Via Augusta, Via de la Plata, Camino de Sanabres from April 23
to June 4, arriving in Santiago de Compostela early morning before 10am /
arrival # 81.
Is there a difference between a 'Camino' and a 'Via'? Not easy to
say; then my opinion is that the word 'Camino' specifically refers to a well
established pilgrim's route ending in Santiago de Compostela. The various
'Vias', like the Via Augusta from Cadiz to Seville refer often to old Roman roads
that later remained well used connections between major cities. There are many
websites/apps to assist the 'Camino' or 'Via' walker. I used the app 'Buen
Camino': it informs a pilgrim about more than 30 routes and the number is still
growing! Sofar I walked (parts of) the Via Piemont (France), the Camino Frances,
the Camino Primitivo, the Via Augusta, the Via de la Plata, the Camino Mozarabe,
and the Camino Sanabres.
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| Fresh after breakfast in Libreja / day 4 |
All in all I cruised some 2.500 km on various routes
leading to Santiago de Compostela and I can now say from experience that any
debutant should strongly consider the time of the year during which to pilger.
Obviously the weather can be freaky, for example the heat around Seville can
start as early as May, or daily rainshowers in Galicia and Asturias can unexpectedly pour
down on you in May also; then become regular as of end October. Nevertheless it
is safe to say that the best period is between early May / end October. I
encountered a lot of 'water spots' from Cadiz to Seville, mainly because the
winter rains were still flooding tunnels and low lying areas.
TRIALS.
A couple of times
I had to take off my boots and wade through a hundred metres of filthy mud.
Close to the village of Nueva Jarilla on the Via Augusta I got stuck but found a
hole in the fence to avoid the water and mud and I crawled in and out of the premises of
a gasoline station. This kind of acrobacy occurred a few times and nearly became
fatal just outside of Oliva de Plasencia, North of Caceres, when I slipped on
one of the blocks that had been put in a stream to allow for safe! passage. This
rock had shifted and was wet; and then it happened: before I realized it I had
crashed between two blocks of solid rock with my backpack on. I just could
barely hold on with the lower side of my pack already in the water. 'Good heavens, madre mia', I thought, I am not going to fall into the stream; and indeed the hand from
Davide, my companero, grabbed me by the shoulder and stabilised my position. I
moved slowly up the rock with both hands, still holding my walking pole. Rescued!
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| One of the streams to cross close to Aldeanuevo del Camino; Caetano balancing in the water and Davide telling him what to do or what not to do in Italian |
That was a close call Anton, and short of a small
disaster....Then I inspected the profile of my boots, and indeed much of it had
disappeared. No wonder! So the next Decathlon shop in Salamanca new boots for
the boy!
Later on, I reflected on this mishap: what could have
happened if I had been alone? Instinctively at the following river crossings and hopping over the stones I felt unsure and insecure. I debated every time with myself 'boots off and wade through the water? or follow the others and step on the stones'? Once I had bought a new pair of boots, this feeling of insecurity disappeared again. Lesson is clear: make certain the soles under your boots have a good profile/grip. I now only buy boots with a vibram sole!
Definitely, walking alongside a companero on the
Via Augusta and Via de la Plata is to be recommended because there remain
difficult spots to cross (water, suspicious looking bulls; the black ones
radiate more fear into me than the brown ones...why?) but primarily because the
distances between villages/farms can be far>15 kms, and as an indication:
between Cadiz and Seville (some 200 kms in 8 days) I only met 2 other pilgrims!
Really, walking some of the routes can be a lonesome affair. Also from Seville to Granja de Moreruela where the route splits into the Camino Sanabres turning West to Ourense, and the
Via de la Plata continuing North to Astorga: perhaps in total 30 pilgrims on the road on a daily basis. I
personally like to walk alone for some time and then look out for someone to
talk and walk with.
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| This huge sheep dog followed me for miles from Bandeira; then I had a sausage in my backpack! |
TRIBULATIONS.
