Bornos, Spain

February 27, 2016

The first settlers lived in this area 30,000 years ago which was the middle of the Upper Paleolithic era.  Nearby are the Roman ruins of Carissa Aurelia that were constructed in the later Iron Age.  When the Moors came to the area they constructed the Fontanar Castle which became the foundations of the Palace of Los Ribera.  This 16th century Renaissance-style building has the only loggia of Pompeian Style found in Andalusia.   A loggia is an architectural feature which is a covered exterior gallery or corridor usually on an upper level, or sometimes ground level. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns or arches. The Italian-style gardens were beautiful with the low shrubs in maze patterns.  It was perfect to let a toddler loose. We also visited the Monastery of Santa María del Rosario, founded in 1505, whose cloister has 56 marble columns and open-worked stone is well worth a visit. It is currently used as a children’s school and is in excellent condition. The largest feature of Bornos is the reservoir fed by the River Guadalete which runs into the Guadalquivir river towards Sevilla.

Fuente de Piedra Lagoon, Spain

February 20, 2016

The Fuente de Piedra Lagoon is in the Málaga province just a few hours from us.  It is a beautiful wetland most noted by being used by the greater flamingo for its annual reproduction cycle.  Many other rare birds also call this lagoon home. This flamingo colony is the largest on the Iberian Peninsula. Another stopover of these flamingos is the Doñana National Park.  Starting in February, thousands of flamingos fly in and take up residence.  They build nests on the small island on the lake and by the end of April or beginning of May the flamingo chicks hatch. The lagoon is fed by underwater springs that pass through mineral salt deposits.  It is the salt water that attracts the flamingos.  Since it is spring-fed and is very shallow evaporation is the main cause of water loss.  In a good year it is less than one meter deep at its deepest point.

Barcelona, Spain

February 12-15, 2016

We finally made it to Barcelona.  We have had flights go through Barcelona many times.  We did a long weekend visit and was our first big adventure using the hiking backpack.  Owen did really great, but definitely his favorite part was walking around.  Barcelona is the capital city of the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain.  Catalonia has tried many times to separate from Spain with the most recent election being just within the past couple years.  They speak both Castilian Spanish and Catalan. Undoubtedly, the highlight was the Sagrada Família by Antoni Gaudí.  Construction began in 1882, but Gaudí came in one year into construction.  I found the exterior and interior to be very different in appearance.  Both have the Gaudí signature nature-derived shapes, but the interior has an almost mystical feeling.  The interior columns are designed after a tree shape with the top branching off into smaller pillars.  I loved the stained glass windows which cast beautiful colors onto the monotone carved stone. Construction is still ongoing with the current state being only half-way of the Gaudí design.  They have a completion date goal of 2026 which is Gaudí’s 100th birthday. In the scheme of cathedral construction, 100 years for completion isn’t all that bad.  St. Peter's Basilica in Rome began in 1506 but then didn’t open until 1626 – that’s 120 years under construction. In November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica. To be a cathedral there must be a resident bishop. We were also able to visit the Casa Batlló which is another of Gaudí’s creations. He did the remodel of the pre-existing house in 1904. Once again, the detail was beautiful down to the door and window vents that could slide open or closed.  In the center well he lined it with blue tiles with the darkest on the top and then also the top windows being the smallest so that all the floors would receive the same amount of light.  The chimney is covered with the used waste ceramic pieces which is called trencadís. The city of Barcelona itself is very modern feeling, yet there is a gothic section with narrow streets and a beautiful cathedral.  The city has gone through several massive re-designs so that the more modern streets are all in a grid pattern.  Barcelona held the 1992 Summer Olympics and we were able to visit the stadium.  The 1992 Olympics did not have any countries boycott the games and included Cuba and North Korea returned after 12 years, South Africa after 32 years, and Germany competing under one flag after 28 years divided.