The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly. . .

 No, the rain in Spain does not stay mainly on the plain! It falls in Northern Spain, known as Green Spain.  People sometimes say it reminds them of Ireland or Wales, or, in the mountains, of Switzerland. It's not the Spain of your imagination, is it? But it is very green, even now in September.

I'm eager to start posting about our visits to Tito Bustillo and the other caves of Northern Spain, but first I have to comment on the exceedingly attractive countryside. Some of the most stunning scenery we observed was when we were traveling on the E-70 divided highway, but there was no place to turn off. Emerald valleys with red-tiled roofed farmhouses and brown cattle grazing in the fields looked picture-postcard ready. Some of these green valleys rolled down to the sea, adding Atlantic ocean views to the scene. We traveled across numerous enormous viaducts that stretched across these valleys, but the viaducts, again, had no place to pull the car to the side. I have included some shots that were taken later.

Green Spain contains oak and beech woods, but what is surprising (and no doubt alarming to those concerned about native flora) is that it also contains many eucalyptus groves. Introduced into Spain by a priest who brought seeds from his native Australia in the mid-1800s, eucalyptus is now a key part of Spain forestry. We saw many small "logging trucks" on the road filled with eucalyptus logs. They are used for paper, scent, and other purposes. It just seemed odd to be driving across Spain and smelling eucalyptus filtering in through our air-conditioning.

Eucalyptus forests abound in Northern Spain.

There are few American tourists in this area. I guess they haven't yet discovered how much this beautiful and bucolic area has to offer, so we feel very lucky to be here.