This was my
third Camino and only now, while writing this blog, do I recognise that what I
learned I must put into practice the next time. A good point is that I am not influenced so much by the anxiety that many fellow pilgrims have about not to find a place to sleep. Interestingly, each Camino has towns and villages with limited places to sleep. And more and more cyclists occupy the hostels. For a cyclist it is easy to ride to the next village. A walker is a slow moving species! Then there are these organised tours that pre-book hostels weeks in advance and limit the places for the walkers. But, I decided that when I am on my own I don't care. I do not like this anxiery resulting in stress; clearly a pilgrim should be stress-free as much as possible. Actually it is a mindset. On the Camino Frances walkers leave very early to be certain they have a place to sleep in the hostel of their choice 20 or 30 kms further. No, that is not me. At any rate, for emergencies I carry a tiny 2nd sleeping cover, made of aluminium foil, to protect me against the cold at night outside.
When I am with my wife Biya, this is different. She likes to pre-book one day ahead. Fair enough.
GETTING SICK
OK, I am nearly 74 but still I
walked an average of 25kms a day, without a day-off. And, for the first time I
was hit by the 'Man with the Hammer'. It happened on day 36 from Calzadilla de
Tera to Mombuey on the Camino Sanabres. Actually, that day proved to be one of
the most pretty trail days: crossing a dam, walking alongside a lake, resting at
the Rehoboth albergue in the hamlet of Villar de Farfon, then moving through
the woods and prairies for some 5 kms. But, as the day got warmer the last 8 of
this 26kms day I had to walk on a gravel road in the hot sun without any shade
at all. Under the golden ball it must have been close to 40 degrees.I drank a
lot, ate some fruit and rested. Nevertheless when I finally arrived in Mombuey
around 2pm I had had enough. I checked into the catholic albergue and found a
good bed. Then I decided to go for 'comida de dia'.
Already the macaroni with
tuna did not go down well. Then I did not even finish my draught beer...I
settled the bill, returned to the albergue and hit the sack. My stomach started
to play up / bathroom visits / I could not even sleep / I simply felt miserable
for hours..and it went on through the night with some fever and diarrhea. I took
aspirin and tyranol but only after 16 hours I started to feel a little better. I
had time to think and yes my analysis was that for my age I had overdone it.
Especially the heat and the distances may have been the culprit and finally my
body had told me 'Anton this is it; take a rest or it will get worse'!
Fortunately I talked to my fellow pilgrims in the albergue and both of them also
had experienced a terrible day. One of them, English and heavily burnt by the sun had a fever as well and decided to
walk only 17kms the next day. The other one, a stocky German in his sixties told me he would call a taxi and
drive to Puebla de Sanabria, some 30 kms down the road. I really felt weakened
and I must have lost at least 1 kg overnight.
'Anton boy', I said to myself , 'you
are going to skip some 150kms and take a bus to Ourense town and continue from
there!' Overnight I had consulted with my wife Biya and children and we all agreed to a reset of this Camino. I could have tried to convince myself not being 'a sissie'; convince myself to rest in the albergue for a day or 2 and see how I felt. Actually, with hindsight I also lost some of the drive, I felt really tired and my energy level had greatly reduced. Good that nobody I asked was suggesting to me 'to be a real pilgrim, and move on against the odds'; I now feel I definitely made the right decision. And equally important: there won't be a next time with this kind of trouble because I will consider my limitations.
One of the pilgrims I met was Jesus from Leon. He was 78 and had walked more than 10 Caminos. Leon is a city that 'sits' on the Camino Frances. He explained very simply: 'Anton, the secret of this game is easy: know and accept your physical limitations, remain careful and alert, and try to walk not more than 20kms a day'.
GETTING BETTER
The next day at noon I waited for a scheduled 'Monbus' that did not show up. I hitchhiked to the next village of Asturianos where I got stuck again....with so few cars
passing through and in the sun I simply had to wait another 2 hours before a
local bus took me to Puebla de Sanabria. I had hoped to find a bus there but
absolutely nothing/nada! I decided to walk to the highway, some 4 kms in the
sizzling sun, not interested to admire this exceptionally beautiful town. Then I
met my angel of the day: a car stopped and a pleasant voice said 'A donde vas?'; I
answered 'Ourense por favor' and that was it. The driver from Madrid, a nice man
called Ovideo, took me there; straight into the old section of this beautiful
town and I had no trouble to find a hotel quickly and let my stomach rest with a
plate of 'sopa cocido'/ clear vegetables soup in a light broth. I felt saved for the
day; tomorrow we shall see; I slept for 12 hours straight on!
