J and P explore Europe with Reggie: 2023

 Both amazing cities with great buildings . Both pedestrian only so easy to wander about. Zamora smaller where as Salamanca has two universities one of which is a catholic seminary which is huge but has only 11 men wanting to train as priests. The astronaut on the church was added in 1997 but lots of silly people think it means Aliens visited in the 12th century!  I’ll add lots of photos and one day I’ll label them properly which I can not do on my iPad. Salamanca has a fabulous Art Deco house built in the 1930 and still original so all the stained glass and objects are from there including the faberge egg.   The hooded men are in all the towns and they carry the saint statue  on saints days , must be quite a sight at night time all these people in hoods.  Storks are on the roof tops  now especially bell towers. Managed to see them flying today, and a heron  fishing and peregrine falcons hunting to a good wildlife day.

Having spent so long travelling the same route as the pilgrims it was nice to get to the end. The camp was on a fine site on top of a Hill over looking the town and an easy bus ride to the centre.  The old town around the cathedral was all pedestrian and lots of shops catering to the pilgrims arriving. Lots of clam shells for sale ( the symbol of completion).  The interior of the cathedral itself was amazing. So much gold leaf. You can see where they spent all the money. Pilgrims would each carry a rock from a quarry on the way and it was ground and used as cement to build the original cathedral and bishops grand palace. . They don’t need it now so all the rocks , if people are silly enough to do it, are piled on a hill somewhere. The incense burner hanging from the ceiling is the heaviest in Europe and once then Catherine of Aragon was there is snapped off and flew out the window. We wandered the streets and then got a bus back, or so we thought it meanders through t(e suburb...

 Started the day with a walk around the town we had stayed the night, up the tower then into the bar to spend some money to say thank you for the really nice site with free electricity and free wife and water. Great view from the tower all beautifully restored.  they had a strawberry festival coming up so I bought some strawberries and the  festival T shirt. the lion of Leon  why coming out of the ground I have no idea Then we carried own following wellington retreat from Fighting Napoleon and also the camino pilgrims route. Stopped at Leon and after a struggle in one car park we went to the official camper van one and it was a big area and lots of parks... only a ten minute walk to the cathedral. We arrived at 1pm and she wasn't going to let us in as they were closing and reopening at 4.00, turns out they close at 1.30 but she didn't think 30 mins would be enough,  ha , I assured her we would be fine and Perry starting saying rapido, rapido ( Italian for fast )...

superb romanesque church in Fromista Really long drive today about five hours but long stops scattered through. One of which was a bridge that has a cradle underneath that you travel across the water in. we did it twice on foot then drove the van on it and flew across.. Mostly churches, although we also go in some canals and still more pilgrims and their paths. The countryside has changed from hills and bush cover mist and coats to huge plans as far as you can see and some sunshine. We tried to go and see cave painting so drove to the caves but when there they told us we had to go back down the hill and buy a ticket  even though they had an office at the top.  we looked at the cave but not the drawings and went away again in a huff. quarry car carrier saint had her breasts cut off saint had her eyes out   why the plates ... the camino way well marked for the pilgrims