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- May 23, 2023, 8:58pm
- ☁️ 13 °C
- Altitude: 1,004 m
- SpainCastille-La ManchaCuencaMuseo Fundación Antonio Saura40°4’47” N 2°7’44” W
Fuentes to Cuenca
May 23, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
Another low key day, 24 kms, into the UNESCO World Heritage city of Cuenca. The drought is just awful. Fields that would be a brilliant emerald green are dry. This area is a
little less dry than where we have been, and there are more wildflowers than we have seen up till now, but it looks like one crop failure after another.
The walk itself was really nice. We went by some lagoons, through two small villages with no facilities, but almost every step was off road. As we came in to Cuenca, we passed an endless mindnumbing series of square apartment buildings. No balconies, no cafés or panaderías, just square apartment buildings. It seems so anti-Spanish to build housing that way, but I guess it’s efficient.
The three of us all chose different places to stay, and I am near the cathedral and near a really good restaurant coincidentally! I had a good lunch, and walked for several hours afterwards to walk some of it off.
Alun, Clare, and I all met up in late afternoon to walk around a bit and enjoy the views of the town built on top of a gorge. We then walked out to see the pilgrim albergue, and we plan to go back tomorrow when the Association is open. The albergue is always reported to be excellent, but I really wanted a rest day here, so two nights in a hotel is the better way to go. Albergue stays are limited to one night.
I took one last stroll after dark just to see things in the dark. I knew that the spectacular illumination I remember from years ago had been discontinued because of the huge cost, but it still was beautiful.
Tomorrow a rest day! It’s been many years since I’ve taken a rest day on a camino, probably more than 15, but I’m looking forward to this one!Read more
Traveler Wow, what a place. I'd need a few days. One for paleontology and archaeology, the other for more recent stuff. Enjoy!
Traveler What a reward for a nighttime stroll! Magnificent!
Traveler Seems as you followed the Camino (of course) entering Cuenca among the apartment buildings. There is a short-cut on the road... but more dangerous. And the entrance to Cuenca on the road is even worse since it takes you through the industrial suburbs! So it's grey apartment buildings or industrial suburbs either way... But enjoy the rest of Cuenca on you rest day!!
Laurie Reynolds Do you know if these apartment buildings are social housing or market based? Especially the ones without balconies. We three are discussing this right now and I can’t figure it out.
Traveler I have nooo idea. I just remember they never ended... It takes forever to reach the center of Cuenca.