Molinaseca, the beautiful Bercian stop on the Camino de Santiago
We discover the charms of Molinaseca , a town through which millions of pilgrims have passed and which is popularly known as ' The oasis of the Camino de Santiago'.
The Bercian town of Molinaseca It could well be the inspiration for a beautiful painting painted, line by line, with a picture to frame; of those are recorded forever in the retina.
Its mountains, its medieval stone bridge, its old mansions, its river beach and two churches that rise majestically on top of the town, They have captivated each of the pilgrims who came to this place with which they fell madly in love. (so much so that many of them have returned; some, even, to stay and live here forever).
WE START THE ROUTE
We arrive at Ponferrada, the capital of El Bierzo, the second most populous municipality in the province of Leon (387km from Madrid on the A6). The Camino de Santiago also passes through this city of Templar history and from here, in just 15 minutes (7 km along the LE-142), we got to Molinaseca , considered an artistic historical complex.
Pilgrims arriving in Molinaseca
We are surprised to find a multitude of hostels, inns, rural houses, family accommodation and two hotels in a town of 800 inhabitants.
Santiago's footprint is evident. We decided to stay in the Rural House The Clock to return on this journey to the tradition and magic of the past.
We are received with great enthusiasm by one of the owners, the journalist Alfonso Red , which thus defines his house, our house: "an idyllic place where the phone doesn't ring , the television does not disturb and time stops without anything being as important as enjoying the calm”.
As he leads us to our room he tells us the story of this large noble house that served as a stable, barn and housing for the employees of the Palace of the Cangas and Pambley , to which it is linked by an elevated passage. Is 18th century mansion It has nine rooms, all with bathroom, and can accommodate up to 24 people.
Molinaseca (Leon)
They prepare hot tea for us in the large stone-paved room with two fireplaces in which storks nest. . Alfonso makes us feel at home:
“Whenever I can, I come here to disconnect from Madrid. I have very good memories as a child in this palace and that is why I married my ex-wife here (the journalist Ana Rosa Quintana) It was an unforgettable wedding, with that magic of the past in which these stone walls surround you".
"Have you seen the main facade? It presents several coats of arms declared a Site of Cultural Interest with the arms of the Cangas-Pambley family. . I have many places to recommend to you in Molinaseca, those who know it always come back", he points out. And so much so, we will return.
At the hostel they recommend El Hotel Restaurante de Floriana, an accommodation with a dining room where taste its traditional fusion cuisine . receives us José , which invites us to choose between eating inside or in its beautiful garden. And so begins a gastronomic festival that exceeds our expectations.
The statue of the Apostle Santiago in Molinaseca
We started with various appetizers: foie bonbon, eel croquette and gyozas stuffed with creamy botillo . The dishes are small... because six more are coming now: cream of crabs and prawns, free-range chicken cannelloni au gratin, scallop carpaccio, strawberry mojito to refresh, blueberry caviar and tempura octopus. A real explosion of flavors!
And although we haven't left room for dessert, Jose convinces us: a nougat coulant, raspberry coulis and citrus thyme ice cream. Undoubtedly, a place for demanding palates that will be delighted thanks to its innovative haute cuisine.
Molinaseca stands out for its natural environment but also for its history, captured through its monuments. We get lost through its cobbled streets until we reach one of its great treasures: the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows , whose great tower rises at the foot of the Camino de Santiago, as do its side porticoes from the 17th century.
Its other parish church dedicated to San Nicolás de Bari is located on another hill in the town and every day at 12 in the morning its chimes interpret the melody of 'Ave María de Lourdes'.
Calle Real is the main artery of the town , is full of atmosphere not only tourists and pilgrims. It shines the lordship and the distinction of its stone houses, mansions and palaces . In the distance, we see a large queue and we approach. We entered out of curiosity and were greeted by Vanesa, the town pharmacist.
Streets full of charm in Molinaseca
After a few minutes of conversation we understand everything. Vanesa is Majorcan but she discovered this town that she fell in love with more than 10 years ago. , as its inhabitants have also made of it. Her life is her pharmacy and her two children were born in this town, more Bercianos than Majorcans.
This pharmacist treats all her neighbors as if they were her family. Suddenly we find ourselves in a sort of Pharmacy open , a place where stories happen to write a book.
