At 8:15 AM this morning it is still very dark outside. Standard time begins this weekend and I am sure that the people of Caceres are ready for it. We will be enjoying an extra hour of sleep. Even though we have gotten past jetlag, we are still doing more each day with more stress than at home. So sleep, good.
The hotel breakfast is quite impressive. There are tortillas (like frittatas), a haunch of ham to slice from and all the other things one might want at breakfast. There’s also a cup of breadcrumbs, a specialty around here. We are not sure what you are supposed to do with it. Finishing breakfast we head out for the day’s sights. It is still intermittently spitting rain. We go first to the Tourist Information Office where a very enthusiastic worker gives us the lowdown on everything to see. With map in hand we start out.
First thing on our agenda is to go to the Caceres Museum. Cacares has been inhabited for a long time, a very long time. There are paleolithic artifacts in the museum, as well as Roman artifacts, Visigoth artifacts, etc. We are able to trace the ages from Stone Age to Iron Age by what the peoples left behind. Tomorrow we plan on visiting the caves of prehistoric peoples. It’s only a twenty minute walk from the hotel. The cistern beneath the museum is a leftover from the Arab occupation in the 12th century. There’s also an art museum attached with Picassos and other notable works of art.
Since I am not feeling particularly well today, we make lots of stops back at the hotel. After a short period at the hotel we are back out on the streets. Our next stop is at the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary. We are greeted at the door by a gentleman telling us a lot of stuff in Spanish. We get from what he says that the fee is 1 euro and that the tower is open. What we don’t get is that the rest of the cathedral is draped in plastic and there is major work going on. So there is not too much to see. We do have a good time, though, going up to the bell tower.
We spend some time walking along the walls and then repair back to the hotel for siesta. I have got to feel better for tonight as we have booked a table at the Michelin two star restaurant, Atrio. (separate post)
