Hola Salamanca!

It had stopped snowing by the time we left our hotel in Guijuelo and even as we descended a bit on the Via Verde, there was no sign of it on the ground. Good - we would not have to get out the snowshoes! But it was cold - 5C. I was glad I had bought an ear warmer band to wear under my helmet.

However, the Via Verde had an excellent surface for biking and we were immediately in lovely countryside again, initially flat pasture land with old rock walls and cattle. We could see large piles of rail track ties that had recently been removed and we had to step over some wire with flags across the path occasionally, pretty much indicating that they were still working on it but being the weekend, no one was likely to shoo us away. But how long would it be rideable we wondered?

We went through some rocky areas that had been blasted out for the old train line and it was interesting to see the rock close up - very different from the geological formations we had been through before - much more shale-like and we had noticed the difference in the material used for the rock walls.

It was a stunningly beautiful ride, moving from flat open space near Guijuelo to rolling hills and streams snaking through the pastures, sometimes opening up into pools. There was again an old train station! a train crossing sign on a road long grown over and curious cattle but no sign of any habitation whatsoever.

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We got our first hint that our time on the Via Verde might be limited as we had to navigate, not without some difficulty, several small rail bridges over gullies, not too high thankfully, but tricky with the bikes nevertheless. The first one was easier than the second, where you did not want to put a foot wrong. But we did not want to backtrack to an alternative road. It was going to be a long ride of 52 km as it was.

We are lucky that in Spain the barriers to access on paths do not seem to be impenetrable ones - usually a low piece of wire with a few bits of material attached. Easily surmounted. In Canada, the barriers to those railway bridges likely would have been locked gates with no way around, all due to the fear that someone may hurt themselves and sue. We could have easily hurt ourselves but didn’t. So on we went but our luck, and the path was running out. We basically got to the point where the good surface disappeared and it simply wasn’t rideable. A couple of older men at that junction confirmed that we needed to take to the road, but first a warming coffee at a magically appearing roadside cafe.

Then on we went on our old friend the N630 - and on and on and on. Salamanca seemed so elusive as we ascended gradual but frequent hills. It never got above 5C. all day just to make things more interesting, we had a strong headwind all day. Very cold and very tiring.

Even when we began to catch glimpses of Salamanca in the distance, we were 6 or more km out. Then the previously quiet road became unpleasantly busy with constant car traffic whooshing by us. We soldiered on and I was momentarily distracted from gritting my teeth by yet another Osborne bull greeting us.

Finally we got to the industrial park mess that seems to be part of the outskirts cities everywhere, certainly no prettier in Spain, and finally approached the old town on a bridge over the Rio Tormes. We could have ridden in over yet another Roman bridge to the left. It I wa too cold and tired to care. Even on a gray, cold day Salamanca looked absolutely beautiful with many huge old buildings all built from a golden kind of stone. Even newer buildings were using the same or a similar material to blend in. A biking friend from Victoria, Darlene who cycled there not too long ago said it was her favourite city in Spain.

However, we were immediately impressed with the beauty of Salamanca - huge old buildings all in a golden type of sandstone.

We quickly found our apartamento, Inés Lunes Suites (€252/4 nights) in an old building that must have been completely gutted and renovated inside into a number of tourist apartments. This was the only accommodation on our whole trip, that when I notified them that we would be arriving by bike and wanted to confirm that there was a place to store them or that we could bring them into the apartment, they initially said no, they had had damage from bikes before. I protested, saying that we had never been refused this in our 2 extended biking trips in Spain and that we were always very careful and they relented. We had been sent the codes for the main door and the apartment so we never saw anyone. We were happy to see that the building was on a street facing the high stone wall of a public garden. No restaurants or bars nearby and although there was lots of foot traffic - people coming from the bus station some blocks away and students from the nearby university buildings, there was little car traffic. In fact, after being told in many very small quiet towns, the street life was kind of welcome. There would be lots to explore in the 4 nights we had there but the immediate thing on our minds was a hot shower. And appreciating the fact that we had actually achieved our Ruta de La Plata destination, Salamanca. Hola Salamanca - encantada (delighted to meet you)!