Trujillo

We are staying in a lovely little apartment in the heart of the upper historic quarter of Trujillo. Despite being part of a very old building the apartment is ultra-modern.

The bedroom is on a type of balcony with the kitchen underneath. At the rear is a small garden, large enough to contain a table and a couple of loungers with a view over the plain. It is beautifully equipped and even has a wood-burning stove, although we are finding the air-conditioning more useful during our stay.

At this point in our holiday it also has an invaluable commodity, a washing machine. It is at the apex of the hilltop fortress town. This is both an advantage in terms of the views, and challenging for vehicular access. Anything bigger and less manoeuvrable than our mini would certainly pose problems. As it is it requires Marion to keep a careful look out on one side while I keep an eye on the other. This gate approached via a 300-degree turn is an example. It would make a great Top Gear challenge.

 After a leisurely start we went in search of ham, the regions speciality, particularly the Iberico ham that is produced from pigs fed acorns. It is available in the tourist shops around the Plaza Mayor, but we wanted the real thing. Consulting the web and the useful guide in the apartment we found a shop on the outskirts of town. It had a great selection at reasonable prices, however describing what we wanted was quite a pantomime, as the butcher spoke no English at all. We made it by a combination of mime and Marion’s limited Spanish. You can see the butcher carving our ham, which he then vacuum packed.

(Barbara and Iain by now realise what their starter will be when they come round for Scrabble next week).

From there we explored the Plaza Mayor

and found a great place for lunch. We both had the typical tomato soup of the region, while I followed with a great dish a black pudding, potatoes and poached egg. The description does not do it justice.

The town was at the centre of the wars that dominate the history of this region. Thus an imposing castle dominates it. Prior to the 13^th Century it was in the hands of the Moors. It then became very wealthy as a trading town. In particular Francisco Pizarro travelled from here to conquer Peru for the Spanish. The riches that he and his brothers brought back are reflected in the sumptuous palaces and churches that were built in the 15^th century. The Internet connection that I have here is quite limited so I will post these on later days.