Travelling to Castilla y Leon, etc.?
        DOs and DON'Ts

On September 2008 I went to Castilla y Leon and other provinces of Spain (see map) with my wife. We don't like arranged travels and we prefer to travel on our own, because we think is the only way you can get in touch with the real country and its people. This way of travelling is harder and more expensive than others, but also more pleasant, relaxing and, that's the best, gives you a different point of view on the culture and way of life.

After my experience here you have my advice if you plan to travel on your own to these areas. You have to understand that this is MY PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW and that it is not my intention to criticize the people or culture of any of the mentioned places. You also must take into account that these observations are from year 2008. Things might have changed (either in the right or in the wrong way) since then. You must also bear in mind that this is not a travel guide, but just the description of my own journey and my own impressions. If you don't agree with some of the opinions below just write your own WEB page with you own opinions, but don't bother me.
 

Legend:
Excellent / Specially interesting	Very good / Very interesting	Good / Interesting
Mediocre / Not very interesting	Very bad / Not interesting	Click on it for pictures of the area
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• At the time of this writing it's been over two years since that trip, so this time I will not give too many details, simply because I do not remember them. Apart from visiting Avila, Salamanca and Segovia (belonging to the autonomous community of Castilla y Le?), we were also a few days in the provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza. Below is a rough description of the trip and my opinion about the sites we visited.
   
• From Mallorca we went with the ferry to Valencia. On arrival in this port early in the morning we begin route to Madrid and thence to Salamanca, where we arrived in the mid-afternoon, just in time to leave our luggage at the Parador de Turismo de Salamanca and got closer to the center for dinner in the Plaza Mayor, which is pretty lit up at night.
   
• The city of Salamanca is lovely and stroll through its streets, breathing the student atmosphere, is a joy. i do not go into details of the sites to see (there are so many ....) but just say that this city itself is worth the trip.
   
• One day we made an excursion to Las Arribes del Duero , which is the western part of the province, where the Douro River is bordering Portugal. I don't know whether it was because of the season or because another reason, but this area didn't specially attract my attention, in spite of the fame it has.
   
• Another day we went south of the province, to visit the village of La Alberca, which we had been recommended. La Alberca is a town that has preserved the traditional character of its buildings and when visiting it you understand that reason why it is one of the main attractions of Salamanca. It is situated in the beautiful Sierra de Francia , with its impressive Roca de Francia (Rock of France) and near the valley of Las Batuecas , so we wished we had had more time for the visit than a single day.
   
• Then we left Salamanca, making a brief stop in the city of Avila ,, whose wall and old town are absolutely fantastic. There we ate at the restaurant Do? Guiomar , excellent though not cheap, and continued towards the city of Segovia.
   
• In Segovia we stayed at the Parador Nacional de Turismo de Segovia , which has a wonderful view of the city, but at the time of our stay it needed an urgent reform, both the rooms and common areas.
   
• The city of Segovia is another place well worth the trip. The aqueduct is shocking, the Alcazar is like something out of a fairy tale (in fact was taken as a model by Walt Disney for his castle), the Cathedral dominating everything and its steep streets make you taste the history (and good food, why not to say it) . I certify that pork roasted at the Segovian style in the restaurant Duque is wonderful.
   
• One day we did a tour of the nearby towns of Pedraza and Sepulveda , so pretty in its preservation as for the great gastronomic offer is based on roasts.
   
• Another day we came to La Granja de San Ildefonso , with its beautiful palace and royal gardens. It's really a pity that the springs are in operation more than a few days a year, what  to me makes it lose half of its beauty.
   
• Instead of returning directly to Valencia, to make the trip a little longer, we headed towards Soria, through the natural setting of the Lobos River canyon where we ate at the Bar Restaurante Ca?n del rio Lobos (family atmosphere, large portions of good food and affordable price) and without stopping in Soria we went on to Calatayud , in the province of Zaragoza, where we stayed at the hotel Calatayud , near the Monasterio de Piedra that I had wanted to visit for years.
   
• The visit to the Monasterio de Piedra , which is worth spending a full day, fully met my expectations, not so much by the monastery itself but mainly by the natural park which surrounds it and that is an absolute marvel, with its forests, waterfalls, caves, lakes, etc. To complete the visit they offer an exhibition of birds of pray quite interesting.
   
• As we still had one more day left we also did an excursion to the village of Utrillas (Teruel), where my wife lived when child as her father was the village teacher. Then, through the Gallocanta lake , which was very dry at that time, we headed to the beautiful village of Albarrac? , where despite the bad weather we could go a few hours for its steep pedestrian streets, enjoying its well-preserved traditional architecture.
   
• In summary:
  • The cities of Salamanca, Avila and Segovia are really worth, both to admire their well preserved historical centers and to gladden the palate with its wide range of cuisine, especially its various roasts and steaks.
  • The landscape of the region in general is fairly arid, with vast plains of monoculture that can lead to boredom, but with some precious areas as the Sierra de Francia, Las Batuecas and Las Arribes (in Salamanca) which contrast with the dominant landscape.
  • There are many villages well preserved and painstakingly restored, giving an idea of the sober life that should be lived in these places, not so long ago.
  • The traditional food dishes are mainly based on "strong" derivates of pork and lamb and pork roasts (Do not forget the stomach protector ...)
  • Regarding drinks, taking into account that the Ribera del Duero produces some of the greatest wines of Spain, there is not much more to say. There is nothing better to accompany a roast than a great glass of red wine from the region.
  • And outside the scope of Castile and Leon, if you love nature and enjoy the natural beauty, you must visit the Monasterio de Piedra at least once in your life

Click on the links of the map below to see some Photos and information of the area in my photo album.

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