May 19 Ponferrada (still)

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Quiet day today. David and Rick took a break from riding and we spent the day looking around Ponferrada.

The big attraction here is the Templars Castle. We took a 2 hour tour today. The Knights Templar's were a monastic military order that was formed to protect pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages. This castle in Ponferrada was intended to protect pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. After the Templars were disbanded in the 13th century by a suspicious Catholic Church, the castle passed through the hands of several local aristocratic families until it became obsolete with the advent of gunpowder. One description we read said that control of a castle during the Middle Ages was the equivalent of possessing a nuclear weapon today. It was the ultimate weapon of war for its day. You can see how this castle developed over several hundred years with the addition of more and more defence structures, especially those defending the main gate.

David and Rick are back on the road tomorrow. Looks like another tough day over a mountain.

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Photos

Templar Castle
The main gate and drawbridge.

Templar Church
Templar cross on wall

View of hills from castle parapet.
These are the hills ridden down yesterday. Tomorrow's hill look just the same.