Zamora and Toro

We had quite a walk from our hotel to the bus station to head to Zamora.  We arrived in plenty of time, purchased a ticket, and were relaxing, taking it in turns to mind the packs, while the other wandered.  As Jill walked past a couple she was stopped because the woman had recognised her as being Australian.  Why you ask?  She was carrying a Macpac day pack and only an Australian or New Zealander would  be carrying such a brand.  It transpired that she was returning to Spain because her visa had expired,  and he was a Tasmanian from Hobart.

Zamora was a surprise to me.  I spent two days here before heading to Toro, and will be returning again to resume walking, after Easter.  I am headed to towns, for the next week or so, where I can observe the Semana Santa pageants, but Zamora was already decked out for the event.  

Every town in Spain has an ancient bridge.  This one crosses the fast flowing Rio Duero. 

Just one of the numerous Romanesque churches in Zamora.  €6.00 gave me a ticket to enter the six.  I managed to see inside five of them.  Without fail they were simple, elegant buildings, some deconsecrated, and converted into museum space.

The imposing Zamora Cathedral.....

... and what I assume is a giant clock mechanism,  on display in the cloisters ....

.... along with this Pleyal piano ...

.... and a whole room full of ancient tapestries.

Banners were hanging from buildings and almost every shop window had been dressed for the occasion.  This ranged from simple displays of posters, to ornate displays of figurines.  Some windows displayed the beautiful tortoiseshell hair combs and the black lace mantilla's worn by the women, along with the decorative clips used at the back of the mantilla to hold it together. Others had displays of the cloaks and all the paraphernalia worn in the pageants.   This all sent the message; Semana Santa is on the way.

The  Ayuntamiento in Zamora

Zamora seems to be a long, narrow town, built on a slight hill or, ridge.  It was quite a hike from the bus station to the historic centre where our hotel was and an even longer one to the train station.  

Jill left after night in Zamora to head home.  She has kindly taken the last of my winter gear home with her, which has made my pack smaller and lighter, but it turns out,  me, a bit colder!.  

The impressive Zamora train station. 

I spent that day, after seeing her off at the station, meandering around the town, visiting the Cathedral,  the various churches, and window shopping.  The next morning, even earlier, I headed to the station again to make the short journey to Toro.

I had planned to go to Toro because of its historical interest, and what I had read about it being a medieval town of considerable importance to the region. I have since discovered that it's history goes way beyond medieval times.

It was apparently a town that had been conquered by Hannibal in 220BC. It later became a Roman town, then in the 8th C it was conquered by the Moors. After they were pushed back it, the town became very important to the Christians with Ferdinand lll being crowned King of León here in 1230.

Toro looks as if it is "falling" down the hill, as it curls around an eroded hillside.

Toro's castle

Toro sits on a small hill overlooking the Rio Duero. This river, at one point, forms part of the border with Spain and Portugal, before flowing through the Portuguese town of Porto. On its way through Portugal it flows through terraces of vines, a UNESCO World heritage site, and where wine and port are produced.

Looking down on the Rio Duero.

The streets of Toro are narrow and windy.  As in Zamora, there are a number of Romasque / mudéjar churches. I managed to visit most of them in the time I was there.  Again they used the same system as they did in Zamora €6.00 to visit each of them.  Only a couple of photos though to show the elegance of the buildings. 

The biggest surprise, was the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, also a part Romanesque building. It was huge. I could see it from the station, down on the plain, and it was just across the Plaza from my hotel.

Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor....

... and it's grand doorway 

The big surprise inside the church was another ancient doorway, this one with much of its colour still preserved (below)

My view as I left the hotel door!

I only stayed in Toro 1 night as I was heading for Valladolid for the start of Semana Santa.  There was only 1 train per day, and so I was at the almost deserted station 24 hours later to resume my journey on the same train.  There was only 1 other passenger waiting, and he stood on the platform waving the train to stop.  I was glad he was there, as I wouldn't have known to do that.

I have planned the next week and a half to see the processions etc involved with Semana Santa, heading first to Valladolid for 4 nights, Segovia for 2 nights, then Toledo for 5 nights.  Who knows what I'll  see and report on!