At some point in the Neolithic era, we had our first revolution. Farming and animal husbandry made us sedentary. The weapons we used to hunt began to be used against enemies -real, potential, or imaginary- who threatened the few assets that could be accumulated. Perhaps the scarcity of food could have been the beginning of … Continue reading Castle
Cooking milk cap
We coexist with the hunter-gatherer within us. Or maybe our genes are not those of sedentary farmers because we need to go out and walk in the open air, through the forest, in the mist. Being seated or locked up in the city makes us melancholic or listless. We breathe in the scent of humus, … Continue reading Cooking milk cap
Overflowing rivers in the open air
The second most mountainous country in Europe after Switzerland and with the most variable and crazy annual and secular climate. Floods occur greater than those of Noah and "persistent" Saharan weather patterns that turn our rivers into a fantastic and unpredictable yo-yo. That is why the Romans, who were concerned with engineering and religion, made … Continue reading Overflowing rivers in the open air
Rivers in Winter
The cold, the stillness. In that transition from autumn to winter, the ice helps us understand better that nature needs to stop, to stop to renew itself, to resurface again. The raw silence of the riverside forests and the sometimes boisterous murmur of the river current, as if reflecting, transmit to us, if we know … Continue reading Rivers in Winter
Lucios in the Leonese Kamchatka
We dare to touch the water in the middle of winter, when the fields of meadows, drylands and fallow lands have turned brownish by frost, and even the few farmers who tinker with the cornfields in summer and fall are now enclosed near the fireplace. Today, more than ever, fishing has been an excuse, even … Continue reading Lucios in the Leonese Kamchatka
Paramo, the Valley of Privilege
Privilegia sunt leges privatorum, quasi private leges. Living in the everyday life that turns into a never-ending spiral, sometimes there are landscapes and people that seem to have been lethargic since their beginnings, maintaining a perpetual status quo that extends to our days. These places that remain to be visited and disrupt this preconceived image … Continue reading Paramo, the Valley of Privilege
Celtiberians
It is adventurous to write about how daily life developed around a time of which written vestiges are scarce and most of the references come from a conquering people such as Rome which, even respecting religions and customs, immediately acculturated the conquered peoples. The existence of the Celts in the Iberian Peninsula is attested by … Continue reading Celtiberians
The Oak Woods of Gredos
A walk through the oak trees. Autumn; mild inclemency. These valleys in the southern centre of the Iberian Peninsula, with their fierce rains, scarce frosts and evenly spread sun, allow you to walk lightly dressed even when half-way through December. Walking through the meadows and oak woods in complete solitude is a feasible luxury. There … Continue reading The Oak Woods of Gredos
Following Boyton
We follow in Boyton's footsteps without his Merriman rubber suit and his unconscious bravery. His epic descent down the Tagus River, from Aranjuez to Lisbon in January 1878, bears no resemblance to ours in a motorized inflatable boat that we sometimes have to drag over the low current in the dams. He would be amazed … Continue reading Following Boyton
Neolithic cuisine in the great outdoors
In July of this year, chef Vinicius Martín led a workshop entitled "From Neolithic to Plate" at the History Museum of Barcelona, organized by the Ferrán Adriá Foundation Alicia. The workshop explored ingredients, cooking techniques, utensils, and recipes recreated from remains found in various archaeological sites, seeking similarities between modern and ancient cooking during the … Continue reading Neolithic cuisine in the great outdoors