I had learned my
lesson and was going to apply it! 'Don't play the idiot anymore Anton'. So I got
up late (around 9am) and walked out of town after having a healthy breakfast
with the usual 'tostada con tomate y azeite'. And 'cafe con leche'. I was heading to the village of Tamallancos where I had booked a room in hotel Viastellae. It
was only 13kms but man, did I suffer: the first 5 kms out of town were a steep curving uphill challenge and
pretty heavy. I had to visit the bushes a couple of times again as my stomach
did not hold up. When I arrived around one o'clock I checked in and needed a
good rest.
Anyway, my body was busy recuperating so I kept telling myself to
slow down and do it 'paso a paso'. Step by step until Santiago de Compostela.
And that is what I did. Indeed the last 107 kms took me five and half days!
Alcohol consumption reduced to 'dewdrops' and lots of rest and sleep. Only 11kms
before arriving in Santiago de Compostela in the albergue Reina Lupa (in the
hamlet of Deseiro) did I feel 100% again. Then, as during the other Caminos I
had walked on, quite a few fellow pilgrims had similar problems and worse. I
guess that the number of walkers having to quit, or stop for a few days to
attend to their medical needs gets close to 10%.
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| Leaving Ourense with an upset stomach but with 'wonderwater Aquarius' to heal |
CAMINO Companeros.
Fortunately I met three companeros with whom I walked: Remy (3 days), Davide (24 days) and Angela (2 days). Saying hullo and chatting with farmers, and interacting in the evenings in the hostals and restaurants gives me enough social contact to share my stories.
DAVIDE MAMMATO
My Italian companero for 24 days was Davide from Bergamo, 29 years young and I saw him walking out of
Seville early morning before sunrise. I called 'Hola peregrino!' He stopped and
we simply started walking together while chatting. It was his first day ever and
he had no idea what to expect. He had planned to walk until the village of
Guillena 17kms further but we got there well before noon already. I said to him that
I was going to continue and although his feet were already a bit sore he decided
to remain with me. We arrived after a very hot afternoon through a nature
reserve in Castilblanco de los Arroyos, alltogether a 38kms distance from
Seville. When he took of his Hoka running shoes I saw it: all blue and reddish and full of
upcoming blisters. The receptionist in the hotel, one of the many MariaCarmen's on the trail, said 'completo' but I was not going to have any of that stuff. I said in my best
Spanish that my son Davide and I were not going anywhere anymore, while pointing at Davide's swollen feet, and that we were
finished for the day. And indeed a quick phone call to the boss resulted in 2
nice rooms; one for Davide and one for me. Unfortunately we had to eat the worst
'Napoli' pizza in our lives. Davide kept telling me about the superb quality of the pizzas in Bergamo and felt really embarassed. Haha, but we could rest!
The following day was a
poncho day....heavy rain (cats and dogs) from morning to late afternoon. Anyway
we trucked on and whilst his blister problem remained / got worse actually, Davide was able to treat
himself pretty well. The ladies in the various farmacias became his best friends! Only
after some 3 weeks his feet and legs had hardened enough to keep going without
pain. I admired him for his perseverance. And his office legs had become strong
walking legs. Then Davide, poor soul, had a broken heart. His beloved lady of 7 years had suddenly left him...which was the reason he walked the Camino.
We talked a lot about it and although he was not bitter he remained sooo
attached to his Silvia. Now, while writing this blog I know he has come to
realise and accept that Silvia and he had met at the wrong time in their lives.
She was too young for him; her first love at 17. Only in exceptional cases such
a 'high school love' continues into a marriage. Davide turned out to be one
of the good guys; attentive, honest and helpful. With many of the characteristics of the young generation such
as a focus on (quick) money; his smartphone on the hip, always ready to consult;
spending his money easily. Nevertheless I hope he accepted in the end some of my
value driven advise.
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| Davide and me close to Montamarta resting on the pilgrim's bench |
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| Saying goodbye early morning to my dear companero in Granja de Moreruela |
One of the things Davide did not like was sleeping in an
albergue and in a dormitory. In fact before the Camino, he had never done it. I
told him 'Davide, at some stage there is no alternative; so be prepared
and...always take the bunk-bed below, close to a window and try to find out who the
snorers (roncadores) are going to be, so you try and stay far away from them'.
