A couple weeks ago a friend was visiting and we took advantage of a free day to go to Sahagún, a village in Leon, and then to Montuerto, in the north of Leon, to swim in the river pool there. This was my third time swimming at Montuerto, but apparently only the first time writing about it! Montuerto and Sahagún are actually not that near to each other, but it’s a super nice place to swim, with sparkling fresh mountain water, and we had the whole day, which was more than enough time.
Sahagún is not that big, with a population of only 2400, but its historical importance is significant. Alfonso the VI, king of Leon in the 1000s, is buried there, in the monasteries real de San Benito, along with his FIVE wives — something I feel like I should learn more about haha. (On a side note, his daughter, Urraca, was queen of Leon and Empress of Spain and is buried right here in Leon, in San Isidoro. I will have to check that out one day!)
In addition to the monastery where (some of) the royalty of Leon is buried, we also saw the Iglesia de San Lorenzo, the Iglesia de San Tirso, and the Santuario de la Peregrina.
It’s an important stop on the Camino de Santiago and has Easter processions, both of which lead to it having more tourists than the average spanish town.
After visiting Sahagún and taking a pit stop in Palencia for the patatas bravas (of course!) we made our way to Montuerto for some afternoon swimming. If you’ve never been and you’re in the north of Spain, it’s a must! And if you have any other favorite swimming spots (that aren’t a typical beach!) let me know, I love river and lake swimming!
Until next summer 😉