In Zamora

Joe slept in so we had a late breakfast, but we had a good three hour window to walk and tour before everything closed down for lunch. I have to say Joe’s schedule is not particularly well-suited to the Spanish rhythm, but today I was able to cajole him into a nap during the 2-5 siesta period.

In the morning, we went first to the 10C aceñas/molinos, which were in use for 8 centuries.. These are particularly unusual,, we were told, because there are four in a row, which enabled quick changes in function and heightened efficiency. From there, we walked along the river to the Diocesan museum (inside a romanesque church), and then to a particularly beautiful Santa Maria de Huerta, and then the Zamora Museum, which is small but has some beautiful pieces going back to Celtiberian days and earlier. And CR of course we had to walk over the river on the Puente de Piedra so Joe could see the view!

While Joe napped, I did a reconnaisance all over town to pick out which churches should be top on our list, since we are obviously not going to visit the insides of all 20-something of them. At each church I tried to focus on one particular exterior feature to help me distinguish these beauties one from the other. Lots of capitals I could recognize (Adam and Eve, Slaughter of the Innocents, Daniel) but many I couldn’t. And then at 5, I pushed Joe out of bed and we went on a short circle walk to see three standouts.

We will have tapas again tonight. Whenever Alan or Sabine recommend a place, you can be sure it’s going to be a keeper !Read more