Thanksgiving in Spain

What do you do for Thanksgiving in Spain? And what to be thankful for? Here is what we've found:

1) Be warm and dry. We're in another cabana (read: small mobile home that is found in commercial camping areas) just outside Caseres, on the way back north to France.

2) Find turkey to cook and eat. We found pavo breasts (turkey) but no drumsticks today. What they do with those we're not sure. Did find a packet of gizzards, but too much for gravy! We'll cook it on the stovetop as we have no oven and won't think about using the microwave. Fixins? Spuds, gravy, brussel sprouts, calabasa (squash) soup, but no cranberries.

3) Drink some beer (duh). Amstel. Have a fridge so this time it can be cold (a real hardship these last 4+ months in Europe).

4) Watch football. This will have to be soccer probably - can't get ABC, NBC, etc. to stream given the international agreements over imperialist yankee TV. Might try a college website that will stream, but we'll have to watch games in the wee hours of the 26th given the time difference.

5) Visit Caseres - the old town. Supposed to be fantastic, as all of these cities have been. Had one night in Sevilla on the way here - hostel, terrific food, found the old city and Jewish Quarter. As some Canadians at the hostel were relating (things that we knew), Cristobal Colon reputedly came from there and is buried there. Not impressed - he was geographically challenged and was something of a pendejo to the Amerindians. They also related that there is an interesting Museum of the Inquisition there - again, not interested (Jewish!). Anyway, we're thankful that we have the opportunity to do all of this.

6) Be thankful we get to see sights like the Rock of Gibraltar (see above). Went to the top on the cable car, saw the apes (tailless monkeys), and looked across the Strait to Africa.

7) Be thankful my camera still works. Has a spot that won't go away (yes, I changed lenses to test that). Developed it in humid France. See if you can find it in the image above. Will have to send the camera to Sony for repairs when the trip is done, then batch process about 20,000 photos in photoshop to fix about 20,000 spots in all of my images.

8) Be thankful for our health. We've only had 7 colds so far amongst the 4 of us. Those shots for typhus and hepatitis we probably didn't need, but we're gonna live anyway.

9) Be thankful for not getting lost in the Marismas (marshes) del Guadalquivir. The French National Mapping Agency map of Spain we've been using shows a road going through it along the Rio Guadalquivir. There is no road. Wanted to see the agriculture in this area that is resposible for the bulk of Spain's rice production (at a high cost to the marshes and river). Also, lots of truck farming under greenhouses, and some cotton production in the area. When the road ended we had to go all the way back the way we'd come in, then around. Dave hates that.

10) Be thankful for friends like all of you, loving family, and each other (still, even after 4+ months in tiny boxes called cars, tents, and cabanas with each other and no-one else).

Happy Thanksgiving All! The Aagaard-Shively

Toledo, Madrid, Granada, and the Costa del Sol

We've been playing at being Geographers/Turistas mainly the last two weeks, but Dave also had a great meeting with Santiago Robles of CIMERA and UNIPESCA in Madrid. Santiago and his colleagues at CIMERA (a private aquatic research firm - see link at right) are engaged in important work on aquatic invasive species identification in waterways, and in aquatic systems assessments and restoration. Santiago is also the Secretary of UNIPESCA which is a relatively new national organization in Spain that is committed to river and fishery conservation, and which has a number of regional partners across Spain and in other countries. As Santiago related to me, and from what I've seen, there are many challenges for river, lake, reservoir, and fisheries management - especially for native or autochthonous species - across all of Spain because of the limited water resources and their appropriation for hydropower, agriculture, and development. Since leaving Madrid to visit Granada and the Costa del Sol, these challenges are very apparent!

As for tourism/geography - our travels have been fantastic. There is not time or space to show all the pictures and convey all of our impressions about what we've been seeing, so I will try to sum this up very briefly. Toledo - we camped and saw fantastic historical geography. The city is situated on a hill around which the Rio Tajo wraps (Santiago reported that the headwaters of this river are quite pristine still); Madrid - finally found Starbucks and have good coffee again (a real problem in Spain and France, believe it or not). Stayed at the Galeon Hotel for four nights so Rio could nurse a cold and his online courses. Met with Santiago and Ari and I then toured the city center (Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, Parque Oeste, La Latina district). From Madrid we visited Granada staying in a little mobile home (bungalow) in a campground outside. Fantastic city that is surrounded by olive groves (for oil production), has the snow covered Sierra Nevada as a backdrop, and the Alhambra of course (which we visited - water is very important there).

From Granada we had a quick tour of the Valle Lecrin where some of the Moors displaced from Granada in 1492 sought refuge and established a number of villages on the SE flank of the Sierra Nevada (see photo above). Here is a zone that supports olive, almond, and citrus production - the Mediterranean is very close by, but this valley is still high in the mountains.

