According to the Cantar, El Cid and his 300 knights crossed the Sierra de Miedes at night to go unnoticed by the Moslem sentries. We left in the dark to avoid the heat of the afternoon, and to get to Atienza by lunch time.
We left Castilla y León and entered Castilla-La Mancha in the Province of Guadalajara.
Leaving Retortillo de Soria in the darkEl Cantar: “We’re crossing this wild mountain range, which reaches so high, And when we come down on the other side, we’ll be free of Castile.”El Cantar: “They crossed the mountain that night, and as dawn broke They began their downward descent.” We like to believe this is the very path used by El Cid
Miedes de Atienza (pop 60) belonged to the Muslim kingdom of Toledo in 1081 when El Cid passed by.
El Cantar: “They planned to stop at the high Sierra de Miedes, near the forts of Atienza, held by the Moors.” They camped on the flat plateau with the remains of a fortOur arrival at Miedes de AtienzaParish Church of the Nativity after the 18th century reconstruction Coat of Arms of the Miedes de Atienza Ayuntamiento (Town Council) dated 1074
Romanillos de Atienza (pop 42) name may be due to the existence of a Roman settlement nearby. A rich town in the past, which like many other mountain towns, was severely punished by the depopulation of the sixties.
Romanesque Saint Andrews Church from the 13th century Modifications from the 18th century inexplicably closed its arcaded galleryThe only church we found open – the woman cleaning came from Guadalajara 70 kilometers away to prepare the church for tomorrow’s massTypical house entrance – wooden double doors with one side split midway On the outskirts of Romanillos, a beautiful reddish stone Romanesque chapel. Its tiled arcade with wooden columns covers the Romanesque arch entrance Drovers road up through pine forest for our last climb
Atienza (pop 410) on the border between the Christian kingdoms of the north and the Muslim kingdoms of the south, meant that during the 9th to 12th centuries it changed hands on several occasions.
Atienza has a rich medieval heritage with narrow winding and steep streets. The bus to Madrid cannot get into the town and the bus stop is an hour’s walk away.
According to the Cantar, once El Cid leaves Castile and enters the Islamic territory of the Taifa of Toledo, they ride at night so as not to be discovered, avoiding fortresses such as Atienza, which he calls “a very strong rock”.Romanesque church of San Bartolomé, now a museum We stayed in the 16th century Palacio (mansion) inside the wallsThe Arch of the Virgin gate through the so-called first wall which was built in the twelfth century closest to the urban area Gate from Plaza España, outside the first wall, to the Plaza Mercado insideHouse with a corner balcony on Plaza MercadoWhen we arrived we were surprised to find it was Atienza’s medieval festival dayWe bought a Salchichón (salami) with goat’s cheese from the stallHorsemen preparing for the “Battle of Atienza”Atienza Castle dominates the surroundings. Established by the Arabs, the 11th century Christian conquest of Atienza transformed the appearance of the castleMy salvoconducto (safe-conduct pass) with the stamps of the different towns we passed through. With each stamp we got a button as a souvenir.
What an experience walking through the small historic towns most of which have less than 100 inhabitants, its people friendly and welcoming. There are nine themed sections of Camino del Cid totalling almost 1,500 kilometers. We’ve done about 300 so next year we’ll be back to continue.
