La Alberca - Ciudad Rodrigo: 102 km

Friday 30 May 2003

After a mediocre breakfast (admittedly with freshly squeezed orange juice) we drive to  Ciudad Rodrigo. The road up there is full of potholes, making us nearly sick. Ciudad Rodrigo turns out to be a small provincial town, however, with a city wall that completely in tact. . You can see it from afar on an elevated part in the plain. We stay at the El Cruce hotel - a reasonable 2 star affair run by a less than friendly woman. The tourist office supplies us (in Spanish only) with the necessary information about the town's sights. We wander along the cathedral, built in a mix of styles. We then come across the Plaza Mayor. A beautiful little square with a number of side walk café's. Unfortunately the square is also in use as a car park. It further on is the Palace of the Prince of Aguila. It serves as a municipal museum, with an exhibition on the primitive customs of the rural communities in the surrounding valleys.  

The town's castle is in use as a Parador. It is magnificently set on the city wall. Temperatures are rising again and around lunch time it is already 30°C/86F°. We have lunch in the nice little restaurant called La Artesa on the Plaza Mayor after which we retire for a siesta. Around 5pm the sun has given way to the clouds and it is time to walk around the city walls. The wall gives a fine vieuw on both the town and the Sierra de Gata, a mountain range south of the town. On the Plaza del Conde we see a couple of family palaces. 

A small detour into Portugal: 221 km

Saturday 31 May 2003

Today we do a tour in the wider area around Ciudad Rodrigo. We first set out south to look at a waterfall near Fuenteguinaldo. We start with coffee in the sleepy village. With a bit of help of the villagers and a shepherd we find our way to the waterfalls, that are not easy to reach. After about 15 minutes on dirt roads we arrive at a couple of water mills and indeed some waterfalls. 
We continue to Navasfrias and Valverde del Fresno and pass the 1265 meter (4150ft)  Las Mesas mountain.
The scenery is magnificent. We cross the border into Portugal drive through Penamacor to  Belmonte. Here we have lunch in a Pousada, called Convento de Belmonte, which is housed in a former monastery. The view is breath taking and the food delicious. We drive on to Guarda, a fortified town, once a stronghold against Spain. We walk around the old town, have a look at the 12th century cathedral after which we return to Spain and Ciudad Rodrigo, crossing the border at Vilar Formoso.
At night we have a splendid dinner (duck, veal medallion) at the  Parador of Ciudad Rodrigo. We have a table at the window with a view of the old Roman bridge and the river against a setting sun.  
Today was cloudy with sunny spells, but in the afternoon temperatures reached 29°C/84°F nevertheless.  

Ciudad Rodrigo - Salamanca: 87 km

Sunday 1 June 2003

We drive about 90 km East towards Salamanca. Our hotel, Emperatriz, is a simple hotel in the old town (cash only) with indoor parking. We start right away  with coffee at the Plaza Mayor. At 10.30am it is fairly quiet and the enourmous outdoor café's are virtually empty. The beauty of Salamanca's Plaza Mayor is not easily overstated. It is arguably the finest central square in Spain. It is large, yet intimate and the unity of style of the surrounding buildings is astounding. From here we start a walk and our first call is on the  Clerecia, part of the theological university. Across from the Clerecia is the famous Casa de Conchas. Its facade is covered with Jacob shells (Conchas). The shells refer to the pilgrims to Santiago de Compostella. The building dates back to the 16th century and has a lovely patio. It houses the public library. After a visit we walk on to the Old University buildings. Its facade is a ultimate example of plateresque style, the style that imitates the work of silver smiths. Richly decorated with great detail. The story goes that those who can spot the frog in the decorations can look forward to a happy life. A visit lets us take a look at the old lecture rooms and the impressive library at the top floor. Across from the university are the Escuelas Menores, once a sort of pre-university school. The beautiful patio is free to explore. It further down are the old an new Cathedrals. The new one dates back to the 16th century and was built to support the old one. The facade of the new one is the same as the University's. Here to we see the finest detail. Because of financial difficulties it took two centuries to complete the cathedral. That is why we see - especially inside - lots of baroque elements. Through the new cathedral we reach the old one for which we have to pay an entry fee. The old church is a Romanesque church, sober in style, but with a magnificent altarpiece consisting of 53 paintings depicting scenes from the life of Christ and Mary. After this it is time for lunch and a siesta. 

After the siesta we do some e-mailing home from one of the many internet café's. We then visit one of the more special museums of the city: the  Art Nouveau & Art deco museum. Here we find a unique collection of applied art of these related styles. Especially the vases and lamps by Gallé are wonderful. Also the statuettes by Hagenauer are worth a mention. The building itself, the Casa Lis, is a site in its own right.  It was commissioned by a Art Nouveau aficionado at the turn of the 20th century.  
When we decide to have a snack and a drink at a side walk café, it starts to rain quite heavily, but it does not last very long.
At night we have dinner at the restaurant Rio del Plata, a tiny but fine place with great regional dishes and tip top service. 
Later that night we visit the gay bar Sarao. A sympathetic bar with a age wise mixed clientele, having a good time to the tunes of Spanish disco. 

Monday 2 June 2003

We start the day with coffee at the Plaza Mayor, after which we start another walk through the quieter parts of the city. We start at the San Esteban monastery with its impressive facades. The collegio Calatrava is closed unfortunately, because of renovations. On the Paseo Canelejas Erik has his hair cut for only €5.50!  We continue to the  Santa Clara convent which we visit under supervision of a guide. The convent is still in use by nuns. These keep well out of site during the visit. In the 1970s hidden frescoes were discovered during restoration works under thick layers of white paint. The convent's church, that is still being used for mass, had even greater surprises in store. In 1986 it was discovered that the 18th century roof was false. It hid a wooden ceiling with paintings from the 15th century. Scaffolding has been set up over the new roof from which we can take a closer look at the paintings on the old ceiling. Finally we have one of the finest views of the old city from the convent's tower. We walk back to the centre for a simple lunch (bocadillos). 
In the afternoon we walk along the shopping streets (Zamora en Toro) in the modern part of Salamanca.
At night we have dinner at the restaurant El Bardo. Reasonable food at moderate prices. 
We end the day with a drink on a side walk café on the beautifully lit Plaza Mayor and idle away watching the tourist and native crowds passing by.
It was a partly clouded day with a great temperature for walks of about 23° C.  

Salamanca - Zamora: 61 km

Dinsdag 3 June 2003

After breakfast we drive to Zamora. A simple route through a somewhat boring plain. Zamora is a quaint town with an old centre on hilltop. In the middle of that is the  Parador, based in the palace of the dukes of Alba and Alyste . Beautiful setting with outdoor pool. We visit the churches in the centre and walk along the shopping streets. Then we have lunch downtown. After a short siesta we walk to the cathedral. This is closed unfortunately until 5pm. We spend the time taking a look at the desolate remains of the castle and enjoy the view of the river Duero (or Douro in Portuguese). At 5pm we visit the cathedral. A modest romanesque affair with some renaissance details. The choir is nice. At teh back  of the church are some chapels with a very realistic carving of a dying Christ.  
Later we have a drink at the Parador and later some more on the Plaza Mayor accompanied by some tapas.
At night we have dinner at the Parador, but the first half hour of it is spoilt by the noised made by construction workers who are busy in the kitchen.
Today was partly cloudy with temperatures around 25°C/77°F