And on to Mérida

A very “sheepy” day today in all respects... we drove through varied countryside for several hours. Cropping in long strips of all sorts. Lots of hay and baleage in places. Looks like they bale up barley for feedlots etc. We were heading for a sheep feedlot in Extremadura. The co-operative has 800+ members with an average flock size of 300 sheep. The feedlot finishes lambs for many markets. Tradition says that the first sheep exported to Australia came from the region. They don't look like merinos to us.  This is the feedlot where the labms are fattened for market. Usually about 10,000 lambs on site. Fed sheep nuts and straw.






On to a farm... no pics of them but these sheep were being looked after bu 3 really large dogs with long curly tails - protection from wolves etc.

And then there was the wool store and scour - everything processed - not quality wool!!

Merida is a city on a very historic site. Lots of roman connection etc. The bridge is over 1500 years old. 700m long there is evidence of it being refurbished in pre-roman times. It has to withstand a flood surge of over 4m so it's super sturdy.



More modern building in the central square.

Toledo

Looking out over beautiful Toledo this morning - just have to ‘pinch’ myself!!

Toledo is the capital of the province Toledo and is an ancient walled city wth narrow streets, ancient architecture, lovely open plazas and perfect views! 

We started off yesterday visiting a beef feed lot. 10,000 bull beef produced annually. Basically a family business. 

Took the opportunity to climb up onto the water treatment plant for amazing views. This is just a small amount of the hay or straw used. The tractor driver can cart 3 bales at a time seemingly by feel ‘cos there was no way he could see where he was going. 

And on to amazing Toledo. What a treat. Lovely narrow streets. Canopy overhead on many as I imagine it would get very hot. Absolutely charming city. Fortunately we managed to find our way back to our hotel through the maze. :-)

Tasting at the Cheese Museum (differently aged sheep cheeses) came with instructions... sniff, lick, taste and chew thoroughly, breathe and repeat...AND a Temperanillo Rose. Heaven!

View of the city from over the river. Our hotel was near the impressive building at the top.,

Here it ts closer up - the Presidents residence we think.

Panoramic view from the walls of the city. 

Madrid

We enjoyed our high speed train ride to Madrid yesterday. Top speed 310km/hr. Variety of terrain as we whizzed through the countryside. 

Spent yesterday afternoon wandering locally and enjoying the park across the road from our hotel. This morning we toured the central city by foot as a group and carried on exploring by ourselves this afternoon. Madrid is a very leafy city with masses of green spaces and parks. Although younger than Barcelona it has many buildings of significance. The royal palace is behind us. It’s huge - 300 rooms covering (on several floors) over 11,000 m2.
Shared electric bikes charging. €2 per hour or a year’s pass for €25. Know which one I’d have if I lived here!!

Olives in many ways in a market.

Girls on tour posing with one of 80 Les Meninas (ladies in waiting) strategically placed about the city. This one is styled with a collage of stamps. 

Our popular and traditional lunch spot! The kitchen was tiny but obviously well organised as they fed HEAPS of people in a very short time!


Architecture old and new....

Barcelona

A few pics of Barcelona and surrounds from the past couple of days...
This fascinating tree is a Kapoc Tree. The seed pods pop to reveal fluffy interiors. This is across the road from our hotel and there is fluff all over the grass! When we arrived at the hotel we had abit of time to fill in before tapas and welcome drinks... so had a look at an amazing super yacht in the harbour over the road. Wow. Later it was time to explore.

Love the balconies on the appartments...

Narrow streets...

All variety of produce in a market off Las Ramblas. 

Of course someone found ice cream. 

The cured meats smelled wonderful and it was interesting to watch the vendors serve their customers. Later in the evening we dined locally - just around the corner. Most folk chose pizza or paella. 

Roll on day 2 coating up to visit a cheese factory. Only caps and blue overshoe booties to go. This would have been right up your alley Dad. The factory produces cheeses from goat, sheep, cow and buffalo milk  - soft cheeses to hard. Some are ready for sake the next day and others have to go through the mound process. We had a yummy tasting after seeing goats milked at our guides (manager of the factory) goat farm. The breed is Alpine and they really looked hardy and were friendly. They graze free range up to 5 km from the shed but are always back for milking. :-)


A soft cheese drying out a bit. 

Cheese tasting view. We tried wine matched cheese outside on the lawn. So good! This was the original farm house with many alterations over the years. The room directly in front of the car was the cheese room before they moved to the factory in town. 

Singapore

It was a great flight from Christchurch yesterday. An older plane so the ICT entertainment options were dated but... lots of room which was brilliant. We stayed at the Park Royal on Beach Road which has a lovely pool. Great for tired legs and heat relief today. Just stayed in there until we cooled down. Now at the airport on the way to Barcelona. 

This morning we ventured out after breakfast initially to the Malay area. First stop a pose by the car share recharge point. Definitely a step up from bicycle sharing... lots of bikes locked in random places - not designated return areas??

Later, after a meet and greet with some of our travelling companions M & J set off to go up to the Marina Sands Hotel viewing area. 

Top left of building in the background...

How’s this for a view of the Gardens by the Bay..



And what would it be like to soak in this infinity pool? Only available for guests unfortunately. Hotel foyer as follows... amazing!

Diamond Wedding - Patricia and Donald Robertson - 10 May 2018

It was lovely to be able to celebrate Mum and Dad's 60th Wedding Anniversary today at 85 Grants Road.  And, yes, the cake was real - not polystyrene!

Thank you to everyone for joining us - a fun gathering of family and friends.

Dad proudly sporting his recently acquired (thanks to Nicola) stunt shirt!!