Boog's Blog

A large town tonight: 40K inhabitants.

A very big change of pace. After a few nights in small rural (QB interjected “dumps”) we have 2 nights in an enormous Parador. Converted 15th century monastery. We accidentally entered via the garage. The garage is basically an elevator that takes the cars down. You drive into the elevator. Spaces for 130+ cars. We went in as if we were a car. There is another entrance somewhere but we haven’t found it.

Very cool morning with QB now wearing a very special hat. Look through the pictures and you will see a hat you will rarely see. A gift from Bruce. An original New York lifeguard hat. I got one as well, but a different design. As we were walking East today QB was very happy. The hat helped against the eastern sun in the morning.

The walk was challenging today as about 5 miles were almost a continuous uphill at a moderate or low grade but never relenting.

Plasencia is another walled city though much newer: 12th century.

Be sure to blow up the pic and see QB in her very special hat.

After a nice break and snack at the Parador bar a bit of a rest for tired legs. Great room with a couch, a chair etc. Nice change!

A wander through town: The 13th century archeological site closed until Wednesday. The cathedral wanted a lot of money to go in and was rude when I said I was old and asked about a peligrino mass. Lost my business!

A lovely walk on a cool bright day with a bit of wind. Not a flat walk no matter what the books say.

First a review of last evening. At dinner (restaurant) two fellow travelers joined our table. One Catalan and a young man from Venezuela. She was a pisser, just happy with everything, did many caminos, always smiling and laughing, a pleasure to be with. He of the 1 percent in his country. His father, a lawyer, connected to a corrupt government, his explanation of how he could afford this trip given the inflation and currency controls of his country. He now works as a consultant at EY; hard to believe he could add value to a multinational. Decent English and good to chat with.

Neither had any opinion of Biden. May drop this question as Biden is not well known in the thought of sense. Generally get “it is complicated.” Did not ask the Irish biker going North to South. He too was good to chat with.

“Chica” discussion. It is clear that “chica” in both Spain and Venezuela is a normal term which can be applied to women of all ages. This topic was well discussed. My impression is that this is not so in California (I don’t know about Mexico). QB says we need to discuss this with women of different generations in California as their view may be very different than males and from views elsewhere.

No idea what this agricultural planting is. A type of (maybe bolted) cabbage??

A cultural item at least in this region. At the bars and restaurants everyone, and we mean everyone, is shouting all the time. Never speaking in a normal or constrained voice. Generally uncomfortable to be sitting at an adjacent table. Will have to ask one of the fellow travelers at an appropriate time. Very strange and very annoying.

All four gates still preserved. The Alcazar was a disappointment. Closed ruins.

Typical medieval hill town. Always a treat for walkers at the end of along schlep.

Tonight we are in a little pension with shared bathroom. Very basic. As tomorrow is Sunday I went shopping for food to prepare and eat in the shared kitchen. The nearest restaurant is not near.

Quite a cool morning where jackets were required. Eventually warmed up and they were shed.

Rolling hills, scenery very different today. Basically foothills, green, very rocky. Path was mostly on the road and when it veered off it looked too treacherous so we kept to the safer bits.

The manager of the hostel remarked, when we asked if the kiwi was local, “yes, all we have is fruit, animals, and solar energy.” The area is desolate of people or any industry. Air is, of course, quite clean except when the animal loaded trucks pass by.

Merino wool (oveja merina) is one of their major business trade items here. Very very important for the economy we were told.

We passed a very large reservoir and looked up the details in tripadvisor:

“La Almendra is one of the largest reservoirs in the country (86.5 kms. when full) and has the highest dam (202 meters). It dams up the Tormes River before it flows into the Duero. When we were there in March 2017 the water level was critical due to the dry winter. At the time of this writing, September 14 2017 it must be almost dry.”

Yes, some water but clearly most of it gone. Green grass growing on the surface and indications of roman overpasses.

The accommodation is in an albergue. We have the only couples room, the other rooms have bunk beds, one large room with 10 beds a few rooms with just bunk beds. In the courtyard, here, many chickens, sheep, large dog, and a horse. They shared the outdoor laundry facility. Hand washing and sun drying. Others at the albergue sharing same.

QB just spent a considerable amount of time mopping up the floor of the albergue where we are staying for the night. Flooded shower, “inundado” in Spainish. Have learned the word all too well.

A nice day! Temperature has dropped by 10 degrees F. Both of us much more comfortable. Even a bit cool leaving the hotel.

Route to the Via along a highway and then a nice wide path. Overall a good walk except a bit too much traffic on the first bit. Hilly in the beginning, then flat, and then more hilly as we head towards the exit of Extremedura over the next few days. Reminds us of the Meseta.

QB much improved. Walked all day and did not scream out loud even once. In pain, sure, but what is life without some pain? Always keeping in mind the medieval pilgrims, those that survived, had to walk back.

Asked the server at the Parador if he was a government employee. Said, sadly not, as they have it much better.

The farm house turned out to be a two hundred year old cow barn converted to semi-modern status. Comfortable. Outside of town by too much to go back into town late a night in the dark for dinner. Stopped in town at a supermarket, Dia, and got far too much but remains will work for tomorrow’s walk. Tonight smoked salmon, kumato tomatoes, fruit, yogurt, bread and a spinach torta.

