Driving routes around Spain
The Iberian Peninsula is a land that long has been irresistible to travelers and explorers. As far back as 650 BC, foreigners (mostly in the form of invaders back then) were arriving in Spain and discovering its diversity and individuality.
During the Age of Discovery, beginning in the 15th century, numerous explorers, sailing under the flag of Spain, went in search of other lands to call their own. Spaniards take enormouS pride in their country, and today travelers from all over the world come to enjoy (not conquer) Spain's glorious beaches, challenging mountains, and breathtaking countryside. Until the 1960s, Spain was considered the perfect destination for adventurous travelers, since public transportation was limited and primitive at best, and accommodations for visitors were far below other Western European standards.
Modern Spain
If hitchhiking and sleeping on the beach were your cup of tea, then this was the place to come. But with expanded air travel, improved train and bus services, and increased interest in European travel among young and old alike, Spain became an inexpensive and popular choice for travelers. As interest grew, facilities for the traveler improved (although visitors today will no longer find prices to be much lower than those in other Western European countries).
Spanish culture
Spain's diversity of culture is a direct result of numerous invasions by other countriesand its varied topography provide today's traveler with a colorful journey, filled with limitless options for side trips far off beaten paths. From Algeciras to Zaragoza, this land still offers plenty of places to tilt at your own windmills.
Roads are generally in good repair in Spain, unless otherwise noted, and with few exceptions each route is designed to take between three and five days. We have even included several delightful day trips from the capital city of Madrid. And if at any point you tire at the wheel, it's possible to break up your drive with an occasional ride on a rural railway. Each route includes numerous sightseeing highlights, suggested activities, and places to eat and stay.
Car hire in Spain
If you are planning a driving tour of Spain, book cheap car hire from your Spanish airport before you fly. Cheap airport car hire in Spain can be pre-booked which will save you plenty of time and hassle when you arrive, plus you get to tour around Spain in comfort and style. Maps of Spain are also available free from most car hire pick up points in Malaga Airport, Barcelona Airport, Murcia Airport, Alicante Airport, Madrid Airport and Valencia Airport.
Galicia Spain
While much of Spain is wrinkled and parched by the sun, Galicia, in the northwest Atlantic corner of the peninsula, is eternally green and lush. Here 64 inches per year of rain produce verdant mountain slopes, a network of bluegreen rivers, pine and eucalyptus forests, palm trees, and lush terraces of vinesa climate not dissimilar to that of the other regions of northern Spain, including Cantabria, Asturias, and the Basque Country. Geographically and culturally cut off from much of the rest of the country, Galicians, like the Basques and the Catalans, are bilingual in Spanish and their own national language.
Galego is an old Romance tongue quite similar to that of Portugal, Galicia's southern neighbor, and in this part of Spain instead of buenos dias you say bos dias (pronounced bohss deeahs) for good morning or good day, and gracifias (grahseenyahs) for thank you; adios (goodbye) remains the same. Unlike the Basques and the Catalans, however, Galicians (calledgalegos like their language) have more in common ethnically with the Celts of Ireland, Scotland, and French Brittany. In fact, Galicia is just the kind of place where you can imagine a knight roaming ancient woods and glens in search of the Holy Grail, or a lost city arising from the depths of a misty lake. Though much less well known to visitors than other parts of the country, it's truly a fairytale land that enchants and seduces.
The Celts conquered the area in the 8th century AD and gave Galicia its Gaelic heritage, which still lives in many of today's rituals and popular beliefs. The bagpipes that accompany moonlit dances, the cross symbols to ward off evil spirits, and a tradition of ancestor worship are some of the vestiges of this rich culture, along with the remains of the fortified Celtic castros, tiny stone villages that dot the countryside. The pagan past lives on in the folk practices of many of today's peasants, who still believe that rivers, trees, and animals talk, that forests are populated with fairies and tiny gnomes, and that ancestral spirits roam the landscape. This communion with the land and sea has helped fashion a regional character that is gentle and conservative, and at times stubborn.
Though fertile and rich in history and lore, Galicia is also one of Spain's poorer areas. The feudal system of dividing land into hundreds of small holdings (each consisting of little more than a terracottaroofed cottage, a few vines, a cornfield, and an ox or donkey), made it difficult for large families to live off the land. Thus many galegos were forced to look elsewhere for their livelihoods. So many traveled to Latin America that today there are more galegos in Buenos Aires than in Galicia itself, and in some countries the word gallego (in Spanish) is slang for any Spaniard. Many descendants of these immigrants (such as Cuba's Fidel Castro) have gone on to play major roles in their adopted lands.
The region's golden age came in the Middle Ages, when an obscure town in this distant corner of Europe became one of Christendom's three holiest places following a peasant's discovery in 813 of what was claimed to be the long-forgotten burial place of Santiago (St. James the Apostle). Though an improbable development, and one thought by many scholars to be an ecclesiastical hoax, over the centuries the presence of the saint's supposed remains in Santiago de Compostela fueled reports of miracles and provided a rallying point for Iberia's Christians in their Reconquista (reconquest of the peninsula from the Moors); St. James subsequently appeared in many a banner and artwork as Santiago Matamoros, the Moorslayer.
The holy relics turned the city into a pilgrimage destination exceeded in importance only by Jerusalem and Rome, and the chapel built to house the saint's remains grew into the magnificent Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. To deal with the steady stream of pilgrims, a chain of monasteries, churches, and hospices sprang up across northern Spain along the Camino de Santiagothe famous Way of St. James (for additional details, see the Pilgrims'Route).
Galicia today is one of Spain's 17 comunidades autonomas (autonomous communities) with its own Xunta (government), parliament, and many of its own laws. The postwar period has brought a certain amount of ugliness to the regionmostly in the form of characterless apartment blocks and prefabricated holiday bungalows in the coastal resort areas. But the historic centers of towns such as Santiago de Compostela, A Coruna, Lugo, Pontevedra, and Baiona are archetypical Spain, and the rolling green hills and forests shelter unspoiled villages, solitary pazosthe former homes of noble Spanish familiesand, attached to most small holdings, the distinctive wood and granite huts perched on stilts and traditionally used for storing grain.
The provinces of Galicia
Galicia consists of four provinces - A Coruna (La Coruna in Spanish) and Lugo to the north, Pontevedra and landlocked Ourense (Orense) to the south and its deeply indented coastline is divided into two sections. The wild, more exposed Rias Altas (Upper Estuaries) run westward along the coast of the provinces of Lugo and A Coruna, from Ribadeo roughly to the city of A Coruna; the gentler coves, wooded hills, and fishing villages of the Rias Baixas (Lower Estuaries, also called Rias Bajas in Spanish) run south along the coast of the provinces of A Coruna and Pontevedra, frorn Muros down to Baiona.
