Hello all!
Today I went on a tour of three of the most significant castles still in existence here in the region. The region I am in is called Castilla y Leon, and thus, there have historically been many castles here. They were built to protect the wealthy families and towns, and to keep invaders out. Spain had many wars about their territory, and the walls of these castles were very thick (3 meters, or about 10-11 feet, frequently).
First stop was at the Castillo de Coca, which is the name of the town. It was the biggest castle we saw, and it was beautiful. They began to build it in 1453, and is one of the most impressive castles of Spain.
The second castle we went to was the Castillo de Peñafiel, and it was on top of a hill, surrounded by the plains of Spain (sidenote: The rain in Spain does not fall mainly in the plains). From faraway it looked really imposing and if I were an invader, I would not mess with it. Upon arrival up to the top of the hill though, it was very interesting in that it wasn't actually that large. And it was constructed in the shape of a ship. Strange, since it's a castle, and in the middle of land. This was due to the shape of the hill, and provides the best observation of the surrounding lands.
The third castle was the least impressive, of Cuellar, and it was very strange. They didn't let us take pictures inside, and it soon became apparent why. There was a very unusual role-playing reenactment of the times...it was very complicated and really very...strange. It lasted 2 hours, and by the end, I was very happy to hop back on the bus.
That's today's update. 2 more weeks to enjoy Spain and then I'll be home!
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