Beatrix pottering: Homeward bound

Hasta luego Sevilla. And now we really are on our way home. After the usual motorhome servicing routine (including yoga in a port car park, one of my more unusual venues), plus a trip to Aldi, we were off. The plan today: to get half way, Salamanca, a journey of 288 miles. Jemima watched Octonauts, slept, and listened to books; I sorted out photos and read books; and we all ate while Kevin drove. Another lovely sunny blue-sky day, travelling through the barely inhabited centre of Spain: green hills and plains, the odd cow, occasional vineyards, and sometimes a little town off to the side. We ended up high, 1200m above sea level, and could see sprinkles of snow on the mountain tops. Kevin just kept on driving.

By 5.30pm we'd reached Salamanca, and a motorhome parking area right near the centre, in a church car park. A cup of tea, a little rest, some playing, then it was off for dinner. A short walk across the adjacent bridge - with beautiful reflections of the Cathedral in the river - and we were in Salamanca Old Town. It felt like an Oxford or Cambridge - a high concentration of elegant, old buildings, all in a small area, with lots of life from the student population. We kept walking, and reached the highlight: the main square, Plaza Mayor. More uniform and therefore well-proportioned than Brussels' Grand' Place, and a complete square, unlike Venice's St. Mark's Square, it was stunning, especially lit up at night. After a bit more of a wander we settled on a fairly non-touristy restaurant in the square, and then had a very nice tapas meal: roasted scallops, the wonderful jamon, a mini burger, goats cheese and tomato salad, and pork fillet. Then, after a brief dance to some buskers in the square, a walk back across the river among the beautiful buildings and their reflections. Salamanca is unexpectedly brilliant. But no time to explore further - our journey home continues tomorrow.

(None of these photos do justice to Salamanca, but they're the best we've got...)

Walking across the bridge from our parking spot, with the Cathedral reflected in the river: