Medinaceli, Spain 🇪🇸 2019 – Michael and Pam's Travels

Date: 1st October 2019

Travelled: 303 kms from Puerto-Lápice to Medinaceli in the Region of Castilla y León

Visited: Medinaceli

Stayed: Medinaceli municipal aire, free with services. N41.17150, W02.43147

Budget: 114 days @ €74 per day

We wave goodbye to the tour buses full of Chinese in Puerto-Lápice and make for the A4-E5. Initially our GPS takes us north for Madrid.

Some on the road photos between Puerto-Lápice and Madrid. Despite the scattered cloud it’s hot and humid.

The Madrid afternoon traffic near the airport needs an extra lane. The fact we stopped for a quick Lidl shop doesn’t help.

Some on the road photos once we escape the Madrid ring road and head north-east on the A2-E90. What does surprise us is how the temperature cools as we drive on. Four hours after leaving Puerto-Lápice we turn the Hymer off the freeway for Medinaceli.

Medinaceli, Castilla y León, Spain

Map of Medinaceli, the icon on our parking spot

We cross the Rio Jalón and start to wind our way up the hill to Medinaceli.

We arrive around 4.30, finding a park in the aire doesn’t seem to be an issue. We are joined by 10-12 others by evening,

According to our guide Medinaceli was once a Roman ( later a Moorish) stronghold. It stands high on a Plateau with spectacular views basically dominating the valleys that surround it. At 1200m in elevation it’s also the coldest place we have stopped since Ireland in June.

A highlight of our visit is the Arco Romano (circa 1 BC), the only triple arch Roman gate in Spain.

Once we are settled, we wander off to do some exploring. The place is a postcard but very quiet at 5.30 in the afternoon, everyone is asleep we presume.

Pam finds it hard to believe there’s not a dress shop in the Plaza. So I sit whilst she does one more lap.

The Ex Colegiata de Santa Maria was closed when we tried the door.

The views are panoramic in any directions.

Our walk done, we make our way back to the Hymer. We find we have a couple more neighbours. It turns very cold and windy on dusk, so we batten down for the night and eat in.

A cold morning follows (the coolest this year, so far). After coffee we go for another walk. Our guide book describes a Moorish castle but we haven’t found it yet.

The Arco Romano again but from the other side.

The Moorish Castle, don’t know how we missed something this big yesterday.

The front of the castle has had a facelift but in reality it’s just a ruin. What is more interesting is the area inside the old castle walls it has become a Christian cemetery. As the door was locked this was the best I could do.

We find the church is still closed as cut across the village to the Hymer.

On our return we service the Hymer and set the GPS for Zaragoza. So that was Medinaceli as we backtrack down the hill and back onto the freeway…

Michael and Pam

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