Tuesday, May 26 - to Trujillo

Pics: Medellin, View from our window at the Parador, Statue of Pizzaro in the Plaza Major in Trujillo

Up at 8, packed, ate another great breakfast, said goodbye to Sam, Maggie and Bucky (Jeanne was off shopping for the next guests) and set off north through fields of wheat, olives and grapes.

We left Andalucía and entered the province of Extremadura, one of the more remote areas of Spain and the province from where most of the conquistadores came. We circled around the town of Mérida and took off on a back road past a large walled hacienda to a reservoir where Bob hoped to get some interesting birds, in particular the elusive Great and/or Little Bustard, an ostrich-like bird that roams agricultural fields. Lots of wonderful butterflies, but not much else.

Off on another little road to the town of Medellín, the birthplace of Hernán Cortés, with a picturesque arched bridge over the Rio Guadiana and a ruined castle on a hilltop behind it. Couldn’t find any monument to HC and continued on to Trujillo, a lovely old town with a huge plaza and statute of Francisco Pizarro. We checked into the Parador de Trujillo, the government-run hotel in an ancient nunnery. We got an upgraded room in the old section of the hotel with 3 foot thick walls around a lovely citrus filled patio. We settled in and then set out to explore Trujillo: winding narrow streets leading to the plaza where we revived ourselves with ice cream.

We returned to the Parador where I can get internet in the lobby. Showered and went to the bar for our welcome drink and then to the restaurant where we had a fantastic meal. I chose the “Cheeses of Trujillo” menu and started with four micro appetizers including garlic soup with cheese pieces and cheese croquette. These were followed by a delicate quiche with asparagus and olive oil crust, pork tenderloin with cheese sauce, and finally cheese ice cream drizzled with honey and cinnamon. Really great!!

To bed right after dinner as we plan to get up at six to set off to the most likely area to find the bustards.