Sunday 29 June 2014

A Sunday in the Tena valley

It's almost July and it's been pretty hot here. Today we drove up the Tena valley (parallel to the Aragón valley) In formigal it was quite windy and spitting with rain.
From Formigal looking down to Lanuza
Down the road to Santa Elena. A quick picnic in the lay-by and then a walk up the track to the fort and chapel of Santa Elena. According to the legend, Saint Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine hid from the Moors in a cave up there, covered in cobwebs. The doorway of chapel was decorated with flowers for a wedding which had probably taken place the day before. Nice flowers, nice views.
View of the dolmen from above


Wild dianthus

Two dolmen (or dolmens) were discovered in the 1930s and destroyed in the civil war

This one was later rebuilt



Amazing flowers in the lay-by

Two colours! Maybe it is "fragrant orchid gymnadenia conopsea"

It's too late for the pyramidal saxifrage



Wednesday 18 June 2014

Orchids

I think these are pyramidal orchids (anacamptis pyramidalis)

I took the photos through a wire fence. They are in a patch of uncared-for land in the Military Mountain School, a short way down the hill from where I live. Such a lovely sight!


Monday 16 June 2014

More Zaragoza sights

Well actually it's updates on the same traffic "island"
Pomegranate and catalpa


fruit well-formed

Some little pomegranates!

I've been working in Zaragoza for nearly six months so I have only seen country life in passing. However, even in the city there are some great sights!