SPAIN 2026
Wednesday
Trains, plains, and Automobiles
Today was all about changing our mode of transportation, we took the train from Madrid to Valladolid where we would pick up our rental car, a Seat Arona (ever heard of an Arona?). It seemed like a really good idea to get out of the huge city of Madrid before getting behind the wheel.
There really wasn't much that we wanted to see in Valladolid, so we headed north.
We made a short fuel and lunch stop in Becilla de Valderaduey at Mesón Buenavista. It didn't look like much, but I'm pretty sure our non-English speaking waitress also made the lunch. It was a very traditional meal, I still don't know what I actually ordered, but it tasted good, and was very cheap. All fueled up, we continued on to Leon.
Leon
León was founded in the 1st century BC by the Romans which served under Caesar Augustus during the Cantabrian Wars (29-19 BC), in later years it became an important way-station for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago trail leading to Santiago de Compostela.
In Leon we booked a quaint apartment inside the old city walls, we are given a series of photos and directions on how to access the apartment and our parking spot, since it was no cars except for residents (which we are for a few days). After trying to figure it out, our host just met as by the front gate and rode with me to the garage after dropping Norine and the luggage at our place.
The entrance to the old town area, and our parking garage, which you have to back into
After checking the place out, we wandered the town, picked up some basic groceries for dinner that night, since we had a nice place with a kitchen. We would even have a chance to do some more laundry.
Santa María de Regla de León Cathedral or León Cathedral, is known as the Pulchra Leonina and is a masterpiece of the Gothic style of the mid-13th century. By the mid 15th century it was virtually completed.
In an underground crypt in front of the cathedral are the remains of ancient Roman baths from the 1st century that pre-dated the construction of the church.
From the Cathedral, we just kind of wandered around.
The Royal Collegiate Basilica of San Isidoro, or simply San Isidoro de León, is a Christian church that was built and expanded during the 11th and 12th centuries. Originally a monastery dedicated to Saint Pelagius, it is believed that a Roman temple previously stood on its foundations.
We are seeing these brass shells more and more as we move north through Spain. The brass shell (or vieira) embedded in the pavement is a traditional, highly recognizable directional marker for the Camino de Santiago. These durable metal inlays are installed in sidewalks and squares across Europe to safely guide pilgrims through complex city streets and villages to their final destination of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, located in the Northwest of Spain.
Apparently this dance studio offers way more dance options (including Pole Dance) than our studio does. We had to consider that while we made a nice pasta dinner in our little Spanish condo.
Thursday
Today was planned to be another tale of two cities... Astorga and Ponferrada, Cathedrals and Castles. one castle by Gaudi, the other by the Templars. See if you spot the difference.
Instead it would be a mixed bag of events, we decided to take the car and explore the nearby town of Astorga, including it's cathedral and Gaudi Palace. When we arrive in town, I receive a message from the host of the place we are staying, you were supposed to check out at 11… big mistake on my part. Somehow I had only booked for one night, instead of two (won't make that mistake again. The host was super accomadating, and luckily no-one had booked the place for that night.
Astorga was also founded as a Roman military camp in the late 1st century BC, it faced repeated muslim attacks through the 10th century. In the early 19th century, Astorga suffered the consequences of French occupation and was among the first cities to rise against the French, with a revolt of peasants and laborers in May 1808. French forces entered the city on December 31 of that year, and the city changed hands multiple times until the French surrendered on August 17, 1812.
The Astorga Cathedral of Saint Mary is a Roman Catholic church that was declared a national monument in 1931. The gothic cathedral was begun in 1471, within the same walls of its Roman predecessors from the 11th-13th centuries. The construction lasted until the 18th century
The first area we are allowed to enter is the tower, we can see the mechanism of the sun and moon clock, and get a bird’s eye view of the city
The translation of the 1800 poem on the wall is a little sombre
Amazing views of the Gaudi palace next door, and the city beyond. Luckily for us, the bells never went off while we were all alone up here in the tower. At least if they did no-one would have seen us scream.
Back down the spiral staircase, and into the museum and cathedral.
Across a square from the Cathedral is the Iglesia de Santa Marta, a modest Baroque church that was completed in 1741, it is dedicated to Saint Martha, the official patron saint of the city.
Next to the cathedral is the Neo-medieval Episcopal Palace, designed by Antoni Gaudí. It was built between 1889 and 1913. Designed in the Catalan Modernisme style, it is one of only three buildings by Gaudí outside Catalonia.
When the original Episcopal Palace was destroyed by a fire in the 19th century, the Bishop decided to assign the design of the new building to his friend Antoni Gaudí. Construction started in 1889, although Gaudí resigned over disagreements with the council, halting the construction for several years, the palace was completed between 1907 and 1915
After a nice lunch with views of the palace, we return to a parking ticket. We’re parked right in front of a P sign and no meter/machines anywhere, apparently blue lines and a little dot under the P mean something in Spain. The ticket has no mailing address, but shows where to pay it. After driving around to find it, we soon discover that you can’t get there because of road closures for a bike race. So we park (safely) and walk up the race route, but the freakin place is closed. What a waste of our precious time.
After conferring with the rental car company, apparently sometime in the future they will get a notice, and we will get a charge on our credit card for the ticket. There was no way we could get the pay by 1:00pm time and pay this lesser amount, and I'm pretty sure their tourist targeted city funding is planned that way. So we left Astorga with a slightly bitter taste in our mouth (not from the lunch, it was good), and headed towards our next stop.
Ponferrada is surrounded by mountains, the city straddles the course of the Sil River. It is the last major town on the French route of the Camino de Santiago before it reaches Santiago de Compostela. Dating back to 928, the name of the city derives from the iron reinforcements added to the ancient bridge over the river.
Ponferrada is noted for its Castillo de los Templarios, a Templar castle which covers approximately 16,000 square meters (170,000 square feet). Of course we are in Spain, and the Castle is closed for siesta until 4:30, guess we'll go for a wander.
The Basilica Nustra Senora de la Encina (Basilica of Our Lady of the Oak) began construction in 1573, but it wasn't completed until the late 17th century because work had to be halted for various reasons, such as the plague that ravaged the interior of the Iberian Peninsula in the late 14th and early 15th centuries.
Now that it was past 4:30, everybody is up from their naps and we headed into Castillo de los Templarios Ponferrada. Originally built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century , the Ponferrada Castle played a crucial role in the defense and control of northwestern Spain. Following the dissolution of the order in the 14th century, the fortress passed into the hands of the Catholic Monarchs and was later owned by various nobles, leading to further expansions and defensive improvements.
Views from the top of the walls are impressive, look there's our car on that bridge... is that guy writing us a ticket?
No ticket on our car, so one quick stop and it's time to go. All we really needed was a bakery and a bunch of tasty cookies and pastries for the drive back to Leon.
Back in Leon and it's raining, a little concerning as we put some clothes out on the clothesline before we left. We headed back to our place and paid our rent, very apologetically. While we were out, our host so kindly moved our clothesline because it was raining, so we had fresh and dry clothes for the next few days.
Friday
The next morning we would pack up and officially leave our cute little place, just like I had planned.