Leaving Salamanca

Close but no cigar!

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We began today by driving round to the Roman bridge I had discovered yesterday. Here Luis arranges for us to take our group photographs, with the wonderful view of the twin cathedrals in the background.

It takes a while to get us all arranged and then he and Jose spend ages taking photos with all the different cameras they have been given. I can’t help feeling that if they did a runner now they could make some serious money on EBay! It’s obviously a routine they have perfected over the years and they manage it very quickly and efficiently. It also seems to cause plenty of amusement for the locals.

Eventually, the impressive photo call finally over, we pile back on the coach and hit the road for a very long drive.

I while away the trip by becoming increasingly fanatical about photographing one of the many black bull silhouettes we pass. I keep missing their approach and by the time I have sorted out my camera, we’ve passed it. Peter is finding it all very amusing. Eventually I get a passable one, but I think I’ll just buy a good postcard instead. Luis has now explained about their origin. They are in fact advertising hoardings for a brand of sherry, produced by Osborne’s. Eventually they became symbols of pride for the Spanish and although they have lost the branding, they are still to be found all over Spain. Just not in my photo album!