Enjoying Cáceres off the beaten track

         The heat was unbearable, so after my boyfriend arrived from work, he picked me up and went to have a bath in a relatively nearby brook. The spot is superb, with its stone bridge and its crystal clear waters, not to speak of the fantastic mild temperature. It's known by Garganta de Cuartos.

No crowds, plenty of space to swim.

Just a handful of people in the water

             Loved the quietness of the place, it released peace... It was utterly relaxing to be there, just swimming and listening to the river, the birds... and enjoying those last hours before dusk. It was perfect.


           We also had time to go for a stroll along a little path alongside the river. All the people there were very respectful to the environment, so no-one left rubbish behind and the whole place was very clean. Nobody would bother the other visitors, either. On the contrary, everyone had impeccable manners.There weren't the typical annoying yelling children running around, nor the gangs of drunken youths like in most beaches, which was great!

Little hidden paradise.

             We explored...

Lovely leafy walkway.

... and explored...

... and climbed like goats.

   
             To get to this wonderful spot; a pond of crystalline waters and countless golden fish.

It left us spellbound!

            We decided to cross the brook to have a look at some remains we had seen on our way here.In spite of being getting gradually darker, we went on and found them.

The building was formerly used to produce electric power.

Scary, right?

         Not as scary as the fact that we did get lost at night and could't find the walkway back, though. It seemed as if all the creatures in the forest were waking up and making noises in the bushes around us. My overdeveloped imagination saw all sorts of hazards lurking in the darkness.

Hello...? Is anybody/anything there?

         Luckily, we managed to cross back the river and arrived save and sound.

             Given that our long stroll had worked up a big appetite, we were feeling faint with hunger!. On top of that there was a mouthwatering aroma of fried squid...

But we had got leftovers from the lunch at home and wanted to make the most of them. A way of cutting costs, you know. What we did was to quench our thirst having a pair of soft drinks before returning to the village.

There were still swimmers messing around.

         All in all, it was a great afternoon! Looking forward to being able to repeat it.