of the most impressive karst landscapes in Europe. Photo by Jakub Botwicz from Wikipedia.

Geographical features of Spain, Natural wonders of Spain, Places in Andalusia, Wild Spain | Tags: karst landscapes in Europe, karst landscapes in Spain|

Spanish Civil War guided tours in Barcelona
Recommended
Flights to Alicante
Guided tour around Spain
Latest
Spanish nature
- Monegros guide
  Excellent blog in Spanish to the Monegros here by Nacho. Clearly he knows his stuff about one of the most biodiverse corners of the Iberian Peninsula. […]
- Two images of Los Monegros
  Stork settlement on granary, Los Monegros. Aragon Ghost road layout for urbanisation outside small village in Los Monegros, Aragon, February 2011. A beautiful monument to local greed and corruption. […]
- Summer love
  Lisa over at picosdeeuropa.com has an interesting account of how at least one pair of Cantabrian bears has bred later in the year, in late August, instead of May-June, presumably because of climate change. More here […]
Spanish travel stories and blog
Travelling around Spain on a scooter
Entertaining video from the Guardian her e showing a woman travelling around rural Almeria on a Vespa scooter.

Best tapas bars in Palma de Mallora
The Guardian has this article on the best tapas bars and bodegas in Palma de Mallorca, home to an an impressive ranges of good eateries. I particularly liked the sound of Bodega Bellver:
Tucked up a side street around the corner from the theatre, Bellver is about as far away from Palma’s gleaming 21st- century tapas bars as it’s possible to imagine. Dark and shadowy, with shelves lined with dusty bottles and wine barrels, and rickety wooden tables scattered around the small space, it is steeped in history, atmosphere and the smell of spicy pork frying on the tiny grill beside the bar. Order up icy beers and pinchos and settle into a slice of unchanged Mallorquin life.

Trekking in the Sierra Nevada in June
I enjoyed this post on the iberianatureforum by Maria: Outside the tapas bars of Lanjaron temperatures reached 30 degrees. 2500m above we donned our duvet jackets as an icy wind tore across the white snow filled plateau. Such are the contrasts this year in southern Spain’s Sierra Nevada, a legacy of the worst winter weather in living memory. Read the original story here:
- Crossing the Sierra Nevada in full winter conditions in June!
Travel guide to Osana
Good review of the county of Osana here from Barcelona writing. On food of Osona
Pork and its by-products may be the most emblematic food of the county, but Osona has much else to offer gastronomes. The truffle (trufa), a black mushroom that grows underground and is highly prized, and a wide range of bolets (Catalan mushrooms) including pinetell, rovelló, rossinyol, cep and fredolic are found locally, as are the white beans (mongetes) of the Collsacabra Mountains, characterised by their small size. For dessert, the pa de pessic de Vic (sponge cake) is worth trying as are the regional cheeses, curds, honey and jam.

Environmental art in Almeria

High in the Parque Natural Sierra María-Los Vélez in northern Almería a new and cultural weapon has been unveiled to combat the hearts and minds of those not convinced that urgent action needs to be taken to preserve our landscape, flora and fauna. More...

Teruel bat
Detail of modernist forge of the Staircase of the Paseo del Óvalo. The monumental staircase was built in 1921 to link the new railway station with the old part of the city. The work has modernist and neomudejar details. By SantiMB on Flickr
History and culture
- Words and concepts in Spanish that don’t exist in English
  Here are a few words and expressions in Castilian Spanish that don’t exist in English, and perhaps could be borrowed. Foreigners speakers of Spanish in Spain certainly use so of them with alarming frequency with other English speakers in Spain, as do our Spanish friends and spouses. The list does not include food terms (covered […]
- A few facts about bullfighting
  I picked up this interesting list of facts about bullfighting from The Guardian here. Bullfighting was at first seen as an exclusively aristocratic pursuit for Spanish noblemen who remained seated on horseback. In 1726, the matador Francisco Romero was the first to challenge the bull on foot. He also introduced the famous red cape (muleta) […]
- An old woman cooking eggs
  The Old Woman Cooking Eggs was painted by Diego Velázquez during his Seville period possibly in 1618, and like in much of his work early poor and working class characters are portrayed. Like other early works by the artist, it shows the influence of chiaroscuro, with a strong light source coming in from the left, […]