We Couldn't Rent 'Em All

The castle at Carmona sits just twenty kilometers outside Sevilla. Though it ranked high on the access meter, and boasted sweeping views of the broad, undulating Andalusian plain, it was undergoing repairs when we visited and we were unable to accurately asess its potential. Besides, how could we pick the first castle we saw?

Doc shows us one of the nicest places we saw, Zafra. The castle was one of the last places the infamous Hernan Cortes slept before he went looking for the new world. Today, Zafra is a great little town on the southern end of the Extremadura region, not far from the Portugese border. Several excellent restaurants, interesting antique shops, and a little central park right next to the Plaza del Toro make for a quaint getaway spot. Though we enjoyed our stay at Zafra as much as almost any other stop on the tour, in the end we decided this place would be better suited for a more intimate excursion than the one we have in mind for the Siege of '99.

Oropesa is a 14th Century castle in the middle of a broad valley between the Sierra de Gredos and the Montes de Toledo. Most excellent towers and battlements, with sweeping views of the mountains on each side of the valley are its greatest assets. We had some difficulty getting phone service out of this place and felt it was a little more removed from the beaten path than we wanted to be, so we just climbed around on the towers awhile before making our way on to Toledo.

Doc surveys the scene from Oropesa's North tower. Wildflowers bloom in the distance as the valley opens up to the east.

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