Waking up to rural smells and sounds, and a gorgeous day, we were definitely in a village. Fuentespalda has a history we got the lowdown on upon chancing on an older resident, possibly the village crier, that afternoon. Virtually throwing herself verbally on us, the long history of the Ermita atop the hill, the legend written of the trumpet protecting the village, and the decision to never speak a certain dialect, was explained. The alternate name is Fontdespatla, and local signage is duo-lingo. La Picosa, a peak at over 1000m, took us a good few hours to climb beforehand. It was exactly the muscle-work change our thighs needed, rewarding us with a birds eye view of the nearby turquoise embalse, and dramatic craggy mountains to the east. A cool 6C morning and warm 18C afternoon fit
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