City of Storks

Using the local Renfe Cercanías railway which necessitated a face to face conversation because the automatic ticket machines and the website won’t accept the tarjeta dorada I successfully bought a return ticket to Acalá de Henares and found the correct platform. Each time I speak in Spanish it feels like I’m doing a viva voce.

Alcalá de Henares is a beautiful Roman city, the birthplace of Cervantes (Don Quixote)and full of impressive convents, churches, university colleges and a fine cathedral. It’s also known as the “city of storks”. Their giant nests were on every building in the main Plaza de Cervantes, all inhabited. Traditionally they would have migrated to Africa for the winter but here they stay all year round feasting on goodies from the landfill sites.

I walked through a housing scheme en route the remains of the Roman City of Complutum where the castanet noise of the storks (their long beaks clacking together) was replaced by the squawking of invasive monk parakeets (extra).

As ever I ran out of time so I’ll need to return to see the mosaics in the House of Hippolytus, and the cigüeñas blancas increíbles.