Just three words

Sometimes I do wonder.  We are passing, according to Google, A Folgueirosa.  This is a historical landmark.  The picture shows spindly ivy encrusted trees.  There are no reviews but somehow someone has marked it as ‘kid friendly.’ It is not marked LGBTQ+ friendly.  Maybe it is indifferent.  From the road it looks like an old building.  We could make something up. I’m getting strong ‘5th century Cornish saint of whom we know nothing’ vibes. Let us pass on.



The next excitement happens when the AS23 turns off to the north.  By it is Pio Porcia. A nature reserve.  It has three reviews, averages 4.7 but only Benja had the decency to leave us some words. Three to be exact.  ‘Beautiful place. Magical.’





Better do another king.   Aurelius. He was a nephew of Alfonso I. It is all about to get very messy. When Fruela was assassinated the nobility of Asturias - and given how few people lived there and how scattered they were I am not sure an image of a wise and grey bearded multitude will cut it - picked Aurelius. He seems only to attacked his own people, the serfs rebelled - this could be the first recorded serf revolt on the Iberian Peninsula  Apparently he made peace with the muslims and and moved the capital city of . Asturias to San Martin del Rey Aurelio.  



Enter Silo.  Silo made it from 774 to 783. He was the son in law of Alfonso I and seems to have been elected king.  His mum may or may not have been a Muslim, Either way there was a bit of ‘peace in our time’ going on there. Given that Charlemange was rampaging round Spain at the time they probably had better things to do, Silo certainly had as Galacia rebelled .  Silo moved the capital to Pravia - which has some beautiful ancient churches. 



And with that, we end the day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Much a do about something

Image
  In North Lincolnshire there is an OS square which is all but empty,  In a single corner stretches a few metres of power cables to spoil the virgin whiteness.  Today’s walk is not so blessed with flat calm.  We will see trees.  We will see ups.  Views are compulsory.  Houses aren’t.  Let's talk about Asturias in the years from 718 to 757. In 711 the full force of the Islamic tide swept from North Africa into Visigothic Spain. At the Battle of Guadalete King Roderic and much of the nobility were killed and the Iberian Peninsula collapsed before the all conquering crescent.  The thing is, Asturias is a long way from the main body of Spain. It is a bit wet and more to the point lacking the plunder which was the way of paying the Army of the Conquest.  The Caliphate’s hold on Asturias was tenuous to say the least.  Enter  Pelagius. Pelagius has many myths swirling around him and a very butch Victorian statue in Gijon.  Accord...
Read more

In which a Roman Bridge and a Funeral Parlour are reviewed.

Image
  We are rising again. We are rising 20 of your earth metres today. We will be 818m above the level sea. We are about at the highest point in the Cheviot Hills. We cross the Rio Porma and into Villarente and Puente Villarente. Both these twin settlements, lurking along the roadside, have generally grown in size since 2000.   https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/art-culture-heritage/great-routes/way-saint-james/puente-villarente First we must cross the Roman Bridge. Coyotuco is back with a five star review: A beautiful BRIDGE with a lot of history but it is not PEDESTRIAN. For pedestrians they have made a PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY right next to it. We are passing by the Artesanias Luyma so let us gaze at their ceramic goodness. Let us wonder  https://www.artesaniasluyma.com/categorias/pereruela/ While we are here and we are passing the Tanatorio Camino de Santiago let us visit this 39 reviewed funeral home. It gets an average of 4.9 stars.  https://www.antamontalvo.es/esq...
Read more

Mini Pieces of Supposed tuna

Image
  Pina de Ebro has something for everyone who enjoys the architecture of Spanish pueblos.  It has the tiny lanes, on which houses have been rebuilt for generations without a care for the needs of the modern motorist.  We have the pathways which have been tiled over but once were dirt tracks.  We have the modern suburban developments of low rise houses and 80s hopefully aspiring shacks.  First all, however, we have a park. One thing we noticed, especially with a small boy in tow, was the number of parks with interesting play equipment.  This is because, in Spain, people seem to like children.  This does make them a semi-public property and people feel free to indulge them with sweetmeats and pass comments. ‘I think sucking thumbs makes children look ugly’ said one elderly woman.’ My Spanish for ‘well desiccated prune face, no one asked you’ deserted me.  The play equipment is in the Plaza Pilarin Artigas.  Honestly I’ve looked and was giving u...
Read more