The still and quiet rias (estuaries) closely resemble Norwegian fjords or Scottish lochs, with long stretches of palmfringed sand that have yet to experience the commercialization that has altered the shore along much of the Mediterranean. From the Rio (River) Eo, which borders Asturias, around to the Rio Mino on the Portuguese frontier, the shoreline is rugged and beautiful, as yet uncluttered by vacation homes and attendant businesses. But between the Rias Altas and the Rias Baixas is a stretch of coast called the Costa da Morte (in Spanish, Costa de la Muerte, Coast of Death), treacherous to sailors through the ages and a cemetery for countless ships and sailors dashed against its rocks. It begins at Malpica and comes to an abrupt end at Cabo Fisterra (from the Latin Finisterre, literally the end of the earth for medieval man).
Seafood in Galicia
Galician cuisine revolves around seafood. Along the coast, entire communities are engaged in milking the sea and rushing the day's (or night's) catch to restaurant tables. Even the smallest restaurant has at least one fish tank full of crabs and lobsters. Culinary mainstays from the sea and the rias include mejillones ( mussels), cigallas (a shrimplike crayfish), anlilas (eels), pulpo (octopus), and chipirones (small squid). Galegos tired of the sight of seafood will probably opt for caldeirada galega (called caldo gallego in Spanish), a hearty soup of potatoes and cabbage, or a plate of lacon con grelos, a potage of salted pork and turnip tops, usually accompanied by a young local wine drunk from a white porcelain cup and believed to have mild aphrodisiac powers.
Driving in Galicia
Galicia is a wonderful region in which to drive, especially since the A9 highway, linking the region's two biggest cities and industrial areas - A Coruna and Vigo, 97 miles (156 km) apart was recently completed. A well-planned network of freeways, fast and scenic, delves into the remotest corners, backed up by numerous and fairly well maintained country roads. Road signs are excellent, even though occasionally some place names in Castilian have been altered by spray paintwielding Galician separatists. Note that signs may be bilingual, or in some cases in Galician only; rua is the Galician word for the Spanish calle (street), and praza is the local equivalent of plaza (square).
The route outlined below is a circular one, encompassing significant stretches of both coastline and countryside and capturing the scenic beauties of the fishing villages lining the rias, whose riverbeds are regularly raked for mussels and clams. It begins in Santiago de Compostela and hugs the coastline from the vicinity of Padron, southwest of Santiago, to Pontevedra, before continuing due south past the Algarino wine-growing region through Vigo to Baiona. From here it follows the seashore again, at times only yards from the water, before turning east along the Rio Mino, which forms the border with Portugal (and is known as the Minho in Portuguese), to the frontier town ofTui (Tuy), where it is possible to walk or drive to Portugal across the bridge spanning the river.
The itinerary then cuts inland, following the Mino to Ourense, then passing through the Ribeiro vineyard country around Ribadavia.
From Ourense, the route heads north via the old walled town of Lugo to Ribadeo on Galicia's north coast. Except for an excursion inland to Mondonedo, the route now stays on the coast, exploring the Rias Altas around the northwest corner of Galicia to Ferrol and A Coruna.
Accommodation in Galicia
Because Galicia is not a hotbed of tourism, the choice of accommodations is fairly limited. The region's nine paradors, particularly the two in Santiago de Compostela and Baiona, are the notable exceptions. The paradors, with their reliably high standards, represent the best value for money in this region.
When planning your itinerary, bear in mind that opening hours for churches, museums, and other places of touristic interest usually run from 9 or 10 AM to 1 or 2 PM and then again from 4 or 5 to 6 or 7 PM; schedules may also vary with the season. Weekend hours are generally shorter than on weekdays, and closing days tend to be Sundays or Mondays.
CastileLeon (Old Castile)
The Castilian meseta (plateau) is the historical and spiritual heartland that eventually gathered a united Spain around it. After the country's protracted Reconquista (reconquest of the peninsula from the Moors) was born in the early 8th century in the Atlantic region Asturiasa remnant of the old Visigothic, and therefore Christian, Spain, and the only part the Moors had failed to conquerthe movement spread southward across Leon and into the vast, elevated plateau of Castile, where it gained'its greatest foothold.
A shared commitment to driving the Moors out of Spain forged a firm bond between the kingdoms of Castile and Leon, and early in the 13th century the two kingdoms were united. In 1469 the region began a rapid rise to prominence when Isabella of Castile married Ferdinand of Aragon. By 1479, the couplesince then referred to as the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Monarchs) ruled over a joint kingdom of Aragon and Castile that was the basis of modern Spain. Their union also set in motion the centuries long and notoriously cruel quest for religious uniformity known as the Spanish Inquisition, first instituted by Isabella in Castile in 1478 and not abolished until the early 19th century.
At the dawn of the 16th century, with Spain at the height of its power, Castile occupied more than half of the Iberian Peninsula, extending from the Pyrenees to Gibraltar. But with the decline of Spain that took place after the defeat of its Invincible Armada came the decline of Castile, and the 18th century saw a steady emigration deplete the populations of its most prosperous cities and towns by as much as one half.
Today's autonomous community of CastileLeon comprises nine provinces: Zamora, Leon, and Salamanca (which correspond to the former kingdom of Leon) plus Palencia, Valladolid, Avila, Burgos, Segovia, and Soria (which correspond to the northern half of the former kingdom of Castile, and also to the historic region that was know as Castilla la Vieja Old Castile). Virtually ringed by high mountain ranges, the immense Castilian plateau, which has an average altitude of 2,600 feet, occupies about one fifth of modern-day Spain.
Exposed to everything from scorching hot summers to blustery, bone-chilling winters, it remains largely a region of wheat and corn fields, vegetable patches, and dairy and sheep farms, although it is not immune to changes mandated by European Union membership and the subsequent progress that is sweeping through the peninsula.
Although there are occasional regional and chauvinistic rifts and rivalries between the provinces of Castile and the provinces of Leon, in general, common cullture binds the nine provinces of CastileLeon. This is Particularly true in the culinary realm.
Cuisine in CastileLeon
The regIon Iisknown as la tierra de asados (the land of roasts) and lamb and pork are favored here. Though far from the sea, the region's rivers provide fine tench, trout, and ancas rana (frogs legs). Chickpeas, lentIls, and assorted varieties of broad beans are also served.
Wholesome tasty, rib-sticking regional stews. A prime hunting ground, this region is also noted for its liebre (hare), codorniz (quail) pichon (pigeon), and perdiz (partridge). Among the favored desserts a ' leche frita (fried milk), almendrados (almond paste), and yemas de San: Teresa (candied egg yolks).
CastileLeon also produces one of the widest ranges of wines in all of Spain, from the robust reds of Taro to the delicate whites of Rueda. With more than 50,000 acres devoted to the grape, the region is third within Spain in terms of area planted in vines. Among the 13 noteworthy wine- growmg areas in the regIon, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, and Taro have achieved Denomination of Origin status (the equivalent of the French appelation ).
