Following breakfast while overlooking the sun shine down on brilliant seas, we left Nazare to drive back towards Spain and Salamanca, the destination for today. The three nurse maids helped Shirley with her luggage and made her comfortable in the car with ice on her knee. As we ride north, we listened to a CD Clarita bought in O Cereiba – kind of Irish Portuguese, very interesting.
It seems we are almost the only vehicle on the road today – IC9 cuts through the forests and is a toll road. After we exit the toll road, we pick up a smaller highway that has more cars. Numerous flooded, or partially flooded fields cover the flatlands – are they rice fields? Cranberry bogs? And needless to say, as we progress inland towards the mountains in Spain, it has begun to rain. We continue to be amazed with the smoothly operated, efficient road system – and where is the trash along the highways and roads? There is none.
Stopped at a roadside rest stop – whoops – it is a hole and footprint facility; no bueno for old people! We're heading for a service station. Before we got there we went through a construction zone on a bridge over a pristine, sparkling blue mountain lake.
We are traveling through the mountains on a two lane road. The area is very scenic – vineyards, orange trees, smoke emerging from chimneys atop those red tiled roofs. And of course, the continuous forest of various types of trees. For you "House Hunters International" fans, there are numerous fixer-uppers in some of these villages of Portugal. As we go around the city of Guarda, Portugal, and descend toward the border of Spain, the terrain reminds one of the area around Carlsbad, New Mexico, but hillier.
We passed through what was once a border crossing into Spain. The custom buildings are empty. The time changed back to one hour later than it was in Portugal (now 1 instead of 12). Since the creation of the European Union, one does not need a passport to travel between countries and of course, the monetary unit is the Euro (€). Driving towards Salamanca, Spain; the terrain begins to look like the Texas Hill Country and then central Texas – low scrub trees opening up to pastoral areas. Passed by Ciudad Rodrigo, which looks like it must have been a walled city at one time. Got off highway near Bocacara at a truck stop for tea and snacks. Sat at a table with a cloth and silver and were informed that we had to move to the back of the room with bare tabletops since we were only having snacks.
As we near Salamanca, the high mesa is very green with fields of green and pastures of sheep and cattle. We again see grain elevators. Salamanca, seen from afar, is an imposing, beautiful sight – exactly what one would envision a city in Spain would look like. But again, narrow streets to get around. Parked the car, packed our backpacks for the night, and took a taxi to the Catalonia. Nice place; good rooms. Got settled and Clarita, Peggy, and Fannette went to the Plaza Mayer to sightsee and eat. Shirley (handicapped physically) stayed in the room and ordered from a Telepizza place. She thinks it will be a salad, drink, and bread, but we will see (handicapped linguistically). Shirley thinks it will be delivered at six, but she is not sure about that either. Also, the TV does not turn on with the power button – it turns on with 1 or 2 and turns off with the power button. Yes! Some cute little guy with a motorcycle helmet delivered Shirley's supper to room 012 (1st floor) at six and it is exactly what she ordered.
Peggy, Clarita, and Fannette return from their jaunt; it's cold out there. They stopped at Plaza Mayer for a bite to eat and then walked by the cathedrals (old and new); then by the University to see the main door. Clarita asks a young man a question and he launches into a long explanation about the history of the university. Good explanation, but of course, he wants a tip. According to the young man, this is the third oldest university in Europe. Salamanca is a beautiful, old city and well worth the stop.
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