I enjoy traveling by car, because you can enjoy if you open your mimd and forget that you go from point A to B.
Lot of places to discover, the map have lot of treasures to see at detail.
All the time to enjoy, until the end.
On the road
Categoría: Spanish landscape
I did it
Sometimes I need a chance to feel full of life. Always I did it and also think about the next.
Today was the time of a Church that is possible to arrive with car, but the adventure is doing trail running with my puppy Rex.
Cingles de Berti is a place that I enjoy a lot, good view a lot of variety of tracks. Today I saw 2 churches and also a castle, this area is full of live centuries ago. Young forest in some areas for a big fire in 1994, and also new trees that hide old country fields with rock fences to use even places that aren’t flat.
I start to think the next chance, also is this area a waterfall. I don’t know when will be, but sure that one day I do it.
Discover new places
The last weekend I was in Castello, a region that I didn’t visit, just the coast and by the highway. Very interesting place and a great discover for me.
Montanejos is a termal village. The temperature of the river is warmer than should be, it makes very comfortable to swim inside the river. I did more than 200 meters up to the river in the canyon.
During this weekend I also enjoy the largest green track of Spain. It was an old train from the port to the minery area, now a paradise to go with bike. Tunnels and trees around, remember the past of the track. The new track sometimes is very close and is posible to see the train.
The landscape is nice with mountains and lot of trees.
Mediterranean rivers are very dangerous, from nothing to a floats. The dry rivers are the most dangerous, because there aren’t trees to stop the water.
Olive oil, wine are the typical products of theses area, also good almond. Most dry cultive, even is water in the area, the temperatures are more extreme than in the coast. Orange, lemon prefer areas were freezing temperatures are inusual, not inland where every winter is below zero at nights.
La Alcarria
Es un hermoso país que la gente no le da la gana ir. En 1946 así lo decía textualmente Camilo José Cela.
Personalmente es una zona que me atrae, me gustan los altiplanos, las zonas de transición y la Alcarria especialmente la zona que pasa la autovía es así. Camino entre Aragón y Castilla desde la antigüedad, cruzando la insignificante Sierra Ministra, pero que pese a su modesta prominencia sirve de divisoria de aguas. Porque la Alcarria, no es meseta, tampoco es sistema Central, ni ibérico. Es una zona que abarca diferentes provincias con sus pequeños altiplanos que les separan de los cursos fluviales del Henares o el Tajo.
Son unidades de relieve no tan claras como la meseta, con un sistema ibérico que muere en forma de panameras como la del señorio de Molina. Tierras frías, meseta elevada por encima de 1000 metros una buena extensión de terreno en una España vacía, pero que a día de hoy con las carreteras existentes no parece tan fiera. Su especialidad es el frío nocturno, la nieve es más abundante en cualquier sistema montañoso. Las heladas son abundantes, los datos pueden asustar un poco, pero las amplitudes térmicas son elevadas con humedades bajas.
No soy geógrafo, así que la descripción quizás no es demasiado técnica, pero es una zona difícil de definir dónde están exactamente los límites, por ello me atrae, no esta claro dónde esta el final de la Alcarria.
Poco más puedo contar de mi pequeña escapada de dos noches, corta pero intensa.
Ayer fue en inglés, hoy en castellano, pero más o menos el relato de la escapada, en pequeños apuntes ha quedado en el blog para el recuerdo.
Es una zona que seguro que volveré, aún me queda recorrer más pueblos del Viaje a la Alcarria de Cela. De momento Torija ya lo visite, pero a la próxima toca Brihuega, Cifuentes, Trillo, Pastrana… La Alcarria me espera porqué a mi si me da la gana de visitarla. Se suma mi interés por las Panameras de Molina y la visita a Sigüenza, así que aún me queda bastante Guadalajara, con el encanto de recorrer la España vacía y la esperanza de volver a verla llena de vida ahora que la vida urbana nos muestra su lado negativo.
Very intense days
We stay 2 nights in Alcala de Henares, 600 kilometers from home, short but very intense days.
Some pictures to show better this monumental city. Is the city of Cervantes and the culture is very important. Center of the town is nice with a big square call Cervantes and Mayor street with lot of shops and restaurants. This strange year is quiet, but normally is a very crowded city for tourists, some of them come from Madrid.
Also the nature is important, the river Henares is a good place to walk. The mountains are in the other side of the river, the famous Alcarria, not very high mountains but interesting to see the views of all the region of Madrid.
Following the maps I did a very nice running route there, but there was a problem with a bridge that was in a private area where isn’t allowed walk. Finally I went to the next bridge, the result more than 28 kilometers running.
City, river and mountain, vey complete route but for me too long to do everyday. I like do some long routes sometimes.
After this long route, just a shower and we went to the river.
Rio Dulce is a natural park where you can follow the river in the canyon. When you are in the highway isn’t posible to imagine this canyon, is a plateau at 1100-1200 above the sea, but when you take the road down and discover how the water eat the rocks during years.
We spent a nice day in the river. The next day we come back home at the afternoon, very short but nice to discover places.
Guadalajara is a regional that I like a lot, isn’t too crowded, the population isn’t dense, just the capital that is in the Madrid urban influence.
Summer is different, more dry than Centelles, run 28 kilometers now in Centelles loss more water your body and I feel more tired. The days that we spent the temperature were normal after lot of very warm days.
