Burgos and the Museum of Human Evolution...

 

 Vitoria-Gasteiz to Burgos

(Burgos, Spain; Nov. 21 - 25, 2024)

I really didn't think I would be this far behind in posting this next blog, but here it is!

 After our 10 days in Vitoria-Gasteiz we were off to catch a bus for the short 1.25 hr ride to Burgos! It lies in the autonomous community of Castile and León. We arrive early and its cold in the 40s (F).

After grabbing a bite to eat we arrive at our apartment. It a spacious place on the 3rd floor with a large outdoor patio and a big nice kitchen. A fine place for our 4 nights here.

 

Our primary reason for coming to Burgos is because of the fascinating Museum of Human Evolution 

 

We'd been wanting to go for some time. This museum boasts the famous skull, Cranium 5. It is around 400,000 years old and one of the most complete and best preserved cranium fossils worldwide. It was found in the renowned archaeological site of Atapuerca, not far away, providing the earliest known evidence of hominins in the western part of Europe.. The skull is of our extinct relative, Homo heidelbergensis. .....found in 1992.

 

Here you can see "Elvis" the pelvis, the 400,000 - 500,000 year old pelvis found at Atapuerca....

 

 

A walk into an enormous brain? Its made of wool and wires.... 

 Also on display, a metal sculpture of a bison

  It is amazing that at least nine other species of humans walked our planet. We, homo sapiens, being the lucky ones to walk now. To see such undeniable evidence of our past evolution forces me to think of what the future holds. Here you can see our similarities and our differences with our cousins. In this pic, only us and the chimps are extant....

 

Also found in Burgos, is the 1955 sculpture of El Cid. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar or El Cid, was a medieval Spanish ruler who fought for both Christians and Muslims. (Imagine that!)

There are many stories of this hero worth reading about.

 We really enjoyed walking all around Burgos and seeing the sights....like this...the 16th century Arcos de Castilfalé. This was, for hundreds of years a gateway to the city. Being part of the ancient wall that protected the city of Burgos.

....and more modern art...

 

At least 1200 years old, the Castle of Burgos, located up on a hill overlooking the city....

the view.... 

 The Cathedral and its stunning artwork.....

 

also impressive was the chain of grafted together sycamore trees. Each tree is grafted into the next by wiring the branches together. This walkway goes for maybe a quarter mile or longer....

 

Burgos, its river-walk, the Museum, history, architecture and its trees.... was another impressive stop on our journey through Spain.

Stay tuned for the last post of our trip coming soon!

KnJ

 

Bilbao to Vitoria-Gasteiz

(Nov. 12, 2024 Vitoria-Gasteiz)

 Greetings All! We are slowly wrapping up our 3 month Northern Spain trip. Today we take you from the city of Bilbao southward to Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Country. Not knowing much about this city we arrived on a cold November day on the bus from Bilbao.

While the year 2012 saw the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz become the European Green Capital, in 2019 it was awarded Global Green City, joining an exclusive group to have been granted the award that includes cities like Vienna (Austria), Vancouver (Canada), Oakland (United States), Curitiba (Brazil), Nantes (France), Mannheim (Germany) and Yokohama (Japan). It also hosts their famous Jazz festival in July.

Upon arrival we could see the emphasis on their Green Technology with the electric buses and tram system.....

A city with contrasts though, as seen here.... In the medieval quarter....

 

Cathedral María Inmaculada of Vitoria

 

The Monument to the Battle of Vitoria (1917) is a sculpture that commemorates the Battle of Vitoria, which took place on June 21, 1813. The battle was fought between the allied forces of Britain, Portugal, and Spain, led by the Duke of Wellington (shown on the horse, center), and the French army, led by José Bonaparte. Miguel Ricardo de Álava y Esquivel is shown on horse at bottom right. The french defeat led to ending the rule of Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte over Spain. Fascinating!

 

 Natural areas surround the city and are linked by its Green Belt, some 31 kms long! We hiked a large part of it.

 

 After the hike it was on to the Armor museum via the ultra modern Tram.....

The museum is now 50 years old, located in front of the palace of Ajuria Enea (1920)

They have a very impressive collection of more than 1500 pieces from Prehistory to the early 20th century, as well as killer suits of armor. How dificult it must have been to walk around, much less fight a battle wearing one of these! Surprisingly, one of our favorite museums we visited.

 

 

We were thoroughly impressed with the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. With the incredible amount of trees they have planted throughout the city, the easily accessible natural areas and hiking opportunities, the history and culture, the excellent public transportation and its cool vibe, we were fortunate to visit this outstanding city.

 

Thanks for checking out this post and stay tuned for the next one as we head to Burgos!

Regards, KnJ

Potes to Bilbao

 Nov. 3, 2024

 After spending considerable time in the charming town of Potes, we catch a bus to the largest city in the Basque country.....Bilbao! Click on the pics to enlarge.

Our fancy modern apartment.....

Bilbao is a very modern city as evident by this incredible curved bridge....the Zubizuri or White bridge, finished in 1997. Its a pedestrian bridge with a glass walkway that crosses the Nervion River.

 

 

The city hall along the river.....

The Nervion river was highly contaminated after 100 years of industrial activity. However, in 1990 the local authorities launched a plan to overcome the situation, resulting in a river now clean enough to host a triathlon where people can actually swim in it...amazing transformation.

 

 

 

In the train station.....

The epic Guggenheim museum

 

 

 

More modern architecture along the river

 

 

The Athletic club stadium....

 

 

Still there are many beautifully preserved historic buildings throughout the city....

 

We took the incline up a nearby mountain...

Another highlight was the fascinating Viscaya Bridge. This is a transporter bridge. That is to say, it has a gondola that hangs down from it, at the height of the river banks and it can transport cars, people, etc across the river. The gondola is suspended by cables from a moveable deck above. It is the first ever bridge of this kind in the world and dates back to 1893!

 

 

A shot as the gondola approaches

 

If we calculate the number of trips this gondola has made, it would have traveled around the world 31 times.....& has carried over 650 million people! A shot from the top of this truly spectacular working historical monument....

 

A large monument near the mouth of the Nervion river, c. 1930...

The monument is called "The struggle of man against the sea", due to the fact that Evaristo Churruca, to whom it is dedicated, improved the safety to ships by straightening the river.

The monument depicts a man pushing a slab of stone over the God Neptune, whose Trident and Crown, lay broken on the ground.....

 

It is said the Bilbao has the best food in Spain. So when we found scallops complete with their gonads, we had to cook em up, yum!

We enjoyed Bilbao so much so we extended our stay.

Stay tuned for our next destination, the Capital of the Basque country, coming soon....

Regards,

KnJ