CastileLeon is primarily fluent in the Romanesque, Gothic and MudeJar vernaculars, which achieve their finest expressions on a wide range of cathedrals, castles, and palaces (Mudejar refers to the hybrid Gothic-Moorish style of the Moorish craftsmen allowed to continue living under ChrIstian rule). Castile derives its name from the abundance of castles that guarded its numerous feudal interests during the Middle Ages. GIven the ravages of time and man, however, these structures are notably scarce along the 500-mile (800km) route.
Keep in mind when planning your itinerary that in CastileLeon as in other parts of Spain, churches, museums, historic sites, and other plaes of touristic interest generally open from 9:30 or 10 AM to 1 or 2 PM and then again from around 4 or 5 to 7 or 8 PM; some hours may change with the seasons. Some museums are open mornings only.
Driving around Madrid
From Madrid to Avila, via N VI and M505, is a distance of 69 miles (110 km). Take M505, which branches off from NVI about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Plaza de Cibeles. At this point, the city has been left behind, and after crossing a big bridge over the very small Rio (River) Guadarrama, the road becomes more rural and curvaceous. After another 11 miles (18 km), just before the bridge crossing the Embalse de Valmayor (Valmayor Reservoir), there is a glimpse of Philip II's palace monastery of EI Escorial straight ahead. For the next few miles, the imposing monument ducks in and out of sight, until the turn off 7 km beyond the reservoir, when the road splits, veering right for San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the village that abuts the palace monastery, and left for Avila and El Escorial itself (follow signs for Monasterio de El Escorial, not just for El Escorial).
About half a mile (1 km) farther on, M505 turns left to Avila, while M600 goes straight for a little over a mile (2 km) to the monastery parking lot.
Head back to M505, en route to Avila. (Although well marked approaching El Escorial, the way out of town is not clearly signposted.) The road offers a good view of the towering monastery to the right, then continues to Avila amid mountains that were only a hazy mirage from Madrid. Ahead, a large sign marks the border of CastileLeon, and in particular, the province of Avila; then the road gradually ascends the Castilian plateau to Spain's highest provincial capital (3,600 feet), which appears after the crest of a hill. Follow the Centro Urbano or Centro Ciudad signs into the city.
Avila by car
Built on the banks of the Rio Adaja, Avila (pronounced AhveeIah, with the accent on the first syllable) is a city whose historical center is surrounded by remarkably well preserved rectangular walls that are most dramatic when viewed in silhouette against the surrounding Castilian plain. To the southwest, the wall, begun in 1090, divides Avila from an expanse of undeveloped land, but to the northeast, it has failed to contain the city, which has grown beyond its medieval boundaries.
Avila's ramparts look like a row of sharpened teeth amid the dry stubble of the battlefield brown plain. The 11th-century walls seem unweathered and brand new. Construction of the wall began in 1090; it took 10 years and more than 2,000 workers to complete 88 semicircular towers nine gates, several posterns, and innumerable battlements along an 820 foot perimeter.
It may feel as if the only way to get into the city is with battering ram, but only a walk through a gate in the walls is necessary to see banks and cales and hear the sounds of televised soccer games blarin; through open windows. From the gardens of the Parador Raimundo de Borgofia it's an easy climb up to the battlements for a squint into the distance for an approaching army of Moors.
As the birthplace and religious training ground of the famous Santa Teresa de Jesus de Avila (commonly known in English as St. Teresa of Avila), a Carmelite nun who founded a reformed order of Carmelites, the DescaLzas (Barefoot) Carmelites, Avila has played a strong spiritual role in the evolution of both Castile and Spain as a whole.
Born in 1515 in what is now the Convento de Santa Teresa (Plaza de la Santa; open daily; no admission charge), St. Teresa took her vows and had the spiritual experiences that paved the way for her canonization in the Monasterio de La Encarnacion (Plaza de la Encarnacion; open daily; admission charge). St. Teresa first put her religious principles into practice in the first convent of the Barefoot Carmelite order, the nearby Convento de San Jose, or Con vento de Las Madres (Calle del Duque de Alba; open daily; admission charge).
Avila Cathedral
Avila's other noted sights are also religious in nature. Just inside the Puerta de los Leales (Gate of the Loyal Ones) is the starkly rectilinear 12th-century stone cathedral (on Calle A1emafia), a plain structure, except for the ornately carved frieze above the multiarched Gothic entrance.
Inside the cathedral are three aisles and a central choir. The cathedral's museum, housed in the 15thcentury Capilia de Cardenal (Cardinal's Chapel), contains hymnal tomes from the 15th century; silk-embroidered, gold and lace-adorned vestments of the 18th century; a fivefoot tall, 16thcentury silver Custodia del Corpus, a sixtier monstrance that is paraded through the streets every Fiesta del Corpus Christi and looks like an overgrown wedding cake ornament; a carved wooden coffin containing the remains of San Segundo, Avila's first archbishop; and a 16th-century Ecce Homo, a painting depicting Christ wearing the crown of thorns. Just inside the cathedral entrance, the bronze statue of San Pedro is kept shiny at the knees, nose, and hands by the faithful hoping that good fortune will rub off on them.
Avila's Romanesque Iglesia de San Vicente (St. Vincent Church; Plaza de San Vicente) is just outside the walls on the northeast, through the Puerta de San Vicente (St. Vincent's Gate). Built between the 12th and 14th centuries, it has an arched loggia of gray stone that clashes in tone with the amber blocks, of the main structure. The main attraction inside is the Sepulcro de Los Niños Martires (Sepulcher of the Martyred Children) recalling the church's founding legend, which holds that three young Siblings were martyred on this spot. The church is open daily; admission charge.
Of a more welcoming nature is the Iglesia de San Pedro (St. Peter's), begun in 1100 as a Romanesque structure and later fitted with Gothic flourishes. Situated outside the walls opposite the Puerta del Alcazar at the far end of the Plaza de Santa Teresa, it containssince Pope John Paul II's 1983 visita mounted chapel honoring the Virgin of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland. It's open to visitors daily before and after religious services; hours vary. The Monasterio de Santo Tomas (St. Thomas Monastery) on Plaza de Granada, once isolated from the city proper, now stands at the very edge of Avila's urban expansion.
Its checkered past includes use as the headquarters of the Inquisition (Tomas de Torquemada, the feared inquisitor general, lived here), a turn as the summer palace of Ferdinand and Isabella, and an interlude as the seat of a university. The final resting place of Ferdinand and Isabella's son, Prince Juan, today it is a Dominican monastery complete with church, cloisters, and choir, as well as an Oriental art gallery in the former royal apartments. The complex is open daily; admision charge to the cloister, through which the complex is entered; additional charge for the art gallery.
Zamora Bridge Avila Spain
Zamora is a 13th century Romanesque bridge over the Rio (River) Duero marks the historic center of Zamora, which rises steeply some 100 feet on the river's right bank. This is the city where EI Cid spent part of his youth and was reportedly knighted. Its most outstanding feature is the cathedral (Plaza del Castillo); built during the 12th century with a few later additions, it has a great dome decorated in a curious Byzantine scalloped pattern.
