That morning we drove just 17 kilometres further. The pitch is right next to the bird observatory and we thought it might be interesting.
The first thing we did when we got there was go to a pharmacy, as Iris urgently needed medication. The village is manageable. Then we went to a small shop to get something for lunch. We wondered why so many motorbikes in this small village were all travelling in the same direction, down a small lane. As if remote-controlled, we headed in the same direction. An estimated 50 motorcyclists gathered in a square in front of the village church. A short time later, we found out that they were all meeting up for a guided tour and off we went. It was a shame that we were travelling on foot and not by motorbike, as we would definitely have joined them.
Back at the camper, we took a look around the bird observatory. The storks are watching over us tonight.
From the camper, we could watch this small family of 5. We also met 4 horses on our way, who were just running around freely, grazing and even letting us stroke them.
As there were lots of food stalls set up at the church, we thought there might be something to eat and drink in the evening. But when we arrived, it was already being dismantled. The tapas bar in the village was also closed. Then we went back and drank our beers at home and to our delight we got a call from our dear friend from the Camper Park in Portugal.
After one night, we travelled on to San Esteban del Valle, a beautiful mountain village in the Sierra de Gredos. We left the Extremadura region and arrived in the Castile-Leon region.
The last part of the journey was up the mountain on narrow roads and even narrower roads through the village, up to the pitch. And again, everyone took notice of us. At the top of the village, above the swimming pool, we arrived at lunchtime and realised that all the pitches were occupied. A nice Spanish camper greeted us with a smile after we had provisionally positioned ourselves somewhere to the side so that we weren’t in anyone’s way. We then wanted to see if there was any possibility of staying here after all, when the nice Spaniard came and told us he was driving on straight away. That was great, we were happy to wait. Once we had positioned ourselves correctly on the official site, we had a snack in this beautiful village, right on the village square. Later, when we got back to the camper, WENNE was standing there all alone.
There is a bullring on the market square. The heavy gates at the entrances to the village, the grandstand and a few other things always remain in the village and when a bullfight is performed, everything is still properly set up and locked. It is hard to imagine that this tradition is still practised in this village, right on the market square.
The alarm clock rang early the next day so that we could go on a hike to the nearby waterfall before the midday heat. It was a really nice trip. After just under 3 hours, we were soaked with sweat despite the early start.
In the evening, we treated ourselves to a delicious meal in the village.
After two restful nights, we continued 35 kilometres into the mountains. It was all uphill and downhill, with narrow roads and lots of bends. At an altitude of almost 1500 metres, we saw a lot of vultures. Marvellous! The view was fantastic. The vegetation is very green, the flowers bloom in a wide variety of colours. The many bright yellow brooms are striking. There seems to be snow in winter, because every now and then there are signs indicating that snow chains are compulsory. It took us a whole 2 hours to reach our destination for the day. Firstly, our average speed was 20 km/h and secondly, we simply had to take a closer look at this fantastic landscape. It was a good thing that we were pretty much alone for the whole journey. The slow pace didn’t bother anyone.
Vulture
You have a great view of the mountains from this pitch.
Some of the houses in this village were simply built between the many granite rocks that are everywhere. There are not many opportunities to shop here in this village. In the afternoon, a van selling fruit and vegetables drove through the village. There are two restaurants, one of which was open today and we took the opportunity for a beer and tapas. We quickly realised that this restaurant also sells a few important foods such as bugette or wust, chorizo and the like. We also picked up a bugette for 1 for dinner.
Probably the smallest public bakery museum.
At around 8.30pm, a young man arrived quickly in his small car and parked right next to us. He was selling cherries, about 2kg for 5 euros. A bargain! Iris had often looked for cherries, but the price in the shops was between 12 and 14 euros per kilogramme, which was a bit too much. These cherries from the young man tasted delicious. A few in the evening, a few in muesli for breakfast and a few the next day and they were all eaten.
We stayed here again for two nights. The next day, we took a look at the beautiful area before moving on to the next place to sleep. Our excursion took us to the barrios of Villanueva de Avila. It felt like we were once again transported to a completely different era, although these borrios were inhabited up until the 20th century.
Barrios are small clusters of houses, granaries, wine presses, barns, chicken coops and cattle sheds, always built from dry stone. The groups of people have thus built up a largely autonomous and independent economic and living organisation.
Over time, it became increasingly difficult for these people to live independently due to the isolation of their geographical location. They suffered historical impoverishment. The mountainous terrain and the watershed characterised by the Alberche river forced these 18 or so small villages to retreat in the 20th century.
These circumstances led to the late development of the area and the gradual emergence of today’s town of Villanueva de Avila, which today has around 230 inhabitants.
The town hall, for example, was only built in 1990.
Even today, some of the buildings in these barrios are still used for various purposes as they were in the past.
People from the city tell us about the hippie who now lives in the barrios. With much love and affection, he has created a strange and yet unique, spectacular place with charm
A beautiful place at the El Mirado de Fausto Floro (Fausto Floro Viewpoint), created by a person who lives off the beaten track and where the official hiking trail passes.