In the beautiful town of Cáceres

Leaving Alcuéscar yesterday, I had the intention to walk 26 km to Valdesalor, a small town about 12 km outside Cáceres. The weather was cool, with sun and clouds, and the camino went over several amazing Roman bridges. It was apparently "purple flower day" on the Vía de la Plata, because there were blankets of purple in almost every direction. There we were walking on the old Roman road, sandwiched between the national highway N-630 and the superhighway A-66, but there were lots of times when the road took us out of earshot of the hum of traffic.

When I pulled into Valdesalor at around 12:30 in the morning, having made very good time, the following facts presented themselves:

1. Valdesalor is an ugly town, in fact it´s not really a town at all. It was created by the state in the 1960s as part of a "get rural people out of isolation" movement. As a result this is essentially a large apartment complex.

2. The albergue has no beds, just mats on the floor.

3. It is cold, and there would be no blankets in the albergue, and all I have is a lightweight sleeping bag.

4. There is nothing to do in Valdesalor.

5. The really big snorer was planning to stay in Valdesalor.

So, after an hour´s rest, with lots of ice on the feet and shins, I took off for Cáceres, on what is probably the longest day´s walk I've done on any Camino, totalling 38 or 39 kms. I was fully intending to treat myself by spending the night at the parador. But by 4 pm, I was checked into the two star rustic hotel Don Carlos. The parador is undergoing extensive renovations and is closed. The Don Carlos was the first I ran into that looked nice. So I saved the family at least 85 euros, I figure.

Having the whole evening in Cáceres was very nice and relaxing. Its historic core, mainly dating from the XIV-XVI century with lots of Moorish remnants, is just stunning. And at night, it´s even more so. The other advantage of having made that long slog yesterday is that today I only have 11 kms to walk to Casar de Cáceres, a nearby town whose fame is a runny sheep cheese.

The weather has been wonderful, this morning it is downright chilly, with a bright sun. Great walking weather, I have absolutely no complaints. And, unlike last year when I arrived in Cáceres, my feet are FINE!