It just keeps getting better

Ruins above the lake
The lake at Yeso
Leaving Pamplona we traveled east towards Huesca. Snow capped mountains rose to the left of us as we passed ancient villages situated on the top of hills. Several of these villages were abandoned, their walls crumbling back to the earth.

At Yeso we came upon a lake of bright turquoise. We drove along a river fringed by small farms through Puente La Reina.

Around Huesca we turned off towards the Monestario de San Juan de la Pena. Legend says that the monks of this monastery were early protectors of the Holy Grail. The building consists of a 10th century crypt carved into the rock face and an 11th century church housing the crypts of the early kings of Aragon.


Snow capped peaks

The road spiraled up the mountain past sheer cliffs and jaw dropping views of the snow covered Pyrenees. Suddenly around a corner we came upon the old portion of the monastery embedded into a cliff. We parked and walked around. We were the only people visiting this great location!

San Juan de la Pena

About a kilometer up the road we arrived at the new monastery set in a wooded grove. This one was built in the 17th century and was sacked by Napoleon. Only a few of the original walls and the facade remain. Inside the newer portion of the building was an exhibit by the painter Luis Torro. 




The exterior cloister

 We climbed back in the car and made our way down the mountain. We continued on towards Barcelona via the back roads. Along the way we passed the Castillo de Loarre sitting majestically atop a hill. Further along the road we also saw the ruins of Alquezar castle which is located in an old Moorish village.






The 17th century monastery 





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