La Alberca and Valle del Jerte

Hello all! I'm exhausted after a weekend trip to two towns Alberca and Jerte. I probably won't type much because I'm about to hit the hay. Anyhow, my friend Sydney and I rented a car with two other friends (a VW Polo, if you're wondering). We drove up to the northern province of Extremadura, Caceres Province, to pick them up in their small town (Thank God I live in Badajoz!). We drove from there up through a region called Las Hurdes (within Extremadura) and had some typical local food. I wanted to stop there because in my Spanish film class we studied a Buñuel film called Las Hurdes: Tierra Sin Pan (Land without bread). Let's just say that the region has come a long way since 1933.

We continued driving north and crossed into the Autonomous Community of Castilla y Leon. We drove up a winding mountain road to a town called La Alberca which looks much like it did in the Medieval period. Here´s a picture:

The next day we drove over to El Valle del Jerte. Jerte is a town in the valley that holds it's name. It is known for the springtime blooming of the cherry trees and for it's beautiful natural parks. We hiked up to a place called Los Pilones along the river Garganta de Los Infiernos, Throat of the Underworld. It turned out to be the most beautiful place that I´ve seen in Extremadura, if not Spain. Here´s a picture:


Ok, goodnight!