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It was a very early start to the day as we had to be out of the albergue by 8:00, even needing to set the alarm to be sure we’d be up.

Finally, we had a good night’s sleep. What a relief. So although it would be a long day, we didn’t get going at the crack of dawn.

Today’s walk was beautiful, again in oak forest but today we were right in with all the animals.

The air was lovely and cool as we started our day and the town quickly changed to countryside.

The morning was pleasant, walking between stone-walled dehesa but by mid-day we were much more exposed and the landscape much more barren.

After our night on the town we had an excellent sleep in our extremely comfy beds. And with the time change we were actually up and going early and with a wonderful cup of tea to start the day.

The town of Los Santos de Maimona had taken great pains to ensure that pilgrims could easily find their way through with large, yellow arrows painted on the newly paved roads.

We were right in the middle of the school drop off zone with throngs of parents (and grandparents), kids and traffic police. We loved watching that busy morning scene as we enjoyed our coffee.

It felt quite astounding to be walking over a Roman bridge as we entered the city, with the walls of the alcazaba ahead.

We headed out late morning, heading back to the alcazaba, which occupies an enormous space right at the entrance to the city. It was quite intriguing to see the layers of Roman, Visigoth, Moorish and Christian usage all in one location.