We went to the Salt Mines of Cardona. It is the result of salt deposits 40 million years ago - almost as old as my mother as Joel would say - back when this part of Spain was covered by an ocean! Part of what is now the Bay of Biscayne, as the waters started to recede and dry up, salt was deposited in layers on the (then) ocean floor. The shift in the plates that partially separated the Iberian peninsula from the rest of Europe pushed the salt deposits upward into what is now the Salt Mountain. The first know miners of this precious mineral were the Romans, as early as 400 BC although there are also remmants of people as early as 4500 to 2500 BC. Whether they 'mined' the salt, or just licked the rocks is not known ;)
The inside of the mine was fascinating. Due to the different characteristics of the formation of salt stalactites and stalagmites, some points of the mine looked like a winter paradise. A post-evaluation comment by Joel pretty much sums it up: "That's the first time I've actually listened to what the guide had to say."
All that salt made us hungry so after a quick perusal through the souvenir shop, we headed off to our lunch date - in a medieval castle. It was the Parador of Cardona hotel's restaurant where you can literally eat like a king (or a very rich duke)!
After lunch we took a stroll around the 9th-11th century castle. The view from the tower was awe-inspiring but as a thunder storm rolled in and our hair began to stand up from the electricity we decided it was time to take our leave.
PS. Pictures of our trip will be uploaded into the picture gallery soon.
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