Now we're near Gibraltar on the Costa del Sol soaking up a little sun for the next week before turning back north towards Paris where we will return our car for a flight to Israel on December 5. We'll go see Gibraltar but have decided to forego a visit to Tangier this time - muy turistico para nosotros!

Thanks for following our travels and Dave will post more later - Peace to all!

Asturias and Castille-Leon

First off, please accept my apologies for not being able to find symbols to use with place names!

After leaving Bizkaia (Basque Country) we traveled west along Spain's Atlantic coastline to Gijon in the principality of Asturias. With two days of good weather we camped opposite the city in a pretty meager, but open, private campground. The view was terrific (see above)!

We spent a few more days at another private camping facility, but in a little cabana (say summer camp cabin) while waiting through rainy days for my later meeting in Tineo with Pablo Garica Osendi (officer and member) and Jesus Rodriguez Bueno (President) of El Banzao, an anglers' organization based in Tineo, Asturias (see link at right). This group formed in 2003 around the pillars of river and brown trout conservation, promotion of angling, and aquatic invasive species control. Since its formation it has engaged in a number of river cleanup, spawning habitat creation, crawdad (from the US) trapping projects as well as creating a year-round fishery at El Arenero, a former sand quarry pit (aka the Sandbox). Pablo and Jesus were very gracious with their time and told me a lot about El Banzao and then took me to visit El Arenero to see first-hand the fishery and the club house/cafe.

While I was visiting with Pablo and Jesus, Gretty and the boys explored Tineo, which seems to date from the 13th century. Perched on the side of the Narcea valley, it is a beautiful town and the people are very friendly. The empanadas are delicious! That evening we traveled to Vega del Horreo (an horreo is the small granary shown in the image above), a very small mountain village in La Cordillera de Cantabrica, where we stayed at the Hostel run by Ecotur (see link at right and image above). Really nice people run the hostel and business, but a good command of Spanish is essential if you plan to visit (mine has been improving drastically!).

Wanting to move to a drier climate, we then traveled over the mountains to the Principality of Castille-Leon where we found just what we were looking for - another closed campground that took us in for the night along Rio Luna (Moon River). Acequias (ditches) for irrigation, a large reservoir that innundated a number of rural villages, and fantastic geology and mountain scenery. Even had frost in the morning on our tents!

We're now in Salamanca after visiting Zamora (really cool plaza in the former, and cool castle in the latter) and will leave tomorrow for Toledo. I will meet with the technical officer of UNIPESCA in Madrid next week who also has his own business specializing in aquatic science and services. Looking forward to it.

Hasta Luego all! Dave.

On El Paseo De Hemingway!

We got out of France during the demonstrations! Our hearts are definitely with the demonstrators - Sarkozy is France's Bush - but it is nice to be able to go about the business and not get stuck in southern France without fuel, etc. It was actually quite benign in Pau, just outside of which one of the major French petro companies (Total) is based, but we did get to see Lycee (high school) students blockade their school for three days straight and have bonfires outside each chilly morning. Stayed away from the fish counter as the truckers were also on strike and the seafood was rotting in the stores.

We left following Hemingway through the Pyrenees to Auritz/Burguete (Basque/Spanish names) where he stayed after the rigors of Pamplona/Iruna bullfights and social scene in the 30s and from which he journeyed a few kilometres east to fish the Irati (which, along with the events in Pamplona/Iruna he immortalized in "The Sun Also Rises" - see the photo above). He is recognized in Auritz/Burguete with a plaque on the side of the Hotel in which he stayed, as well as in Pamplona/Iruna where his image and name appears all around the Plaza del Toros (bull ring) and on the Paseo de Hemingway (also see above).

Why consider Ernesto so important here? He did help bring recognition of Spain's fine trout fishing to America, and he is well regarded by the people in this region (as well as elsewhere, such as in Cuba). Anyway, have had some good success in making contacts and collecting information about the piscatorial landscapes here, and the travels continue. We're just outside Bilbao today after four days in Pamplona/Iruna. Staying near Mundaka, near Gernika-Luma from which many Basques leave to work in Oregon/Nevada/Idaho, we visited the penultimate market of the year w/ too much wine, cheese, bread, and other regional products to name and describe. We just fell into it. Lots of political activity too, and when a sticker was placed on the coat we had to remove it in fear of provoking the other side unknowingly (they were in Euskari or Basque language).

We are on to Asturias and Galicia, the remaining heart of Atlantic salmon in Spain, in a couple of days. The weather is warmer but wetter, so we may head to Andalusia to dry out for a while before resuming the Ruta de los Pesces.

