Sierra de Gádor

by Robert Bovington

The Sierra de Gádor mountain range is situated in the south-western corner of the province of Almería. It belongs to the Betic system, specifically the Cordillera Penibética . The maximum altitude is 2249 meters – the summit of Launilla Morrón.
To the north is the Sierra Nevada; to the south lies the Mediterranean Sea whilst the Sierras Alhamilla and Contraviesa lie respectively to the east and west.

Sierra de Gádor nr Enix

At the foot of the Sierra de Gádor lies the region of the Poniente Almeriense (Western Almería), traditionally called the Campo de Dalias which, in my opinion, is by far the least attractive part of the diverse region of Almería. Author Gerald Brenan didn’t like it either – “…a depressing sight met my eye. For fifteen miles the road ran in a perfectly straight line across a stony desert…” was part of his description of the Campo de Dalías in his book “South to Granada”. Nowadays the stony desert is replaced by an ocean of plastic, the ubiquitous invernaderos. These greenhouses may have allowed the province of Almería to become Europe's market garden but they sure look ugly!

Never mind, the Sierra de Gádor is a pleasant, largely unspoilt mountain range that is technically part of that delightful region of the Alpujarras. The following towns are within its boundaries:

Felix , Enix , Gádor , Alhama de Almería , Alicún , Huécija , Íllar , Instinción , Rágol , Fondón, Laujar de Andarax , Alcolea, Berja , Dalías and Vícar .

statue of a miner in Fondón

In the past, the Sierra de Gádor was heavily mined, mainly for lead and silver but now water is its biggest treasure. The mines were abandoned in the early nineteenth century. Water, surprisingly, still appears to exist in sufficient quantities. In villages like Berja, Felix and Dalías there are numerous fuentes where water can be obtained – the meagre rainfall and the melted snow from the high sierra is efficiently stored and purified before being released as pure clean water.

a fuente in Dalías

Robert Bovington

Nov 2011

Salamanca Cathedral

The New Cathedral is one of a pair, aptly named Catedral Nueva (new) and Catedral Vieja (old). They are physically connected to each other - the new one was begun in 1513 when it was decided that the old cathedral was too small. The Catedral Vieja was started in the 12th century in Romanesque style. It was completed a century later and one of its main attractions is its highly intricate 15th-century altar - the work of Nicolás Florentino. The Catedral Nueva was built in late Gothic style with Renaissance and Baroque decoration. Inside there are eighteen chapels but the Capilla Dorada is the best, housing as it does over a hundred sculptures. 

Robert Bovington


more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Photographs of Spain"	http://bovingtonphotosofspain.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

University of Salamanca

Salamanca's University was one of the greatest centres of learning in medieval times and Miguel de Cervantes and Hernán Cortés are just two of many famous Spaniards who studied there. Christopher Columbus lectured there. It is a pretty splendid building too, especially the façade facing the Plaza Patio de Escuelas Menores.

University viewed from Plaza Patio de Escuelas Menores

Robert Bovington

November 2011

Book kiosks in the Plaza Mayor Salamanca

by Robert Bovington on Saturday, 12 November 2011 at 16:26

The Plaza Mayor in Salamanca is considered to be the most beautiful square in Spain so imagine my disappointment when, on my recent visit to the 'Ciudad Dorada', I wasn't able to obtain the photographs I would have liked because the square was filled with bookstalls.

Plaza Mayor

Many of the kiosks had an impressive array of books - antiquairian to modern.

A book stall in the Plaza Mayor

What did surprise me was that on one stall was a collection of 'William books' - not recently issued copies but old ones just like the ones I used to read as a child only these were in Spanish. I was almost tempted to purchase some but my Spanish is not yet up to reading a complete book - not even a children's one!

Old William & Enid Blyton books on a bookstall in the Plaza Mayor

I did get some reasonable photos of the plaza - below are some of them.

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor

Ávila

Ávila by Robert Bovington


Ávila is the highest city in Spain. It has also got a short name - I am only joking - its correct title is Ávila de los Caballeros.
Even though it is 3,715 feet above sea level, it is situated on a plateau that is surrounded by even loftier mountains. It is a good place to visit but not to live because, whilst the city is rather spectacular and is a notable tourist centre, it has long cold winters and short summers. The surrounding neighbourhood is not too attractive either. It is an arid, treeless plain strewn with immense grey boulders, which, I suppose, came in useful when the walls of the city were built.

Las Murallas

Las Murallas - the walls - are magnificent and encompass the whole of ancient Ávila. They were built in the 12th century and their total length is 8,202 feet. The modern part of the city lies outside the walls. Within the old city are many fine buildings including churches, the Gothic cathedral and an old Moorish castle. It also has many elegant mansions, some of which were built into the walls.
There are many religious buildings but two worth mentioning are the Monastery of La Encarnacion where St. Teresa lived for thirty years and the Convent of Santa Teresa which was built in the 17th century on the plot where the Carmelite reformer was born. Another famous resident was Don Juan, the only son of Ferdinand and Isabella. His tomb is contained in the Convent of Santo Tomás.
Because the city is so rich in architecture it has become a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Ávila is also the capital of the province of the same name, which is located in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon in central Spain.
The province has an area of 3,107 square miles but the city of Ávila is probably the only reason for visiting. The rearing of Merino sheep is the principal occupation. There is not a lot else - certainly not a lot of ibex. This wild goat was facing extinction until an ibex sanctuary was set up in 1905.