Ciudad Rodriego and Siega Verde
Ciudad Rodriego (which is way far from the pass through the Pyrnees at Roncesvalles--for those of you who know the story of the legend of "El Cid") is a small walled city west of Salamanca on the way to Portugal. It has some restaurants, a church and a very unusual Museum of Urinals (yes, a museum of urinals), but is mainly on the tourist radar for locals not for Americans (unless they are in the neighborhood on home exchanges).
Siega Verde is a prehistoric rock carving site north of Ciudad Rodriego. The carvings are fabulous and almost no one goes. Some refer to the carvings as "sculptures", but they are not bas reliefs. They are pictures of animals tapped into the rocks for reasons we do not understand. As these sorts of carvings were unknown to me before the trip, they were a real trip highlight. Please note: You can only visit the site at designated times on Spanish language tours. Because AlteCocker was the only one there for her tour (Isn't that nice?) and one of the guides spoke some English, some of her tour was in English, but you probably will not have the same luck.
Siega Verde is a prehistoric rock carving site north of Ciudad Rodriego. The carvings are fabulous and almost no one goes. Some refer to the carvings as "sculptures", but they are not bas reliefs. They are pictures of animals tapped into the rocks for reasons we do not understand. As these sorts of carvings were unknown to me before the trip, they were a real trip highlight. Please note: You can only visit the site at designated times on Spanish language tours. Because AlteCocker was the only one there for her tour (Isn't that nice?) and one of the guides spoke some English, some of her tour was in English, but you probably will not have the same luck.