¡Esto es un “trabajo en progreso”! ¡Por favor, tengan paciencia!
Para ampliar las fotos: ¡Haga clic una vez para agrandarlas y luego haga clic nuevamente para agrandarlas aún más!
2009
2010
2011
Dentro de la casa de luz
2012
Baston de la ruta
Una fiesta celebrando nuestras caminatas en 2012
¡Ese año se entregó un regalo especial a todos los participantes!
2013 (Algunas de estas fotos fueron sacadas por otra persona.)
Al castilloNeveraNeveraNeveraDentro la nevera
Romeria al Puig2013 (Esta caminata no fue parte formal de la Ruta Sana, pero incluyó a muchos compañeros del grupo.)
Al Puig
Esta es otra excursión que no formaba parte oficialmente de la Ruta Sana, pero en la que participaron algunos de los chicos que caminaban con el grupo.
Unas excursiónes más con algunos de los chicos de Ruta Sana. A veces incluyó un delicioso bocadillo en un bar de Bellús.
(Note on Photos: Click on any image to enlarge it and click again for additional zoom)
Caspe- (in Zaragoza Province of Aragon)
My hotel in Caspe was essentially right across the street from the train station. After checking-in, I headed to the tourist office to get a map and more information about the city. I was surprised that both of the people staffing the office spoke English. Given the somewhat obscure historical fame of Caspe, I asked “Do you get many English speaking visitors to the town?” Their answer startled me at first- many British and American tourists come to Caspe to fish. To fish? Well, then I remembered a conversation many years ago with a work chum who was an avid fisherman. The Ebro river is famous for very large catfish. And apparently the stretch of the Ebro that passes by Caspe is a good area for them!
2006 Photo from David Keep published on flickr – Creative Commons – By/Attribution
Caspe and its history
My knowledge of Caspe came from having heard of the “Compromiso de Caspe”. This refers to an event 600 years ago in which the problem of king Martin I of Aragon, who died without an heir was solved by a conference of regional dignitaries. Local royal representatives from Aragon, as well as representatives from the Kingdom of Valencia and the Principality of Catalunya, convened in Caspe. They assessed a variety of contenders for the throne, and after some deliberation chose Ferdinand of Castile as the new king.
As a side note, a while after the crowning of Ferdinand, one of the other contenders – James II the Count of Urgell – rescinded his initial acceptance of the decision and rose up in rebellion. He was not able to muster much support, and was defeated and thrown into a prison cell in… wait for it… the castle of Xàtiva. He remained there 20 years until his death in 1433.
Street scenes from Caspe
Plaza de España viewed through the “arcos del Toril”
The current population of Caspe is notably diverse with residents from many areas of the world. Around the central part of the city one sees people from the Indian sub-continent, both north Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, eastern Europe, and I even chatted briefly with a guy from Nepal!
The Cathedral at Caspe (OK, strictly speaking it is not a cathedral, but rather the “Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor”)
The driving force behind the construction of this catholic place of worship were the “Kinghts of Malta” (Orden Militar del Hospital de Jerusalén) and Juan Fernández de Heredia, a “grand master” of that order. It was built on the site of the city’s mosque that existed from the time of Islamic rule in Spain until the late 14th century when work on this newer building began. The oldest part of Caspe sits on top of a rocky hill, and you can see from the photo that the mosque and later church were located above the nearby streets of the newer parts of Caspe. During a later expansion of this “Cathedral”, the solid rock area at the rear of the church caused the addition to higher than the main part of the church.
Here we see the two sets of steps that were added as part of a later addition to the rear of the cathedral. The steps were needed because the solid rock of the hill did not permit a level floor.
The oldest part of Caspe sits high on a hill.
Here we find the “ermita de San Indalecio”. Although born in Caspe, San Indalecio is known for work preaching the gospel in the Almeria region, where he became that region’s fist bishop.
Ermita de San Indalecio – built in the 18th century
The location where the ermita de San Indalecio sits had been the “Jewish Quarter” of the town during the middle ages. It is thought that the church was either an enlargement of a former synagogue, or built over the site of one.
The Star of David on the square in front of the church is a reminder of the neighborhood’s Jewish history.
A bit further south in old Caspe we find another modest 18th century church, the “ermita de San Roque”.
Born in France, San Roque is the patron saint of dogs and was known for his diligent work during the plague tending to the sick in various Italian cities.
San Roque with a dog laying at his side.
Caspe and the “Carlist Wars”
During the 19th century there was another dispute of succession to the throne. In this case the dispute led to three (or two depending on how you count them) civil wars. In this case the wars were not just about personalities, but about political and social viewpoint on life and governance. The “Carlists” were followers of “Don Carlos”, who championed very traditional values. On the other side there was support of liberalism and later support for creation of a republic. Caspe is located where the Guadalope River flows into the Ebro River. Especially in mountainous or hilly terrain, rivers follow the easiest route, and therefore a route that facilitates troop movements. Thus Caspe had a very strategic location during the Carlist Wars.
