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| There is a
lot to do and see in
Cuenca, but it was the
guidebook photos of the
hanging houses that
enticed us to this town.
The old part of the city
is hemmed in on three
sides by a deep gorge
carved out by two rivers.
Along the cliffs of the
gorge, a number of houses
hang precariously on the
edge. |
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| Cuenca
Attractions: The
Cathedral
Museo Diocesano
Plaza
Mayor
Museo Arqueologico
Abstract Art Museum
A few more photos of
the hanging houses
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Perhaps
one of the most
photographed hanging
houses, this is also the
location of the Museo de
Arte Abstracto. As a
visitor to the museum's
gift shop, you can stand
on the balcony and enjoy
a personal view of the
gorge. The building dates
from the 1400's AD.
Using
Toledo as our home base,
we drove down the N-400
and spent the day in
Cuenca. We tried to
follow the advice of our
guidebook and take the
signs to the cathedral, but we soon found
ourselves snarled in
traffic and completely
lost. When I saw a
parking sign, I seized
the chance and pulled into
a somewhat
dilapidated parking
structure which was
located under a small
plaza. The nice parking
attendant gave us a map
of the city.
| Cuenca
is located about 140 km.
southeast of Madrid, by
way of the N-400 or N-320. |
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Photo
above - My son poses on
the bridge behind the
cathedral.
We
knew we were near the old
city when we spied the
Calle de Alfonso VIII. As
we walked (now on an
upward slope) along the
street, we took time to
admire the rich color of
the buildings before
entering the Plaza
Mayor.
Go to the Plaza Mayor.
Cuenca
Outside Links:
Bam Jam Cuenca
- Photos and some info.Cuenca Spain entry in Wikipedia
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In
the back end of the
cathedral (near the
"Museo de Arte
Abstracto") there is
a pedestrian bridge that
crosses the gorge. The
bridge provides an
excellent view of the
hanging houses and gives
one a real feeling of the
depth of the gorge.
Looking
at the map, we had no idea
where we were. My wife,
using her best English,
flagged down a passerby
and asked him to show us
our location on the map.
He responded with
confusion. My poor
Spanish helped us some,
but he still wouldn't
point to the map. After
trying ussuccessfullly
to give me verbal
directions, this very
nice man walked us to a
river crossing and
pointed to an increasingly
inclining group of stairs.
Soon we found ourselves
huffing and puffing as we
realized there were a lot
of stairs to climb before
we reached the old city.
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