The cathedral museum contains an unsurpassed collection of tapestries, yet another example of the numerous hidden treasures Spain offers to those willing to stray off the beaten track.
A fine view of the Rio Duero and the Romanesque bridge that spans it can be appreciated from the Puerta del Obispo (Bishop's Gate), an arched gateway in the city wall behind the cathedral.
A favorite excursion from Zamora is to Pereruela, a small village with a few hundred inhabitants 10 miles (16 km) southwest of town via C527. A handful of families here still make fine ceramic cookware by hand; visitors can see the clay being sculpted and ovens being fired out back by the family barns. Although there are no shops, the goods can be purchased from the source, or from family members displaying their wares along the road.
Benavente Spain
Benavente Spain is situated on a promontory near the confluence of the Rio Orbigo and the Rfo Esla, this town offers a stunning view of the Castilian plain to the south and west. The Iglesia de Santa Maria del Azoque, a 12th-century church of very irregular construction, is one of two special sights in townbe sure to walk around it to appreciate the kaleidoscopic effect of its diverse architectural elements. Most striking in its interior are three slender Gothic naves with precisely pointed arches. Open for mass at 9 AM and 7 PM daily, and more frequently on Sundays, the church is best visited just before or after the service.
The town's other special sight is the Parador Fernando II de Leon, on Paseo Ramon y Cajal, which incorporates a well-preserved, 16th-century GothicRenaissance tower that was an addition to a 12th-century castlepalace. Installed in the vestigial tower are a lovely salon and, below that, an impressive bar (open evenings). Watching the sun set though the bar's oversized windows is a rare treat.
Leon Spain
This provincial capital traces its origins back to the times of the Romans who built a fortification at the confluence of the Rios (Plaza de Regia), built during the 13th and 14th centuries. Modelled on the cathedrals at Reims and Amiens in France, it is an exquisite example of Spanish Gothic architecture. Its glory lies in its more than 130 square feet of stained glass, the most dazzling display in Spain. The cathedral museum stands out for its commendable collections of Roman bran figures and weapons, Neolithic artifacts, and Romanesque statues.
.About a 10minute walk from the cathedral is another important Leon sight, the Romanesque Basilica de San Isidoro (Plaza de San Isidoro), built in the 11th century, adorned and cloistered during the 12th, and partially reconstructed and enlarged during the 16th. Regrettably, the later remodeling obliterated much of the original Romanesque, but the basilica's pan. This remains one of the earliest examples of the Romanesque architectural genre in Spain.
Here, 22 kings and queens of the old kingdom of Leon are buried beneath 12th-century frescoes that have prompted many to refer to this as the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque art; the pantheon also boasts capitals and a portal carved with scenes from the Gospels, the earliest in Spain to be so decorated. A separate room houses the treasury, complete with illuminated Bibles and other fine relics.
A third important monument in Leon, the Parador San Marcos is located along the river and built in the Renaissance style. One of Leon's liveliest and loveliest landmarks, this was formerly the Monasterio de San Marcos, which was donated to the Order of Santiago by the Catholic Monarchs in appreciation of services rendered during the Reconquista. The monastery then became a hospice for pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela. During the Renaissance, it blossomed to its present sumptuousness; the parador now shares the grounds of the original monastery with the Museo Arqueologico Provincial.
The adjacent Gothic church with its ornately carved choir stalls was a 16th-century addition.All of the above sights of Leon are in the Casco Viejo (Old Town), which has been substantially rebuilt, although its streets still follow the old twists and turns, and which is surrounded by a modern city of highrises The Oficina de Turismo (3 Plaza de RegIa is just across from the cathedral; open daily. Not far away is the Plaza Mayor, surrounded by porticoes and, on most days, alive with a farmers' market.
PALENCIA Located on the left bank of the Rio Carri6n, Palencia (derivedIts ancent.Roman name, PalJantia was on.ce a capital city of the vaccea Celtic tnbe, and later of the VIsIgoth KIng Theodoric, who wrested the town from the Romans. Today for the most part it's a typically non-descript provincial Castilian city. But definitely worth a detour is its Gothic cathedral, whose construction spanned two centuries. ThIs earlIer basilIca, marked by three arches and a single rectangular Romanesque nave, has become the crypt of the present church.
The cathedral museum contains a painting of San Sebastian by EI Greco, a small sampling of Romanesque statues, and some 15th-century tapestries.
Valladolid Spain
A former medieval capital of Spain, this is where the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella were married in 1469, where Columbus died in 1506, where Philip II was born in 1527, and where Miguel de Cervantes lived for three years in the 17th century. Napoleon used the city as a headquarters for his army in the early 19th century during the Peninsular War; unfortunately, they looted or destroyed many of Valla dolid's ancient art treasures and monuments. For those willing to fight the traffic and bat tie the lack of coherent signs in this rather unattractive and fairly large city, several sights worthy of attention do still remain.
The late 15thcentury Colegio de San Gregorio (on Cadenas de San Gregorio) is noted for its facade, a masterpiece of the Isabeline style, and for its courtyard, wonderfully Plateresque, but above all for being the home of one of Spain's most important museums, the Museo Nacional de Escultura Policromada. A repository of the types of colorfully painted wooden sculptures seen in churches all over the country, the museum includes works from the 13th through the 17th centuries and is particularly strong in sculptures by Castilian masters of the Renaissance.
The adjacent 15th-century Iglesia de San Pablo (on Plaza de San Pablo) is also worthy of note, above all for the ornate faade, its lower level a Gothic design carved by Simon of Cologne, its upper reaches Plateresque. The interior is open only during church services.
Valladolid Cathedral
Valladolid's cathedral was designed in the late 16th century by Juan de Herrera, of El Escorial fame, but it was finished much later, according to plans by Alberto Churrigueranote that the upper part of the faade is Baroque. The Museo Oriental, located in the basement of the Real Colegio Padres de Agustinos Filipinos houses the best collection of Asian art in Spain, consisting mainly of works from the Philippines and China.
Tordesillas Spain
A typical Castilian pueblo and the place where Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad), mother of Charles V and grandmother of Philip II, was imprisoned until her death, Tordesillas was also the spot where the Spanish and Portuguese met in 1494 to sign the Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided the Western Hemisphere in two, giving all lands west of a line to Spain and all lands east to Portugala decision that ultimately resulted in Brazil becoming Portuguese and much of the rest of Central and South America Spanish.
Besides a somewhat austerely attractive Plaza Mayor, the small 16th century Iglesia de San Antolfo, a stone's throw from the plaza, is worth a visit if only for the vista of the Duero and the medieval bridge that leads into town. The church museum houses the Inmaculada by Pedro de Mena, and an almost lifesize sculpture of the Holy Family attributed to Gregorio Fernandez. The nearby palace cum monastery known as Santa Clara is a fine example of Mudejar architecture, with a beautiful Moorish patio and baths - a rarity in these parts.
