Today we will continue another stage. From Tordesillas to Simancas, both located on the Duero river, which we'll follow for most of today's route. We visited Tordesillas extensively yesterday. It's not that big, but it has some impressive buildings, a nice Plaza Mayor, the convent of Santa Clara with a Gothic church from the 14th century and a nice little park with stunning views over the river valley. Near the old bridge over the river is a statue of a large bull, in honour of Toro de la Vega, an annual festival in which the bull sometimes survives. 529 years ago, in the year 1494, Tordesillas played a major role in the division of the world, which many countries still feel the effects of. At the time, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided all territories outside Europe between the two countries. An imaginary line was drawn across the Atlantic, the Tordesillas Meridian. Portugal got the east, Spain the west. The rest who ventured out to sea were considered pirates. America had only just been discovered for two years, so Portugal thought it had gold in its hands with the African territories. Soon Spain proved to have made the best deal and the meridian was shifted a bit. Portugal got what is now Brazil, and Spain pretty much got the rest. And so they still speak Spanish in Central and South America, and Portuguese in Brazil. The palace where the treaty was signed, Casa del Tratado, is still there and can be visited as a museum. It's a beautiful city with a fascinating history, a real Spanish gem.
The weather did indeed turn around quite a bit after we arrived. It stormed well during the nights and rain is also forecast every day for the next few days. We have gone from spring weather on the coast, to summer inland, to autumn in the north. Hope we don't get winter later in the mountains... In any case, the tent passed the test gloriously and stood like a house in the rain and wind. We packed everything extra well this morning and already put the rain cover over Malou's backpack, as it continues to look dark and threatening. We walk back to the bridge and town and then quickly exit the town below the monastery. The river meanders quite a bit on this stretch and the route follows the river closely.
It's a nice little path between tall poplars, with regular views of the water. The banks are beautifully green and on the marshier stretches even large blue irises bloom among the grass. There are also many maisenstears and silenes. Nice to see other flowers here, although we don't get tired of the fields of poppies, purple vetch and thistles any time soon. Along the river, the ground is muddy and clayey, a little further we move tens of meters from the river and the ground is immediately sandy and dry. The poplars give way to pine trees. In a few steps, the landscape has changed completely again. This is another gorgeous stretch to walk through: an open forest with gorse and blackberry bushes.
We skim the small village of San Miguel del Pino. The whole of Spain seems to breathe history, because even in a village like this, with less than 350 inhabitants, there is a magnificent sandstone church from the 12th century. It's a beautiful, unusual structure on the edge of the village, which we also walk right out of, back into the meadows. Lots of potatoes, but also beans. The pods are already big and we can't resist tasting them. The peas taste deliciously sweet and fresh, an unexpectedly tasty treat.
We walk past the next village and find a nice spot for our break. Because the route on the map more often cuts off the bends from the river, but the signposts send us along the water each time, the stage becomes a few kilometers longer than previously estimated. But these are the most beautiful stretches, so we follow the signs faithfully and take an extra break, under an orchard of almond trees. It has been sunny for a while, but the sky looks threatening. We only have about 7 kilometers to go, so as we continue on, we set a brisk pace anyway. It doesn't take long before it starts drizzling. We quickly put on our raincoats and put the rain covers on both our backpacks, just in time before it starts raining really hard. It pours heavily for a while, but it's not cold. The paths are muddy, but fortunately easy to walk and not too far away we can already see Simancas. It's not long before we walk into the village and the rain passes. The village is built against a slope. Down below at the corner of a junction, an elderly man asks us something in Spanish. Communicating remains a problem in the small villages, but we make out that he is asking where we are going. We tell him the name of the hostel we've booked. He thinks for a moment and gestures us to follow him. Another stride faster than us, he walks up the hill, through narrow streets to our hostel's restaurant. He alerts the owner that we are there and leaves again. Super friendly! Even though it feels a bit awkward at times, these remain such nice encounters. At the hostel, they have to search for a while; it seems they weren't expecting any more guests. But at the last minute, we do get a key to a room in a building across the road. Behind us, the door to the restaurant is closed and within fifteen minutes there is no one in sight. It's Saturday night, so they must have other plans... That promises be another quiet evening for us. But of course we'll make a little tour in Simancas, as it looks pretty and old again, with an imposing church and a big building that looks like a castle. We're curious!
