Leaving Madrid

Well we have enjoyed Madrid and one day hope to return. 

We picked up the car today -a Renault Scenic. Ed was given a quick lesson on the car and then we were off. Our first roads are freeways out of Madrid. Ed is over confident and I am nervous enough for both of us. We stop near Avila for diesel and a drink as it is very hot. Back into the car we head for Salamanca. The temperature quickly drops and the weather changes. There are big black clouds lurking so we quickly find a cafe for lunch. Mine was lovely. I like to try the food typical from the area. Ed’s meal was okay and the kids enjoyed their entree but their main meal was a deconstructed burger - the kids were not impressed.

After lunch we set off to see the city. First we set off for the Cathedral. It is nice that architects and officials from Salamanca wanted to preserve their history as the original Romanesque church was incorporated into the new Gothic Cathedral. The old church had some remains of lovely frescoes, two small organs and some interesting sculptural elements. There was a lovely crypt for a husband and wife. The sculpture of them depicts a devoted couple. It is very romsntic but probably far from the truth. The new cathedral is nowhere near as ornate as the church in Toledo but I prefer it. The main nave and alter are lovely and there are some beautiful stained glass windows. The children lit a large number of candles for friends and family and said lots of prayers. After two hours viewing this cathedral we moved outside.

We walked around viewing old buildings linked to the university, the market, shops( again good cherries) and the main plaza. Plaza Mayor is a very beautiful space - the nicest we have seen to date. Some more wandering around and we head back to the Plaza for a coffee and somewhere dry. It started to rain.
We decide to press on heading for Portugal. We will revisit Salamanca on another trip. 

There are hardly any cars on the motorway mainly a few trucks. We stopped at Ciudad Rodrigo and walk around its old walls. Families were having picnics for dinner near the river. It looked nice with some interesting little boutique hotels next to the wall in the historic part of the town. 

We are not hungry and decide to wait until we get to Portugal for dinner. We arrive in Viseu to find a very quiet city with hardly anything open. We eat a very nice Portugese meal and head to Ed’s parents place. It is eleven o’clock by the time we arrive.
Everyone is very happy but tired so after some hugs, kisses and a little catching up we go  bed.