Here’s the script for this episode of Where in the World: Spain all about the Cuenca region of Spain.

Hola! ¿Cómo te va todo? That means “Hello, how are you?” in Spanish! As you might have therefore guessed, I’m in Spain with another crazy riddle for you to solve.

And it looks like it’s all about Cuenca, a particularly beautiful region of Spain. Have a listen – what do YOU think it could be about?

old legends with a mix of new, find the magic in the view

Well, this part of central Spain has plenty of views! So much to see. Maybe we should start with the Old Town of Cuenca – it looks like a medieval fortress… and that’s because it was one!

With palaces, stately houses, towers, churches, convents, squares and winding passages, a visit to Cuenca is like walking through time! Its historic centre is packed with civil and religious buildings of many different styles.
Like many parts of Spain, if you look around at the buildings and streets, you’ll find a mix of Islamic and Christian design features. Hey, why not learn the differences? Here’s a clue: Islamic designs don’t show people but instead
have detailed patterns.

Cuenca has been awarded UNESCO Heritage status because it’s really unusual to find a medieval fortress with the surrounding town still standing around it! It’s certainly a mix of old and new… Could this be the answer to our riddle?

Hmm! Ok, let’s go up to the Huécar Canyon in Cuenca. There’s something very unusual up there!
This is the place to see the Hanging Houses – as the name suggests, they seem to hang off the craggy walls of the canyon. BUT if you don’t like heights… DON’T LOOK DOWN!

They’re an excellent example of traditional Spanish architecture. And are special because they are currently home to the Spanish Museum of Abstract Art. That’s something not to be missed, given that it is one of Europe’s best collections. Now… Abstract Art is fairly new and these Hanging Houses are old… could Hmm. I think maybe magic might be the answer! Perhaps we should take a look at Cuidad Encatada – that means the enchanted city.

The Enchanted City is a natural place in the Serrania de Cuenca Nature Reseve. It’s a canyon that’s full of curious rocky formations, sculpted over the centuries by ice, wind and water. The rocks look strangely like humans, objects and even animals….

Not real ones, though! Some of the rocks are called things like the Boats, the Dog, the Sea of Stone, Roman Bridge, the Seal, the Bears, the Slide, the Lovers of Teruel; they’re famous characters from an old legend, and even the Mushrooms and the Turtle!

It’s fun to walk around the beautiful countryside and spot them all. So the riddle “old legends with a mix of new, find the magic in the view”. Is Cuidad Encatada the answer?

Brilliant! We’ve solved the riddle! See you next time!

Find out more about Spain in more episodes of our series, Where in the World: Spain.