After a pleasantly late breakfast, we were picked up and reunited with the horses in their pasture. From there, we went down the slope and then up the other side to wildish flatlands. There was brume everywhere, some of it blooming in yellow, others already green. Snowy mountains peaks loomed in the distance. We had a couple of nice long canters, then came to what looked like a slightly algae-covered lake. Maria Elena walked her horse right into it, and the rest of us followed.

We went all the way across, the horses splashing knee-deep, the mountains ahead of us.We also had a nice photo session on the other side.

Then we walked across similar land, including a part burned out by a planned fire, and saw a white tent in the distance. It was lunch and aperitivo rolled into one. And not just any lunch. This was made by a young chef who had worked in a restaurant and Madrid and then come back home to open his own place here. It was an incredible  five-course meal – creamy cold soupish something with tomato and fruit, chicken salad on a toast with tomato, sardine on bread, pork cheeks that were incredibly soft and a dessert of some kind. 

We took a group photo

And then many naps followed. 

I took a walk on a dirt road that circled around our lunch place, with an amazing 360-degree view. The last leg was through a village, up the valley, around some dirt roads and then one more canter and voila, we were there. The horses were happy to be showered and fed, the dogs were just happy to be fed, with lunch leftovers Louise had brought for them. 

We said goodbye to the horses as they made their last dash to the field, then were driven back to the hotel to nap, pack and try to figure out how we could possibly eat dinner. We managed.