Camino Photo of the Day: Hobbiton in Moratino

Here’s a closeup of the Moratinos bodegas. Enough people see these and immediately think of Hobbits that they’ve actually erected a nearby sign to explain. So if these are for storing and maturing wine, why the chimneys? Well, over the centuries, families expanded their bodegas so that they could sample their wines there and share them with their neighbours. Eventually, some became almost their own mini-feasting halls with their own fireplaces. Or, as the sign says, “party rooms and storage cellars”.

Date: 17 April 2013
Place: Moratinos (Province of Palencia, Castilla y León, Spain)
Today started: Terradillos de los Templarios (Province of Palencia, Castilla y León, Spain)