El Bierzo Journey to Las Médulas and Las Edades del Hombre

The Edades del Hombre Foundation (the Mankind¿s Ages) is celebrating its fourteenth edition in the city of Ponferrada, 90 kilometres away from León, with the title "I¿m walking", a sentence which is not only provoking but also anonymous, so old and so new at the same time, so evangelical and so trendy. It is a journey along the sacred inheritance of Castile and León, whose diocesan jewels are exhibited in two sites: the Encina basilica and the Church of San Andrés, both linked by a bridge which simulates the cultural fusion which the Pilgrimage to Santiago evokes. One of the identity signs of The Ages is that the hereditary and cultural legacy of the Catholic Church in Castile and León must be exhibited free of charge. Thus, the sacred show has not charged entrance from its first edition and it will not do it either in "I¿m walking". Only guided visits and previously arranged visits for groups of 20 people will have a small charge of 35 euros for a 75-minute-long tour. With regards to the opening hours, with the exception of bank holiday Mondays when it will be open, both sites will open their doors from Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm. On Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, opening hours are from 10 am to 8 pm. The public will be let in until 45 minutes before closing time. The beginning of the exhibition will take place in the Encina basilica and will finish in the Church of San Andrés. The Foundation has set up an information office, which is located next to the basilica and has the same opening hours as the exhibition. For further information or to arrange guided visits you can call the number 987 426486, fax 987 423128 or email expo@lasedades.es The journey to the Mankind¿s Ages can be completed with a visit to Las Médulas, a natural landscape which has been declared of National Heritage interest by the United Nations. Las Médulas are over one thousand hectares of land transformed in Roman times with mines and excavations to get gold. Nowadays, the leftovers have turned into a gorgeous landscape of red colour which links natural values with cultural ones which have witnessed the millennial history of the province of León.