| |
Castile and León (Castilla y León) is the heartland of Spain -historically, aesthetically and culturally- and is the region that shaped the nation's history. Its lofty central plains with open skies was frontier land, where castles and walled towns marked the slow push south of Christian forces in their struggle against the Moors. Spain's legendary hero, El Cid was born here and was active in the removal of the Moors from the region.
Valladolid, the city on the River Pisuerga, preserves an interesting Renaissance group of buildings in its old quarter, made up of houses, palaces, churches and one of its most symbolic buildings, its Cathedral.
Valladolid has its own main airport. It enjoys an intense cultural life thanks to its situation as a university city, as well as events like the Seminci, Spain’s big film festival.
Castilian cuisine in which all the specialities of the region are present, from the many soups to the roasts, including vegetables offered in a variety of forms. Some restaurants seek out the roots of traditional cookery. Others, however offer imaginative specialities, and Outstanding wines!
Castile and León stands on a high plateau, with mountain ranges to the north that shield it from the coast. To the east the Iberian mountains separates the region from the basin of the Ebro River, and to the south the Gredos and Guadarrama ranges sever the plateau into two, separating Castile and León from Madrid and Castile-La Mancha. Although many imagine Castilla y León as a vast dry plain in which wheat fields cover the land, the region is unexpectedly mountainous, dotted with lakes, often covered with forest land, and drained by the splendid Duero River that travels west through the region to Portugal.
|
|