200707: US post part I

The term ‘Schapenrouten’ (Dutch) and ‘la marcha CRSOr’ (Spanish) and ‘Sheep Tracks’ do (almost) have the same meaning, but are in some way, fancy names. The official names for the bi-directional routing of sheeps in Spain throughout the centuries and through that country are (Spanish): vía ganadero (vía = road / ganadero = livestock), and/or vía pecuaria (= for the cattle). More names are used in the different regions of Spain, but the overall name is (Spanish): ‘Cañada Real’ (cañada = track) and mostly with some kind of a subtitle: Cañada Real Segoviana, La Leonesa, or (on our weblog) Cañada Real Soriana Oriental (abbr.: CRSOr). The word (Spanish) ‘Real’ is referring to (El Rey) the King and cañada to the route the flocks of sheep were walking through Spain. It all had to do with ‘trashumance’ (correct latin) or ‘trashumancia’ (Spanish). Trashumance is the system of bringing e.g. sheeps in the spring, from the warm south of Spain (Andalucía – Sevilla) to the (relatively) ‘colder’ northern Spain, especially the province of Soria and (the old Kingdom) La Rioja. And, somewhere in the autumn, when it gets colder in the north, the sheeps were brought back to the nice warm south of Spain. Where it’s all about? In those days it was all about wool: sheeps as walking-wool-factories. Today, we’re going for the walking and hiking..!

Part II (stay tuned)