I have just returned from a nice day trip, I have visited the Antiques and Crafts Fleamarket, Antico, in Medina de Pomar and I have to admit that it has inspired me to write a few lines about the fair, the town and the valley
I don’t know much about the Castilian lands but the more I visit them, the more I like them and the more I connect with the history that the lands of the Cid evoke. Las Merindades is an area located in the north of the province of Burgos, a region known as the cradle of Castilian with a lot of history to discover, Romanesque churches, castles, ancestral homes and an endless number of natural monuments in an unprecedented natural landscape.
Medina is also part of the last route of the Emperor Charles V and feels identified with this route, as the third weekend of October, the city turns its back on the Commemoration of the Charles V Route and becomes more medieval than ever.
As you enter the old quarter of the city, you will find stalls and even antique shops that contrast with the works of art hung all along the street until you reach the Plaza Mayor and Alcázar, where a large part of the fair is held.
An annual event that has acquired a certain value over the years, where you can breathe in the atmosphere of the past, paying homage to traditional trades. Books, comics, antique furniture, clocks, paintings, household goods, toys, farm implements and many other items and curiosities that will take you back to your childhood and you will not fail to remember and feel those wonderful years shared with your loved ones.
A city full of history, mystery and beauty, surrounded by a high wall for its protection, you can imagine how a bustling day in medieval times would unfold as you stroll through its narrow, steep and cobbled streets, with its artisans and merchants making a living while letting the powerful aristocracy and nobility of the time pass by in their golden carriages pulled by four swift horses.
What better way to end the day than to enjoy the Castilian gastronomy in the restaurant La Taxuela, www.lataxuela.com, a renovated historic building from the 14th century that served as a defence tower, which still retains the charm of that time with the comfort of today and which one imagines sharing table and tablecloth with Queen Isabel the Catholic, with her voluptuous dresses of exquisite fabrics, her impressive crown and her imposing cross of Santiago, engaged in a passionate conversation about her great weakness which is painting and works of art?
Discover Medina, discover the Merindades!