Underground - the Caves of France and Spain

Horses, Lascaux II, Montignac, France

I've wanted to visit the caves of central France and northern Spain since I was an undergraduate in Physical Anthropology. The human and animal populations of Northern Europe took refuge in the Aquitaine basin of France during the last Ice Ages; the Vézère valley of the Dordogne was a refuge for both Neanderthal man and Cro-Magnon man between 80,000 - 14,000 years ago. In Spain, the populations near the sea in Cantabria also moved to the caves to survive. Though they lived only in the entryways in man-made rock shelters (inside the caves, rock lamps fueled by animal fat with herb wicks provided minimal light), they moved into the interior caverns long enough to made fantastic, anatomically correct drawings of certain animals (chiefly bison and horses, but also deer, woolly rhinoceros, and other species that no longer exist or inhabit the area), and a few symbols: dots and hand prints made by blowing ground ochre pigment through a bone. 

Humans are seldom represented, and when they are, it’s with an animal head or features. Why early humans left these marks on the walls no one knows. I imagine a family finding their way into the still darkness, guided by the animal representations which usually faced into the depths of the cave, marking which passage to follow, and finding a wonderland of animals, a zoo of drawings on the wall lit by a succession of flickering lamps. What a wonder then! And today, too. What a privilege to be able to see the real thing in this lifetime, and to feel the presence of those who passed through these magical spaces so long ago.

Standing on the balcony of Gaudi's Casa Batllo, Barcelona

Not all was ancient art: During this trip, I enjoyed seeing the work of three contemporary artists I greatly admire: the whimsical architecture of Antonio Gaudi in Barcelona, Dali’s sometimes bizarre drawings and constructs in his home town of Figueres, and Richard Serra’s monumental steel structures in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

And I have to get some jamon, and soon!

This trip started on October 12 - to see the whole thing in order, click on "October" to the right.