Never get cocky when driving in castles

Ian has noted today, “You are cussing a lot on this trip, Mom.” Well, Ian, dear, you drive a standard transmission Audi into a $&”@?!$& 9th century castle, and see how the bad words start flowing.

Our traveling days have been the most humorous...well, until today. Maria was working on the blog from yesterday, but tonight she just ran. into. a. castle, so yesterday’s travel stories are dead to her.

Maria was going to tell you how we left Toledo for Trujillo (in honor of her former neighbors, the Trujillos, and because Melinda fell in love with Trujillo last year.) Maria was going to tell you about driving into this tiny town with its tiny sidewalk-streets and how we just had to go “right and then right” to the hotel parking...the parking that was right INSIDE the 9th century castle...”This. can’t. be. right?” Sang the chorus of Maria and Melinda as they drove up the hill.

We did great. No problemo. (Well, except we called the front desk for the WHEELCHAIR elevator not realizing it would take us down 10 steps we were perfectly capable of taking.) And then we had to drive into the castle AGAIN today because Melinda had the dumb idea of a day trip🙄...Maria worried about how we would get out of the castle, but when that was no problemo, Maria got cocky. After a day at the cheese museum (stay tuned) and a visit to Cáceres (our least favorite town thus far), we drove up...went right and then not quite right fast enough...and Maria thought, “Gee. I don’t remember it being this narrow.” Jesus must have been all 😳, but thank goodness for early morning candle lighting...we made it. It was the wrong road and it was 0.2 mm wider than an Audi.

I mean, yes, in the end Melinda had to walk to Audi down the hill like a puppy...past some Spanish pedestrians (“Um, ladies...do you see my wing mirrors pushed in...maybe wait???” But noooo... Now we know the real reason Spaniards are thin...to be able to walk in the street😂) and past a guy sitting and smoking and talking on the phone in his doorjamb who TURNED his legs inward (like you do for a latecomer at the movies) and did not get OUT OF the way of the Audi as Maria drove past. (Some old ladies even saw Maria stall the car and did not run for cover but kept walking right by us up to the castle.) Spaniards: they aren’t chickens.

But then...the parking lot was almost full and after pulling perfectly into the. last. parking space, Maria did it. She ran into the castle wall ...oh ever so gently🤦‍♀️ I’m sorry, Costco Visa, she knows not what she did. But really...isn’t it Costco’s fault?!?! With their big parking lots and their wide lanes...Americans are ruined for Europe.

So, we are inTrujillo...a wonderful little town with more than a dozen towers. On these towers are currently resting migratory Storks from Africa. Ian is in bird nerd heaven. We drove here via Talavera de la Reina where we bought a few painted ceramics, saw some ancient Roman ruins, and were given a bottle of wine for lunch.

More about the cheese museum tomorrow. Need to get to bed by 2am so I can make the walking tour of Trujillo tomorrow!Read more