I showered in the action man shower, to say there is not enough room to swing a cat is an understatement. A cat wouldn't fit in with me...
I topped up the water, not full as it's heavy and tonight I was planning to stay on a proper campsite at Tordesillas, near Valladolid.
Another long days drive 5 hours.
Didn't start off well. Went for fuel, thought I'd get it at the supermarket rather than the motorway service station as it's quite a bit cheaper, about 14 cents a litre cheaper and every little helps. Unfortunately, I d rove into the car wash instead and had to reverse the big bugger with mirrors round a tight bend with big concrete kerbs to get out. Fuck that for a game of soldiers. so I left and carried on towards the motorway.
It was another bitterly cold and frosty in the morning and was icyon the roads. The French seem to spray the roads with a saline solution rather than salt grit. It seems effective because as soon as I got on the main roads it was as clear as a bell.
My Passport was ready ready on the passenger seat as I drove south to cross the border. What border? I must have missed it. One final toll road and I was in Spain. I didn't see any sign, the language on the motorway signs just changed.
As I was changing motorways I made a schoolboy error and didn't spot a give way sign on the entry to the motorway. Nearly took a French twingo and angry driver out.
It is a spectacular drive over, or should I say through the picos mountains, the end bit of the Pyrenees. It was getting higher, and colder. There were countless tunnels and viaducts and stunning vistas of the mountains in the distance. Unlike France, Spain seemed not to have as many toll roads. I passed through three bit what they charged was peanuts compared to French prices. Most of the other motorways that I travelled on today were two lanes and in very good condition. The roads were not busy at all. Most of the traffic appeared to be heavy articulated lorries who, incidentally, seemed to have a habit of wandering to the near side and offside. I had to hold my breath on a couple of occasions as I put my foot down to pass one and he suddenly wandered towards the side of my car.
Once out of the mountains and the clouds the scenery changed. This is real Don Quixote county. If I'd have seen a bearded chap on a donkey I don't think I'd have been too surprised at all.
It had been a long drive as I pulled into the campsite I had picked to spend the evening. It was in a small town called Tordesillas, not far from Valladolid. I had sent away for a brochure from the Caravan Club, yes, I'm a member of the caravan club... Quite shocking, I even have a sticker ;-)
To be fair, the discounts you get makes it worth every penny of the £43 subscription.
Anyway, I rang the bell of the El Astral caravan park an a chap wandered over. In bad Spanish I told him I wanted to stay over night. In excellent English he told me they were closed for the season. He was very helpful though. He gave me the addresses of a couple of sites in Salamanca which was only about 60km down the motorway. By this time it was getting on. I was very keen to get my foot down and reach my destination before the sun went down.
As I was setting my GPS with the address, I checked out other local sites. There was a free stop over, right in the middle of Salamanca. I'd head there.
I pulled up just as it was getting dusk. The temperatures were already plummeting. On the drive down the winds were driving across the Sierra de Feude from the mountains and on the side facing the mountains, all the vegetation was iced over. It looked pretty if not a tad eerie in the setting sun.
The camper stop was actually a car park in the centre of town outside the council offices, next door to a Lidl supermarket. There were a number of other vans already there. As I was setting up a HUGE one parked next to be.
Salamanca is part of the Spanish region known as “Castilla y León” (Castile and Leon). Despite being a medium-size city (with around 170.000 inhabitants), Salamanca is famous in the world for its culture and for its student atmosphere. In fact, the University of Salamanca is said to be the third oldest university in Europe, founded in 1218.
Located in the western part of Spain, right besides the border with Portugal, Salamanca is in the inner part of the country, 200 kilometers west of Madrid, which made it difficult to reach for tourists.
Salamanca also features a small local airport which receives international and domestic flights.
Tourism is probably the most outstanding industry of the city, thanks to its historical heritage and to the charm of the city itself, since Salamanca can be considered one of the most beautiful Spanish cities. It is also in Salamanca, where the purest Spanish (or "Castellano") is spoken, which makes the city a popular destination for students wanting to learn Spanish.
Weather conditions in Salamanca are quite extreme, with cold winter, hot summers and very little rain.
In its gastronomy pork meat is the star, the cured hams produced in Guijuelo, a village in the Southern part of Salamanca, are among the most famous Spanish delicatessen.
Salamanca has been declared World Heritage City by the Unesco, and in 2002, it was chosen as European City of Culture.
It was late so I didn't get a chance to explore, a short trip to the supermarket to stock up with bread, water, meats and a bottle of Spanish wine. A evening of Tapas watching Moulin Rouge in the TV. Perfect.
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Location:Salamanca - Castile-Leon - Spain
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