Alange to Zafra

April 12, 2024

Our room included breakfast and when we came downstairs Maria had her chef's hat on was busy in the kitchen making scrambled eggs and bacon for us, in addition to the little buffet spread she had prepared. If you ever happen to be in Alange, El Balcón de Alange is the place to stay. We wanted to tell Maria that we could manage the bikes down the steps, she didn't haveto bother but when we came downstairs after packing, we saw that our bicycles were already outside waiting for us.

On the way out we got a glimpse of Alange, a pleasant little town with its whitewashed houses, all very well cared for.

Much stone is available as building material

The brick work is very similar to the brick gothic architecture found in north Germany.

Alange is a spa town and has been known for its hot springs since Antiquity.

We had revised our original route for today so that it would be shorter and with less verticle meters than the original plan. Instead of riding on less direct country roads, we would take a shorter route on the highway running parallel to the A-66, except for the first 28 kilometers to Almendralejo. We were quite sure the A-66 would take the brunt of the traffic. Those first 28 kilometers were the best of what turned out to be a very tiring day.

Sunny but a cool wind still called for a windbreaker in the morning.

Loved the views with vines, olive trees and mountains in silhouette

Great contrast of the silvery olive tree leaves and red soil

I thought I noticed that my front brake was not grabbing so when we got to Almendralejo Janos looked up a bicycle shop to have it looked at. I figured the pads on the hydraulic disc brake were too worn.We got service immediately and the diagnosis was that the brake was leaking oil. The bike mechanic said there was nothing he could do besides cleaning the disc and replacing the pads.

With the new brake pads, my brakes worked fine.

At Almendralejo we got on the road that I thought was going to have little traffic. Wrong! There was heavy traffic the whole way, we had a head wind, hot sun and a gentle but continuous climb. After 30 nasty kilometers we could finally turn off the highway onto a country road. What a relief, it was like heaven. The country road took us up to Los Santos de Maimona, a quiet village with a pretty square.

Inspite of our discomfort on a poorly chosen road, we still were riding through lovely surroundings. It wasn't like there was industry or anything.

From Los Santos de Maimona the planned route then wanted to take us back to the highway for the final kilometers. Janos said no way, let's just follow the EV1 on our map it's shorter. That was a bad decision. Although the road was through a cool forest, we were in for a 20% climb. And after that rough gravel, no coasting down.

View frrom the top before descending to Zafra

We were more than worn out when we got to Zafra. We made our way to the parador that we had booked and I was looking forward to a bit of comfort. Paradors, by the way, are not necessarily more expensive than staying at a regular hotel and it was quite awesome to walk the halls of this impressive monument.

"The Parador Zafra dates from 1437 and was once the home of the Dukes of Feria. The property has a majestic lounge with an open fireplace, as well as the former chapel with its Gothic-Mudéjar turret. The spectacular façade of the Parador Zafra displays 9 towers linked by robust, stone walls topped with turrets."

We went out to eat at the closest restaurant, which in itself was an experience. Friday night and everyone was all decked out in snazzy clothes, the bar and restaurant were jam packed, the din incredible. A late meal and to bed.

What a day!

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Today's ride: 63 km (39 miles)
Total: 508 km (315 miles)

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