Not this past weekend but the weekend before, my boyfriend and I planned a weekend getaway around the Valentine’s Day gift he gave to me: a trip to a spa. Near the border of Portugal in a beautiful area of Spain, we planned a route that I share with you all.
We started in La Alberca, a small but very touristy town surrounded by greenery. I also was able to see snow (for the first time this winter!) although it was actively melting, the whole town plagued by drip-drip-dripping no matter where you went.
After walking around a bit and looking at shops, we continued on to Ciudad Rodrigo, where we would spend the night. It was a charming little city (about 13,000) with a main square that is actually the street, which is uncommon for Spain. Of the only 5 hotels, we were able to stay in one with a view to the main square, which was very pretty.
Ciudad Rodrigo had beautiful views of the surrounding area as well as a large cathedral–extra large if you consider the size of the city. It was a nice place to go for a “paseo” as we say in Spanish, or a long walk with no particular destination. You could also climb up the old city walls and walk around the entirety of the old city, which was about 3 km (almost 2 miles).
On Sunday morning, we traveled on to Almeida, a town in Portugal which is known for being the only town left unconquered by Napoleon, and one can see why. Protected by massive walls, what you can see upon entering the town is that it is actually a set of two walls, making it nearly impossible to enter the town. Below I will put some of my pictures, but also a picture taken from Google showing the layout of the town. As can be seen, the shape of the walls have been maintained in their former star shape, and it’s really cool.
Although the city center inside the walls was fairly deserted, the large majority of the town’s 8,000 inhabitants having moved to suburbs outside the walls, it was a pretty village to walk around. Only about 500 inhabitants remain inside the city walls.
Finally, it was time to go to the spa! Located in a tiny village with nothing else in it (population approximately 142), Bermellar was surrounded by jaw dropping scenery. The spa itself was nice, but again, the scenery was to die for.
We had to pass through the Arribes del Duero National Park, which is where the second picture was taken. All in all, it was a lovely weekend filled with what I love best. Another route through small-town Spain, check.