We bid a fond farewell to our host Cásar and his Casa Rural in the little village of Grimaldo. He apologized for being in his working clothes but was hard at work renovating another part of the property for his office.
The N630 was very quiet so we had a relaxing and picturesque cycle, with another Osborne bull sighting, more grazing cattle, and storks on some purpose-built platforms, to the larger historic medieval town of Plasencia, population 41,000. There were wind farms en route on the hills so we were lucky not to have any wind.
We rode into Plasencia on a bridge over the Rio Jerte and up into the old town to the Plaza Mayor, ringed with the usual cafes, and is our want, found one in the sun for a restorative coffee.
In Plasencia, we stayed in our second and last parador (government owned properties) of our trip, another 15th C monastery on the Plaza de San Vincent Ferrer and the Plaza de San Nicholas, with the old Church of Saint Nicholas, the Palace of the Marquis of Mirabel, a fountain and lollypopped orange trees parading down a staircase. All very atmospheric outside - and inside!
At the off-season rate of €100/night, we decided it was worth a bit of a splurge. It is a pretty impressive complex filled with antique furniture and paintings with a lovely restaurant and small bar. The only problem was finding our way around through the hallways and stone staircases. Without Jim’s good sense of direction, I would likely still be wandering the halls. I suspect there are people who have never been found.
Again, we had a lovely big room with a sitting area.
As it had been a few days since we had had a proper dinner, we decided to complete our splurge with a late lunch in the Parador’s huge, high-ceiling and very elegant restaurant. We had not eaten at the last one we stayed in in Zafra. We find portions very large, so we split a salad and a lamb dish, and then both had dessert! Those are chocolate-dipped figs. Absolutely delicious!
Strategically located on the Rio Jerte, Plasencia was inhabited by Romans and Arabs until the 12th century, when King Alfonso VIII reconquered it. Evidence of habitation long before has been found. The impressive double-walled fortifications with more than 70 turrets are an indication of how the city had to defend itself as the Moors and Christians fought to control it. The end of the Reconquista did not put an end to disputes over control of the town, and in the late Middle Ages there were feuds between rival families, who devastated the city. During the 15th century, the noblemen of the region began to move to Plasencia, defining its current appearance. Palaces, ancestral homes and significant religious buildings make up the old quarter. Luckily, we had 2 nights here and time to explore.
Our day - 31.5 km. Elevation 160 m. A lunch fit for a duke!
This featured blog entry was written by Jenniferklm from the blog De Nuevo a España.
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