On our way north from Madrid we stopped at Peñaranda de Duero for the night and discovered a lovely castle and below it, a little old town with the Plaza Mayor, timbered houses, a pillory and a palace.
 |
Castle of Peñaranda |
 |
Parking for the Night |
 |
Below, the little town of Peñaranda |
The castle of Peñaranda de Duero was built in the 11th century during the reconquest to ward off attacks of the Moors. The castle was of course only accessible via the drawbridge. In the keep, an interesting exhibition on the life in a castle finally leads you to the top, from where we had a great view over the valley. The long and narrow form of this castle reminded us of the castle of Peñafiel, which we visited during our trip through the wine areas of Spain some years ago.
 |
St. Ana |
The timbered house on the right is the Posada Ducal, where we finally went for a late dinner at the bar, where the farmers of the area and the host had a discussion on taxes and all the bad things the government does to them while we enjoyed the local wine.
 |
Pillory, once outside the city walls now decorating the Plaza Mayor |
 |
Twig of the day |