During the Age of Discovery, beginning in the 15th century, numerous explorers, sailing under the flag of Spain, went in search of other lands to call their own. Spaniards take enormouS pride in their country, and today travelers from all over the world come to enjoy (not conquer) Spain's glorious beaches, challenging mountains, and breathtaking countryside. Until the 1960s, Spain was considered the perfect destination for adventurous travelers, since public transportation was limited and primitive at best, and accommodations for visitors were far below other Western European standards.
Modern Spain
If hitchhiking and sleeping on the beach were your cup of tea, then this was the place to come. But with expanded air travel, improved train and bus services, and increased interest in European travel among young and old alike, Spain became an inexpensive and popular choice for travelers. As interest grew, facilities for the traveler improved (although visitors today will no longer find prices to be much lower than those in other Western European countries).
Spanish culture
Spain's diversity of culture is a direct result of numerous invasions by other countriesand its varied topography provide today's traveler with a colorful journey, filled with limitless options for side trips far off beaten paths. From Algeciras to Zaragoza, this land still offers plenty of places to tilt at your own windmills.
Roads are generally in good repair in Spain, unless otherwise noted, and with few exceptions each route is designed to take between three and five days. We have even included several delightful day trips from the capital city of Madrid. And if at any point you tire at the wheel, it's possible to break up your drive with an occasional ride on a rural railway. Each route includes numerous sightseeing highlights, suggested activities, and places to eat and stay.
Car hire in Spain
If you are planning a driving tour of Spain, book cheap car hire from your Spanish airport before you fly. Cheap airport car hire in Spain can be pre-booked which will save you plenty of time and hassle when you arrive, plus you get to tour around Spain in comfort and style. Maps of Spain are also available free from most car hire pick up points in Malaga Airport, Barcelona Airport, Murcia Airport, Alicante Airport, Madrid Airport and Valencia Airport.
Galicia Spain
While much of Spain is wrinkled and parched by the sun, Galicia, in the northwest Atlantic corner of the peninsula, is eternally green and lush. Here 64 inches per year of rain produce verdant mountain slopes, a network of bluegreen rivers, pine and eucalyptus forests, palm trees, and lush terraces of vinesa climate not dissimilar to that of the other regions of northern Spain, including Cantabria, Asturias, and the Basque Country. Geographically and culturally cut off from much of the rest of the country, Galicians, like the Basques and the Catalans, are bilingual in Spanish and their own national language.
Galego is an old Romance tongue quite similar to that of Portugal, Galicia's southern neighbor, and in this part of Spain instead of buenos dias you say bos dias (pronounced bohss deeahs) for good morning or good day, and gracifias (grahseenyahs) for thank you; adios (goodbye) remains the same. Unlike the Basques and the Catalans, however, Galicians (calledgalegos like their language) have more in common ethnically with the Celts of Ireland, Scotland, and French Brittany. In fact, Galicia is just the kind of place where you can imagine a knight roaming ancient woods and glens in search of the Holy Grail, or a lost city arising from the depths of a misty lake. Though much less well known to visitors than other parts of the country, it's truly a fairytale land that enchants and seduces.
The Celts conquered the area in the 8th century AD and gave Galicia its Gaelic heritage, which still lives in many of today's rituals and popular beliefs. The bagpipes that accompany moonlit dances, the cross symbols to ward off evil spirits, and a tradition of ancestor worship are some of the vestiges of this rich culture, along with the remains of the fortified Celtic castros, tiny stone villages that dot the countryside. The pagan past lives on in the folk practices of many of today's peasants, who still believe that rivers, trees, and animals talk, that forests are populated with fairies and tiny gnomes, and that ancestral spirits roam the landscape. This communion with the land and sea has helped fashion a regional character that is gentle and conservative, and at times stubborn.
Though fertile and rich in history and lore, Galicia is also one of Spain's poorer areas. The feudal system of dividing land into hundreds of small holdings (each consisting of little more than a terracottaroofed cottage, a few vines, a cornfield, and an ox or donkey), made it difficult for large families to live off the land. Thus many galegos were forced to look elsewhere for their livelihoods. So many traveled to Latin America that today there are more galegos in Buenos Aires than in Galicia itself, and in some countries the word gallego (in Spanish) is slang for any Spaniard. Many descendants of these immigrants (such as Cuba's Fidel Castro) have gone on to play major roles in their adopted lands.
The region's golden age came in the Middle Ages, when an obscure town in this distant corner of Europe became one of Christendom's three holiest places following a peasant's discovery in 813 of what was claimed to be the long-forgotten burial place of Santiago (St. James the Apostle). Though an improbable development, and one thought by many scholars to be an ecclesiastical hoax, over the centuries the presence of the saint's supposed remains in Santiago de Compostela fueled reports of miracles and provided a rallying point for Iberia's Christians in their Reconquista (reconquest of the peninsula from the Moors); St. James subsequently appeared in many a banner and artwork as Santiago Matamoros, the Moorslayer.
The holy relics turned the city into a pilgrimage destination exceeded in importance only by Jerusalem and Rome, and the chapel built to house the saint's remains grew into the magnificent Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. To deal with the steady stream of pilgrims, a chain of monasteries, churches, and hospices sprang up across northern Spain along the Camino de Santiagothe famous Way of St. James (for additional details, see the Pilgrims'Route).
Galicia today is one of Spain's 17 comunidades autonomas (autonomous communities) with its own Xunta (government), parliament, and many of its own laws. The postwar period has brought a certain amount of ugliness to the regionmostly in the form of characterless apartment blocks and prefabricated holiday bungalows in the coastal resort areas. But the historic centers of towns such as Santiago de Compostela, A Coruna, Lugo, Pontevedra, and Baiona are archetypical Spain, and the rolling green hills and forests shelter unspoiled villages, solitary pazosthe former homes of noble Spanish familiesand, attached to most small holdings, the distinctive wood and granite huts perched on stilts and traditionally used for storing grain.
The provinces of Galicia
Galicia consists of four provinces - A Coruna (La Coruna in Spanish) and Lugo to the north, Pontevedra and landlocked Ourense (Orense) to the south and its deeply indented coastline is divided into two sections. The wild, more exposed Rias Altas (Upper Estuaries) run westward along the coast of the provinces of Lugo and A Coruna, from Ribadeo roughly to the city of A Coruna; the gentler coves, wooded hills, and fishing villages of the Rias Baixas (Lower Estuaries, also called Rias Bajas in Spanish) run south along the coast of the provinces of A Coruna and Pontevedra, frorn Muros down to Baiona.
