Plain but very hot and dry road
Place fot horse Leon
For Leon I found a place behind a house in a field with thisless. Todays trip started in Facinas of which the letter C was changed into a G. The track was all flat. It didn’t take long before todays goal Medina Sidonia was visible at the horizon. Many modern windmills, hundreds of storks. So after all it seemed better that sister Francien didn’t join my two brothers and me to Spain. I guess she can stand one stork, but hundreds? In the afternoon temperatures went up to almost 30 degrees C, not a bit of shadow, but fortunately a strong cooling wind. The cap I got from my brother Jack often was blown off my head. Difficult to get it back leading a dog in one hand and a horse in the other one. Most of the time I let Tosca run around freely, so she got the chance to shabby herself in the few remaining pools on the road. One pool was crowded with turtles. Thirsty. From brother Michiel I had gotten a bottle of coca cola. Quickly I swallowed the first sip of coke. Wow, disgusting! It proved to be the petrol bottle for my coocking set. I dove to the ditch in which Tosca was jumping, swallowed some of the watery dirt and wondered wether I would get sick of a burnt gut or of an intoxication diarrea. Thinking of fire eaters and petrol addicts I eased my mind thinking that they don’t die right away. After my gut extinguishing manoevre Tosca peed in the same water. I hoped that dogs before ad not done the same.
My solitude was broken by a chat with 4 city cleaners. I was proud that I managed with my little Spanish. A hunter was shooting in a field that with a great sign was marked ” natural reserve”, together with his four dogs, of which one was a bitch with impressing low hanging, waggling udders. Some other dogs of uncertain breeds were supposed to be hunting dogs. A lot of barking against Tosca but she behaves like she feels superior.
Where can I leave my sweeties this night? Almost 5 p.m.: a little white house with a horse behind it. My chance. I was waiting in front of the door. The keys still in the front door and that’s the way it should in el campo. Mother and daughter of about 14 years old open the door and start laughing right away. That gives hope. I told them quite a story in Spanish, the way I had been taught by my Spanish speaking daughter Lilian and by my peruvian daughter in law Gigi. I was welcome but first I would have to wait for the marino (husband) to come home at around 8. I answered I couldn’t wait so long and I would first try elsewhere. O.k., but I was welcome to return. This is how I expected my trip to be. Michiel and Jack urged me to look for a place to stay and not to depend on them. Both brothers intended to help me on my way my first week, but then they would return home 3000 km. with my car with trailer. In that first week I had to be North of Sevilla, from where the pelgrims way starts North to Santiago. So I went on to another, little, white shag. A friendly man with thoughtfull eyes offered me his very poor sheepfield for Leon. Not one leaf of grass, 20 sheep and only two lambs. The rest of the ewes probably didn’t get pregnant because of hunger and misery. I acceped the field right away because there was water. And for sure Leon will not get laminitis at his hoofs because therefore a horse needs a lush grass field. This morning Leon had finished the rest of his concentrate, so now he must be able to endure a day. During the day I also give him the the opportunity to eat a bit of grass. Tosca enjoys herself by chasing rabits. Upon arriving the patron and I had a brief chat about both nuestre obechas(our sheep). That gave us something in common. He didn’t like the economic/ social live in Spain. No jobs, bad politics. He said he was red. So am I, I thought, but because of the sun. Soon after I am picked up by Jack and Michiel in the car and we are heading for a camping. Closed. How can we turn the car with trailer here in this narrow steep hillside street? Miguel Bacha leaves his cabin to help us. Go and have diner in the village (Medina Sidonia) and tell them that I advised you that restaurant. And so we did.(Picture): a relative of him. I still asked if they wouln’t call the guardia civil if we mentioned his name, but he didn’t get the joke. We stayed overnight in the recommended place, Tosca in the trailer, right in front of the hotel. Only hoping she will not bark. Jack and Michiel had met the same policemen they had seen yesterday. The policemen waved friendly. I beleave we are getting vips here in this region. This evening our hotel restaurant was deprived of electricity twice. When the light got on we were still sitting in semi dark, because over our table the lamp didn’t burn. But who cares about a lamp as long as we get our meal. I believe I start loving Spain. And the fun has just begun. This is (day) number ten and we start (not) over again, roll me over, lay me down and do it again.
