Spain – Castilla-La Mancha – Ciudad Real (En)
On Tuesday we left Marbella and Andalusia and we went to Ciudad Real in Castilla La Mancha, in the centre of Spain, South of Madrid where our friend Carmen lives and has a farm. We arrived in the afternoon and we stayed in the motorhome area of the city that was inaugurated only on March 6. The area is pretty big with services for empty and filled grey and black water, with a park next to it where you can play ping pong. It is only 10 minutes walk from the city centre, so it is great as it is free! Thanks to the city for this area.
We went to see the town through Gaset Park which is beautiful with a lot of fountains and ceramic benches showing the story of Don Quixote. When you finish the park you see the statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza who are the main characters of the classic novel by Miguel de Cervantes.
We met our friend Carmen in the 13th Century Cathedral of Santa María del Prado, it has a large nave and a very ornate baroque altarpiece, we went in and saw it but they were having mass so out of respect we didn’t take any photos. At night in one of the windows of the Cathedral they rotate the virgin so people can see it from the street and pray if they want. The old casino is located also in Cathedral square.
From there we went to Mayor Square, surrounded by bars and restaurants where you can have a drink with a free tapa. So we dinner free tapas, really cheap as the tapas are pretty big and Ben tried a typical tapas from here, egg with bechamel. In the square, you can find the Town Hall and the oldest building in the city which is called the Arc House, a 15th Century building although the facade is from the 18th century, and since 2005 a carillon clock has been installed on it.
Next, we visited San Pedro Church, one of the oldest in the city, from the 15th Century and Gothic style. Inside you will find an 18th-century altarpiece made with Talavera de la Reina tiles and the tomb of the chaplain of the Catholic Kings. We could not enter because it was already closed. On the way, we also saw the statue of Don Quixote.
The next day we went to have lunch with Carmen and Phil on the University campus, a menu for only 7,50 euros including drinks, starter, main course, bread and dessert. Ben, Phil and I had as a starter a dish of potatoes, calamari, and prawns, with an amazing salsa and veggies. Carmen had stuffed peppers. Our starter was so good that Carmen had it as a second course.
After lunch, we keep going on our city tour and we saw the Toledo Gate from the 14th century and the only remains of the Real Alcázar of Ciudad Real. It has six arches and two square towers, one on each side of the arches and on the walls the coat of arms of Castile.
Our next visit was to Spain Square where you can find the Diputación Palace and the Post Office building. Afterwards, we saw the Santa Maria del Prado Church.
We finished our visit to Ciudad Real by seeing the Cervantes Square where you can find the Cervantes statue and the Pozo de Don Gil Fountain and visiting Santiago Church which is late Romanesque and early Gothic from the late 13th-century and early 14th century. It has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest since 1982.
And the next day we went to Carmen farm which is next to a town called Calzada de Calatrava, cinema director Pedro Almodovar native town, and we visit also Almagro and the Calatrava Castle. All this tomorrow in the next blog!
