Exploring history in London & abroad with my camera
Potes is a small town in the far east of the Picos de Europa Natural Park in northern Spain. It lies in a valley with two rivers running through the town: the Quiviesa, and the main river, the Deva. It has an important town because of its location - on the route through the mountains from the…
Read More "The Mediaeval town of Potes in the Picos de Europa"
The road out of Santander to the Picos de Europa was good, and not too busy. Signposting was clear and we were soon out of the town and under way. The motorway from Santander to Oviedo The Picos de Europa from the Santander/Oviedo motorway [caption id="attachment_27754" align="aligncenter"…
We were travelling to Northern Spain by Ferry, but instead of leaving from Portsmouth as planned we were diverted to Plymouth and so the trip started with a long drive. Fortunately it was an uneventful drive and the weather when we arrived in Plymouth was warm and calm, promising a comfortable crossing through the Bay…
A wonderful time in Galicia was over all too quickly. We crossed the bridge into Portugal and headed for Porto Airport, and London.
The clouds lifted and after walking around Ribadavia we visited the Monastery of San Clodio before returning to Tui. Some date the monastery to the 6C, others the 10C. Some say it was the Benedictine monks who established the monastery as a prosperous agriculture centre, particularly skilled in wine production; others say it was the Cistercians. Today…
A misty start to the second-last day in Spain as we headed for Ribadavia, an old town on the Avia and Minho Rivers with its roots in Celtic and Roman times. Ribadavia was established as the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia in the 11C by King Garcia I. By 12C the town was flourishing through the expansion of the wine…
As with many religious building, the Cathedral in Tui was built on a site used for Christian worship since 5C. The current building was begun in 12C after waves of invasions by Normans and Saracens in previous centuries, and consecrated in 1225 AD. The building is difficult to see and appreciate, even though it stands on the…
