Castello Y Leon

We are now in the area of Spain which is titled above, and is accurately described in one of our guide books as containing "awsome expanses of ochre plains which stretch to hills crowned with castles."

After turning our backs to the Bay of Biscay, which provided a sort of symbolic link with the UK, we travelled south, initially in pouring rain and then slowly improving conditions which were better, but a very cold wind at high altituded ensured that we remained in warm clothing. On arrival at our present site on the banks of the mighty River Duero, the weather took a dramatic turn for the better, with clear blue skies and warm to hot daytime temperatures which then cool rapidly as the sun sinks, however, we are snug in our caravan and under our duvet. We are around 2,200 feet above sea level.

The site is on the outskirts of the ancient town of Tordesillas, which is around 50 miles north of Salamanca and due east of Porto in Portugal, so a quick look at an atlas should pinpoint our position. The site is very well equipped and we are joined by similar travellers from all over Europe, with some making south and others returning north after spending the winter in warmer temperatures. The photo above shows the view of the town at a point close to our caravan.

Apart from local walks and general relaxation and reading, the highlight so far has been our trip by bus to Salamanca, where we arrived before the streets were aired! The city has an ancient part which dates from Roman times and is a mass of fantastic architecture and demonstrates the suberb carftmanship of stone masons over many centuries. The two cathedrals and the university are perhaps the finest examples, and a sample picture gives only a flavour of what we saw. There was so much to see that it was easy to get click happy with the camera and thus we have recorded much of what we observed including a Roman bridge into the city and many other wonderful sites.

Yesterday (Friday) we took a cycle ride after our siesta and set off to the village of Nava del Rey, which was around 15 miles away and perched high on the surrounding plateau. Our outward journey took us gently uphill through pine forests and then through agricultural land whilst assisted by a following wind which made Margaret feel like a genuine hill climbing cyclist. On turning to cycle downhill back to base, the wind was as our faces and we had to pedal hard at times to make much progress.

The area abounds with bird life and we have seen many species, although it is the storks that are presently nesting on virtually every tower or church steeple that we like most of all. We are very much enjoying our time in Spain and we are already thinking that we will be spending more than the month that we envisiaged in this fascinating country, which is the benefit of our loose travel arrangements.

Buenos Dias.