Tía poses with style during a walk through Las Médulas, in El Bierzo
What's wrong with it El Bierzo to have become best pet friendly destination in Spain 2020 in the Travelguau awards? Infrastructures adapted for dogs as well as a wide range of activities, accommodation, bars, restaurants and establishments to go to with our pet.
we got to Ponferrada (A6 exit 382 from Madrid), the capital of El Bierzo, and we find Angel Martin and Cristina Lopez of the Association of Owners and Friends of the Dogs of Ponferrada on the Godivah Coffee Shop, in front of the Castillo de los Templarios, the place most similar to a dog temple due to its careful decoration dedicated to them, our furry ones.
We order some waffles with cream for a snack while Ángel and Cristina tell us what they are the creators of El Bierzo Dog Friendly and that they had been working for several years to achieve this first position. “It has taken us a lot of time and effort but it has been worth it, we have finally achieved it”.
“This is the beginning of a great journey because I hope that, little by little, more establishments join this project”, Christina says.
They offer us a wide range of possibilities so that the getaway with our dog Lion Be unforgettable. We can choose between a hundred accommodations, in addition to bars, restaurants, museums, cultural and leisure spaces and shops of all kinds up to almost 300 places!
We love this destination because it is also complemented by a valuable natural environment crossed by dozens of hiking trails linked to wine tourism, since there are several wineries of the Denomination of Origin (DO) of Bierzo wines in which our dogs are allowed to enter.
At the next table, we meet Micaela and her dog, her aunt, that she is the canine protagonist of the main website specializing in leisure with dogs in Spain, Mr Dog , which joins our conversation.
Our dogs Lion and Tía begin to play, and our dogs' sense of good people is infallible, so We decided to discover El Bierzo together for 48 hours.
We take a walk through the historic center of Ponferrada full of great architectural jewels, such as the Castillo de los Templarios or the Basilica de la Encina. We cross Plaza de la Encina, Calle del Reloj and arrive at Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
we choose the restaurant 7 chairs to dine and savor the authentic berciana food with a clear motto: “from the garden to the table”. Manuel welcomes us with a cheerful character and a sudden friendliness that It makes us and our pets feel at home.
With a very succulent menu, finally we chose first pumpkin cream with black truffle oil and crispy cecina. And second, a handmade caramelized ham, accompanied by roasted peppers from the Bercian garden. Advice for foodies! Don't leave without trying its crown jewel: a foamy, soft and crispy cheesecake.
With a full stomach we go to our pet friendly accommodation, The Rock Suites & Spa, 15 minutes from Ponferrada, located on the top of a mountain in the town of Congosto and with the most spectacular views of the region.
Jorge, its director, shows us its surroundings and we are amazed at the panoramic views of the Bárcena reservoir and the Bercian mountains, that this rural hotel offers. There is a wide variety of routes to explore the area such as the El Zofreral route.
Its designer attic apartments are made of wood and are very well equipped with a living room, a kitchen-dining room and a garden area for our pets. We immerse ourselves in your spa while our dogs rest. we end the day between jets and bubbles while we watch a bucolic sunset that reminds us that the most important things in life are not things.
The next day we went up to Las Médulas, the largest open-pit gold mine in the entire Roman Empire. We walk with our dogs this natural environment, World Heritage, that leaves us speechless. There is no place in the whole of Europe quite like it. It reminds us of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado in Arizona, an extreme unearthly beauty that leaves us in awe.
We access its most emblematic caves, La Cuevona and La Encantada. Our dogs, by our side and without taking our eyes off them, are enjoying it as much as we are. If you do not know the area, you can opt for one of the guided tours that you can go with a pet.
We finish in the gallery and the viewpoint of Orellán, where we also access with our dogs. The views of Las Médulas from here are privileged and we immortalize the moment with a photograph to remember.
Las Médulas, the largest open-pit gold mine in the entire Roman Empire
We went down to Ponferrada to eat and we chose Lúa By O Pulpeiro to put on our boots with an avant-garde proposal made with ingredients laden with tradition.
Nuria welcomes us and tells us that “Seafood is an important part of our menu. We make them in different ways, giving them different nuances and flavours”. We first choose Garlic octopus with prawns and black garlic alioli and second, a creamy shrimp rice and clams flambéed with liquor 43. They recommend us for dessert boletus sponge cake, cardamom foam and pine cream, which is the result of the flavors of El Bierzo. Eating here is a true gastronomic festival!
To understand the history of this land, it is essential to immerse yourself in its vineyards and wineries. El Bierzo has a great wine tradition, with an important extension of vineyards in which high quality wines are produced within the Bierzo Denomination of Origin.
We choose the warehouse Above Wines, with more than a century of history, located in the town of Molinaseca and welcome to the D.O Bierzo.
Manuel welcomes us, greets our pets and tells us “Wine, like happiness, tastes better shared. And it seems essential to us that your dogs also have the option of sharing that moment with you”.
At Encima Wines, the dogs enjoy themselves as one of the family
He tells us the wine history of the land while teaching us the winemaking process from within. "We defend organic farming as a seal of quality." We visit his didactic vineyard where he explains to us the grape varieties of the region and prepares us a tasting of white, red and rosé wine.
“We have a suitable Bierzo wine for every situation, while we do the tasting, close your eyes and visualize that moment”. We lose track of time with the sound of birds, the smell of fruity wood and the taste that we have chosen the perfect getaway to enjoy with our dogs.
On our last day we wake up with privileged views at the Rock Suites and we go to Ponferrada to do some last minute shopping to bring some gifts to our relatives.
We can access florists with our furry ( cello flowers, Plaza de Abastos 102), to clothing stores ( Godet, on Calle General Gómez Núñez, 10) or to drugstores ( Tight, Calle Luciana Fernández 1) without worrying about someone complaining about the presence of our pet, who is polite and we don't lose sight of him for a moment.
Bars, museums, tobacconists, hairdressers, shoe stores, bookstores. Our dogs are welcome in all these places in the city of Ponferrada and in many other municipalities in the rest of El Bierzo: the custom of tying your dog up outside the establishment here is now old news.
Before leaving, we recharge our batteries in the Coherence Bar, where Martí receives us caressing our pets and playing with them while he gives them a little water. live music sounds that makes us dance subtly to the rhythm of his musical notes, We ordered a kit kat latte and a hot chocolate.
It smells of freshly baked bread and Martí tells us “Do you want to take a look at the prepared pinchos?” We don't think about it for a moment, and he gives us a Varied plate of vegetables in teriyaki sauce, scallops with Cabrales sauce, guacamole, Bercianos sausages and potato omelette. His good atmosphere makes us feel at home and also our dogs.
We say goodbye to El Bierzo knowing that we will be back very soon with our best friends because here to Lion and Tia they are treated and respected as they deserve. Until next time!
Its good atmosphere makes us feel at home and also our dogs