Spain celebrates a lot of holidays. This past Tuesday was Dia de la Hispanidad: a day celebrating Columbus’ exploration of America, which is ironic because the students in America don’t get the day off. Hardly seems fair, but I’m not complaining. My “puente” or my long weekend gave me Monday and Tuesday off, and I was able to explore some different areas of Extremadura.
Alcazaba de Badajoz : remains of an old Moorish castle
I don’t have a car here in Spain, which makes going on trips more challenging. However, the bus system is extensive, which makes traveling a throughout Spain possible and the buses are fairly comfortable. As long as it comes with a window, I am set. A lot of trips elsewhere start from Badajoz, which is a big transportation hub (especially if going/coming to Lisbon). I changed buses to go to orientation two weeks ago. I was able to see a few sights, which were historic (like all towns in Spain) and beautiful.
From Badajoz, I visited Losar de la Vera. Losar de la Vera is a sleepy town in the mountains in Northern Extremadura. The area is beautiful. On the bus ride I felt like I was entering a different world. We went on a walk around the town and saw the shrubs cut in different words, animals and shapes. Each town has its own gems. I think these shrubs are definitely a highlight of Losar. Not many towns can boast two shrubs devoted to the name of the town.
The beautiful mountains are another gem of Losar, and I was able to hike up into them for an afternoon. We passed cows, interesting houses, overlooks and approached to a lagoon. I don’t really get to say lagoon too often, so it could have been technically more of a waterhole with some mini waterfalls and a stone bridge. Lagoon or not, this was the perfect place to stop, read a bit and eat a sandwich.
Some fellow hikers looking way more pro
We spent a night in Trujillo, another historic town and the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro. The apartment we stayed in overlooked the Plaza Mayor:
Plaza Mayor in Trujillo
The last long weekend was most enjoyable, but I realized they are all long weekends. Sure, not all five day weekends, but since I don’t work on Fridays, I am able to travel to other places in Spain fairly easily, that is IF the bus schedules line up accordingly. This I found out today, is not always the case. At 8 a.m., I went to the bus station to catch a bus to Zafra to spend a weekend with other Auxiliares. No luck. No buses running there today. Alas… the joys of travel.