Lavender

These days, a stroll through the lavender fields of Brihuega coincided with reading Federico Kukso's book, "Odorama: A Cultural History of Smell." There are things that stink and are exquisite, like cheeses and perfumes with refined scents that, however, if we drink them, are disgusting. There are also days when humanity stinks as a whole … Continue reading Lavender

The rivers that are disappearing

Conveying the disaster that is happening with water in the natural environment without falling into arguments to which we have become accustomed and that little call attention, besides being unoriginal, is like making a toast to the sun. The catastrophic discourse has lasted so long that it does not transcend, the daily dramas have immunized … Continue reading The rivers that are disappearing

The Route of the Espejuelos (small mirrors)

We biked through the Alcarria conquense from Ercávica to Segóbriga, one hundred kilometers along a GR trail that had been abandoned to its fate, pedaling alongside the Guadiela, Mayor, and Cigüela rivers, over the waves of seas of wheat and barley, past abandoned sales, pigeon houses, and cigar factories, and through fallow fields and borders … Continue reading The Route of the Espejuelos (small mirrors)

Water from the Spring

Groundwater is stored in locations where it is maintained at a constant temperature and in a disposition similar to the surface topography of the area where it is found. These locations, called aquifers, are geological formations formed by successions of layers of porous and impermeable materials in which freshwater is housed underground. The porosity of … Continue reading Water from the Spring

The gammarids, river shrimp

"Gammarids" or "Gammarus" are a group of amphipods that constitute an order within crustaceans. Their name "Amphipoda" comes from the Greek amphí, "on both sides" and podós, "foot"; as a characteristic, they are small and do not have a shell, they have a typically compressed body, gills present at the base of some pereiopods ("little … Continue reading The gammarids, river shrimp

The Stone Powers

To be honest, I have to confess that I don't believe in any powers that stones transmit beyond awakening aesthetic taste, the pleasure of giving them as a gift, or, in a more perverse realm, fostering greed. Undoubtedly, my approach to mineral collecting belongs to both the realm of wonder and beauty, but what I … Continue reading The Stone Powers

By the lands of Daroca and Gallocanta

In this stage, we will travel through part of the Gallocanta Ring Route, although we will return to the Three Taifas Route to visit Daroca. The Cantar informs us that the Cid camped in Alucant, as stated in verses 951 and following. Then Cid moved to the port of Alucant, from there Cid attacked Huesca … Continue reading By the lands of Daroca and Gallocanta

Aragonites and salt pans

On the way to search for aragonites, we discovered an old factory, its large wells, the labyrinth of pools and walls in the middle of the wasteland, near a deserted village. Few things abound so much in the world, just a little bit of ocean and a little bit of sun for it to precipitate, … Continue reading Aragonites and salt pans