Rio Tinto

I went to Rio Tinto with some Spanish friends for the weekend. The river gets its name because it really is tinted blood-red, due to its incredible mineral content. I've never seen anything quite like it - it's really striking! The town is also famous for it's old copper, gold, and silver mines. We toured one of the old mines, and took a train ride to view the ruins of the old mining town.  The British use to own the mines, and there's quite a tense history regarding the relationship between the British settlers and the Spanish people that were working the mines. We visited the "British" neighborhood, which is all Victorian-style houses...a stark contrast to the typical Spanish construction. And no weekend trip would be complete without delicious Spanish food and wine. :-) My new favorite find is a dish called "migas." It's essentially the Spanish version of stuffing, made with day-old bread, lots of garlic and chorizo...YUM!!

One of the old mines.

Roberto and Ana on our tour of the mines.

Part of the mine and the river.

I just can't get enough of this red water!