The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Monday, January 23, 2017

The Griffon Vultures of Casares, Spain

Yesterday morning we waked into the town of Casares. It's about a kilometer and a half from where we were parked with Louis the motorhome. I recorded our tracking to see just how much we would walk around town.

Including the walk there and back, we did 8.4 kms (5.2 miles) in three hours!

Casares' streets keep a multitude of stories and legends, in which the fictional and the facts intermingle. As you walk along it's cobbled streets and its immaculate whitewashed walls full of flowerpots, morning silence shrouds us, and it mixes with the sounds of the town's everyday life. It is necessary to walk among these streets calmly in order to enjoy the essence of life, its incredible views, and the perfumes of its delicate flowers. - From the tourist signboard in town.

One thing we were trying to get done was a recharge of our cellular internet. It ran out just after posting yesterday's blog. As in Mexico, you can recharge your SIM card at just about any corner store, grocery store, or gas bar, but because it was a Sunday in Casares, almost everything was closed. So we never did get it done until this morning,

We first headed towards the castle, figuring there wouldn't be anybody there yet...and we were correct.

The central plaza in Casares, Spain.

Typical narrow streets.

Check out this guy's parking spot. Yikes!

Kevin at the main entrance gate dating back 800 years.

From the castle, looking back at the town. 
There's not much left of the castle. Just a few old walls.

One of the things that Casares is known for is it's population of griffon vultures. These huge birds nest on the cliffs surrounding the town and are often seen floating in the wind currents above.

But if you get to the castle, there is an overlook above the cliffs and the vultures float down below, and often very close to you. In fact, when they float by only meters above your head, it's quite the experience. They have a wingspan of 2.5 meters (8 feet) and it's only when they get close that you realize just how big they are!

Can you see Ruth standing at the overlook?



Not often you can see them from above, looking down. Beautiful colors.


From there, we wandered the streets and alleyways.

Casares, Spain.

Not many people about.

Scenery along the way.

Enjoying the views.

Yet another viewpoint.

Casares, Spain.

Back at the motorhome, we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. I even had an afternoon nap! Then in the evening we watched a movie. "The Town", with Ben Affleck. Not bad...typical bank robber fare.

Very pleased with Louis' new battery. Two nights of dry camping without using the portable solar panel at all. Lights in the evening, laptop use during the day, and watched a movie last night. Woke up this morning, and the voltage is still at 12.5!

Today, we're heading for Gibraltar!

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The original Crock Pot brand slow cooker is almost half price today...






17 comments:

  1. The guy with the little white car is lucky to get a parking spot at all. I'd bet you could count on two hands the number of cars in that town.

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    1. I believe that the guy with the little white car is parked right outside of his house. Actually there are quite a few cars about in town but more scooters!

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  2. Well, the bucket list just got a little longer... What a beautiful place.

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    1. In our mind this little town is a must see if you are anywhere near Estepona area.

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  3. You certainly are putting the miles on foot - nice to be able to hike again in somewhat warmer weather I am sure.

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    1. Yep, we sure are adding to the hiking miles. The weather is perfect for it. We have another great hike planned for today, and it looks like we will be covering quite a few miles again and hopefully some good scenery. :-)

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  4. Replies
    1. It's a stunning little town, we loved our time here! :-)

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  5. Would love to see this someday! Enjoy!

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    1. We hope that you can make it here one day in the future, well worth the visit.

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  6. Interesting ,, on your 800 hundred year old gate, from the tire marks looks like 007 try to sneak through there
    And it sure doesn't look big enough for me to get my golf cart through there

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    1. Not it quite sure what made those marks, I am pretty sure not even a Smart car could have made it through those gates!

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  7. Amazing pix of the Vultures! And the scenery.

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  8. We went into the town on a Saturday and there were more visitors about. At one point, the little roundabout at the fountain in the Plaza was blocked completely around with all the cars wanting to take different streets and no-one able to move anywhere. It was a fun 10 minutes watching various reversing manoeuvres and all the locals joined in directing the traffic until one 4x4 found a gap to get down his street which allowed things to start moving again. Glad I didn't take my 9m motorhome in there by accident :-)

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    1. I am sure that would have been some good entertainment for sure. Nope, wouldn't want to get stuck in that town with a motorhome of any size!

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