Visigothic marvel and El Cid church

Today we took a quick trip out of Zamora to visit San Pedro de la Nave. It’s a Visigothic church, moved piece by piece to escape being submerged by construction of a dam. I had been here once before —when the hospitalero in the Zamora albergue offered to drive me out (and I walked back) but this time it was car all the way. Just as beautiful as I remembered it. It’s always awe-inspiring to be in a building from the 7C.

From there we went back to Zamora to two Romanesque churches right outside the cathedral walls. My favorite church in Zamora—Santiago de los Caballeros, where El Cid is reported to have spent the night in prayer before being knighted. It’s extremely simple and beautiful with capitals choc full of figures and pictoral lectures about sinning, which makes for some explicit capitals.

Yesterday in the Zamora museum I had seen a capital recovered fromn the ruined Monasterio de Moreruela. I remembered the (luckily in tact) apse of the church as the most stunning I had ever seen. I walked there on my third (?) Vdlp from Granja de Moreruela, where today we stopped for a coffee right outside the albergue. On to the monastery in car. Joe enjoyed it a lot and I think he understands my addiction to walking Caminos a little better.

On the way back to Zamora it occurred to me to stop in a town where Dana and I had stayed on my second Vdlp. We had had a great meal in Rosamari, where the owner had regaled us with stories about how hard it had been for two women to start a business in Franco years. Banks wouldn’t lend without the husband’s signature, etc. Today the restaurant is run by the third generation, and she assured me that her mom and grandma had taught her to be strong and independent. I was shocked that I was able to find a picture of one of the owners outside in 2010 and was happy to send it on to the current owner. The food is still excellent, btw! Joe had a cocido (too heavy for my taste, though I had a few bites), and I just had an ensalada mixta. I am very sad to report, though, that despite my very clear 2010 memory of the first salad since Cáceres without iceberg lettuce, even the Rosamari has succumbed!Read more