PROSERPINA - A ROMAN WATER RESERVOIR NEAR MERIDA

modernistic chapel in the pine woods

The embalse or reservoir is about 5 km from Mérida. Originally it was built at the site of a natural lake, the Romans captured the water from two streams and built a long stone dam to create the reservoir which we see today. A dedication stone with an exhortation to the godess Proseprina was found at the lake in the 18th century confirming the original Roman name for the reservoir.
It is a short detour on the way into Merida from Finca al-manzil, well sign posted.

The dam wall is made of clay and concrete and covered with granite ashlars forming a slope. It must have been a considerable engineering feat to channel the captured fresh water into the town through large hydraulic pipes and finally the Los Milagros aqueduct which is still largely intact.

The peaceful environment of the embalse  is a natural attraction for many species of birds,  especially the aquatic varieties which thrive on the varied fish and crayfish clearly visable in the shallow water of the shore.

 

An important and interesting Roman site; Proserpina was the essential fresh water source for Emerita Augusta which became one of the most imposing Roman cities in Iberia.

The reservoir is set in the middle of an Extremadura landscape of cork oak and holm oak woods, pasture for sheep and pigs, vast views. It's a man made environment, not a natural lake, but it still makes an impressive vista, an unexpected expanse of water in the typical landscape.

 Within the last 20 years it has been developed as a natural leisure area with water sports, fishing and a cycling/ walking path around the entire reservoir. The water is very clean, swimming is delightful.

 It's a good place to take children, they can  run around and explore the natural environment as well as the other attractions,  there are pedal boats for hire which may be a fun and safe diversion.

Several pleasant waterside cafès provide light meals, drinks and snacks all year around, open for lunch and dinner until 20.30 or 21.00 at weekends.

 

 

ON THE WAY TO CASTILLO DE AZAGALA

CASTILLO DE LA LUNA -ALBUQUERQUE

A perfectly gorgeous spring day meant it was time for a jaunt into another part of Extremadura by way of Albuqerque. The fabulous Castillo de Luna dominates the town, unfortunately closed for renovation for the next few months but because of a diversion we found the beautiful XIIIth century

church of Santa Maria del Mercado, a gem, beautifully restored except for the garish new stained

glass windows.

We left Albuquerque in the direction of the Embalse de Peña de Aguilla, after about 8kms there is a sign for Castillo de Azagala on the left, it's a fairly good earth camino, pass through 3 gates and then park the car and walk for 30 minutes up to the castle. A lovely walk through a typical Extremadura landscape of holm oaks with the lake sparkling in the foreground and the castle towering over the scene on a high crag. Gormenghastly! And was to proove even more so as we reached the ancient portal and walked into a place forgotten by time.

 

       

It was a most extraordinary feeling of stepping into an ancient space, the physical condition was ruinous but the shape and format remained incredibly solid, one felt immediately encapsulated, protected and enveloped by deep tranquility. The long walk up 52 steep steps of the torre de menáge was not worrying, the stone steps had survived  seven centuries of tramping. We emerged at the top to see the whole castle below us and the blue waters of the lake rippling below.

 

 

There were stables, cellars, tunnels, a chapel with broken alter and over-turned holy water stoop, arcades, a bell tower, turrets, a long drop lavatory with wooden seats, huge open chimneys.

 A 19th century wing with an abandoned billiard table slate top intact, a glassed in walkway, rooms of broken beds, tables and chairs, fluttering velvet curtains, a whole world of staid domesticity broken, torn and decaying. Who were the last people to live in this remote castle? When did they leave? Why did they leave? We thought maybe after a long period as a defensive castle it had been abandoned for centuries and maybe the owning family had moved back for periods in the 18th -19th century, perhaps more abandonment and a partial use until about 50 years ago judging by the remains of the furniture and the kitchen "appliances".  Here is a link to the history of Azagala in Spanish

  http://siguelashuellas.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/azagala-ii-historia/

       

      

             

          

                 

   

One of the most sensational elements of Azagala is the colony of Griffon Vultures nesting on the crags by the stream that feeds the lake. It's a wild and remote place but there are views directly down onto the crags from the walls of the castle so we were able to observe the vultures as they sunned themselves on the rocks and swooped about the castle walls. A magical spectacle.                      

 

 

DISCOVERY - A NEW WALK!

Amazingly enough we found a new walk today, after 9 years in the area!  Occasionally we would take a short cut from Albala onto the old road to Caceres, a beautiful route through pristine bucolic scenery, there was always a lake shimmering in the near distance but we never really worked out how to get there, always came up against dead ends and impenetrable fences.  Today was the day to find the way, after 4 days of steady rain and rather gloomy weather, the last day of September has been gorgeous. I opened the shutters this morning to bright sparkling sunlight reflecting off all the puddles and the emerald green mossy rocks, the Summer dust has gone and tiny new shoots are emerging everywhere, simply magical. 
Manfred is still training Fatboy for the Guadalupe ride, a 2 hour ride this morning but the moment he was back we were off to the Aldea de Cano lake.
 To make it even more special it is a ZEPA area ;  Zonas de Especial Protección para las Aves,  a protected area for birdlife.
http://www.extremambiente.es/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1120&Itemid=461

A wonderful walk around the lake in bright sunshine, besides the beauty and peaceful solitude of the situation there were the ruins of a medieval hermita on the nearby Ruta de la Plata and an ancient fortified tower in the distance, both off limits but interesting to see.

Our faithful friends, the Bubo Bubos

I have just received some photos from a client who stayed in the barn last April. He had some good photographic equipment and was able to take this shot of one of the Eagle Owls. They have made at least 2 nests up on the crags above the finca and seem to be in residence most of the year, the place wouldn't be the same without their deep hooting at dusk and dawn. Very difficult to photograph in the wild as the light is dim when they are evident and also they are a long way up on top of the sierra.  I was happy to have this record even though it is not very clear I think it shows how impressive the owls are and the "horns" show up well.

The same client also took some lovely shots of the azure winged magpies and bee eaters. By the way the bee eaters are still around and gave us a spectacular show of acrobatics while we were eating dinner outside last night, really amazing with perpendicular filights up and down.