The still and quiet rias (estuaries) closely resemble Norwegian fjords or Scottish lochs, with long stretches of palmfringed sand that have yet to experience the commercialization that has altered the shore along much of the Mediterranean. From the Rio (River) Eo, which borders Asturias, around to the Rio Mino on the Portuguese frontier, the shoreline is rugged and beautiful, as yet uncluttered by vacation homes and attendant businesses. But between the Rias Altas and the Rias Baixas is a stretch of coast called the Costa da Morte (in Spanish, Costa de la Muerte, Coast of Death), treacherous to sailors through the ages and a cemetery for countless ships and sailors dashed against its rocks. It begins at Malpica and comes to an abrupt end at Cabo Fisterra (from the Latin Finisterre, literally the end of the earth for medieval man).
Seafood in Galicia
Galician cuisine revolves around seafood. Along the coast, entire communities are engaged in milking the sea and rushing the day's (or night's) catch to restaurant tables. Even the smallest restaurant has at least one fish tank full of crabs and lobsters. Culinary mainstays from the sea and the rias include mejillones ( mussels), cigallas (a shrimplike crayfish), anlilas (eels), pulpo (octopus), and chipirones (small squid). Galegos tired of the sight of seafood will probably opt for caldeirada galega (called caldo gallego in Spanish), a hearty soup of potatoes and cabbage, or a plate of lacon con grelos, a potage of salted pork and turnip tops, usually accompanied by a young local wine drunk from a white porcelain cup and believed to have mild aphrodisiac powers.
Driving in Galicia
Galicia is a wonderful region in which to drive, especially since the A9 highway, linking the region's two biggest cities and industrial areas - A Coruna and Vigo, 97 miles (156 km) apart was recently completed. A well-planned network of freeways, fast and scenic, delves into the remotest corners, backed up by numerous and fairly well maintained country roads. Road signs are excellent, even though occasionally some place names in Castilian have been altered by spray paintwielding Galician separatists. Note that signs may be bilingual, or in some cases in Galician only; rua is the Galician word for the Spanish calle (street), and praza is the local equivalent of plaza (square).
The route outlined below is a circular one, encompassing significant stretches of both coastline and countryside and capturing the scenic beauties of the fishing villages lining the rias, whose riverbeds are regularly raked for mussels and clams. It begins in Santiago de Compostela and hugs the coastline from the vicinity of Padron, southwest of Santiago, to Pontevedra, before continuing due south past the Algarino wine-growing region through Vigo to Baiona. From here it follows the seashore again, at times only yards from the water, before turning east along the Rio Mino, which forms the border with Portugal (and is known as the Minho in Portuguese), to the frontier town ofTui (Tuy), where it is possible to walk or drive to Portugal across the bridge spanning the river.
The itinerary then cuts inland, following the Mino to Ourense, then passing through the Ribeiro vineyard country around Ribadavia.
From Ourense, the route heads north via the old walled town of Lugo to Ribadeo on Galicia's north coast. Except for an excursion inland to Mondonedo, the route now stays on the coast, exploring the Rias Altas around the northwest corner of Galicia to Ferrol and A Coruna.
Accommodation in Galicia
Because Galicia is not a hotbed of tourism, the choice of accommodations is fairly limited. The region's nine paradors, particularly the two in Santiago de Compostela and Baiona, are the notable exceptions. The paradors, with their reliably high standards, represent the best value for money in this region.
When planning your itinerary, bear in mind that opening hours for churches, museums, and other places of touristic interest usually run from 9 or 10 AM to 1 or 2 PM and then again from 4 or 5 to 6 or 7 PM; schedules may also vary with the season. Weekend hours are generally shorter than on weekdays, and closing days tend to be Sundays or Mondays.
CastileLeon (Old Castile)
The Castilian meseta (plateau) is the historical and spiritual heartland that eventually gathered a united Spain around it. After the country's protracted Reconquista (reconquest of the peninsula from the Moors) was born in the early 8th century in the Atlantic region Asturiasa remnant of the old Visigothic, and therefore Christian, Spain, and the only part the Moors had failed to conquerthe movement spread southward across Leon and into the vast, elevated plateau of Castile, where it gained'its greatest foothold.
A shared commitment to driving the Moors out of Spain forged a firm bond between the kingdoms of Castile and Leon, and early in the 13th century the two kingdoms were united. In 1469 the region began a rapid rise to prominence when Isabella of Castile married Ferdinand of Aragon. By 1479, the couplesince then referred to as the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Monarchs) ruled over a joint kingdom of Aragon and Castile that was the basis of modern Spain. Their union also set in motion the centuries long and notoriously cruel quest for religious uniformity known as the Spanish Inquisition, first instituted by Isabella in Castile in 1478 and not abolished until the early 19th century.
At the dawn of the 16th century, with Spain at the height of its power, Castile occupied more than half of the Iberian Peninsula, extending from the Pyrenees to Gibraltar. But with the decline of Spain that took place after the defeat of its Invincible Armada came the decline of Castile, and the 18th century saw a steady emigration deplete the populations of its most prosperous cities and towns by as much as one half.
Today's autonomous community of CastileLeon comprises nine provinces: Zamora, Leon, and Salamanca (which correspond to the former kingdom of Leon) plus Palencia, Valladolid, Avila, Burgos, Segovia, and Soria (which correspond to the northern half of the former kingdom of Castile, and also to the historic region that was know as Castilla la Vieja Old Castile). Virtually ringed by high mountain ranges, the immense Castilian plateau, which has an average altitude of 2,600 feet, occupies about one fifth of modern-day Spain.
Exposed to everything from scorching hot summers to blustery, bone-chilling winters, it remains largely a region of wheat and corn fields, vegetable patches, and dairy and sheep farms, although it is not immune to changes mandated by European Union membership and the subsequent progress that is sweeping through the peninsula.
Although there are occasional regional and chauvinistic rifts and rivalries between the provinces of Castile and the provinces of Leon, in general, common cullture binds the nine provinces of CastileLeon. This is Particularly true in the culinary realm.
Cuisine in CastileLeon
The regIon Iisknown as la tierra de asados (the land of roasts) and lamb and pork are favored here. Though far from the sea, the region's rivers provide fine tench, trout, and ancas rana (frogs legs). Chickpeas, lentIls, and assorted varieties of broad beans are also served.
Wholesome tasty, rib-sticking regional stews. A prime hunting ground, this region is also noted for its liebre (hare), codorniz (quail) pichon (pigeon), and perdiz (partridge). Among the favored desserts a ' leche frita (fried milk), almendrados (almond paste), and yemas de San: Teresa (candied egg yolks).
CastileLeon also produces one of the widest ranges of wines in all of Spain, from the robust reds of Taro to the delicate whites of Rueda. With more than 50,000 acres devoted to the grape, the region is third within Spain in terms of area planted in vines. Among the 13 noteworthy wine- growmg areas in the regIon, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, and Taro have achieved Denomination of Origin status (the equivalent of the French appelation ).
