Being a tourist and walking around towns checking out historical places and events is really hard business. It was great to get back on the tandem today and start riding. The temperature at the start of the day was 4C and the clouds were abundant and dark. There was a bit of wind which was cold, and there was concern in our group about the possibility of rain. What will this day bring?
Well, it brought beautiful and varied scenery. Road were very quiet, but the surfaces were rough.
But stopping at this moment created a small problem - sort of a traffic jam on the small bridge. As we were looking at the water, we heard bells. Then we realized we couldn't get off the bridge because a flock of sheep were being herded onto the bridge. We backed up and then stood on the rock barriers along the side of the bridge.
I wish I could post my video of the sheep crossing . . . There were 2 working dogs, 4 or 5 other dogs along for the walk, 1 shepherd walking, and 1 small truck moving the flock across the river.
Today's route had an out & back option added to it that would take us to a beautiful historic village, Pedraza. The ride out and back was lovely-following a creek and up an over a knob.
Headed towards Pedraza and our first sighting of the castle on the hill.
The skies lightened and then darkened. One weather app said the rain would begin at 2 p.m. and the other said at 4 p.m. We decided we'd better step on it and try to make up some time and the road conditions helped us along. We did our final climb of the day and popped around a corner . . .
And this is what we saw as we rounded the corner. Sepúlveda - another village on a hill that looks like it belongs in a story book.
The route through the village to our hotel was windy and twisty, but we found it just as the first rain drops began to fall. Phew! We made it and stayed dry.
We had been educated about the specialty served this area, so we showered quickly and went in search of a restaurant still serving. The key here is to be in the restaurant before 3:30 if you want a meal as the kitchens close at 4 p.m. and reopens around 8:30 p.m. The waiter seated us and we proceeded to order a salad and some lamb to share.
A Mixta Ensalada - tuna, eggs, olives, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.
