Trevor Huxham

The ruins It began as a passing blur, a brief break in between thick trees and rural farms as the train headed south out of Santiago. What did I just see?  I wondered. Later, I would catch passing references to the crumbling foundations of a long-forgotten fortress, hiding in plain sight just outside of town. Then I came across banners advertising what was once “the largest castle in Galicia.” In a town known for its cathedral , its granite-paved old town , and its pilgrim heritage, I was intrigued that there was something more unique to explore than yet another  over-the-top Baroque monastery . Completionist that I am, I added the ruins of the Rocha Forte to my Santiago bucket list and finally went hiking into the countryside one sunny May afternoon. Foxgloves nearby Even after living in Europe for three years, this history major never lost the thrill of stumbling across a church whose doors had welcomed the faithful for a thousand years, walking over glass-cove...

Entrance Tucked away in a mountainous corner of northwestern Spain lies the tiny sub-region of El Bierzo.  Pronounced “bee-AIR-thoe” [ˈbjer.θo], this cultural area takes up the western third of the province of León and is a “mini-Galicia” amidst the dominant northern Castilian region. Unique meats like cecina  (cured beef) and botillo  (chunky sausage) are popular here, the French Way of the Camino de Santiago passes through here, many folks speak the Galician language , and everything is generally greener (and rainier , too). The Sil River Ponferrada is the principal city in El Bierzo, a bustling, 70,000-strong town in a sea of sleepy mountain villages. On my way back from León in March, I came here to visit my friend Laura who I met while working down south two years ago; she was one of the many auxiliares  that the bigger city of Linares was home to, and we both got placed in the northwestern part of the country this past school year.

There’s a lot to love about Jaén, the Spanish province where I lived and worked for the 2012-2013 school year . From olive oil to Renaissance architecture, to free tapas and natural parks, Jaén is one of my favorite corners of southern Spain. I talked about all these things in a guest post I wrote on Young Adventuress a year ago, but I completely forgot to mention one of the biggest draws to Jaén, its castles! Castillo de Santa Catalina, Jaén Fun fact: the province of Jaén has the greatest concentration of fortresses and castles of any region in Europe! Due to its strategic location as the frontier between Christian Castilla and Muslim Granada in the Middle Ages, almost 90 castles in this province alone have survived to the present day. When I lived in Úbeda , I only had the chance to visit half a dozen of the myriad of castles this province holds. Most are within walking distance of major city or village centers, but a few are in isolated mountain towns that are difficult...

Tranco Reservoir There’s a lot to love about the province of Jaén, a cozy corner of eastern Andalucía in southern Spain. You’ve got the lovely villages of Úbeda and Baeza , graced with Renaissance architecture, as well as countless other sleepy towns scattered among the endless olive groves. There’s the capital city of Jaén , with its charming, Moorish-style old town and free tapas scene. Although there’s no doubt that people here talk with a thick Andalusian accent, it’s not nearly as difficult to understand as that of Cádiz, for example, on the coast. And who could forget that the best olive oil in the world is made in almazaras  (factories) in every village’s industrial park? Sierra de Segura But while I’ve expressed my love for the region in many posts on this blog, I haven’t written yet about the sierra , that unmoving wall of mountains that serves as the eastern limit of the province and the region. Countless sunsets I saw from Úbeda’s eastern lookout poin...