La Galiana: the Lobos River Canyon from a bird's eye view

A certain Spanish writer, whose name I will keep anonymous, affirmed that God created cats so that men could caress panthers and, following that poetic line of approach, it would be fair to assume that he also created viewpoints so that they could become an idea, quite correct, of how wonderful the world is, when you have the opportunity to contemplate it in the way of the birds.

Like the four basic elements of Alchemy -earth, water, air and fire- the four seasons also have their particular characteristics, which, without hesitation, add to the powerful charm that this impressive natural depression, the Lobos River Canyon, whose interior I already had occasion to show you in a previous post.

To see it, however, from the sheer heights of this unique viewpoint, which responds to the curious name of Galiana -not only in its etymological root are we reminded of the Celtiberian origins of the peoples who settled in its surroundings, but also , the name of one of the main grazing routes in Spain, the Galiana’s Royal Glen- presupposes, in addition, in autumn, to participate in a fantastic show, promoted by the changing colors, ocher and yellow, that mark the vital jubilee of some species of trees - maples, poplars, poplars or oaks - that were already native to the place since the dawn of time.

From this point, which circumvents the Lobos River Canyon and capitals such as Burgo de Osma and San Leonardo de Yagüe -which began as just a neighborhood of what is now the desolate unpopulated area of ​​Arganza, which still preserves a unique Romanesque church dedicated to the figure of Saint John the Baptist and in whose sculptures one can guess a distinctly Silent influence or characteristic of the stonemason workshops that participated in the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos- the Muslim troops, residents on this side of the so-called Duero Border, They contemplated, not unaware of a superstitious fear, akin to that fascinating Middle Ages, the mysterious interstices of a place, whose numerous caves and natural shelters already received worship and attention from historical periods as far away as the Neolithic.

The privileged view from here of the famous fortress is powerfully striking - its precious homage tower was recently consolidated, as it threatened to collapse, thus losing a truly fabulous piece of history - from whose strategic position, the Knights Templar, at first, and the nobles of the province later - do you remember the clashes between one and the other, which gave rise to the dark legend of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, known as ‘The Mound of the Souls’? - dominated and ensured the entrances and exits of the Canyon and where still, a few meters away, some canvases survive of what is supposed to have been the famous and, at the same time, controversial Templar convent, which in a Papal Bull is collected with the name of San Juan of Otero.

In short: an excellent complement, essential for lovers of History and Nature and a worthy culmination to have a general vision of a place, the Natural Park of the Lobos River Canyon, which always surprises and fascinates due to its wild, but immeasurably beautiful natural constitution.

NOTICE: Both the text, as well as the photographs that accompany it, as well as the video that illustrates it, are my exclusive intellectual property and, therefore, are subject to my Copyright.

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