We were headed east to avoid the rain which would soon hit Galicia and after driving up and through the spectacular Sil River Canyon we stopped at the small city of Monforte de Lemos in Galicia’s Lugo Province for a bite to eat and a short wander.
Monforte de Lemos proved a bit of a revelation. Dominated by the Monte de San Vicente with it’s old Castle Keep, Palace of the Condes and hilltop Monastery of San Vicento do Pino (now a Parador Hotel), Montforte de Lemos is a deserving capital of the Ribeira Sacra – an area known for it’s wine and monasteries. I’m jumping ahead of myself, I know but; I discovered that the Mencia grape is grown here and this grape is generally used to produce quality red wines which go perfectly with a peppered steak or even chicken fajitas, to say nothing of Ossau-Iraty cheese. Yes, we stopped for something to eat and I sampled the wine and some cheese (Queso Idiazabal from Spain’s Basque Country) and I am wholly converted but; sorry, back to the city of Monforte de Lemos.
Upon arrival, we chanced upon the very last parking spot near the Parque dos Condes. This is a delightful municipal park in the centre of the city with a small lake, tiny pedestrian bridges and very pleasing gardens. It’s also close to what is perhaps the most imposing building in the city – the Nosa Senora da Antigua which is a school, church and museum combined; inside of which are various ‘sacred art’ paintings by the illustrious Domenikos Theotokopoulos (the artist better known as El Greco). Impressive is an understatement.
We wandered the city centre for the best part of an hour, passing over and under the 16th century Ponte Vella as we did so, and marvelling at the total lack of tourism, before settling down outside a tapas bar on the Praza de Espana for some food and that delicious wine I have already mentioned.
Of course, it’s only a matter of time before tourism takes off. There is already a camino here, the 267 kilometre Camino de Invierno (the Winter Way). To be fair, this route to Santiago (from Ponferrada) has been in use since the Middle Ages but has largely been forgotten. It was used by pilgrims during the winter to avoid the heavy snowfalls on the mountain pass of O Cebreiro that walkers of the Camino Frances would otherwise encounter.
The final word on Monforte de Lemos has to rest with the local wine… Lol.
Next stop, the campsite at Vega da Espinareda in Castile y Leon Region. Haro beckons.