PONFERRADA y PEñALBA DE SANTIAGO (June 9)

We spent the day visiting a couple of places that were very cool. First, in Ponferrada we visited the Templar Castle that sits on the river that traverses the city. Here is a pictorial tour:

catapult balls

Our second adventure was to Peñalba de Santiago, a small town nestled in the mountains above Ponferrada. It has a beautiful 10th century Romanesque/Mozárabic church. From the village we hiked down into the Valley of Silence (a place where medieval monks would go to meditate in the caves located along the cliffs.

The Valley of Silence

These are the remains of a Roman road that lead up the valley. The Romans would bring water down from the mountains to use in their hydro-mining of precious metals in the nearby mountains.

In the little cantina next to the church the owners have dried flowers and other local plants hanging from the rafters at the entrance. It creates such a beautiful sight.

An "guarding" the city is Rocky III a very large mastiff (that is as gentle as gentle can be).