Driving through the Spanish countryside is an experience of constantly changing landscape. Whatever the weather, the scenery is delightful. You never know when a castle will pop up on a hilltop or strange rock formations loom out of the misty valleys. Then suddenly, the sun returns and you find sparkling lakes and rivers that seem to appear and disappear at will. The terrain at times appears completely empty and devoid of human habitation, then over the next hill, a church spire announces the presence of a town. For Gillian and I, it was a fantastic experience - unexpected snow not withstanding. From Cuenca's hanging houses to Monserrat's rugged beauty, it was a feast for the eyes at every kilometre.
During our drive, we visited several small towns, churches and castles. In the north, it seemed there had been a competition to see how many castles could be built. Castles seemed to appear on every other hill top with startling regularity. One of the best ones we visited was Belmonte Castle. We were allowed to roam over it, seemingly at will, with very few areas unavailable for viewing. I got to climb all the towers and onto the rooftop as well. Was cold and windy but worth the effort. The lovely medieval town of Calamocha with its walls and towers, also boasts a very small but lovely roman bridge.
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| Belmonte Castle (Main Gates) |
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| Armoury, Belmonte Castle |
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| View of Walls and Town, Belmonte Castle |
The Hanging Houses at Cuenca have an international reputation. Unfortunately, it was raining very heavily when we were there so only a couple of photo opportunities, then back to the car to try and warm up and dry out. The houses were originally built back from the river edge, but over time, the current undercut the cliff and the houses now appear to have sprung up out of the cliff face like magic. Very spectacular valley and cliffs.
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| Cliffs outside Cuenca |
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| View of old Cuenca through valley |
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| Hanging Houses, Cuenca |
Ciudad Encantada (Enchanted City) is a nature park between Cuenca and Teruel with unusual rock formations. It was snowing whilst we were in the park, so very cold. We still managed to complete the full circuit after taking shelter in a rocky overhang, despite the snow. Luckily there is a hostel near the entrance to the park that served wonderful food and of course, vino tinto! We were well fed and warm before we continued our journey.
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| Snow in the mountains between Cuenca and Teruel |
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| Rock formations, Cuidad Encantada |
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El Hombre (The man) rock formation
at Cuidad Encantada |
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