Thanks for your feedback ladies!
I was beginning to think I would have to invent a story about something terrible happening to me to get some sort of reaction to my prose, like being refused entry in a hotel or a restaurant or, a fate worse than death, being sexually assaulted by a truck full of Guardia Civil. OK, I know that this is no laughing matter though, so, just to demonstrate there is still scope for things wrong in other areas, I'll start today's episode with the sort of thing that can destroy your day if you allow it to.
As mentioned in my last post, yesterday, having gone around in circles for quite some time and getting instructions from my Sat Nav to turn impossibly tight corners and go down impossibly narrow streets, more suited to a horse or a donkey than an Audi A4, I actually gave up and ended up parked about 500m from the hotel.
This morning, in order to avoid a return trip with the suitcases, I asked the receptionist for detailed instructions which I duly got. I know I arrived within 50m of the hotel and maybe even closer, but yet again, the Nav Sat gave me an instruction that sent me the wrong way and since you have zero forward visibility in such streets, I quickly found myself actually inside the remparts of the historic centre. The streets were so narrow it was quite unbelieveable and at one stage, trying to get around a particulary tight corner, the inevitable happened, I scratched the car on something I hadn't seen down low, beneath the level of the doors. It' not too bad a scratch as I was going
DEADSLOW but it's a hire car and they really take you to the cleaners on such incidents. I should however be able to find the required paint between now and the end of our vacation and as it is very low on the body work and as there are already quite a few other scratches, I may get away with it. To finish this little story, after this incident I again gave up and ended out parked again in almost the same spot as yesterday when we arrived..

Otherwise, we arrived today in the town of Merida, a major Roman city in its heyday with some very impressive historical monuments, notably the Roman theatre which we visited late afternoon on another perfect day weather wise. The light was again fabulous and between that and the late afternoon shadows, it was quite magical.
Thinking about the last few days, we started with the late Renaisaissance and Baraque glories of Salamanca, then on to the medieval and early renaissance charm of Trujillo and Caceres and today, we went back another 1000 years in time. This for me is something that makes Europe so incredibly special. Because so much was built with stone, you are surrounded permanently by the history of mankind and for me, when I have the the time to relax and take it in, it is always a deeply moving experience.
The other thing of note is just how incredibly warm it is, 21 -23 °C and no doubt a good deal hotter again when sheltered from the wind. I had however anticipated on these sort of conditions and packed a couple of nice long, spagetti strap, summer dresses just in case.
The problem is that for Spanish women it appears that it is already winter which means they are all wearing long sleeved attire, tights and knee boots!

I really don't know how they do it but I had a similar experience in Japan at exactly the same time of the year in 2009. In the Kansai region where we spent quite a lot of time, temperatures were still between 25 - 30°C most days, which is nice summer weather where I live. However, for the fashion conscious Japanese, since summer was officially over, they were all geared up in winter clothes...
Anyway tomorrow we move on to Seville, 200kms south of here and I am hoping that in Andulusia, you don't look like some kind of country bumpkin (red-neck for the Yanks..

) if you dare go out in summer wear at this time of the year.
To finish, weight conscious ladies that we are, after a few days eating far too much with helpings in Spain similar to what you get in the US, we cut back drastically on our food today. So much so that I am now starving but, Spain being Spain, we'll have to wait until around 21h00 before we can go out and hunt down some dinner..
Warm regards to all from sunny Spain!
Donna
P.S.
Jamie. There wasn't a redhead to be seen among the Galician musiciens but the lead musicien, a pretty young woman, was almost on fire, literally radiating energy!
Toni. As I am sure you fully realized , all health insurance systems appearing in this diary are fictitious. Any resemblance to real health insurance systems, living or dead, is purely coincidental... Like how the hell could anyone conceivably imagine a better system than the private, non-obligatory insurance that has held sway in the US up until now?

Jamie again. I'm absolutely not trying to provoke a debate here. It's just my perverse sense of humour getting the better of me..

Cindy. Your BF is absolutely right and I have never felt so comfortable with my own voice as here. I may even audition for a place as a soprano in a choir before going home!