Ciudad Real and his natural spaces

Ciudad Real, with his almost 20.000 km ², is the most extensive third province of Spain and one of five provinces that compose the Autonomous region of Castilla-La Mancha. Replete with gifts for the sight and the palate.

Traditionally Ciudad Real, it has been considered to be the capital of The Spot, natural region of quixotic delight. His capital is a small, calm town, but with this delight that does that the visitor does not forget his nations, kind as to the entire world Cervantes said; of his rich gastronomy, with plates that his geographical limits have come out like the crumbs of the shepherd, the ratatouille of La Mancha, the duels and damages or the exquisite eggplants of Almagro, for quoting only some of his most recognized delicacies. Also his sceneries, extensive colored oak woods flatness, trigales, vineyards and olive groves that get lost in the horizon and make us discover a really immense sky.

Under this sky there rise the field giants of Criptaza, big protagonists of universal quixotic acts.

These sceneries have gathered internationally notable recognition on the part of diverse institutions like the UNESCO. Between them we are going to emphasize only three, which more represent the landscape variety of the province, forming a contrasts axis from the northwest and the provincial limit with Toledo, up to the southeast, real scenes and luxurious photos:

Herdsmen's national park:

Placed, bordering on Toledo, it has a 40.856 hectares extension to the northwest of the province, and it is a question of one of the spaces protected from major relevancy in the Iberian peninsula. The park is composed by wooded saws with the richest flora typical of Mediterranean scrub, bushes, maples, holm oaks, cork oaks, rockroses, heathers, strawberry trees, rosemaries, and a varied fauna, standing out spectacular lads of big size as the black vulture, the Iberian imperial eagle and the golden eagle. The works of conservation and adequacy of this fantastic reservation, declared a National park in 1995, have not made but to increase the local attractions, since a series of routes has been designed senderistas that will do the delights of any excited one of the nature.

Nature reserve of the Lagoons of Ruidera:

This picturesque rosary of lagoons, cradle of the Guadiana, is framed in a park with a 3.772 hectares extension placed to the southeast of the province to the limit with the province of Albacete. It is formed by 15 lagoons that are chained some with others and are separated by natural and cracked walls forming a really charming scenery. It must be a forced stage, especially in summer, for any visitor.

National park of the Stage of Daimiel: Placed in full flatness of La Mancha, it has a 1.928 hectares extension and it was catalogued as such in 1973. They are the last exponent of what once it was the fluvial stage of The Spot, natural reservoirs that form during the rivers for being the too flat area, what does that the waters do not run with facility and form the stage. These owe his formation to the overflowing of the rivers Cigüela, the Guadiana and Záncara. His characteristic wetland flora will not make anybody indifferent, and between his fauna composed principally by imperial herons, real herons, is necessary to stand out the colored duck, symbol of the park. Regrettably this park has been on the point of disappearing for diverse causes, the big drought that he has suffered in the last years owes principally to the scarcity of rains and to the performance of the man, who has excavated hundreds of wells, many of illegal them, for the irrigation of the area. The last rains and a diversion of urgency from the river Tagus have stopped the underground combustion, but to return them the splendor of a few years ago there will have to be the neighbors and the institutions who really commit themselves to it.

It is not necessary to forget the gastronomy of La Mancha, apart from his immense cheeses variety, we have the incomparable crumbs, fish stew, pistomanchego, tiznao, asadillo, gachasde vetches flour, bizcochá, syrup, there is no excuse not to take delight with these marvels, Ciudad Real is one of the better connected provinces of Spain placed between Toledo and Cordova it has been historically a forced step place. Today, thanks to the divided highways network, the stations of Alta Velocidad of Ciudad Real and Puertollano and, more recently, for his airport placed between these last two localities, it is so easy to come like enjoying the stay.

Really, he is worth visiting this city.

image criptana

image ruidera

Related posts:

1. The Best Nature reserves of Spain
2. Escaped from Buitrago del Lozoya
3. Salamanca, City with History