Well another big day, maybe not in distance at 20km but definitely in geopolitical terms. I have walked out of the Autonomous Community of Extramadura, Province of Caceres, and into the Autonomous Community of Castille y Leon, Province of Salamanca. Everyone, I imagine, will understand Provinces but the Autonomous Communities are harder to explain. I suppose it would be similar to walking out of England into Wales. They have parliments and some self determination but are subordinate to the National Government in all the important issues. It strikes me as jobs for the boys, in a multi-level, 3 dimensional mess, in which no politician can ever be held responsible for anything, because no continious audit trail could possibly exist! Enough of politics! On to the weather! Yesterday, despite the rain, hit 23C in the afternoon and today Spanish TV reported that this has been the warmest November for 30 years. All this among early snow and severe flooding in the Canary Islands.It is strange how borders mark such change in landscape and people. One side of the mountain pass, La Puerta de Bejar, was flatlands with green Acorn Oaks while immediately over the other side it is rolling hills/mountains covered with Chesnuts which are changing
colour.Tonight sees me in a village that looks Alpine and is only 30km fromLa Alberca where I often work. I had thought of going over to see Peter there but I doubt if my alcohol free state (2.5 weeks now) would have survived! I rang him and he assured me that it would not!
