Sometimes you arrive at a place with great excitement and expectation, only to find that things don’t work out quite as well as you had hoped. The town of Coca in Segovia, Castile and Leon, was like that for us. Despite its obvious magnificence we were unable to visit the castle, and Asterix was rather a let-down to say the least. We weren’t helped by the local fiesta starting that day either. It meant parking was tricky and several streets were closed off. With better planning we think we would have enjoyed our trip more, so don’t make the same mistake!
The overwhelming reason to visit Coca is its incredible castle. Much of its walls remain in tact and are very much in the Mudéjar style of architecture with some stunning brickwork on display. It was built in the 15th Century and remains one of the best examples of Mudéjar work in Spain. We were able to walk about three-quarters of the way round the outside, but arriving just before 1pm meant we were unable to go inside. That really was a shame as it was the main aim of this visit. It is clearly best to book your visit in advance which you can do at http://www.castillodecoca.com. With tours advertised at 1300 we had anticipated it would still be open but alas not.
It came as a bit of a surprise that Asterix the Gaul had visited Coca in one of the cartoon books. You can read all about it on Wikipedia! I might even have to get a copy to read myself!! Now for the disappointing bit. We felt that something a bit more than this single panel would be on display. This was literally all there was. A missed opportunity to have murals and life-sized figures to bring in the Instagram generation!!
The city walls are quite impressive to see. They form a gateway between the new and old towns. We didn’t manage to find a way to climb up for a better view though.
Everybody loves a fiesta, except for tourists who arrive to find things closed and roads blocked off! Wandering through the town we soon came across the square outside the cathedral and the town hall. A full-on foam party was underway but we were really not dressed appropriately to take part and still had a few more hours in the car to come! It looked like great fun though. Next time, eh?!
Have you been to Coca and had a more fulfilling time than we had? Please let us know in the comments.
