Storming the Castle


Calatrava La Nueva
Leaving Minerva. Luis, Luis and Jane
Today is our last full day in Spain. We departed Hacienda Minerva near Zuheros late morning and started the drive towards Madrid. Of course since we were leaving it was an incredibly sunny day. About half way to Madrid we decided that we wanted to take a different route. We had already traveled the same roads on our way from Madrid towards the southern coast and we wanted to see something new. We turned off the main road and headed to Calatrava La Nueva. Located near the town of Almagro this medieval castle and convent is located on a remote, isolated mountaintop known as Alacranejo. Directly across from Calatrava La Nueva is an older Moorish castle.
 
The Castle and Convent at Calatrava La Nueva
We followed the medieval, stone road that coiled around the mountain leading to the castle. As we arrived at the top, we saw that the entire area was empty. As we neared the main gates we saw that the castle was closed until much later in the day.

Our entrance
The normal entrance

We were disappointed as we were not able to wait around for it to open. We spent about forty five minutes walking around the exterior of the structure, admiring the views. As we turned one corner we saw that there was a breach in the wall with a small footpath leading up to the interior of the castle.






Castle from the inside
The castle exterior 
We looked around, still saw no one around and decided to storm the castle. Once inside the quiet was eerie. We knew we were trespassing but in realty the front gates to the castle had been left unlocked. From the top we could see for miles around. 


Looking across to the Moorish Castle 
The Moorish Castle
On the way down the hill we were able to see the Moorish castle on the opposite hill. This castle had no direct access and we did not have the several hours it would take to walk up to it.






Back on the road we drove through endless, small agricultural communities. At several points we had to slow down as we were sharing the road with tractors traveling between fields. We passed through the town of Almagro.


The pretty streets of Almagro
This pretty little town saw its heyday during the 15th and 16th centuries under the influence of the Fuggers. The town had a lovely long, arcaded plaza.


Can't resist the Torros
As the day was getting late, we still had a way to go, we decided to continue our journey. Along the way we passed several more Torros and Tio Pepes. We are really fascinated by these former adverts. Perhaps, we could one day return to document each one of them.


 
There are a couple of other signs in Spain that are interesting to us. The first is the marker for each town. Upon arriving in the town you see the name in red letters on a white background. As you leave the town you see the same sign only this time it has a big red line through the name. It is sort of like crossing the place off a list as you leave. Or, when you are leaving a town and do not want to, you are reminded by the sign that you are going the wrong way.
Crossing it off the list

 The other is a sign that reads Bandas Sonoras. While these are really speed bumps, we like to think it is a Sonoran Band. We kept having visions of turning the corner to see Calexico and Mariachis Luz de Luna, playing music on the side of the road.
 
Mexican Rock Band?
We continued on to Madrid.  Finally, after a long drive that took much longer than we had planned, we pulled into the city. After driving in circles for a while, due to the complex one way street system near Atocha Train Station, we found the rental car return garage. We gathered our belongings and said goodbye to our trusty wheels. We lugged our suitcases around the busy streets, onto two metros and up and down many stairs; until we arrived back at Christine and Seb's place. We felt awful as they had been waiting for us for some time. We had been unable to contact them from the road. Nonetheless, they made us feel very welcomed and we were soon feeling like we were home. We had one more really enjoyable evening; swapping stories about their trip to Cuenca and our the various places we had been over the last week. We are really going to miss these guys!




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