My second night at Pension Carretero on Plaza Mayor. I have watched the city's preparations for tomorrow's festivities. Even a dragon-slaying will take place!
Right now, sitting in my room with a view, I am listening to the wandering Tuna de Caceres, a wandering troupe of musicians in a renessaince garb with beautiful red capes, moving from one restaurant to another,
Serenading its customers. A growing buzz of people pouring out of everywhere
Onto the plaza, mixing with the sounds of tambourine, guitar, and a chorus of
Male voices. I think I shall go and join the buzz. Sitting in my room is not really
Better for my aching feet than being down there, with other humans.
Its been a while since I wrote anything, but admittedly, I was too tired to care
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Villafranca de los Barros
I had this beautiful prose composed here, but then decided to start a petition to the Government of Spain not to build a refinery 7.5 km south of this lovely white town in ¨¨Extremadura, Spain, and of course apperetly
So, first of all, PLEASE DO SIGN MY PETITION!
If you follow my twitter caminos_spain, you will see some pictures there: maybe 500-year old olive trees waiting to be cut down in the name of progress and our thirst for more and more gasoline. Old houses and olive presses, instead of being renovated and made work on a new and evergrowing popular pilgrim route of Via de la Plata, where there are not enough facilities to accomodate those people that come here, to see the wonders of Spain, from all over the world, will be torn down. It is only mid-April, the holy year is here, this is the great chance for the region to reap income from us, and already there are not enough places to sleep. And this is what brings us here: not Pope Benedict, not abuses of the Church, not disregard for silly, to most pilgrims, beliefs, but Spain! The wondrous Spain! The one who managed to escape (so far) the fate of most other European countries.
I walked only 21km today, but counting for all that sliding and glinding and sinking and drowning and swimming back up to the top of the beautiful clay-like muddy, red, or cafe-con-leche, earth, was a wondrous experience that added some 7km to may walk, so
The town is beautiful, all white, very busy. And serve such good food. I had lunch at Meson Monterrey. In my broken Spanish, upon entry, I said: "Un Vasco hable que comio bien aqui," was greeted with lughter and taken into their dining room. Everything was delicious: soup, entree, and my dessert. And then a little shot of patxaran before going off to siesta. Ok, I should be going off to siesta.
One more thing: this must be the most beautiful Camino route. So far most agree.
Vale, siesta time.
So, first of all, PLEASE DO SIGN MY PETITION!
If you follow my twitter caminos_spain, you will see some pictures there: maybe 500-year old olive trees waiting to be cut down in the name of progress and our thirst for more and more gasoline. Old houses and olive presses, instead of being renovated and made work on a new and evergrowing popular pilgrim route of Via de la Plata, where there are not enough facilities to accomodate those people that come here, to see the wonders of Spain, from all over the world, will be torn down. It is only mid-April, the holy year is here, this is the great chance for the region to reap income from us, and already there are not enough places to sleep. And this is what brings us here: not Pope Benedict, not abuses of the Church, not disregard for silly, to most pilgrims, beliefs, but Spain! The wondrous Spain! The one who managed to escape (so far) the fate of most other European countries.
I walked only 21km today, but counting for all that sliding and glinding and sinking and drowning and swimming back up to the top of the beautiful clay-like muddy, red, or cafe-con-leche, earth, was a wondrous experience that added some 7km to may walk, so
The town is beautiful, all white, very busy. And serve such good food. I had lunch at Meson Monterrey. In my broken Spanish, upon entry, I said: "Un Vasco hable que comio bien aqui," was greeted with lughter and taken into their dining room. Everything was delicious: soup, entree, and my dessert. And then a little shot of patxaran before going off to siesta. Ok, I should be going off to siesta.
One more thing: this must be the most beautiful Camino route. So far most agree.
Vale, siesta time.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Via de la Plata, Day 2
Last night, my bones were painfully letting me know I walked to far on the first day. Luckily, the two Canadians I shared my room with were not as bad snorers as they have warned me.
I did get to sleep, quite well as things of my own doing permitted. In the morning, I received an email from USGS about a big earthquake in Granada, Spain. Not far from here, no one felt a thing.
Then, pack up, contacts, boots on, and on to the bar across the street. Of course with an Italian, Maria, who needs her cafe con leche to start the day. Bar was closed. Maria stayed to wait, I went on. Good for me - many bars, opened at this hour, before leaving
Castilblanco. Then 16 (or, according to my GPS 18) kilometers
along a paved local road, but through a wonderful landscape. And then: a wonderul rest of the way crossing the Sierra Norte Parque Natural. How wonderful! At the end, climbing the Calvary (Alto de Calvaria, Cerro de Calvaria), before descending into the town of Almaden de la Plata.
PLEASE FOLLOW MY caminos_spain MESSAGES and PICTURES on twitter,
As I am not sure when I will be able to put any here.
Tomorrow my plan is to get to Monesterio, but I might decide against it on account of my Achilles' tendon.
