The Jerte Vale is in the very north of Extremadura, in fact, we turned around about 5 meters from Castilla y Leon, the next principality. We have been planning to go every year since we’ve been here, however either we haven’t had a reliable car (essential given the route), or it has rained. There is a very short window of time to go to see the cherry trees in bloom, so we’ve never managed it. We can only go on Sunday and therefore if it had rained yesterday, it would have been another year we couldn’t make it, however the weatherforecast showed lots of happy little sun faces in the Jerte Valley so we decided to go.
And we’re glad we did!
It is a proper valley between snow topped mountains (or big hills?) with a river running through it which is currently full of melting snow water. The cherry trees line the valley, with every spare space planted with a cherry tree. All the trees were out in bloom. It was really pretty – but, oh so busy! Thousands of cars, coaches and a handful of grumpy farmers looking gloomily as visitors clambered through their cherry groves taking photos of trees. The poor farmers are the only ones who don’t benefit from the fiesta as every street in every village was lined with villagers selling local things from cherry trees to cheeses and local liquors.
It was a slow drive through the valley with places with names like ‘devil’s throat’, and we went to the top of one of the mountains – where we turned round and headed back.We had a picnic just outside Placencia which somewhere we haven’t been before and looked a very interesting town which we saw a little more of than we expected due to a slight detour as a result of Jerte not being sign posted. There were some impressive buildings, not least the gothic looking church, which appeared to be a normal styled church which someone had stuck some gothic decorations on. We stopped by a resevoir on the Jerte river for a picnic and, as Ian said, decided that it was worth adding to our list of potential places to live.
It was a glorious sunny day and I was uncomfortably hot in jeans, boots and a jumper. Pixie was sick on me, which also didn’t help. However, it didn’t stop my enjoyment of the day. If we end up closer to the north of Extremadura it may become a regular event, but perhaps just a little too far to make an annual event.
Oh yes, Sam hasn’t had another fit since he’s started having vitamins, however we don’t know if this is due to the vitamins, due to him being wormed, due to him being fed or if the fits had just run their course. What ever the reason, we’re glad that they’ve stopped for the time being without the need for him to start medication.