Monfragüe National Park & Trujillo - Days 71 to 74

Griffon vultures at Monfragüe National Park

We arrived at the campsite early, she (the lady in reception at the campsite) obviously couldn’t quite work out where we’d come from in order to arrive at that time, and we’d messed around as long as we could.... (campsite location: 39°56'38.5"N 6°05'03.3"W

Sadly the weather didn’t clear as we hoped, but he’d posted the last blog and we’d had lunch, so we had to go out. We walked round the corner out of the campsite where she said there was a new visitor centre, it was slightly further than expected and was certainly new, it still smelt of wood! We learned a bit, but most of it was in Spanish. 

Here's one flying overhead

So pack Ted up for the 15km drive into the Monfragüe National Park. This is the down side of a motorhome, it’s it or feet or bikes, and bikes would have been bad. So leaving a chair in the spot we had chosen, close enough to the bar for the iboost to pick up the WiFi, off we went. The visitor centre in the park had the map we’d hoped for so after much discussion we went for a drive, below the low cloud, deciding a walk might be too depressing. This is obviously the downside to being out of season, the upside however was that all the carparks were empty so we could stop and look at all the viewpoints with ease. 

And a couple standing on rocks on the opposite river bank

We weren’t going to bother with the last one, but turning round was a bit tricky, and we are so glad we did, as from this final point a short walk from the carpark we could look across the river to the huge breeding colony of Griffon vultures as they majestically soared in to perch on rocks on the skyline. B spent ages trying to get a good picture of one at about our level, the other side of the river and did end up with a great picture of a bluetit that appeared right next to him.....

And the little blue tit that landed next to me

What a cutie! We thinks its a Black Redstart

Having still not really had a walk we decided to stay two nights as the forecast was for overnight rain which the camp lady said would wash away the fog. Back to the site we thought we’d go for a beer, which was easy, but we really wanted a tapa too. This seemed harder so we settled on some olives until our lovely barman appeared with some albondigas, or meatballs, fab, just what we wanted. Not knowing what to expect to pay we asked if we could pay by card, “non! €3” for two beers, a big bowl of olives and 4 meatballs? OK!

On our hike to the castillo

The views from the top were stunning, here's a few of them....

It did rain overnight, and it did then clear so we set off, back to the park, packing up Ted, leaving a chair..... A good ‘proper’ walk, with hills and everything, rather than just 8 or 10km through a town ensued as we made it to the Castillo. Fabulous views, perfect weather, though we both had to confess we were glad to get back to Ted, all ok, having been left all alone in a lay-by for three and a bit hours......

The river you can see is the Tajo, that starts in the mountains in central Spain and enters the Atlantic at Lisbon in Portugal 

Looking back from where we came, beyond the bridge and round the bend 

We decided to eat in the restaurant on the site, €9 each for three courses, bread and a bottle of wine, rude not to! Glad we did, our man would have had nothing to do otherwise.... The bill, with two beers to start came to €21 which made the beer €3 so the olives and meatballs the previous day had been nothing, what a very nice man!

Back at the bridge, the castillo we went to is on top in the distance

We were sad to leave, a break from city breaks was just what we needed. It does mean we have left ourselves slightly short to get to Dad and Elizabeth on the 18th, so it was Trujillo or Mérida. So glad we chose Trujillo.

We think (but we're not sure) that the bridge visible here (and the one we walked across on our walk) and the road in the foreground was the original road through the park, now replaced by a higher road and bridge in the above photo, as this one is now below the high water mark when the reservoir is full, which you can see above us. 

Trujillo

Walking up to the castle in Trujillo

As I paid at the campsite I asked if she had any advice on Trujillo, I prefer Caceres she said.... hmm.

A relatively short drive brought us towards a town with a fantastic castle on the top. For those who have watched Game of Thrones (we are three episodes in so don’t know if that counts) this castle is the home of the Lannisters in series 7...

The castle and old Trujillo beyond

As ever by the time we’d arrived in a slightly strange parking area, it will be an Aire, at some point but is currently just a dump point, no water, outside of the old bull ring (campsite location: 39°27'26.1"N 5°52'20.0"W), had lunch and found the tourist information we had about an hour before everything shut at 14.00, to open again at 16.30. We have been falling foul of this quite a lot, by 16.30 we don’t want to be heading out again, but contemplating cooking dinner before a wine and crisp. Straight to the castle then. 

