Simancas seemed deserted last night, Saturday night. It surprised us a bit, especially since it's certainly not a small village with over 5,000 inhabitants. It also has quite a stately appearance due to a large castle perched atop the hill, which you can see from afar. It's not a medieval castle, but was built in the late 15th century, at the end of the reconquest of the Moorish territories by Spain. Or rather Castile at the time, which would become Spain soon after this, after the last Muslim region of Granada was recaptured in 1492, along with the other regions of the Iberian Peninsula except Portugal. The need for a large defensive structure like this castle was no longer there and it soon became an archive for Castile. It was, and still is, one of the most important archives in Europe. And with the towers at the corners and the big bridge leading to it, it really is a castle as you would draw it as a child. On Saturday night, probably everyone goes to Valladolid, which is just ten kilometers from here. With over 300,000 inhabitants, this really is a big city though. And despite all the charming narrow streets, castles, beautiful churches and viewpoints of Simancas, Valladolid is bound to have more appeal on a Saturday night.
Valladolid is also the end point of our stage today. This one is a bit longer than the 10 kilometers as the crow flies, but at 16 kilometers not really long either. So we are in no hurry this morning and start walking around nine o'clock. The streets are quiet, with only a few people walking their dogs, tending to the plants in their front gardens or going to the bakery to get a baguette. The sun shines between the clouds and the birds chirp away. Nothing here reminds us that we are right next to a big city. We cross the Duero again via a beautiful old bridge and enjoy the beautiful river, the water plants and the big fish that swim against the current in a shallow stretch as fast as the water flows. On the other side of the bridge is the select group of tourists who have little or no need to pay for their overnight stay: the camper owners. They park their belongings in the most beautiful spots. Municipalities usually facilitate services like drinking water supply and waste water disposal for a few euros. After waking up on a sagging mattress, in a tiny room of barely 4 by 4 meter including a bathroom, furnished with furniture I used to dispose of at the environmental park when I was a mover, and paying €60 for one night, we'd almost get jealous of these beautiful cars in the most beautiful spots. But they are absolutely right, it looks idyllic. For us, it's just a pity we can't pitch our tent next to it.
We walk for a bit along the guardrails of a major road. The GR14 and a pilgrimage route continues to follow this road. We have seen on the map that from here there are paths through a nature reserve, so we leave the road on the right and turn left into the woods. It's a pine forest with lots of low vegetation and looks a bit like the Veluwe. The biggest difference is the birds you see and hear here. The cuckoo cackles, but does not show itself. The blue magpie flies back and forth and we see the hoopoe sailing by more often. Kilometer after kilometer we walk through the woods, we are glad we chose this route. After about 8 kilometers, we slowly leave the area. We encounter more and more 'city' people who swap the concrete for this piece of nature on Sunday morning, among the pines is a large swimming pool and just below the peaks are ropes stretched for a climbing park. Even though we have really only just started, we make a break before we are among the buildings. On a nice patch of grass among the trees, we set up the chairs and install the burner for a cup of coffee. When we do it, we do it right!
And soon after the break we indeed walk into the built-up area. A wide cycle path leads us towards the motorway and once across it we are among high-rise town houses. Further on, there are tall flats and we pass large shopping malls. We walk along a wide road with big old plane trees and a green strip in the middle with children's play equipment. The entrance also really does feel like that of a city of size. It's one big long straight road all the way to the city centre. The further we walk, the busier the streets get and the pavement cafés are well occupied. Almost all shops in Spain are closed on Sundays, with only a bakery and a small supermarket open. Still, the streets are pleasantly busy and we pass several street performers juggling and joking to entertain a large crowd. Again, this is a town with beautiful big old buildings from different eras and architectural styles. Valladolid was Spain's capital for a while in the early 17th century. Many buildings date from that time, but flourishing periods in later times also left their mark on the city. Walking into the city you can see that it has long been a city of significance, but flourished later than the medieval centres of Salamanca and Cáceres. That makes for a very different look and feel. But it's a city with cachet. And with its many restaurants, bars, terraces and ice cream parlours, it really is a city of nightlife. No wonder Simancas, just a stone's throw away, seemed empty last night. Everyone will have come here!
We walk onto Plaza Mayor, again surrounded by those beautiful stately buildings full of balconies and rows of long straight windows. Several bell towers can be seen at the top of the decorated facades, and looking into the streets you can see more grand buildings with domes and angels on the roofs. We planned to move on again tomorrow, and just have a quick look around the city, but we're too curious about it. We'll try to book another night's stay to see this city properly and get a 'feel' for it. At least on Sunday evening it's beautiful, let's wait and see how it is on Monday...
