Cáceres, Spain

So far on this trip I've visited four out of Spain's 17 autonomous communities: Aragon, the Basque country, Castille & Leon, and Madrid. Now I'm in my fifth, Extremadura, which despite what the name suggests has nothing to do with cheddar cheese. Many of the other communities still have their borders closed, but not Extremadura - it's done relatively well in Covid terms and so its restrictions are quite light compared to the rest of Spain. That's why I'm here.

The best thing about my apartment in Cáceres is the shower. It produces hotter and higher-pressure water than any other shower I've ever encountered in all my life to date. Honestly, you could clean tractors with it. The Augean Stables would be the work of a moment. All that steaming hot water is especially welcome at this time of year because it's starting to get a bit nippy outside, and the design of these apartments - stone walls, tiled floors, no sun-facing windows - favours keeping people cool in summer rather than keeping them warm in winter.

You may remember a film about Christopher Columbus, starring Gérard Depardieu, called "1492". Some of the initial scenes were filmed here. (Most notably the bit where two heretics get burned at the stake.) The reason is obvious: much of the old town is entirely free of tourist tat, and when walking alone it's easy to imagine yourself transported back a century or 5. I'm reluctant to use hackneyed words like 'unspoilt' and 'authentic', but they do apply here. It would of course be even more authentic to see a real live stake-burning...I guess you can't have everything.

Meanwhile Sunderland AFC have appointed a new manager that I've literally never heard of. Well, that's what Arsenal did with Arsene Wenger, isn't it? One must at least try to be optimistic. Meanwhile I continue to enjoy watching Spanish football on GOL TV, with its legendary commentator Hector Ruiz. He announces every single goal in the same OTT way. Every. Single. Goal. Specifically, this way. The goal in the clip is worth the watch, incidentally.

Coming here meant a final fond farewell to Madrid. Of all the places I could have been stuck in for a month, Madrid is far from the worst. But it's nice to be back out in the open air, away from the noise and the fumes of the big city. I hope everyone back home is coping well with the Tiers and the socially-distanced Christmas shopping. I can't say I'm jealous.

Santuario de la Virgen de la Montaña, a short walk/climb away from the city centre

Looking uphill to the old town

The old town. No gift shops in sight.

Plaza Mayor

Plaza San Juan

On the street where I live (Calle Damas)

Slightly problematic sculpture

My digs

Edd vs Food #94
The official worst EVF ever. Obviously I should have known better.
A vending machine with its own microwave....
I tried the €2.50 chicken burger, but I had to throw it away after one bite.

Madrid, Spain (still...)

I can't think of anything interesting to write (you may have noticed that this has been the case quite often of late) so I'll settle for just photos on this occasion. Moving on soon!

Palacio de Cristal in Retiro Park

The Senate

Feminist Garden.
Defiantly untrimmed.

A melding of cultures both high and low:
Velazquez's 1656 masterpiece 'Las Meninas' is currently the subject of sculptures being placed randomly all over Madrid.
Also there's a new Wonder Woman film out.

In Segovia I was tickled to find a restaurant called Selfish Poke.
Here in Madrid I have found Pokes that are Healthy and Tasty.
Now I'm on the lookout for Drunken and Furtive.

Madrid apartment #3. My favourite digs of this trip, and possibly of all my trips ever.
Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, one chandelier. Less than 200m from the Royal Palace.
36 quid a night.

Madrid apartment #4. 
Not as big as #3, but better located for nightlife, and with a bit more sunshine.

Edd vs Food #93
Spanish pasties at Market Cafe 24H
Very nice, but it remains to be seen if they'll do a Christmas Bake...

Madrid, Spain (again)

Today's exciting news is that my spray bottle of 1-Cal sunflower oil has finally run out. I bought it, just before my departure, for £1.50 from B&M Bargains or somewhere like that. It's served me loyally through dozens of improvised self-catering meals. To replace it, since I'm now on the continent, I've had to go a little bit upmarket and buy a spray bottle of extra virgin olive oil (calories per spray not specified) from Carrefour for €2.15.

Carrefour is the only real hypermarket chain present in Spain. And there are no full-sized Carrefours in central Madrid - you have to go way out into the suburbs for that. Most people do their shopping at smaller shops, or at midsized supermarkets such as El Corte Inglés, which is very roughly like a Spanish M&S. Aldi and LIDL are both present, which is handy. The other main local chains include Día, Mercadona and Eroski. They all have their respective pluses and minuses, upon which I'm slowly becoming something of an expert, as I already am with American fast food.  

I like doing my food shopping here but sometimes I miss the microwaveable meal soups that I get from Sainsburys back home. I also miss being able to buy curry sauce in jars. (Here you can find curry sauce if you really hunt for it, but it comes in tiny little pots at about €4 a go.) And of course I miss getting my frozen Greggs pastries from Iceland.

But I've been very well behaved on this trip where junk food is concerned. I haven't had so much as a McDonalds coffee since I left the UK. Temptation has reared its ugly head here in Madrid, where there are several Taco Bells, but I'm staying strong. The only prominent domestic fast food chains in Spain are Telepizza, a cheap Dominos type affair which I'm not curious to try, and VIPS, a sandwich chain which I tried and now wish I hadn't. See Edd vs Food.

Anyway. I'm still in Madrid because the surrounding comunidades are still closed. As you can tell, there's not a whole lot going on here, other than that I'm continuing to succeed in dodging both Covid and the winter blues. I'll keep at it.

Early morning view east on Gran Vía from the Plaza de España, near my first apartment

In Retiro Park at sunset: a monument to King Alf The Twelfth.
They're currently on King Phil The Sixth.

Palacio de Cibeles

The Royal Palace, seen from across the Campo del Moro

TRIGGER WARNING (read the sign)
I'll come back in a few years to see if anything gets erected for Boris.

Madrid apartment number 2. Not really keen on this one.
A bit borstal-esque. Also a hopelessly underequipped kitchen.
It's no way to live, trying to peel carrots with a regular kitchen knife.

Edd vs Food #92
VIPS (see text). Very disappointing. In the Nandos league.
Lukewarm microwaved French fries. Also note the big slices of 'reformed' chicken.
Ten euros!