Pedraforca
Yesterday was a familiar day in a very special mountain. Pedraforca is a classic in Catalunya, one of the most popular. Despite isn’t the highest and is Prepyreness, the technical climbing and the image makes it very special, also crowded normally.
Now people of Barcelona can’t go there, is still a quiet place. We walk part of a route that is a 360° of the mountain.
2507 meters above the sea, but isn’t the highest mountain in Barcelona.
All around is forest and mountains, but never forget the past than this region the minerals are the main work of this region. The forest are very good, because they work down, also some open miners that still you can see. All trains are now just for tourist, green tracks to enjoy this amazing area.
The storms are near, but we were lucky, we leave the area with fog. During the way coming home, rain was very heavy.
Great day in a place that always can discover places. Lot of paths to walk, some are very technical, but also you can do it easier. There are lot of possibilities in this area.
Normally the road have trafic jams, all the secundary valleys, have roads to the main one of the Llobregat river.
South Meseta
South Meseta is lower than the North Meseta. Also is drier and warmer, winter could be cold specially at nights. For me the most interesting natural thing is a big aquifer that we call the 23. Is very big but with too much use, lot of years with problems like subterranean fire for a natural process.
Another important thing of the region are big number of castles and the windmills. Don Quijote the most important Spanish novel is in this area, he fight against the wind mills.
There are lot of places to visit following the famous novel, based in Argamasilla de Alba. There are a cave to visit and lot of windmills is a cultural visit to understand this landscape.
Madrid and Toledo are the main cities to visit in this region if you like the history and need to see urban architecture.
The Meseta is flat with some hills but you only see mountains when you arrive to the end or you go down into a river that can form a Canyon like the Jucar River.
The wines are also important is this region where isn’t easy to find a shadow in the warm summer. Trees aren’t in this area, only in the mountains and areas near the rivers.
My favorite place in the region is following the Guadiana river, even now isn’t totally clear where is born. Lagunas de Ruidera are the place that appears in most of the books. Sometimes is a subterranean river in the famous 23 aquifer. There the eyes of Guadiana where originally appears the Guadiana again. The irregular rain, and specially the massive use of water for the agriculture is a danger for this amazing natural water aquifer.
Enjoy this region with good roads in a flat area where the trips are easy.
Tarragona
Today the province of Tarragona. The last day I talk about Ebro River forms a big Delta, maybe one the most interesting visit of Tarragona.
Vidajeros.es
Delta is very windy area. Summer is warm and with the humidity feel warmer. Rice is the big product of the Delta. Now also they produce lot of sea fruits.
The capital is one of the most important cities in the peninsula, the old Roman city of Tarraco. Lot of historic things to visit, and also beach and important port.
Tarragona is very industrial area for the oil, is the only area of Spain with oil. There refineries. Also there are 2 Nuclear plants, Vandellos in the Coast and Asco in the Ebro river.
The highest mountains are in the ports, lot of rocks some trees that are the southern point that they live. The rainfall is bigger than all the areas arround.
There are more mountains in Tarragona. Montsant paradise to climb, Prades the red village with amazing forest. Just and example of the variety of this region.
Stil in Tarragona we find a very nice village with walls Montblanc in the Conca de Barbera.
Just a small presentation of a region with more interesting places than you expect.
The Ribera is interesting to find historic places from the battle of Ebro in the civil war.
Miravet and the castle, with still a boat to cross the river. In this point is a very big river.
There is important the traditional Calçots, specially in Valls the capital of the Alt Camp.
Very complete region, the biggest river, important factories, beach, Delta, mountains, the country produce lot of Mediterranean products.
The valley of Ebro river
The river Ebro is the most important Mediterranean river in the Peninsula. Is the longest totally in Spain.
I talk of the medium and the end of the river.
Ebro start in Cantabria and cross part of Burgos, but I will talk about this area another day. Today I talk about La Rioja, Navarra, Aragón and Catalunya.
The Valley is very windy in winter. Also fog is very important in winter, in some areas could be some weeks without sun.
The region isn’t very rainy, with some desert, not totally natural, because was the extensive use of the furniture and the sheep that help to disappear the trees. Climate isn’t desert, sometimes have heavy thunderstorms. Irregular rainfall like in most of Mediterranean region.
The Biggest cities of this region are Logroño, Zaragoza, Lleida.
The weather is hard in this region, winter with fog or wind, despite some ocasional showers. The feeling of cold, humid or to dry with the wind.
Spring big contrast in day and night temperatures. Thunderstorms are normal at this time of the year, the most rainy time.
Summer is warm, sometimes 40°. Nights aren’t very cold in big cities, a little bit better than Mediterranean cities but still warm nights.
Autumn in the east is posible have the Mediterranean famous situation of heavy rain in October. November start the fog days, first some hours, but In December could be even weeks.
I will continue until the end of the river and the amazing Delta another day.
The river has lot of big lakes to control, but sometimes in Spring with heavy rains the floods are important in this region.
In the lakes are the material that need the Delta to survive. Delta is like we now for they cut the trees for furniture to make ships to fight again England. It make that part of the floor went to the river and form one of the most important Delta in Mediterranean. Lot of species of birds, the rice are in serious danger. The last famous Gloria bring lot of problems to the region.
Meteoedu 