Spain

Zaragoza

Monday, November 4 I had plan to visit the downtown area of Zaragoza in particular the basilica, the cathedral and a private museum exposing of works by Goya. I wandered in search of a carpark accepting a 2.6 height meters vehicle, nothing. Many underground car parks limited to 2.1 meters in height and the rare carparks outdoors refuse the motor homes. Piqued I folded back myself on the Carrefour hypermarket, alas there too the carpark as well outdoors as underground is limited to 2.1 meters in height, apparently it is the gauge of the city! Fortunately in the residential city close to many carparks accesses were free. I stationed my truck and I was going to revive me the legs to the hypermarket. Of course I bivouacked on the spot.

Calamocha

Tuesday, November 5 after a rainy night the morning was announced sunny. I continued my progression on the track towards the south, apparently named PR 23. Altitude culminates at +1000meters knowing that the plate is staged from 500 to 700 meters of altitude. It is occupied by a vast farm of wind mills then on the southern slope by vineyards with autumnal colors. Of more than many pieces were incur of rotation to establish new vines. At the beginning of afternoon the rain was back. I decided to take a tarred road to my bivouac at Calamocha.

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Priego

Wednesday, November 6 after a peaceful night on the enlightened carpark of Colamocha I continued my advance on the Trans-Iberian track with an average of 25 km/h in the mountains with much of shrubs damage body of the cell. At the end of 4 a.m. and 100 km traversed I arrived at Molina de Aragon. There remained approximately 150 km of track in the mountain become arid. I decided to go to Priego by the tarred road i.e. 84km to establish my bivouac there. The day was gloomy with a lead sky.

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Madrid

Thursday, November 7 it had rained all the night in Priego, moreover the morning the sky was very covered with drizzle and fog. Consequently I decided to go directly to Madrid by the bituminized road instead of traversing the 150 km of muddy track what would have required at least 6:00 hours. I arrived at 10:30 at the Osuna Camp-site in Madrid. Then I went to the Museo del Prado by subway, that is to say one hour from door to door. I was delighted to admire the Spanish great painters, Goya, El Greco, Velasquez and well of others. Alas no photo… Moreover the shop did not propose DVD with the most remarkable works of the Spanish painters , that it is poor, while surfing on Internet these works must be in free access. Madrid is at 630 m of altitude, the temperature was Siberian.

Friday, November 8 as of early morning I went back to Madrid to visit the historic buildings of the old city. The temperature was always very low, 9°C, brrr! While leaving the Opera station of the Subway I threw an eye in Teatro Real before going to Palacio Real, vis-a-vis the Catedral, which was the residence of kings of Spain before they move for the modest Palacio de la Zarzuela. I continued my progression towards Plaza de la Villa surrounded by three splendid baroque buildings of the 17th century. Then it was the iconic Plaza Mayor, one of the most beautiful square of Spain surrounded by a tangle of lanes. While walking on I took pictures of street-art, bronze statues, tables of earthenware, before arriving at Plaza Santa Anna which was the high place of the “district of the letters” as testify the statues of Calderon de la Barca and Federico Garcia Lorca. Then they were the streets trap of tourists with the tapas bars, as the Calle de la Cava Baja with very subjective earthenware tables. I finished my overview of Madrid at the beginning of afternoon.

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Plaza Mayor

Toledo

Saturday, November 9 I left Madrid as of early dawn. I stopped at the entrance of Toledo at Lidl for supply, then I found a carpark under the walls of the city to visit the old town by buying the Pulsera pass of Toledo which gives access to 7 religious buildings; of course there is much more. It was an initiatory trip in the spiritual Middle Ages walk on in tortuous lanes with the angular paving stones going up and down. I thought of the pilgrims chanting while whipping himself with the discipline. It was at the time of very catholic kings of Spain after Reconquista! Then I was going to bivouac in the industrial park of Polan

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Almaden

In the industrial park sheltered by a wall, the night was icy, +3°C. I approached Cordoba to be on November 12th in order to recover there my driving license forgotten at home and sent by my brother. Consequently I had given up the tracks. The road curves by mounts and by be worth in roiling mountains. The day was cold with a maximum of +8°C under a cloudy sky without rain. After Almaden I found a bivouac at an old railway station along the railway line in activity!