The “Tower of Salamanca” is peeking out above a large building adorned with a colorful mural
In 1874, during the third Carlist War, general Manuel de Salamanca ordered a tower-fortress built on a high point at Caspe. This tower (Later called the “Tower of Salamanca”) served both as an observation post to assess any possible troop movements along either of the river routes, and also as a critical link in a chain of signal towers used to communicate notifications if enemy troops were sighted. This Fortress is intact and well preserved.
Multiple layers of defensive loopholes through the thick wall, through which rifles could be shot, provided a means of defense in case of attack.
Views from the top of the tower
Murals in Caspe! For some reason this city seems to be in love with murals. Some are wonderfully decorative, and others are historical or just silly. But all are fun.
(Note on Photos: Click on any image to enlarge it and click again for additional zoom)
I arrived from Barcelona on a commuter train that took me to Tarragona’s center-city train station, right next to the sea.
Although I have a favorite hotel with a sea view, near a beach north of the central part of town, this time I checked into a hotel near the “town hall” (Ayuntamiento) on a lovely plaza lined with restaurants: “Plaça de la font”. (In case you might not notice, the language here is Catalan, not Castellano!)
Plaça de la Font
View Over City
Panoramic View of City (Click to enlarge)
Roman Ruins: Quite close to the hotel are the ruins of the ancient “Roman Circus”. The name is a bit misleading- this has nothing to do with Bozo the clown (or even Donald Trump the clown), nor lion tamers or acrobats. A “Roman Circus” is the oval track where in ancient times they held chariot races. When you see the word “circus”, think “circuit”- a closed loop.
To get the idea- an old photo of a mosaic of the Circus Maximus in RomeWhite marble statue of woman first to second century CE
View over City
Panoramic view of city (Click to enlarge)
Zaragoza’s Cathedral
Bit by bit during the day, the number of (other!) tourists began to swell. Soon Tarragona was packed. This guy on the right obviously thought he was “all that”. As various people (including me) tried to wait patiently to get a photo of the front of the cathedral un-sullied by tourists blocking the view, this guy kept strutting back and forth posing with that umbrella, while his friend took photos. Good lord, some people are even worse than me!
I love the sea! Tarragona’s coast is lined with lovely beaches, large and small!
A small sailboat calmly drifted in the water.While large commercial ships floated, anchored in the near distance.I knew that there was also some rain predicted for Tarragona. A short rain storm blew in and ended less than an hour later. It wasn’t until after I left Tarragona that the full fury of the big storm hit! I got out just in time! That later storm system affected all trains passing in or out of this city!
Street scenes around town-
Notice the large photos of “Castellers” in front of the windows!A busker rocks a crowd that was appreciative enough to clap when he finished a number, but not so appreciative (other then me) to bother throwing some coins into his hat!The “tourist trains” are lined up ready to take visitors on a quickie circuit of the city.A nice arched opening in the city wall. But also note the banner in the background: “Fem Republica” (Let’s make a Republic! Not fans of the creaky old monarchy it seems!Near the cathedral a cute mural on the end of a building.Statue of Roger de Lauria at the sea end of the Rambla Nueva
One does not live by scenery alone! So a bit of nourishment is a must. Too early to “cenar”, I first had an alcohol free beer and some chips at a place on the plaza. (by the way, that non-alcoholic “Paranoia” beer with the cute cartoon pic had an unusual, but very pleasant flavor!)
… and then later at at the “Mistral”- our go-to restaurant when in Tarragona!
Another time I had some yummy “empanadas”- Argentina style!
Tarragona’s Amphitheater: Of the numerous Roman ruins in Tarragona, most people’s favorite is the ancient amphitheater positioned at the edge of the sea.
(Note on Photos: Click on any image to enlarge it and click again for additional zoom)
For many reasons, Barcelona is my favorite large city in Spain- the art, the architecture, the vibrancy…
I went to Barcelona as part of my annual visit to check progress on the construction of the Sagrada Familia cathedral. I have been watching over that project for more than 30 years! So, it has become a pilgrimage for me! The construction has been moving along steadily, and from the exterior it was obvious that the huge, central tower still needs time for completion.
So, I said I’ve been visiting the Sagrada Familia for more than 30 years? What did it look like back then?
Sagrada Familia in 1993: Clearly an earlier stage of construction!
Just your basic construction site, with materials strewn around, waiting their turn to be put in place!Looking down towards scaffolding
Well, I was at an earlier stage of construction too! ha ha!
Who is that youngster?Well, these days I may be falling apart, but that shirt and jacket are still going strong!
Heading out on some travels- First stop Valencia where I will catch a train to Zaragoza. Un recorrido corto. Primer tramo: de Xàtiva a la Estación del Norte de Valencia. Desde allí, tomo el tren a Zaragoza.
Estacio del Nord (Valencia’s main train station- “North Station”)
My preferred way to get to Zaragoza is the slooooow train that leaves from Valencia heading north along the coast to Sagunt/Sagunto, from which it heads northwest to Teruel and then arcs northward until it arrives in Zaragoza. It is a long ride, taking more than 5 1/2 hours. But for me the travel through the interior is relaxing, even soothing.