I shall go to sleep early again, and now I am so lazy after eating a dessert of home-made flan (a rarity so far in all my
Pelegrinations on all the Caminos so far). It was so delicious after climbing Calvary with that cross of a backpack helping me along my route to redemption.
I did get to sleep, quite well as things of my own doing permitted. In the morning, I received an email from USGS about a big earthquake in Granada, Spain. Not far from here, no one felt a thing.
Then, pack up, contacts, boots on, and on to the bar across the street. Of course with an Italian, Maria, who needs her cafe con leche to start the day. Bar was closed. Maria stayed to wait, I went on. Good for me - many bars, opened at this hour, before leaving
Castilblanco. Then 16 (or, according to my GPS 18) kilometers
along a paved local road, but through a wonderful landscape. And then: a wonderul rest of the way crossing the Sierra Norte Parque Natural. How wonderful! At the end, climbing the Calvary (Alto de Calvaria, Cerro de Calvaria), before descending into the town of Almaden de la Plata.
PLEASE FOLLOW MY caminos_spain MESSAGES and PICTURES on twitter,
As I am not sure when I will be able to put any here.
Tomorrow my plan is to get to Monesterio, but I might decide against it on account of my Achilles' tendon.
I shall go to sleep early again, and now I am so lazy after eating a dessert of home-made flan (a rarity so far in all my
Pelegrinations on all the Caminos so far). It was so delicious after climbing Calvary with that cross of a backpack helping me along my route to redemption.
Via de la Plata, Day 2
Last night, my bones were painfully letting me know I walked to far on the first day. Luckily, the two Canadians I shared my room with were not as bad snorers as they have warned me.
I did get to sleep, quite well as things of my own doing permitted. In the morning, I received an email from USGS about a big earthquake in Granada, Spain. Not far from here, no one felt a thing.
Then, pack up, contacts, boots on, and on to the bar across the street. Of course with an Italian, Maria, who needs her cafe con leche to start the day. Bar was closed. Maria stayed to wait, I went on. Good for me - many bars, opened at this hour, before leaving
Castilblanco. Then 16 (or, according to my GPS 18) kilometers
along a paved local road, but through a wonderful landscape. And then: a wonderul rest of the way crossing the Sierra Norte Parque Natural. How wonderful! At the end, climbing the Calvary (Alto de Calvaria, Cerro de Calvaria), before descending into the town of Almaden de la Plata.
PLEASE FOLLOW MY caminos_spain MESSAGES and PICTURES on twitter,
As I am not sure when I will be able to put any here.
Tomorrow my plan is to get to Monesterio, but I might decide against it on account of my Achilles' tendon.
I shall go to sleep early again, and now I am so lazy after eating a dessert of home-made flan (a rarity so far in all my
Pelegrinations on all the Caminos so far). It was so delicious after climbing Calvary with that cross of a backpack helping me along my route to redemption.
I did get to sleep, quite well as things of my own doing permitted. In the morning, I received an email from USGS about a big earthquake in Granada, Spain. Not far from here, no one felt a thing.
Then, pack up, contacts, boots on, and on to the bar across the street. Of course with an Italian, Maria, who needs her cafe con leche to start the day. Bar was closed. Maria stayed to wait, I went on. Good for me - many bars, opened at this hour, before leaving
Castilblanco. Then 16 (or, according to my GPS 18) kilometers
along a paved local road, but through a wonderful landscape. And then: a wonderul rest of the way crossing the Sierra Norte Parque Natural. How wonderful! At the end, climbing the Calvary (Alto de Calvaria, Cerro de Calvaria), before descending into the town of Almaden de la Plata.
PLEASE FOLLOW MY caminos_spain MESSAGES and PICTURES on twitter,
As I am not sure when I will be able to put any here.
Tomorrow my plan is to get to Monesterio, but I might decide against it on account of my Achilles' tendon.
I shall go to sleep early again, and now I am so lazy after eating a dessert of home-made flan (a rarity so far in all my
Pelegrinations on all the Caminos so far). It was so delicious after climbing Calvary with that cross of a backpack helping me along my route to redemption.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Leaving Sevilla
The day came - I am setting out on my first day on the Via de la Plata. I could not imagine, how heavu 3 kg feels until I filled my Camel, and put the backpack on again. It was so infinetely light and easy to carry without the water! Oh, bummer. I will need to carry that much everyday. What can I say, I am a heavy drinker.
Sevilla is so beautiful, but already yesterday, when I woke up at a decent hour, and - seemingly -
Without any jetlag, I got an itch to go. Then the last night, planned as my last night there, I could not sleep at all.
ToSsing, turning, later in the night falling in and out of sleep, how will I walk today?
I will try and keep you updated on my pelegrinations.
Sevilla is so beautiful, but already yesterday, when I woke up at a decent hour, and - seemingly -
Without any jetlag, I got an itch to go. Then the last night, planned as my last night there, I could not sleep at all.
ToSsing, turning, later in the night falling in and out of sleep, how will I walk today?
I will try and keep you updated on my pelegrinations.
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