I don't know where we're going, but when we get there I'll be glad

 Today went terribly wrong. I sometimes do the googleplonk and plan the next few weeks ahead to get a sense of where I’m going. I think drink had been taken as I appear to be doing an awful lot of kilometres today and it doesn’t all quite match up.  I will need to walk a lot today, ensure I keep the phone with me to add the odd metres when stumbling round the house and bank some in the days ahead.





We are walking along the road in either April 2011 or March 2025, basically following the farmers road alongside the motorway.    We won’t be turning off, down to El Contador, which is a shame as they have one of these old, communal washing areas, the Lavadero Publico. It is a true three stars. Good in itself, worth seeing but not worth going to see.  Darwader sums it up ‘Small covered enclosure with two rows of adjacent pillars. Traditional construction. Currently closed to prevent vandalism.’




Along we go to Las Vertientes. Again, we are approaching peak rural Spain.  We arrive in a village which has decided that it will have houses, probably of some antiquity - or at least have occupied those locations.  Roads have sort of developed from the mule tracks between them and are not making any allowances for the fact most cars are developing middle aged spread and don’t really fit.




Las Vertientes is 1119m above sea level - how did we get that high? 144 people lived here in 2023. 71 are male and 73 female, well, that’s what they told the Spanish National Institute of Statistics.  This has been part of a gentle decline from the 220s around 2006.




San Juan is there patron and the rather spick and span church is dedicated to him.  Andres says ‘It's a small but beautiful church’ and 2007 Autosrivas opines ‘Beautiful church in this lovely town.’  




The Restaurante Los Pinetes / Desayunos y Almuerzos.  788 people could be bothered to review - and they gave it 4,7 stars. Three hours ago Sara was wowed. ‘I absolutely recommend it 100%. The food is exquisite and the portions are generous. Everything was fantastic, from the food to the service—the staff were incredibly friendly and professional. It's a restaurant I'll definitely return to again and again. Thank you for elevating the hospitality industry to this level, which is sadly becoming increasingly rare.’ Three days ago Beatriz reckoned ‘Cozy. Great service. Generous portions and good prices. I'll be back.’    Three weeks ago Roberto said ‘We stopped here during our trip based on other customers' reviews, and it was a great choice. The homemade croquettes were delicious. The ribeye steak was spectacular and melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the cheesecake was amazing.’




We are leaving Las Vertientes and so today ends, with lots of photos and less text.














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