Bar lady our heroine

Salamanca. A relaxed travel day was planned for today. However, at the start, two rather small towns, Bejar and Guijuelo, were on our stamp list, where the likelihood of the tourist offices being closed was quite high.

It was only 16 kilometers to Bejar, but they were quite challenging. Winding roads up and down. We chose to avoid the highway in favor of the N630, thinking that this way we would experience more of the countryside and people. But in this case, we were clearly mistaken. I had to concentrate 100 percent on driving. Luckily it was Sunday, and there were no trucks on the road. However, there were many cyclists who sped down the hills, often faster than us. We strictly adhered to the speed limit of 40 km/h. We couldn't have gone faster, or we would have veered off in the first of many hairpin turns.

We were relieved when we arrived in Bejar, which at first glance was not as small as we expected. The Wikipedia figure of 12,000 inhabitants surprised us. The address of the stamp office was easy to find, but there was only a house ruin there. But that can't shake us anymore. After 16 stamps, we are already among the old hands on the Via de la Plata. Yes, yes... we are already considered old hands anyway, that's clear.

In Guijuelo, it was then the moment: The tourist office was closed. We had to spend the night in this town with the unpronounceable name and try our luck on Monday. That was not pleasant at all, as we realized while driving through Guijuelo that there wasn't much here besides industry. We wanted to console ourselves with coffee and tapas in one of the bars, when the bar lady to whom we had shared our misfortune offered to stamp our passport with her stamp. The location was also noted on it, so we agreed – and treated the place to a round of beers. No – we didn't do that. Just a joke. For Grandma Elfie: that's in English and translates to fun.

So now we are at a campsite on the outskirts of Salamanca. We will set off there tomorrow for a city tour. One of the most attractive cities in this country awaits us, with one of the oldest universities in Europe, the Plaza Mayor, which is considered the most beautiful square in Spain, and a huge cathedral that consists of two cathedrals. And that in brilliant sunshine and 22 degrees.