Day 5 Monday 29 October Gredos travel day to Valladolid Spain

Day 5 Monday 29 October Gredos travel day to Valladolid Spain

We said our sad good byes to Dave &Joyce who had a 6 hour drive to the Parador Olite. Meanwhile we continued our breakfast buffet before braving the cold to scape off the rental all covered in snow. Our drive today is only 172Km or a few hours at most.

Arrived at 3PM and found the Nexus Hotel & Suites with its own parking below the hotel with car elevator no less. Mandatory to fold the outside mirrors in in order to entry the small elevator. Always a fun experience!

Next door was a fancy Asador De La Solana where we had garlic soup, mixed salad, and calamares that would have made Miguel proud with a lite dusting of flour and a squeeze of lemon & salt they were very tender delicious!! All this eating is becoming quite a chore, it was getting on for 8.30 or so and it was time to eat….again! However, we decided that perhaps a glass of wine and a tapa or pintxo would suffice so off we went across the street to feed the beast! It was quite a modern place which always fills me with suspicion, I usually prefer the eating places with Mama in the kitchen and the walls covered with old photos and cow bells and musical instruments or whatever the family treasures the most. The food was decent and when I asked about the lack of customers the chica answered that it was because it was the first cold snap of the season! We were not the only ones suffering but after Gredos it was almost balmy!

The Nexus Suites with a full kitchenette and lounge area had this fancy Lowes brand name TV set with a green tiny language button that allowed you to turn on captions in Spanish, or convert the programing to its original language with Spanish subtitles. We watched Criminal minds in English along with other programs.

Tuesday was a wet day throughout Spain as was Valladolid. We wandered across the street to the large cathedral which was open and the two got separated but Jane ventured forth and walked the interior. It was very dark gothic, huge and kinda cold, I did not linger as I had no idea where Paul was. Gotta keep track of the hubs you know! The smaller cathedral is under renovation having its interior stone work refurbished. This smaller of the two churches is directly opposite our hotel.

Paul has this thing about just getting on a bus and riding it to the end of the line. It was a bit damp and my feet are numb and a lot of walking is not on the cards this trip so I agreed and we jumped on the  No 1 bus and rode it to the end of the line, right next to a huge Carrefour Market. Paul bought a sweater and I a scarf and then we rode back into town. Paul found the Don Quixote statue and an absolutely beautiful,  university building  which with the university in Alacala de Henares are two of the oldest  in Spain. Valladolid is or was considered the city in Spain where the best Castilian is spoken. Cervantes was big part of furthering this belief as he is considered the most famous Spanish author.

Lunch was an experience even though we did NOT have a reservation. Only room for about 20 people but they sat us. Our neighbor lady had a huge rabo de toro meal followed by rice pudding. Jane had pumpkin bisque and Paul ordered a surprise dish not knowing exactly what would come which was outstanding: homemade carbonara over thin pasta. Paul had an entrecote steak and Jane had something that has left us entirely?? I got nothing! I rely on Paul to remember the food! It was one of those lovely old restaurants where families gather on special occasion and celebrate. This was a large group of older people. Friends? Family? I don’t know, but it was delightful. The food was excellent and as the little lady next to us left, with part of her meal wrapped “ to go”, “ para llevar” she wished us “bon Apetit!” they cannot figure out where we come from! They always go for French or German though I think Paul is the epitomy of an American tourist but what do I know?

After siesta we opened our umbrellas and headed across the cathedral commons to the Bar Lizarran for pixtos as our supper. After that underwhelming experience we headed towards our hotel but stopped at the Asador next door where Paul ordered the Lechazo (lamb cutlets on a skewer. Which was to die for!!!! I swear I am going to stop eating soon!  It was one of those bar/restaurants I described before, lots of wood, cow bells, photos , flutes and guitars, where the gal behind the bar calls you querida and smiles warmly. I love it! Off to watch American TV in our hotel room. Now I want you to remember that it is now pushing 10.30 pm and we had logged nearly 9,000 steps so don’t judge us for going home to watch TV! No discos for us until 5am. Those days are long gone. The spirit is willing but the body weak!