The City of Churches

Zamora. We are now in Zamora, a provincial capital in Castilla y León - after Andalusia and Extremadura, our third region. For the nearly 70 kilometers from Salamanca here, we once again had the choice between the highway and the country road N630. We have always opted for the country road so far; the reasons for this I have already mentioned in one of the previous blog posts. We simply wanted to be closer to the land and its people. From now on, we will take the highway. It runs parallel to the country road for long stretches, although the latter is often very winding. The drawback is that I have to shift gears often, and I don’t want to put our clutch under strain in its current condition.

Today, I was able to see that the highway not only brings benefits for our clutch but also for the driver. I nestled in at a distance behind a truck that was traveling at a constant 95 km/h. It was completely relaxing, allowing me to enjoy the surroundings much more than when driving on the N630. The landscape has completely changed by now. Flat fields, often cultivated with grain or rapeseed, have taken over from the olive trees and vineyards. There are no orange trees here anymore. The area reminds us a bit of our home, Icke of Uckermark and me of Lower Bavaria, two regions that are also quite similar.

In Zamora, there is an urban campsite that provides the necessary facilities – and it is fully booked. We are lucky and have secured one of the last spots, one of the most beautiful, right by a small creek. After arriving and a short siesta, we headed to the center. We have now gotten used to the Spanish rhythm of life. Okay, we don’t get up as early, but we still manage to reach our next station by 2 PM. Around 5 PM, we start our exploration tour. There are climatic reasons for the Spaniards' siesta. The early afternoon hours in summer here are just too hot. For our siesta, there are other reasons: The shops don’t open until around 5 PM, and before that, Icke wouldn’t go to the city even with ten horses...

Zamora is a nice city with almost 60,000 residents. The atmosphere of this city is shaped by the many well-preserved fortifications commissioned by Kings Alfonso II and Alfonso III in the 9th and 10th centuries. Although the city was conquered several times by Muslims, Moors, and Christians, the mighty fortress wall is remarkably well preserved. It is an eye-catcher, enhanced by the park that partially fronts it. And of course, the churches are worth seeing. There are a total of 22 spread throughout the city of Zamora, all built between the 11th and 13th centuries. This makes the city a leader in Spain regarding the number of Romanesque churches.