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Published: October 22nd 2017
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Geo: 39.4891, -6.41299
Having decided against the option of the bus which leaves from outside the campsite, we drove into nearby Cacares and found the recommended multi-storey car park for visiting the old city - although as with many that we have used in Spain, we were in fact underground rather than above. Access to some can be rather tight, but you do tend to go off sightseeing with some reassurance that your vehicle is safe - a sign of the times, sadly - plus it is in the shade.
Anyhow, we followed the signs through narrow cobbled alleyways to what is reputed to be one of the most authentic medieval and Renaissance cities, with little changing in the last five to six hundred years.
On reaching the Plaza Mayor, our first stop was the tourist information office for yet another excellent map (free) and suggestions from the receptionist of places to see. First being the main cathedral in Plaza Santa Maria which is no where near as ornate or grand as the last one we had visited a few days ago in Toledo, but still has an impressive screen screen behind altar of carved red cedar. For the minor entrance charge of 1€,
you also have access via a stone spiral staircase to the bell tower which gives fantastic views over the city and way beyond to the parched, flat landscape which we have seen so much of this week on our travels.
On leaving the cathedral we then took to meandering the streets to first arrive at Plaza de San Jorge where setting up for a modern music event was nearing completion. We did not go around the cathedral here but through the open doors you could seen the highly ornate gilded altar screen which is in stark contrast to the building's otherwise simple style. Also, on one of the two towers, storks have built their nests which have since been propped up by metal rods as reinforcements.
Around the corner we found another tourist location which houses an interpretation of the city's Easter celebrations. Every few years this becomes a major spectacle with a procession of many thousands of people if the model of the Plaza Major is anything to go by. In this space, there is also a display of costumes some with rather sinister looking pointed hoods with eye slits, reminiscent of the Klu Klux Klan, worn by some of the
From bell tower of the cathedral, Cacares
Note the stork nest on the right-hand tower of the building to the left participants. I'm not altogether sure what they represent, but intriguing all the same.
In this same building, down a flight of stairs, is the ancient cistern, constructed in stone with a vaulted ceiling, which was a collection area for rainwater via numerous pipes and channels, supplying the city's water in years gone by.
Further along we encountered another musical distraction with a couple of men being recorded playing what I consider flamenco music - one clapping the traditional rhythm and singing out the loud, mournful wail (no insult intended), whilst the other member of the duo strummed his guitar.
Before returning to the site, we stopped off at the Plaza Mayor for a beer and a selection of tapas - our second experience of this Spanish institution - but we remain disappointed and unconvinced, I'm afraid.
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