We're going on a wine round . There are dozens of wineries throughout the town. With each drink, a generous skewer. we start with The cherry trees , where we tried her bacon; then Charlie's cellar , famous for its tasty burgers; and in Real, where 'el ramonín' is served (this is the name of its owner), which is Half cup. The streets are impregnated with a festive character and good atmosphere.
We finished on the terrace of the Mesón Puente Romano, with the sound of the Meruelo River at our feet. Juan Carlos gives us another round.
"The 17 of August we celebrate our great water party which is of provincial tourist interest, the streets are filled with foam and the whole town joins in a war of cauldrons of water that It ends with a great orchestra here in the main square. We also have the San Isidro festival on May 15 , a parade of cars is organized and people dress up as farmers. Y the magist of november brings together hundreds of people. Here the important thing is to celebrate. The fact that? Well, whatever!” he comments.
we ended up having dinner traditional and generous homemade tapas while the moonlight reflects on the river. takes us out a variety of house shots, of coffee, cuturrús (homemade brandy), orujo cream… and we toast: When in Rome, do as the Romans.
The next day, we wake up wanting to get lost along one of its routes. Although we stopped before have breakfast at Señor Oso, a hostel/bakery playing jazz music and smells of freshly baked bread. We are served by its owner, known as Mr. Bear:
Hermitage of Our Lady of Sorrows, Molinaseca
"I have prepared you A good breakfast to charge the batteries. Fluffy milk brioches**, cream puffs filled with cream and strawberries, and a braid of cinnamon and caramelized hazelnut. Coffee or hot chocolate? ”, He tells us he. East young man from Madrid , after doing the road, one day he wondered if he was happy and when in doubt he decided to leave everything behind to start a new life in Molinaseca.
The natural environment in which this town is located is a paradise for nature lovers in which there are several routes to do on foot or by bicycle.
The route of the Malpaso Bridges , one of the best known, takes us to know several bridges of medieval origin. Although we choose the route of the viewpoints , which is much shorter.
We start from birth forest , in which each child born in the village has his own tree , which carries a plaque with his name, with the intention of promoting the birth rate. On a tour of 3 km (one hour and a half) , we reached two viewpoints, the one with the grove and the one with the forest , with heart-stopping views of the mountain and Molinaseca.
Route through the 'big bridge' of Molinaseca
The series was shot here 3 paths , starring Alex Gonzalez , although he is not the only celebrity who has visited the town.
We stopped to eat at the Hotel Casa Ramón, which has photographs with the king, the coach Vicente del Bosque or the ex-soccer player Schuster . But for being famous in the area, Ramón himself, known for having the best meats in the region and a wide variety of fresh fish and seafood.
Sirloin steak with foie in port sauce , ribeye, lamb chops , entrecôte, suckling lamb, botillo (pork meat typical of the area) and homemade food with a clear motto -“from the garden to the table”- , a gastronomic temple with 25 years of experience.
In the afternoon we visit the Encima Wines winery , which has organized a day of Yoga & Wine.
View of Molinaseca
From its viewpoint, with views of its vineyards, we begin the yoga class taught by Ana from Intrayoga Radha , a young librarian from Ponferra who, After traveling to India, her life changed forever.
After a regenerative class of body and soul, we visited the cellar of Encima Wines, what Manolo teaches us; is the third generation of winemakers: “We have more than 100 years making wine from El Bierzo , with a harvested by hand and ecological".
We tried their different wines (Otero Santín and Para sample a Button) and we meet José Moro, the president of Emilio Moro wineries , which stores more than 100,000 liters of wine at Above Wines.
“Molinaseca has changed my taste for wine, before I didn't like white wine very much and when I discovered the Godello grape from here, got me hooked to the point that I am going to build a large reference winery here. I fell in love with El Bierzo, where I have made several wines. Now I want to take them to 70 countries in which Emilio Moro is present”, he comments.
We leave Molina with our taste buds exorbitant, but first we stopped at the gastrobar El Bordón to take home a piece of Bierzo with one of its famous rice dishes , which is essential to try. We chose the one with Iberian secret, pork and pepper from El Bierzo , although that of blue lobster it also smells like it feeds.
They say that the Camino de Santiago makes you a better person, and after this trip we believe that perhaps it is thanks to its locals, always friendly and hospitable , like those of Molinaseca.
This is the town where you want to buy a house well to go on vacation or to stay to live and that your children grow up with the traditions of times past that, in many ways, were better. We will be back!