All the best to you all, the Shive and the Aagaard-Shivelys.

Regions de France

Attn: Pics are in reverse order!

Leaving Basel, Switzerland on 10/5, we were immediately back in France. En route to the home of Rio's pen pal Eric near Dijon in Bourgogne, and his wonderful family, we passed through Belfort for lunch and haircuts. The city is a former historic (no redundancy - really) military center with a very impressive fort and battlements. Then we dallied down the Doubs valley exploring the villages and the river which is significantly modified for barging (a busy day). We spent several days in Bourgogne and were able to see the Cote d'Or (gold coast) while driving the Rue de Grand Crus (route of grand vineyards) in the heart of Burgundy w/ the leaves changing color (see photo!). This is a tourism must there. Classic and historic villages, vineyards, and beautiful autumn weather were all ours!

Several days then in Lyon - a great city that is even greater for its role in the French resistance during WWII. I visited with geographers from Lyon Universities 2 & 3 (and the Ecole Normal Superiere), we saw the old city, the Basilica de Notre Dame de Fourviere, the two Gallo-Roman ampitheatres, and visited the Musee de la Resistance et la Deportation. The last is an extremely important place to visit in Lyon we all think.

From Lyon it was on to Mende in the Massif Central which is in a landscape remarkably like Grants Pass in SW Oregon. We camped along the Riviere Lot. Next day we drove through the Gorge du Tarns (see photo!). Twelfth century chateaus and villages peppered along a gorgeous river that is now a popular tourism and recreation (say kayaks!) destination. We then saw the Viaduct du Millau that crosses the R. Tarns just below the terminus of the gorge. Camping that night was in a Ferme (farm) Camping area - pitched tents at 11 pm and woke to a beautiful landscape.

We're now in Pau at the foot of the Pyrenees (they're in sight!) for the research on the Piscatorial Landscape after doing a drive-by of Toulouse (unfortunately we had reservations to keep in Pau). It turns out that Gregory Dolet, a biologist and fishing guide here that I visited with, and Guillaume Baranco with Department 64) are working with other anglers and stakeholders to organize for the conservation of the fisheries and rivers - there is a big initiative under way here. You'll have to read the details in the book later. Anyway, for a fishing trip in the Pyrenes-Atlantique, a special area with Basque and Bearn influences, see Gregory's website at right and that of Peche64 (use Google to translate this if necessary).

The Pyrenees await - just have to find some gazole for the car so we can leave (the general strikes may limit fuel availability - another day of strike is scheduled for tomorrow after an especially volatile one today - see the BBC story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11567457). C'est la vie! Au revoir, Dave et al.

When in France...

It's been difficult to devote time to research and tourism equally, but being a geographer I'll try to count them as the same anyway. In Paris for a week, we did some of the usual things. I will have to say that seeing the batteaux on the Seine, and then later on the canals that connect all of France, got me to thinking about the historical importance of these features in terms of economy and place, and their larger role in large-scale hydrologic alteration! I'll be visiting with hydrologists and geographers in Lyon next week and will have a better perspective on this. This is also important in the context of England, and even Scotland with its Caledonian Canal too (the boys got to open the locks on its "Neptune's Staircase" at Fort William in September).

We saw the Rhine at Strasborg and Basel, Switzerland, and I was impressed with the clarity of its waters and wonder if the salmon are coming back to it as they are the Seine (see the following link describing the returns of summer 2009 there: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/6013819/Salmon-return-to-Frances-River-Seine.html).

Here's a pic from Paris, and one from Basel, and I'll post more to Picasa soon too. Au revoir all!

Rivers Test and Avon

We spent a couple of days in Southeastern England exploring the Rivers Test and Avon made famous by Izaak Walton and others. Heading on the Salisbury Plain which is also the home of Stonehenge (did a Griswold on that site), these are beautiful and very productive streams albeit very inaccessible to anglers who don't have lots of money. The difference between chalkstreams whose chemistries are affected by the limestone lithology and the freestone streams of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and Northern England is very apparent (see the large resident brown trout in the aquatic veg - Ranunculus? - in River Test photo above). Dave will be doing some more research on the centuries long maintenance of the fisheries here, and current programs to improve water quality in the Southampton region which is home to some of the most industrialized agriculture we've seen since leaving the US.

In Paris now and looking at the canals that link the Seine and Marne Rivers, I'm thinking that it is going to be very interesting to try to make sense of how these historic yet seemingly unnecessary hydrologic features affect riverine ecology today, and how this might change in light of the EU's Water Framework Directive, Biodiversity policies, and French landscape management policies. I'm just beginning to study some French vocabulary to prepare for research to be conducted further down the road in Burgundy, Lyon, and the Pyrennees.

More later, au revoir!