• ShaunLCCamino de Santiago - May 2025Traveler
    The Ponferrada castle, home to the Knights Templar in the 1200s
    Outside the entranceThe ramp up to the entrance gatesView from the battlementsInside the keepView over the keepThe courtyardsWalking the battlementsView from one of the higher towersView over the cityThe keep from the courtyards3Top of the tower1Original Leonardo sketch of The Last SupperOriginal Leonardo sketch of The Last SupperOriginal prototype of a scene from The Last SupperOriginal prototype of a scene from The Last SupperOriginal prototype of a scene from The Last SupperHmm, I'm still getting used to some stuffBasílica Nuestra Señora de la EncinaAltar of Basílica Nuestra Señora de la EncinaTorre del Reloj, the clock tower gate to the old city

    Day 26 - Ponferrada

    May 25 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    The afternoon exploring the Ponferrada castle was interesting. It would have been better with improved signage around the castle, but enjoyable anyway.
    The unexpected highlight was stumbling on original artwork by Leonardo da Vinci, where he’d sketched out the concept for the Last Supper, and then prepared some image mockups of some of the characters in the final painting.
    Afterwards I popped into the Basílica Nuestra Señora de la Encina, the church built in the 1500s.
    The moment of the day was seeing the original Leonardo sketches and paintings.    Read more