Mi forma preferida de llegar a Zaragoza es el tren muuuy lento que sale de Valencia rumbo al norte por la costa hasta Sagunto, desde donde se dirige al noroeste hasta Teruel y luego describe una curva hacia el norte hasta llegar a Zaragoza. Es un viaje largo, de más de cinco horas y media. Pero para mí, el viaje por el interior es relajante, incluso reconfortante.
The scenery along the route is quite varied. This is Spain, not America, so you see lots of modern wind turbines generating electricity*. Also you pass through picturesque small towns and rural landscapes. * OK, OK, there are some areas in America where wind turbines are being deployed. But sadly the current mentality here is “Drill baby, drill”, extract more oil and burn more coal. Especially now with Trump in office we seem to delight in the idea of generating dirty air.
El paisaje a lo largo de la ruta es bastante variado. Estamos en España, no en Estados Unidos, así que se ven muchos aerogeneradores modernos generando electricidad*. También se pasa por pintorescos pueblos y paisajes rurales. *Vale, vale, hay algunas zonas en Estados Unidos donde se están instalando aerogeneradores. Pero lamentablemente la mentalidad actual aquí es: «Perfora, perfora», extrae más petróleo y quema más carbón. Sobre todo ahora, con Trump en el cargo, parece que nos encanta la idea de contaminar el aire.
The city of Zaragoza has many stories to tell. As I expand the “Pere-X” site with its collection of video beyond China, I will focus on Spain. One of the first destinations I will feature is Zaragoza.
La ciudad de Zaragoza tiene muchas historias que contar. A medida que amplíe la web “Pere-X” con su colección de vídeos más allá de China, me centraré en España. Uno de los primeros destinos que presentaré es Zaragoza.
Got an hour y pico antes del salida de mi tren. So I’m chillin’ sitting outdoors at a little cafe I have been to before ouside the Chamartín station. (Don’t remember if I ever mentioned that for the last few years all high speed trains between Valencia and Madrid go to Chamartín instead of Atocha.
I wanted to see something new before I left China. But with so little time available I had to find something close to my hotel. So I went to see the Beidu Iron Tower (Built c. 1590 – Ming dynasty) Didi dropped me off near the site, but the gate next to the street seemed securely locked. This wouldn’t have been the first time I arrived somewhere “after hours”! I saw a man coming out of a nearby building. In answer to my question her gestured toward a gate at the adjoining building and told me to just push on the gate. Well, although this new gate looked very securely locked, all it took was a little push to open it and go inside. Then another ” locked” gate seemed to prevent getting to the area of the tower. Well, I pushed and pulled, and that gate magically opened too! Cool!
This Iron Tower is certainly not the #1attraction in the Xi’an area, but I thought it was pretty interesting (especially after the “Iron Pagoda” in Kaifeng that wasn’t really iron!)
It looked as is on a good day, you might even be able to get inside the tower and perhaps climb up. But the gate around the base truly was locked during my visit… not just “pretend locked”!
So I enjoyed looking around the outside, and then ordered another car from Didi to take me back to the hotel.🙂👍
October 1 is the Chinese national holiday, sort of like our 4th of July. It was October 1, 1949 that Mao Zedong proclaimed the Peoples Republic of China. So this year is the 75th anniversary.
Celebrations of the holiday stretch out for a whole week. Because so many people are off work, this strains all sorts of holiday/travel systems. Hard to book hotels, trains, buses, flights…
Also it means crazy traffic, and a crush of humanity at various destinations.
Add those factors to a lack of organized planning on Pere’s part, combined with sleeping late this morning…
My selected first destination of the day was Maijishan temple/grottoes – A site about 25 miles out of town.
Well, I successful hailed a cab, and the driver agreed to take me there at a good price- 80 rmb.
The route included some localized traffic jams early on. But when we got onto the (only) road leading to the destination, traffic ground to almost a full stop- a parking lot inching its way forward.
I hadn’t anticipated this, nor had the driver.
Three lanes of traffic creeping along. She opened a navigation app, and I could see from the backseat that the road was coded solid red all the way forward.
After a bit more of that, I told her just turn me around, and take me to my second destination – Fuxi Temple. She agreed it was for the best.
Fuxi is the legendary, mythical founder of Chinese civilization, sometime about 4000 years ago.
Although we tend to associate Lao Tse (who lived at the same time as Confucius) with Taoism, its origins go much farther back… All the way to Fuxi!
It is not uncommon that conflicting claims to historical sites occur in China. One of the reputed birthplaces of Fuxi is Tianshui.
So here are just a few photos from the temple complex here celebration the original creator of Chinese culture
No! The guy in the photo is old, but he is NOT Fuxi!
By the time I had explored that area it was time to try to get a cab back to the hotel. Major undertaking! Trying to get a Didi was generally a failure in this town. So I stood out at the curb and ultimately was able to get a taxi.
For my final dinner in Gansu, what could be more appropriate than… Wait for it… Beef Noodles!
A big splurge … Less than two bucks including my favorite soft drink!
