In April 2012 Ursula Kampmann travelled through Northern Spain. During the summer she published her numismatic diary of this travel. Here you can read all single parts.
Part 1
Romans and Celts aren’t exactly what come to mind when you think of Northern Spain. I had basically expected this trip to be just a one-time foray into medieval times, with perhaps a few ancient bits thrown in for good measure. But I was completely off the mark – Northern Spain has so much more to. Read Part 1 here.
Part 2
The second leg of our tour through Northern Spain took us to the region that gave us the Reconquista, through the difficult terrain of the plateau and high mountain regions. Forget everything you thought you knew about Spain, and join us as we make our way to Cangas de Onís. Read Part 2 here.
Part 3
Can you hazard a guess as to which European country is the most mountainous after Switzerland? Austria? Not a chance! It’s Spain. And besides being incredibly mountainous, Spain can also boast the best-preserved Roman city wall anywhere in the world. Join us on the third leg of our incredible trip. Read Part 3 here.
Part 4
Santiago! Saint James de Compostela! The last few years have seen an incredible renaissance in people making pilgrimages to him. Despite this surge in popularity, we were quite happy to be making our way towards him by car and not by foot, since this meant we could easily make a quick detour to A. Read Part 4 here.
Part 5
The English are said to have captured 1,500,000 pounds sterling during their attack of Vigo. That’s a lot of silver! More than enough to make us want to take a peek at the shallow waters of the cove for ourselves in the hopes that something had been left over. Read Part 5 here.
Part 6
You’ve probably never heard of Las Médulas. And yet, this site of the most important gold mines of the Roman Empire is now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The landscape of Las Médulas is staggeringly beautiful, so much so that we were distracted to the point of nearly getting completely lost. Read Part 6 here.
Part 7
This leg of our journey takes us along the old pilgrimage route towards Santiago. We visit a Mozarabic church in the middle of the mountains, drive over the Rabanal, the pass whose unpredictable weather patterns made it so feared among pilgrims, and arrive in the old capital of Leon, where the ‘Sistine Chapel of Romanesque art’ awaits us. Read Part 7 here.
Part 8
Today we’re visiting Burgos, an important minting site of the Castilian kings. Then it’s on to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, known for the fact that its roast chickens occasionally have a tendency to come back to life! Read Part 8 here.
Part 9
Our travels through northern Spain are gradually drawing to a close. Today we’re visiting a few famous sites along the Way of St. James, including the mysterious Eunate. Our first destination, however, is the pantheon of the Kings of Navarre, Najera. Read Part 9 here.
Part 10
Ernest Hemingway made Pamplona famous. Ever since, thrill-seeking hooligans the world over have been going there for their chance to run with the bulls. And yet, Pamplona has so much more to offer! Join us on this final leg of our trip as we fall into a pit (!) and then manage to get out of it. Read Part 10 here.