French labyrinth in the Castle of Good Love.
We often travel with children to distant destinations in search of movie sets, unreal papier-mâché castles with which we want to awaken your fantasy and make your imagination fly.
But what if we decided take them to see a real castle? One with history, built in real stone and adorned with shields that treasure the essence of a region and remind us that there was a time when knights were as real as the watchtowers that now the little ones can run while they imagine that They fight with swords.
The Castle of Good Love, in the province of Salamanca, is well known for being a perfect retreat for couples, with the most romantic rooms and suites that, in some cases, preserve remains of the 11th century military fortress that it was. Not surprisingly, it was Alonso de Fonseca y Quijada, Bishop of Ávila, who acquired it in the 15th century to turn it into the stately palace where he would live away from gossip with his mistress, Doña Teresa de las Cuevas.
But, on this occasion, we have preferred live a more familiar adventure, one in which the fun sneaks between its almost four meter wide walls and in which the artifices invented by the great children's film producers are not necessary... Because reality (almost) always beats fiction.
THE FIRST INVASION
That access to the Villanueva de Cañedo estate, where the Castillo del Buen Amor is located, is via an unpaved dirt road augurs the beginning of fantasy. As the car approaches the property, the children are unable to take their noses off the window glass as they try to discover among the branches of the trees the profile of the battlemented towers.
One time cross over the moat (which is believed to have never had water, since there are not too many fountains in the area) and go through the gate –decorated with the Fonseca coat of arms– that once formed part of a large defensive wall, a reception full of unique old objects whose use, in some cases, it is necessary to explain to them.
A 21st century gentleman in a 15th century castle suite.
Old have studied the Middle Ages in school projects, but the little four-year-old doesn't really know what armor is, although he does know swords. The animal head trophies catch their attention and they are surprised by the number of guns hanging on the wall.
They quickly want to check in to get to the room as soon as possible, not without first asking, obviously, for the knight and princess costumes, that they very courteously provide in this Posada Real de Castilla y León. They are happy with their new clothing (which they will not take off during the whole weekend) and we are happy with the fact that they have upgraded us to a superior suite with lounge so that we are all more comfortable once they place the two extra beds.
IN THE ROOMS
On the beds are children a complete children's welcome kit that includes a toothbrush, gel and shampoo, a sponge in the shape of animals and paints to color the small backpack that contains everything. What we find, on the other hand, is a complimentary bottle of wine: in 2012 the owners planted seven hectares of vineyards next to the castle from which they obtain monovarietal wines of tempranillo, pinot noir, syrah and sauvignon blanc.
The three of them spend some time painting on a sturdy wooden table without being aware of the centuries of history that it treasures, but soon they feel like go to know the different rooms of the castle (They can't wait for the free guided tour that the property offers on Sunday morning).
They sniff up steep stairs, run through courtyards, open chests (for them treasure chests), stop to investigate through windows and they ask a lot about the ghost. At some point they have heard us talk about this legend, and they want to 'be scared' with the story. Thank God we got the Gran Suite Fonseca and not room number 8. And I can read that far!
They discover that the restaurant where we will have breakfast (and where they serve traditional Castilian cuisine during lunch and dinner) were the old stables and it amuses them to imagine the horses feeding in the original stone troughs that still remain intact on the side walls.
GAMES OF OTHER TIMES
No doubt the tower that can be accessed by a narrow staircase It is his favorite place in the castle. They walk its perimeter without fear. Not so adults, who have to control their effusiveness when sticking their heads between the battlements. They will not get tired during the two days that this family getaway will last, going up again and again to see the surroundings from above: the hermitage of El Cañedo, the vineyards, the nearby fields... and the labyrinth.
The vegetable maze is perfect for children to entertain themselves while playing.
Oh, that French labyrinth! The turns that we will have to take through its vegetable corridors, today somewhat battered because of a fire that happened a couple of years ago. Although it has already been replanted, there are still very open areas where it is possible to cheat to reach the center and win a hypothetical race between those who venture to the left and those who run to the right at the beginning of the route.
THE FAREWELL
The day has come to return the costumes, to leave behind the stories of knights and princesses and to return to a reality in which there will no longer be treasure towers, king thrones, or labyrinths to get lost in.
And although the story ends, the children leave satisfied because the castle has met all their expectations... Well, except for one, that of running into that ghost they have been chasing for two days for their narrow corridors with low ceilings, under its Mudejar-style wooden coffered ceilings and between the infinite openings of its windows, those that let light through to the other side of four meter wide walls.
The one that was the main entrance of the Castle of Good Love.
Address: Finca Villanueva de Cañedo, Ctra. N-630, Km.317.6, 37799 Topas, Salamanca See map
Telephone: 923 355 002
Half price: From €74