CastileLeon is primarily fluent in the Romanesque, Gothic and MudeJar vernaculars, which achieve their finest expressions on a wide range of cathedrals, castles, and palaces (Mudejar refers to the hybrid Gothic-Moorish style of the Moorish craftsmen allowed to continue living under ChrIstian rule). Castile derives its name from the abundance of castles that guarded its numerous feudal interests during the Middle Ages. GIven the ravages of time and man, however, these structures are notably scarce along the 500-mile (800km) route.
Keep in mind when planning your itinerary that in CastileLeon as in other parts of Spain, churches, museums, historic sites, and other plaes of touristic interest generally open from 9:30 or 10 AM to 1 or 2 PM and then again from around 4 or 5 to 7 or 8 PM; some hours may change with the seasons. Some museums are open mornings only.
Driving around Madrid
From Madrid to Avila, via N VI and M505, is a distance of 69 miles (110 km). Take M505, which branches off from NVI about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Plaza de Cibeles. At this point, the city has been left behind, and after crossing a big bridge over the very small Rio (River) Guadarrama, the road becomes more rural and curvaceous. After another 11 miles (18 km), just before the bridge crossing the Embalse de Valmayor (Valmayor Reservoir), there is a glimpse of Philip II's palace monastery of EI Escorial straight ahead. For the next few miles, the imposing monument ducks in and out of sight, until the turn off 7 km beyond the reservoir, when the road splits, veering right for San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the village that abuts the palace monastery, and left for Avila and El Escorial itself (follow signs for Monasterio de El Escorial, not just for El Escorial).
About half a mile (1 km) farther on, M505 turns left to Avila, while M600 goes straight for a little over a mile (2 km) to the monastery parking lot.
Head back to M505, en route to Avila. (Although well marked approaching El Escorial, the way out of town is not clearly signposted.) The road offers a good view of the towering monastery to the right, then continues to Avila amid mountains that were only a hazy mirage from Madrid. Ahead, a large sign marks the border of CastileLeon, and in particular, the province of Avila; then the road gradually ascends the Castilian plateau to Spain's highest provincial capital (3,600 feet), which appears after the crest of a hill. Follow the Centro Urbano or Centro Ciudad signs into the city.
Avila by car
Built on the banks of the Rio Adaja, Avila (pronounced AhveeIah, with the accent on the first syllable) is a city whose historical center is surrounded by remarkably well preserved rectangular walls that are most dramatic when viewed in silhouette against the surrounding Castilian plain. To the southwest, the wall, begun in 1090, divides Avila from an expanse of undeveloped land, but to the northeast, it has failed to contain the city, which has grown beyond its medieval boundaries.
Avila's ramparts look like a row of sharpened teeth amid the dry stubble of the battlefield brown plain. The 11th-century walls seem unweathered and brand new. Construction of the wall began in 1090; it took 10 years and more than 2,000 workers to complete 88 semicircular towers nine gates, several posterns, and innumerable battlements along an 820 foot perimeter.
It may feel as if the only way to get into the city is with battering ram, but only a walk through a gate in the walls is necessary to see banks and cales and hear the sounds of televised soccer games blarin; through open windows. From the gardens of the Parador Raimundo de Borgofia it's an easy climb up to the battlements for a squint into the distance for an approaching army of Moors.
As the birthplace and religious training ground of the famous Santa Teresa de Jesus de Avila (commonly known in English as St. Teresa of Avila), a Carmelite nun who founded a reformed order of Carmelites, the DescaLzas (Barefoot) Carmelites, Avila has played a strong spiritual role in the evolution of both Castile and Spain as a whole.
Born in 1515 in what is now the Convento de Santa Teresa (Plaza de la Santa; open daily; no admission charge), St. Teresa took her vows and had the spiritual experiences that paved the way for her canonization in the Monasterio de La Encarnacion (Plaza de la Encarnacion; open daily; admission charge). St. Teresa first put her religious principles into practice in the first convent of the Barefoot Carmelite order, the nearby Convento de San Jose, or Con vento de Las Madres (Calle del Duque de Alba; open daily; admission charge).
Avila Cathedral
Avila's other noted sights are also religious in nature. Just inside the Puerta de los Leales (Gate of the Loyal Ones) is the starkly rectilinear 12th-century stone cathedral (on Calle A1emafia), a plain structure, except for the ornately carved frieze above the multiarched Gothic entrance.
Inside the cathedral are three aisles and a central choir. The cathedral's museum, housed in the 15thcentury Capilia de Cardenal (Cardinal's Chapel), contains hymnal tomes from the 15th century; silk-embroidered, gold and lace-adorned vestments of the 18th century; a fivefoot tall, 16thcentury silver Custodia del Corpus, a sixtier monstrance that is paraded through the streets every Fiesta del Corpus Christi and looks like an overgrown wedding cake ornament; a carved wooden coffin containing the remains of San Segundo, Avila's first archbishop; and a 16th-century Ecce Homo, a painting depicting Christ wearing the crown of thorns. Just inside the cathedral entrance, the bronze statue of San Pedro is kept shiny at the knees, nose, and hands by the faithful hoping that good fortune will rub off on them.
Avila's Romanesque Iglesia de San Vicente (St. Vincent Church; Plaza de San Vicente) is just outside the walls on the northeast, through the Puerta de San Vicente (St. Vincent's Gate). Built between the 12th and 14th centuries, it has an arched loggia of gray stone that clashes in tone with the amber blocks, of the main structure. The main attraction inside is the Sepulcro de Los Niños Martires (Sepulcher of the Martyred Children) recalling the church's founding legend, which holds that three young Siblings were martyred on this spot. The church is open daily; admission charge.
Of a more welcoming nature is the Iglesia de San Pedro (St. Peter's), begun in 1100 as a Romanesque structure and later fitted with Gothic flourishes. Situated outside the walls opposite the Puerta del Alcazar at the far end of the Plaza de Santa Teresa, it containssince Pope John Paul II's 1983 visita mounted chapel honoring the Virgin of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland. It's open to visitors daily before and after religious services; hours vary. The Monasterio de Santo Tomas (St. Thomas Monastery) on Plaza de Granada, once isolated from the city proper, now stands at the very edge of Avila's urban expansion.
Its checkered past includes use as the headquarters of the Inquisition (Tomas de Torquemada, the feared inquisitor general, lived here), a turn as the summer palace of Ferdinand and Isabella, and an interlude as the seat of a university. The final resting place of Ferdinand and Isabella's son, Prince Juan, today it is a Dominican monastery complete with church, cloisters, and choir, as well as an Oriental art gallery in the former royal apartments. The complex is open daily; admision charge to the cloister, through which the complex is entered; additional charge for the art gallery.
Zamora Bridge Avila Spain
Zamora is a 13th century Romanesque bridge over the Rio (River) Duero marks the historic center of Zamora, which rises steeply some 100 feet on the river's right bank. This is the city where EI Cid spent part of his youth and was reportedly knighted. Its most outstanding feature is the cathedral (Plaza del Castillo); built during the 12th century with a few later additions, it has a great dome decorated in a curious Byzantine scalloped pattern.
