As we started to head back towards France we had the choice of going east or west of Madrid, with potential stopping-off points on each route. We opted to stay west and headed for Salamanca, knowing nothing about it, but we liked the name. Vestiges of the Roman conquest and occupation of Spain can be seen in many places but we were surprised to come across the beautiful remains of a Roman temple by the side of a road overlooking a reservoir- no fanfare or advertising. The temple was built in the 2nd century and it was probably dedicated to the goddess Diana. It was part of the forum in the Roman city of Augustobriga, which now lies under the waters of the reservoir.
At Salamanca we found a peaceful overnight parking spot a short walk from the city. When we set off the next morning to discover the city, a thick fog had descended, although the sun was trying to break through, so the charms of this beautiful city we had spied the previous evening were temporarily hidden.
As we arrived at the Roman bridge, almost as impressive as Cordoba’s, the fog lifted and the city revealed itself to us – and it was another gem. The cathedral led to a beautiful street of shops which in turn led you through to an amazing square – the Plaza Mayor. Charcuterie products are a local speciality and also hornazos, a meat pie similar to a pasty and stuffed with pork and chorizo.
Narrow streets leading from each corner of the square take you to different parts of the city. I was particularly interested to look at a former convent I had read about that now houses a Zara fashion store. When I was working as a project manager, the company I worked for, sister company of a Dutch project management firm, celebrated 10 years in business with a company do at a hotel in Maastricht. The Kruisherenhotel was a former monastery and the interior of the hotel had been constructed so that it could be removed and the building restored to its former state if required, so almost a ‘building within a building’. The Zara store is built on the same basis so we just popped inside to have a quick look.
Salamanca also has a Museum of Automotive History so we paid a visit on the way back to the van and even benefited from two-for-one entry as it was Valentine’s Day – a bargain. Most of the cars came from a private collection so there were some unusual examples including two F1 cars.
Joe is a huge fan of Clint Eastwood and the earlier westerns he starred in. He’ll happily watch them whenever they are on, however many times he’s seen them previously. It’s pretty well known that many Spaghetti Westerns were filmed in Spain, mainly in the Tabernas Desert near Almeria, and Joe has visited there previously. He was also aware that some filming locations for the 1966 film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly were not far from Burgos, another potential destination on our route home. So rather than go and look at another cathedral – Burgos apparently has a beautiful cathedral – we went in search of film locations. Helpfully the Burgos Film Commission website provides information and a route for the main locations.
En route to the first stop we made a quick stop at Covarrubias, a small town whose centre has been declared a Property of Cultural Interest, with arcaded streets and half-timbered houses. I particularly liked the waste bins and letterboxes all in a style of the old timbered houses.
From there we headed to the first location, the ruins of the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza. For those who have some knowledge of the film, the scenes where Clint Eastwood’s character is recovering after having been forced to walk through the desert, were filmed here. Dating back to the 11th century and, despite being in the middle of nowhere, the monastery was actually one of the most important monasteries in Castillo until it was decommissioned in 1835 so it felt a bit sacrilegious to be there just to see if Joe could recognise where the scene was filmed.
Joe spoke to a volunteer guide at the entry who directed him to the room where filming took place and we found a faded photo of the scene taped to the window. The only other evidence of the association with the film was a dog-eared old tourism leaflet stuck to the wall in the entrance and with some more helpful information about the filming locations in the area. The view of a ruined castle from the window of the monastery is clearly seen in the film although Joe suspects the scene was actually filmed in a ground floor room rather than on the first floor.
We continued down the road past another location where the Langstone Bridge battle scenes were filmed. The landscape and vegetation have obviously changed over the last 60 years, so the precise location is now overgrown, but we could at least discern the general area.
Our next location was the one that Joe was most keen to see – Sad Hill Cemetery – where the key final scenes of the film were shot. The ‘cemetery’ was actually constructed in 3 days by Franco’s Spanish Army troops. We knew that the road there was more likely to be a dirt track, but being seasoned off-roaders now we weren’t put off. At the village of Contreras we found the first sign for Sad Hill and set off up the unsealed road until we came to a car park. Despite not having seen any obvious advertising about the site we were surprised at the number of people coming and going and visiting the location.
A cultural association now looks after the site and ensures its upkeep and it was amazing to see that the cemetery exists practically in its entirety and totally recognisable from the film. For someone like Joe who is such a fan of the film, this place really was a highlight of our Spain trip, making up for all the cathedrals he has patiently visited! We extended the whole experience by staying overnight a few hundred metres up the hill, overlooking the cemetery.
The next morning we were on the last leg of our trip and managed to do a lovely walk in the Yecla Gorge about 15 minutes away, with huge griffon vultures watching overhead and hoping we might have a slip. Nothing to compare with what we missed at Caminito del Rey but a nice way to start the day. Unfortunately the bar selling Sad Hill beer was closed out of season.
Our final stop before we headed home was in St Jean Pied de Port, just over the border in France and known as one of the most popular starting points for the walking trail Camino de Santiago. As it’s in Basque Country the houses are all the traditional red and white colour. It’s a pity that the very first stage of the walk from St Jean Pied de Port is also one of the hardest -about 25 kms and all uphill with about 1365m of elevation, much of it on the road. In fact a lot of people apparently skip that stage and start at Roncesvalles, just over the Spanish border – who can blame them?
So that’s the end of our Spanish sojourn. We’ve really enjoyed it, in particular the scenery and sunshine. We’re probably never going want to spend months at a beach location in one place so the van gives us great flexibility to keep moving. There are some places we’d like to return to and so many more places that we didn’t get to see. Next time!