More of the fabulous castle. We have many photos it is so photogenic

Never has a castle needed an entry sign more. We somehow found our way round the back to where the archaeologists seemed to be working, but we went in, up and down steps and along ramparts before deciding they might be packing up for lunch. Not wanting to be locked in we dashed out, walked the other way round the building and found the entrance! We paid our money €1.50 and went in to a fabulous castle, looking down on all the bits we’d just been in!

Plaza Mayor in Trujillo and the statue of Fransico Pizarro, leader of the conquistadors of Peru. Having been to Peru and having read the Conquest of the Incas, lent to me by Simon it was really interesting to visit the birth town of this man. Columbus had first visited the New World in 1492 and colonisation by the Spanish had started soon after. Pizarro first sailed there in 1509, but it was in 1530 that he sailed to Panama with a number of other people from this city, crossed the isthmus, entered the Pacific and found Peru. With his small band of men with guns, armour and horses they trekked inland to Cajamarca where they encountered Atahualpa, chief of the Incas, ambushed him, held him hostage and with immense cruelty went on to defeat the formidable Incas, conquer Spanish South America and found untold quantities of gold and silver that was transported back to Spain

Plaza Mayor and, opposite, the Palacio de la Conquista

And that was it, arrived at the church with the towers you can go up, just as it was shutting.... couldn’t find anywhere doing churros and chocolate, they were still all on lunch, so we went back to Ted and made our own, well hot chocolate and Cadburys chocolate fingers. Will we make it out again? Despite both being tired (why did we not sleep well on a campsite?) we did, we had to do the church and he wanted to go to the Pizarro museum, he discovered Peru, so we learned all about him from the other side two years ago! The church was great, the museum shut, but at this point I didn’t really care, I had Spanish tortilla to prepare, or actually just to finish as I’d had the foresight to put mostly cook the potatoes and onion on the electric ring before leaving the campsite, so not costing us, just as well as it took a lot longer than I expected. Jamon Iberico seems to be big business in Trujillo, so I thought a couple of slices to go with the salad, tortilla and chorizo might be good. 

The shield on the Palacio de la Conquista. It shows the Spanish ships arriving, the walls of Cuzco together with the Incan Emperor, Atahualpa and his chiefs in chains. It was built in 1560 be Hernando Pizarro after his return from Peru. Hernando was Fransicos half brother and son-in-law, having married Pizarros daughter, the half Inca Yupanqui who came with him to live here

The Palacio de los Duques de San Carlos, opposite, has pyramids of Aztecs and Incas on its chimneys as a symbol of those subjugated to Spanish rule and conversion to Catholicism in the New World

The house Fransico Pizarro grew up in

We passed a shop where she was unloading leg upon leg of ham. She had no English, so in my best Spanish I explained what we were having for dinner and she sold me some little pieces of ‘the good stuff’ for the same price as a few slices of the only average stuff! She was right, it was ‘the good stuff’. I went back after dinner for another couple of packs where I had to wait behind a lady why bought two whole legs and two whole smoked pork fillets. I don’t know if the just over €300 was for all three of her receipts or if that was just two of the three..... all I could do was apologise for the paltry sum I was spending!

Walking the streets of this fabulous city

A good nights sleep, a long but quite pleasant drive and we are now in a one horse town, planning on hibernating for the afternoon, before another couple of longish driving days. Big country Spain! Our campsite location in Luciana, our current stop: 38°58'57.3"N 4°17'32.9"W

Inside the Iglesia de Santa Maria Mayor, located up the hill towards the castle and close to Pizarros home. He was baptized here

View from one of the two towers of the Iglesia de Santa Maria Mayor. You can see the other tower and, beyond the fabulous castillo on the hill

Some of the castle walls. Every part of this amazing city was so photogenic I just couldn't stop taking photos. I have many, many more and it was difficult to pick which to use here. This is a fabulous city and should be on everyone's list to visit. It is as though it has stopped in time in the sixteenth century

Jackie found two cats who wanted some fuss in Trujillo

Look at this photo of a really interesting bird in Luciana, where we are staying now. We think its called a Hoopoe

This is an Azure winged magpie, apparently only found in Extramadura, this part of Spain