Antequera-Villanueva del Rosario

Dear friends,
You'd think, from the amount of huntin', shootin' and fishin' that goes on in this country (I'm writing this in a hunting themed hotel, the second so far) that there would be no wildlife left in the country. It doesn't seem to be that way. I've been amazed at the racket being kicked up by birds on my way, particularly in the first week. It's a bit more subdued here, perhaps because there's less ground cover. I'm no ornithopter, but I've seen eagles (I know they were eagles because they were three times as big as anything else), buzzards, and other raptors, a variety of water birds, and plenty of assorted hedgerow birds. Flora - plenty of that too. The flowers at the side of the path remind me of my childhood in the quiet back lines of the rural idyll that was Gloucestershire. Photo to follow.
Back to my travails: another 14 km along the side of the main road this morning, and i+i nearly swept into the ditch by a maniac in a passat overtaking a van as they both passed me. My curses were wasted on the empty air but my second stiff letter to the Andalucian Junta will bring speedy
results.
It was really cold this morning,and as I climbed up out of Antequera the wind rose, and forced me to put on my Sun Microsystems fleece. At last I Ieft the road to cut across country, and to enter the most beautiful valley I think I've ever seen. (I will be selling panoramic views in the foyer
after the performance). It was everything you could want in a view - a sky of a perfect blue, bright yellow patches of gorse, distant blue ranges of mountains, waves of fresh green barley in the wind, and outcrops of stark grey rock.
I wish I could buy that view. I don't think I'd realised before how beautiful the Spanish countryside is.
Round the corner, progress had dotted rancho ponderosas over the hillside.
My next stop was Villanueva de Cauche, where the path divides into northern and southern routes. The way to the south takes you over the Sierra Nevada and the Alpujarras, and the northern route through faceless towns and villages. My way lies north. I had to cross a motorway to get to it. After Cauche, it was more road walking, this time with the added benefit of a motorway next to me. I was glad to arrive. A valuable lesson: always take the first hotel you find. It saves wandering about for hours with a heavy
pack on your back.
I had two brushes with the supernatural today - a german couple appeared on the road in front of me near the source of the river Villa, but when I got to the point on the road where I had seen them, they had disappeared. There was nowhere in the real world where they could have gone where I couldn't
see them. Later, an andalusian worker in black outfit and cap climbed over the barrier at the side of the road 100 metres ahead of me. He too disappeared.
Total distance today: the alethiometer reports 40km, but also thinks my maximum speed was 751kph. I think it was about 32km.
Last night I made an additional post, thanking commenters for commenting, but it hasn't appeared. It means a great deal to a lonely traveller to know that the folks at home are thinking of him, and looking out for his welfare.
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A wayfarer in Spain