Distance today = 55.74 km; Total distance = 16,056.01 km; Location = Cebolla – 39 56.584′ N, 04 34.402′ W; Start time = 0926, Finish time = 1800

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/270041678

I had my flattest day so far in Europe. There was hardly a hill in sight. It was another long one, but I felt good, particularly towards the end.

It was great to begin the day by running out through the tunnel section of a castle. I imagine there once were big gates to keep invaders out. We discovered that Somerset Maugham once stayed in that very castle, and there is a strong chance his “corner room” was the same one we slept in.

The run took me on more gravel “service roads” beside the freeway. I was glad when I reached the end of that section as I entered the large town of Talavera de la Reina. It looked to be a major commercial and industrial town, so I couldn’t recommend it to the tourist.

The last 15 km was on a very smooth and flat road, and I was able to get into a real rhythm. I’m hoping tomorrow will see more of the same.

For some reason, the tracker appears to have stopped working. I have just noticed that it updated correctly till about mid morning and, although it seems to be working on my phone, the updates are not appearing on the web site. I assume there must be a problem on the FollowMee website. Hopefully it will be corrected soon. My real position is further to the east than the tracker is showing, at the town of Cebolla.

PS The winner of the trivia question from two nights ago was Bernie Breen, although there were many others who answered correctly.  Of course, February 3 was the 54^th anniversary of the plane crash which killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper – what Don Maclean came to coin as “the day the music died”.