Caceres: A Well Earned Rest Day! 0 kms, 20C

The View From Caceres:

Put this little gem on your travel list. A beautiful little medieval town without the big tour buses and crowds! Just a few tourists, peregrinos and then there is the locals, but they are part of the colour. The first inhabitants date back some 35 thousand years to the Paleolithic period, but the Romans got the ball rolling town wise about 78 BC.  The town enjoyed it's rise during the 12-16th centuries. Within the walled old city there are large plazas, palaces, deep wandering streets, towers, numerous churches (no surprise) and a Jewish quarter. I met Ole (German living in the Netherlands) and we spent a few hours wandering the streets before finding lunch in a small backstreet previous Michelin awarded establishment. Take a look at this place...

It was a wonderful morning of poking about and then we met a bunch of our walking mates and held an impromptu meeting to discuss the next day before tossing our togs and going for a cana of beer. Never met such a colourful group of peregrinos.

See what happens when I get even a small amount of rest:) Here is the rest of our group...

So Ole and I did find a real live Michelin rated restaurant complete with the red stickers all over the window and we have agreed to meet there at 8 pm to see if it's open and if we can get in. I'll be in my best, least dirty smelly walking clothes...yup, that should open doors for us. Most peregrinos on the route are on a fairly tight budget, but I had a feeling about Ole and he about me, even though we are both retired...he says to me, "are you on a budget?"...my answer, "Nope"...his answer, "Good"...so we will splurge a bit on good food and wine tonight. After all it's 33 kms to the next bunk bed...live in the moment!

As you can see I have done my shopping for tomorrow as I stop at the albergue at Embalse de Alcantara basically in the middle of nowhere overlooking a beautiful lake. I have to carry my food for the day and for dinner as not much there. After that, breakfast is a short 11 kms away. Annemarie, there is also a good dry sausage and cheese cooling in my window and yogurt and a banana to get me kick started the morning. Will also pick up a tin of something, so no worries!

Rain forecast for tonight and the next few days...definitely cooling. Is this the start of poncho on, poncho off? Sure hope not...

Buen Camino