The town is on the Euro cheese circuit, or so it claims. Lots of cheese places as we pass through town.

Casar de Caseras is a small town very spread out. Nothing in town except a good sports center (swimming pool etc.) and a few “cafeterias”. The church, however, is well endowed with stork nests.

Last day in this medieval city. A rest day for sure as QB tendon not healed as yet. Was able to upgrade hotel to a far better one (originally booked in an Albergue without food) for our stay in Casar de Caseres on Thursday.

From yesterday at the museum

A rather large installation

Insane walking around the town today. Game of Thrones everywhere walking even access to the cathedral

Several fine dishes for dinner

Ah, the heat has returned.

QB limping and in a lot of pain. Tendon on right foot aggravated by walking and walking and hills and medieval cobbles. Hopefully some rest, Aleve and another day here will help.

Fab shower here at the Parador. A good Parador with the usual roaming corridors. Breakfast good but very few if any are Spanish. The tourists like us enjoy the large buffet. Fresh orange juice, Sevilla, available, good and inexpensive. Yeah, though not really good for those watching their sugar intake.

Navigation hard today as the Game of Thrones people took many of the street name plaques down. Medieval city hard enough with street names; without…..

Tower of Bujaco. 12 th century Arab fortification with interpretive center. Roman, Visigoths, then Arabs. Good slots for arrows. Overlooks Plaza Mayor.

Museo Caceres. Excellent regional archeological and history museum. Good signage. Caves with very early handprints etc. Maltravieso Cave. Also intricate jewelry from 5th century and so much more including the cistern below.

Fabulous Arab cistern. Main reason I wanted to go to this museum but it turned out that not only is the cistern wonderful the exhibits were as well.

Contemporary art museum with some very good and interesting pieces asked if we had a reservation and we said no, so they took my name, wrote it on a piece of paper, entered it into the computer and then let us in free. Guess that was the reservation.

Foggy morning, we decided to take a bus to avoid a long schlep on the same boring road and end up late and tired in Caceres, the second largest city in Extremadura. The bus, Alsa, local bus as Spain has no national buses, cost less than $4 for the both of us.

Caseras an extremely hilly, steep streeted, city of just shy of 100K persons.

When we checked in, the hotel reception explained that Caceres is the third, yes third, most preserved medieval city in Europe. The Tourist Information guide books also point this out. (Prague and a city in Estonia have first and second). Third is really really impressive. Would take a week to see all the places highly recommended.

Food, just cannot get it between 4pm and 8pm. Completely unlike the North. Even the question, in decent Spanish, confused the person in the tourist office. Restaurants are called Taparias or Tapas places but are not, just restaurants, same hours, with a few additional dishes.

Game of Thrones being filmed here, at least in part. Given a map of areas Molestas. One near the major cathedral and as we wandered over a worker was carrying a dragon head; he covered it quickly when I tried to take a picture.

View of Plaza Mayor obstructed by catering tent. Old wall looks good

For a more general overview (not Boog particular) open Google and enter “caceres spain images.”

Site-seeing: cathedral of Santa Maria. Polychrome black jesus to contrast with the black madonna in the Le Puy en Velay cathedral in France.

Santiago church closed. Wanted to pay respects to Jimmy.

On the way to the old Jewish quarter we found a very interesting house from the Arab 12th century. Granddaughter of the person who excavated it was the tour guide inside. Includes the original thermal heating and hammam.

It is in the old Jewish area from which the Jews were expelled in the 15 century

Walked through San Antonio Barrio, the ancient Jewish Quarter. St. Anthony’s church was apparently built on top of a synagogue, but still reminds me of synagogues I’ve seen.

BSVDLP Alcuescar to Aldea de Cano

Accommodations:

Hotels with star ratings

Hostals with star ratings

Casa Rural maybe with ratings

Albergue generally only reviews

Refugios generally volunteer staging

Tonight: Casa Rural. Dinner was home cooking Very different menu and very good. Homemade chicken noodle soup, homemade gazpacho, meatballs in Sofrito, chicken roasted with vegetables. Side dish of garbanzo beans and spinach in Chorizo sauce

Awakened last night by loud thunder and lightning. Kill the power in our electronic devices.

Early morning departure to beautiful sunrise. Not much on the path until we got to a place about 3 km from where we’re staying where there was a picnic bench

In northern Spain a Bar about every 5 km in this area we’re lucky to find one within 15 km

Much cooler today 64° at noon

Caceras tomorrow. Big city

BSVLP Aljucen to Alcuescar

A lovely early morning start. Got to see a great sunrise as we walked along through the park. Unfortunately the park ended.

After that miles and miles and miles of sandy, rocky, bug infested, hot Road, a road that continued to climb up almost the whole day. And these are the good attributes of today’s Road.

Nothing of note on the road today; nothing, nada. Saw one other pilgrim.

Finally reached our one star hostel. Clean with a sagging bed.

We opted for a romantic roman style hot tub (what they call hot here I call tepid) after a long but relatively easy walk. They have attempted to re-create a roman spa. I think there is even a show this evening but well past pilgrims bedtimes.

Another empty rural town. Next stop even more of nothing. Countryside is pretty. Three dinner choices here: go to the bar whenever you want, wait until 8 pm and get standard dinner, wait until 9:30 pm and get romantic roman dinner. The latter time is too late for us.