 A small hamlet in the Province of Burgos, a cold day at the beginning of the year 1254, destiny focused on Vivar del Cid.
The breath of the horses condensed in the cold air and the small escort of heavily armed soldiers stamped their feet and wrapped their cloaks closer around themselves in an effort to keep in some of their heat.
Rodrigo de Vivar, El Cid, left the low, straw roofed cottage without a backward glance and looked with a critical commander’s eye at his men. On his orders they mounted and headed through the gates of the defending walls. A stone, kicked up by a speeding car landed heavily on the ground where, 6 centuries earlier, El Cid had faded into history.
Vivar Del Cid is today a small hamlet of some 230 inhabitants located about 10 kilometres to the north of Burgos. Its famous son, El Cid Campeador, left here in disgrace and never returned. He died in exile in 1299 after having carved himself a kingdom in Valencia, covered in glory and far from home.
Entering the village, an impressive monument to the invincible warrior greets the visitor, his sword defiant against injustice. The few houses are carefully restored and the church, St Michael the Archangel, an elegant Gothic structure, gazes over the flat plains of the north of Burgos. There’s not much else to see.
An attractive convent, now housing nuns of the Order of Clarisa, has been attractively restored but, if it weren’t for the famous mercenary and warrior, Vivar Del Cid probably wouldn’t hold much attraction for the casual visitor. That is, of course, apart from the fabulous tavern of the Molino del Cid, an old windmill that has been converted into an inn and restaurant and in which the ancient mill machinery has been frozen in time and now sits massively in the middle of the bar.
The journey to Vivar Del Cid is not only worth an appointment with history but also for the roast lamb, a specialty of Castilla and Leon and, well, it has to be tasted to truly be believed.
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More information:
http://www.vivardelcid.com/
http://www.pueblos-espana.org/
http://www.ruraliberica.com/
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