The cathedral museum contains an unsurpassed collection of tapestries, yet another example of the numerous hidden treasures Spain offers to those willing to stray off the beaten track.
A fine view of the Rio Duero and the Romanesque bridge that spans it can be appreciated from the Puerta del Obispo (Bishop's Gate), an arched gateway in the city wall behind the cathedral.
A favorite excursion from Zamora is to Pereruela, a small village with a few hundred inhabitants 10 miles (16 km) southwest of town via C527. A handful of families here still make fine ceramic cookware by hand; visitors can see the clay being sculpted and ovens being fired out back by the family barns. Although there are no shops, the goods can be purchased from the source, or from family members displaying their wares along the road.
Benavente Spain
Benavente Spain is situated on a promontory near the confluence of the Rio Orbigo and the Rfo Esla, this town offers a stunning view of the Castilian plain to the south and west. The Iglesia de Santa Maria del Azoque, a 12th-century church of very irregular construction, is one of two special sights in townbe sure to walk around it to appreciate the kaleidoscopic effect of its diverse architectural elements. Most striking in its interior are three slender Gothic naves with precisely pointed arches. Open for mass at 9 AM and 7 PM daily, and more frequently on Sundays, the church is best visited just before or after the service.
The town's other special sight is the Parador Fernando II de Leon, on Paseo Ramon y Cajal, which incorporates a well-preserved, 16th-century GothicRenaissance tower that was an addition to a 12th-century castlepalace. Installed in the vestigial tower are a lovely salon and, below that, an impressive bar (open evenings). Watching the sun set though the bar's oversized windows is a rare treat.
Leon Spain
This provincial capital traces its origins back to the times of the Romans who built a fortification at the confluence of the Rios (Plaza de Regia), built during the 13th and 14th centuries. Modelled on the cathedrals at Reims and Amiens in France, it is an exquisite example of Spanish Gothic architecture. Its glory lies in its more than 130 square feet of stained glass, the most dazzling display in Spain. The cathedral museum stands out for its commendable collections of Roman bran figures and weapons, Neolithic artifacts, and Romanesque statues.
.About a 10minute walk from the cathedral is another important Leon sight, the Romanesque Basilica de San Isidoro (Plaza de San Isidoro), built in the 11th century, adorned and cloistered during the 12th, and partially reconstructed and enlarged during the 16th. Regrettably, the later remodeling obliterated much of the original Romanesque, but the basilica's pan. This remains one of the earliest examples of the Romanesque architectural genre in Spain.
Here, 22 kings and queens of the old kingdom of Leon are buried beneath 12th-century frescoes that have prompted many to refer to this as the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque art; the pantheon also boasts capitals and a portal carved with scenes from the Gospels, the earliest in Spain to be so decorated. A separate room houses the treasury, complete with illuminated Bibles and other fine relics.
A third important monument in Leon, the Parador San Marcos is located along the river and built in the Renaissance style. One of Leon's liveliest and loveliest landmarks, this was formerly the Monasterio de San Marcos, which was donated to the Order of Santiago by the Catholic Monarchs in appreciation of services rendered during the Reconquista. The monastery then became a hospice for pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela. During the Renaissance, it blossomed to its present sumptuousness; the parador now shares the grounds of the original monastery with the Museo Arqueologico Provincial.
The adjacent Gothic church with its ornately carved choir stalls was a 16th-century addition.All of the above sights of Leon are in the Casco Viejo (Old Town), which has been substantially rebuilt, although its streets still follow the old twists and turns, and which is surrounded by a modern city of highrises The Oficina de Turismo (3 Plaza de RegIa is just across from the cathedral; open daily. Not far away is the Plaza Mayor, surrounded by porticoes and, on most days, alive with a farmers' market.
PALENCIA Located on the left bank of the Rio Carri6n, Palencia (derivedIts ancent.Roman name, PalJantia was on.ce a capital city of the vaccea Celtic tnbe, and later of the VIsIgoth KIng Theodoric, who wrested the town from the Romans. Today for the most part it's a typically non-descript provincial Castilian city. But definitely worth a detour is its Gothic cathedral, whose construction spanned two centuries. ThIs earlIer basilIca, marked by three arches and a single rectangular Romanesque nave, has become the crypt of the present church.
The cathedral museum contains a painting of San Sebastian by EI Greco, a small sampling of Romanesque statues, and some 15th-century tapestries.
Valladolid Spain
A former medieval capital of Spain, this is where the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella were married in 1469, where Columbus died in 1506, where Philip II was born in 1527, and where Miguel de Cervantes lived for three years in the 17th century. Napoleon used the city as a headquarters for his army in the early 19th century during the Peninsular War; unfortunately, they looted or destroyed many of Valla dolid's ancient art treasures and monuments. For those willing to fight the traffic and bat tie the lack of coherent signs in this rather unattractive and fairly large city, several sights worthy of attention do still remain.
The late 15thcentury Colegio de San Gregorio (on Cadenas de San Gregorio) is noted for its facade, a masterpiece of the Isabeline style, and for its courtyard, wonderfully Plateresque, but above all for being the home of one of Spain's most important museums, the Museo Nacional de Escultura Policromada. A repository of the types of colorfully painted wooden sculptures seen in churches all over the country, the museum includes works from the 13th through the 17th centuries and is particularly strong in sculptures by Castilian masters of the Renaissance.
The adjacent 15th-century Iglesia de San Pablo (on Plaza de San Pablo) is also worthy of note, above all for the ornate faade, its lower level a Gothic design carved by Simon of Cologne, its upper reaches Plateresque. The interior is open only during church services.
Valladolid Cathedral
Valladolid's cathedral was designed in the late 16th century by Juan de Herrera, of El Escorial fame, but it was finished much later, according to plans by Alberto Churrigueranote that the upper part of the faade is Baroque. The Museo Oriental, located in the basement of the Real Colegio Padres de Agustinos Filipinos houses the best collection of Asian art in Spain, consisting mainly of works from the Philippines and China.
Tordesillas Spain
A typical Castilian pueblo and the place where Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad), mother of Charles V and grandmother of Philip II, was imprisoned until her death, Tordesillas was also the spot where the Spanish and Portuguese met in 1494 to sign the Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided the Western Hemisphere in two, giving all lands west of a line to Spain and all lands east to Portugala decision that ultimately resulted in Brazil becoming Portuguese and much of the rest of Central and South America Spanish.
Besides a somewhat austerely attractive Plaza Mayor, the small 16th century Iglesia de San Antolfo, a stone's throw from the plaza, is worth a visit if only for the vista of the Duero and the medieval bridge that leads into town. The church museum houses the Inmaculada by Pedro de Mena, and an almost lifesize sculpture of the Holy Family attributed to Gregorio Fernandez. The nearby palace cum monastery known as Santa Clara is a fine example of Mudejar architecture, with a beautiful Moorish patio and baths - a rarity in these parts.
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