The Road from Santiago

  Pottering on through 2012 we are suddenly comforted by regular order amid the rural backwaterness of it all.  The Canal de Calanda is straight, concreted and purposeful.  I think it comes from the Calanda Reservoir, a 1982 project designed to bring water and hydro power to the masses.  https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embalse_de_Calanda   The canal was built in 2008 as part of an irrigation project. Things generally get a bit more organised as we approach the N-211.  Apart from farm buildings we are hitting and industrial zone.  We will be close to the Talleres Zapater, artesanos del metal.  https://tallereszapater.com/   The two reviewers give themm 5 stars.  Next door is a Ferreteria and who amongst who does not have the least spark of decency can resist an ironmongers,  https://homebricocalanda.com/es   38 people give it 4,7 stars.  The reviewers seem to be taciturn men however six months ago Jaume said ‘ Very good treat...

  Welcome to 2112 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osN-dGs2d2A   That takes me back to the early 80s.  Well, actually we are going into 2012, which is the last time that Streetview went down this plateau. Lets hope it is a nice, warm, Spring day - then this will be pleasant.  If it is raining it might not be as happy. Not much to talk about.  Let's mention Carmen Valero. Carmen Valero was born in Castelseras, where we passed through yesterday   Born in 1955, at the age of 12, she participated in the Jean Bouin race, held on the Montjuic hill in Barcelona , ​​under the false name of "Teodora Rodríguez", without having yet obtained an official sports license. After winning back-to-back Spanish Junior Cross Country Championships in 1970 and 1971, Valero won her first three senior titles the following year, taking gold in the cross country and 500 metres races at the Catalan Championships. The same year, she also made her debut at the International Cross Countr...

  We are heading into Castelseras. It is one of those places that the Streetviewers, admirable in so many ways, hav e fallen down and, alas, not been through a lot of it since 2013.  Castelseras exists because humanity abhors spaces by rivers that demand to have towns.   Stuff can be found from the Sedetani Iberians, who were hanging around the place from about 1000BC.  The usual Romans and Visigoths and Muslims turned up and ruled the place.  It was an independent town until, in 1402, it was forced, through increasing debts,to join with Alcaniz. It developed a livestock farming centre and had an oil mill.  During the Carlist Wars it seems to have been occupied, passed through or used for attacks on Alcaniz. Currently the population is about 800. It had peaked at 2200 in 1857 and began to decline after 1920, stablizing after 2001. This is a place with some decent fiestas: The Fiestas Mayores (Major Festivals) takes place on January 19, 20, and 21,...

  This is one of those days where we slowly plod along from the somewhat scrubby and rocky road and then slowly descend along a valley where the fields begin to hunker before we get to Castelseras.  We have one historical landmark. It is the Pinturas rupestres.  It has a three star review.  SN said ‘ It is almost more entertaining to see the adjacent goatherds than to try to guess the paintings from the fence.’.  No, me neither.   Luckily, someone has visited the place for us.  https://misvisitasalaspinturasrupestres.blogspot.com/2016/11/pinturas-rupestres-de-torrecilla-de.html   This is what they have to say ‘The Torrecilla de Alcañiz cave paintings do not yet have a name, as they were discovered very recently: on January 18, 2013, by Joan Calaf. They are still awaiting restoration; only a protective fence has been placed. The path to access is a bit difficult to find. There is a path that leads through the back of the mountain. When we wer...