in Ainsa

Now We Are Five

:: March 31- April 1 ::

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Past miles and miles of pruned grapevines and wineries, the road today climbed gradually into the foothills of the southern Pyrenees with beautiful views of distant peaks and a reservoir below with glacial-colored water.

Just before the town of Ainsa, we stopped to pick up our granddaughter, Sinta, who had enjoyed 5 days of mountain activity here with her high-school senior class. We like to think we rescued her from the long, overnight bus ride back to Brussels.

The political and geographical divisions of Spain challenge us: municipalities, comarcas, autonomous regions, provinces: "Ainsa is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain".  That is but one way of saying it!

A branch of the Camino de Santiago passes through .

Kristin and Marney climbed the 146 steps (they counted them) to reach the medieval center of town--strategically built in the 11th century, much of the walls still intact. The next day, April 1st, we all drove up.

The tower of the Romanesque Church of Santa Maria presides high above the Plaza Mayor which opens onto the old castle. 

We  visited the informative, well-designed Geo Museum housed in one of the old towers ... 

.... and especially enjoyed the 3-dimensional model which is plaster-white until illuminated with colorful maps that explain the region's geological history and present features. 

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Let it just be said that this beautiful village, at the juncture of two rivers affords a beautiful panorama of snow and tree-covered peaks. This whole area, with three natural parks, has been designated a Global Geo Park with unusual geodiversity, biodiversity, deep valleys, rivers and active glaciers. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy climbing, canyoning, hiking, camping and mountain biking. The windows and balcony in our Hotel Sanchez apartment gave us gorgeous mountain views.