Today we spent exploring the wonders of Zamora, a city that holds many national treasures, including more than twenty Romanesque churches. And yes, many of the church towers did hold stork nests! For the first time we also saw a stork nest in a tall tree.
Our plan was to start with the castle, but it took a long time to get there, as we kept discovering things of interest: a bric a brac market in the shady plaza right outside our hotel, an interesting statue, great views, the old walls. In a section of the old wall we came across the Treason Gate, the gate that allowed a traitor to murder the king and slip back inside the blockaded city (we had watched El Cid before we came away; and it was confirmed on the sign!).
We spent quite a bit of time wandering through the castle. Signboards explained the various additions made over time. From the walls, we could see yesterday's route in. We also had excellent views of the nearby cathedral, especially the beautiful dome.
The castle and nearby garden was also an outdoor exhibition area for a Zamoran sculptor called Baltasar Lobo, who specialised in the female form. The sculptures we saw were mostly limbless, but we later saw a mother and child statue in the old town who had all their limbs.
We admired the outside of the cathedral but decided not to follow the tour group in, opting for a coffee in a nearby café instead. After coffee, we continued our wandering, looking at the souvenirs in a shop window, taking our turn to pose with a statue, looking inside one of the Romanesque churches. We spent some time playing with reflections and fine views before turning our attention to lunch.
After a little searching, we found a restaurant outside the main tourist area where only Spanish was being spoken. We enjoyed an excellent four course lunch.
To digest our lunch, we strolled back through the town, admiring the many murals. We walked down the colourful Calle Balborraz, a street that had been used since medieval times to transport goods to the city centre.
After this, it was back to our hotel for a siesta. A very enjoyable rest day!
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| No shortage of picturesque scenes to photograph today |
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| Through Zamora towards the castle |
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| Around the city walls and through Traitor's Gate |
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| Cathedral. We particularly liked the multifaceted domed roof |
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| Zamora castle |
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| Wandering through the impressive castle ruins |
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| Artwork by local sculptor Baltasar Lobo, displayed inside the castle and in the adjacent garden |
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| An old olive tree, near the cathedral |
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| Morning coffee break |
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| Wandering in Zamora |
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| Fun with reflections |
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| An attractive viewpoint |
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| Statue commemorating local hero Viriato |
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| Entering the old town through the Doña Urraca Gate |
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| More wandering in Zamora |
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| Lunch in the Plaza del Maestro, with the Fuente del Maestro honouring the role of teachers in our lives. The statue on the fountain shows a child who appears to be paying attention to his teacher. |
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| More wandering in Zamora |
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| Calle de Balborraz, said to be the most photographed street in Zamora |
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| Murals in Zamora |
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| Birds |
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| Storks |
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| Day 48 - Map |
Day: 48
Distance: 0 km
Walking time: 0 hrs 00 mins
Elevation gain: 0 meters
Cumulative distance: 926.86 km
Re storks. We’ve just watched a BBC news item that White Storks are being successfully re-introduced to England (apparently they’ve been absent for about 60 years).
ReplyDeleteWe’re approaching the end of our European adventures. (Early) tomorrow morning we fly from northern Norway to Oslo then, after a day’s sightseeing, we head home via Singapore.
But we had a grand finale today. This afternoon we saw an Arctic Fox. A fitting way to end our travels in the wilds of Estonia, Finland and Norway.
Buon Camino, enjoy the rest of your peregrinations. We look forward to following the rest of your long walk.
It sounds as if you've had a grand adventure! Thanks for following along with ours.
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