Pigs

Well I try to give every post a title that is sort of relevant and today I saw some pigs.

This would not be remarkable in Britain where they seem to be all over the country but they are the first I have ever seen in Spain and considering the amount of jamón there is around, I find that remarkable. Antonio had suggested I visit a couple of small towns on the way to Mérida, where I now am. One of these is Jabugo which is the town with the Denominación de Origen (similar to an Appellation d'origine contrôlée  for French wine) for jamón ibérico in Spain.  As I was just leaving town I passed a small farm with black pigs milling around a feeding trough - presumably being fed the special acorns that these pigs eat. I say special, because Antonio told me that they come from Holm Oaks (Quercus Ilex) and indeed, I saw lots of plantations of these oaks in the  surrounding countryside.

Today was an easier riding day than yesterday - it was slightly cooler and I was on faster roads including some autovia. Off the autovia, I am happy to report that the Spanish highway engineers were again obviously moteros - the surface and the curves were both brilliant and I had quite a few miles on Riaño type fast curvy roads with no trafic or Guardia Civil to worry about.

Today I gave the bike a bit of TLC, it follows the first thing the bike has asked of me, which was a couple of days ago in the mountains when  the LAMP! warning came up on the dash, informing that the headlight had gone on strike. "No problem, I thought, I have a spare bulb, I will replace it".  So I stopped the bike and and a lens promptly fell out of my glasses, presumably in sympathy with the headlight...

"No problem", I thought, "I have a glasses repair kit somewhere", whereupon a cloud of midges arrived and started to devour me. "No problem" I thought, "I have some insect repellant somewhere".. A few minutes later - with sweat dripping on the lens that remained and the bloody flies draining other bodily fluids, I gave up, jumped on the bike and tried for some cooling breeze. Later and with the lens fixed, I could see well enough to replace the bulb.

Today it was more oil this morning, before setting off and after a number of frustrating stops at petrol station for air (whose pressure gauges were all up the spout with neither the gauge on the airline, nor my tyre sensors nor a small gauge I have with me agreeing but my bum telling me that the tyre pressures were way too low after the last failed attempt at a petrol station), I got out my electric pump from the tool kit and plugging it in to my bike's auxiliary fused supply, promptly blew a fuse - "No problem" I thought, I have one of those - I did, it was a 10 amp and the tyres are now pumped up to my satisfaction..

I am again in a super parador, an old converted convent and have just been to see some Roman ruins, among them a gladiatorial amphitheatre and a theatre.

The courtyard n the Parador in Arcos

The church near the Parador in the evening sun (about 10pm)

View of the toen from the road as I was leaving this morning, Parador in the middle at the top of the cliff

Lots of pylons had purpose built platforms for the storks to nest on

Aracena

Fuenteheridos

Jabugo ham shop

Holm Oak planation

Gladiatorial amphitheatre in Mérida

Theatre