Montánchez – Spain

During our trip to Spain in the winter of 2024, we took the road less travelled and started our exploration by heading west out of Madrid toward the region of Extremadura. On our second evening we found ourselves at a hip camp in the small town of Montánchez. The owner and camp host, Jurg (from the Netherlands), was surprised to see an American couple in the area and he let us know we were in “deep Spain”. After a bit more conversation, we gathered that “deep Spain” basically meant that this was not typically a tourist destination. That was perfect for us as we generally look to avoid crowds and try to go where the locals go. Jurg told us there was a market in town in the morning and also gave us some pointers on where to eat and what to see. We also chatted with a family from the nearby city of Merida who were camping in their caravan, they told us that they came to this area quite often on holiday.

We were very hungry having not eaten since breakfast and a snack on the trail while hiking around Monfragüe so Jurg sent us off towards the center of town with directions to his recommended restaurant. We passed through the town square where whole families including small children on bikes or scooters were scampering around in front of a bar. The kids zoomed around while the adults talked and laughed together in the pleasant night air. When we arrived at the restaurant we were served by the owner and we were the only patrons inside the building. The owner was from Argentina and her Spanish partner was the chef.

There was no written menu. We stumbled through a conversation letting our host know we had no food allergies or restrictions and then the plates just started coming. Marinated tomato and onion with bread and the freshest olive oil we have ever had, papas frites with Iberico ham and eggs (this dish was a staple in the Iberian peninsula) and a massive steak with more potatoes and an Argentinian inspired pepper sauce. Everything was incredibly tasty and it was really nice to practice communicating more in Spanish as the restaurant owners didn’t speak much English. We were definitely glad to have been learning Spanish through Duolingo for the last three years, that’s for sure. Before leaving for Spain many people said we would have no problem “everyone speaks English” but that was not the case in deep Spain. We were very excited we got to put our skills, albeit limited, to use. We were just hoping we didn’t butcher it too badly.

Speaking of butchering, the restauranteurs recommended that we stay a whole week and enjoy the upcoming Iberico ham festival. Feeding, butchery, curing, basically everything that goes into creating the “fancy ham” is apparently celebrated in an annual festival that we were just a touch early for. It was a bummer to miss it having raised hogs of our own back home in Michigan, we were very interested in the process. We said our thank you’s and goodbyes and walked the half mile back to camp, or waddled I guess would be more accurate after that huge meal. We were serenaded by stray dogs all night. It was seriously like the scene in 101 Dalmatians where the dogs send out the alarm and bark across counties to alert everyone about missing pups except not cute, just loud. Traveler tip: ALWAYS bring earplugs, whether it’s a loud person/baby on a plane, traffic sounds or apparently packs of stray dogs having a heated debate, they will come in handy, promise.

After emerging from our little tent the next morning we made the trek back into town to check things out in the daylight. In the photo above you can see a sign with a leg of ham which is the iconic presentation of Iberico ham. Montánchez plays an important role in the process of making this special pork product. Our camp was within viewing distance of one of the warehouses where the hams are cured and stored for up to three years. Jurg let us borrow some binoculars to take a peek through one window where we could see what looked to be thousands of legs hung on hooks, row upon row of delicious cured pork getting ready for its holiday debut. It would seem that the “Christmas ham” tradition is not unique to America. In fact it is even more serious in Spain as there are several grades of this special product to choose from (how fancy is your ham?) which we would learn more about later on in the trip.

We wandered the small streets in search of the market Jurg mentioned, which we did find eventually. Another fantastic real life Spanish lesson as we asked the merchant for some oranges, bananas, and apples from their stand and doled out the appropriate amount of money. We also had to stop at a bakery of course and grab some bread and a treat or two for later. Man I wish that picture was scratch and sniff, that bakery smelled SO good.

After grabbing future food from the market, we ducked into a little cafe for a tostada aka bread toasted with a tomato sauce, Iberico ham, olive oil herbs and cheese (basically the open faced version of a bocadillo). There was a Picasso replica in this cafe which I found interesting and we saw many locals enjoying an espresso with a churro and catching up with friends. In the middle of the cafe was a small wood burning stove and a back entrance that looked like it opened up to a little courtyard that the owners family were visiting in. Montánchez is such a small town it seems that market day is likely a big event for all who live there. I lost count of how many adorable abuelas we saw dragging market basket on wheels along behind them, filled to the brim with the week’s groceries. There were no large supermarkets or even clothing stores nearby and so several streets of the market had everything from underwear to comforter sets to poinsettia plants and fresh fruit. It was a great experience to be immersed in someone else’s culture and to ruminate on the differences and similarities of our day to day lives.

After filling our bellies and our backpacks with snacks for later we headed up the hill to check out a cemetery and another castle! The translation on the gate to the cemetery was very interesting, it read “Do not disregard the voice that warns you. Everything is a dream except for death.” The cemetery dates back to 1810 just a few years after the War of Independence against Napoleon’s troops. These sacred grounds also earned the title of “best cemetery” in 2015 per “Adios Cultural” magazine. We did not even know that was something that existed, best cemetery status, I guess we learn something new every day.

Another feature that made this cemetery so special was that it’s literally right under the castle of Montánchez that we were going to check out. You can see a bit of the castle in the photo above peeking out.

The crypts here were very reminiscent of those found in New Orleans which we have experienced in the past and thoroughly enjoyed exploring. In New Orleans sometimes the cemeteries are called “Cities of the Dead” due to the crypts being above ground. Eric and I have a strange affinity for cemeteries and often find ourselves drawn to them in our travels.

On the way up the cobbled path to the castle we were able to see all of Montánchez on this beautiful clear morning. The castle here was one of the more restricted that we encountered as it was only able to be viewed from the outside. There was evidence of entry, but it was all locked up while we were there. This is in stark contrast to the day before when we were exploring Trujillo castle which we were able to walk through and atop and even below ground in the aljibe or cistern.

The castle was constructed during Roman times in the 12th century and was built by the Almohads. The site was finally declared a Spanish Historical Heritage site after years of the government keeping it maintained to ensure it did not collapse into ruin.

There was no entrance fee at this castle and you can drive to the foot of the road where the cemetery is and then just walk the rest of the way up to the castle itself. We had walked from our campsite just outside of town though and that suited us just fine. Parking in these tightly packed villages and cities can be tricky so it is often just easier to walk.

The views were exceptional from the castle on the hill and it was nice to get a glimpse of more open farmland since a lot of places are very densely populated. We were told there was a farm with Iberico hogs somewhere near by but ended up not being able to find it.

As always there is so much to do and see so it was time to move on. We walked back down to the village where I had to take video of this adorable little sheep farm, sound on to hear their cute bells. We didn’t know we would be spending an extremely lovely morning in Montánchez when we planned the trip but I am so glad we did. It was a very nice taste of “deep Spain” and provides the venue for a very important step in the processing of the famous Iberico ham.