A stopover as a stroke of luck

For the first time on our tour, we are staying today in a village that is not among the 126 prettiest in Spain. We stopped in Alcalá de la Selva because the 175 kilometers to Culla, our next destination, were simply too far. We are not in a hurry, so we made a stop halfway.

And this stop was worth it, as Alcalá, as the locals call their place, has an interesting history. The name comes from Arabic. Al-qal'a means fortress or castle, and selva comes from Latin, meaning forest. Translated, one could say: The fortress in the forest. As you can probably see from the photos, the name is quite fitting.

Like many Spanish places away from the coast, Alcalá suffers from rural depopulation. In 1930, this spot still counted more than 1,500 inhabitants. Today, fewer than 400 live here. Yet, there is much to discover: There is the castle of Heredia, which is accessible by a steep but well-maintained path. It is remarkably well-preserved, perched on a prominent rock outcrop, and reminds us of the time when these mountains were borderlands and strategically important.

Even more impressive is the Iglesia de San Simón y San Judas – not the traitor Iscariot, but Thaddeus. It is so enormous that all the residents of the town would fit inside. It was consecrated in 1614, but a church dedicated to both apostles stood here as early as the end of the 12th century. The reason for choosing these two is not recorded. However, we do know when their feast day is: It was yesterday. The innkeeper, in whose bar – located right in front of the church – we took a break, pointed this out to us. And since one can still celebrate honor days 24 hours later, we toasted to the two saints together. You never know what good it might bring…