Then in the village of Canaveral we ended
up in the only hostel which had two dormitories. Haha, unfortunately late
afternoon a heavily built Frenchman walks in and occupied the bed above Davide;
the whole night this 'Froggy' snored. Davide could not sleep, not even with his
earphones on! I had advised him before 'put toilet paper in your ears; that
works'! Next day, my boy was not in a good mood! A few days later we ended up in
a one-street village called Fuenterroble de Salvatierra; in the catholic
albergue donativo. Exactly the kind of location Davide would want to avoid at
all costs (although it is a donativo!/pun). This time he found a good bed but he
already had spotted 2 notorious Spanish snorers and the bulky Frenchman (who by
the way had been placed in another dormitory). After dinner the Padre Rodriguez
asked all pilgrims to participate in a prayer session and he started by singing
'Laudate omnes gentes, laudate dominum'; I softly sang with him and I guess he
appreciated it. Then he started to preach and mentioned that on the Camino we
should all develop our love for each other and faith (into God). A deeper love
will bring more faith and lead to forgiveness of sins. Actually I was proud I
could follow his sermon so at the end I asked in my best Spanish 'Padre, how can
we forgive the snorers that prevent us from sleeping tonight'? I saw the 2
Spanish guys and the Frenchman immediately raising their eyebrows and looking at
me in an accusing manner. Then Father Rodriguez warmly responded 'Hay no
problema pero hay una habitacion separada por los roncadores'! He actually had a
special dormitory for the snorers. God bless his soul! And in a jiffy, the 2
Spanish snorers had left our dormitory. Case closed and everyone happy!
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| Hotel VII Carreras in San Pedro de Rozados; evening meal with fr. left to right Kosi fr. Tokyo, Caetano fr. Bologna, Francois fr. Antwerp, Anton, Davide fr. Bergamo; then 3 snorers without a name: one French and two Spanish |
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| Evening meal in El Cubo del Vino / Albergue Torre de Sabre; from left to right Davide fr. Bergamo, Jesus fr. Leon, Philippe fr. Brussels, Anton, Daniele fr. Roma and Silvia fr. Genova / the latter 2 were cyclists |
Davide was
very helpful and skillful booking rooms although he only could speak a few words Spanish. I
loved it when he booked a room while walking on the trail. Just like that! I
always said yes to whatever he booked...knowing that 1 or 2 out of 10 bookings
would be a bad choice / not his fault. Haha, I had already told him to be
careful because the names of some places also exist in Latin America. So he was
so happy and proud he found a really cheap hotel with large rooms in Merida...to which I agreed,
only to find out the next day he had booked the hotel in Merida, Mexico! And he
never got his money back. And he refused to split the expenditure with me. The
only thing he accepted was that I paid him a nice dinner a week or so
later.
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| My preferred breakfast jamon iberico, tostada y tomate |
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| Coffee with Hierba on the rocks |
REMY GRASS
Then I walked 3 days with Remy from Strassbourg, France.
Remy a retired elementary school teacher proved good company and 8 years younger
than me. A good man, practising Catholic, clever too, fast walker and also doing Cadiz to Santiago.
Actually his daily average was more than 30kms so we split up in Las Cabezas de
San Juan. The day before though, we finally arrived in Utrera during the infamous
nationwide electro blackout in Spain. Suddenly we had no internet and Remy had
not noted the address of the hotel Hidalgo. I was very tired after walking fast behind him for a total of 39kms; thus easily to be irritated. I simply could not believe
it, he could not remember it...so we asked and wandered around ending up at the wrong Hidalgo hotel. There
were 2 hotels with the same name in Utrera, a small town like that! Can you believe it? Murphy's law:
all went wrong that day. Anyway I apologised for my impatience to Remy and
fortunately we found the second Hidalgo hotel and a sleazy bar around the corner
where they still had cold beer and served us a big chicken bocadillo. In the end all was fine.
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| With Remy Grass from Strassbourg, France in 'snails town' Libreja |
ANGELA PAUL-BOURDIN
Then at
the end, closer to Santiago I met a lady called Angela from Alencon in France
whom I thought to be my age. We made a bet for the coffee bill and she proved to
be 6 months older than me. I lost! A charming and humble person. No nonsense
too....not typically French. Quiet also. She had walked all the way from Sevilla
but had paced herself better than I had done. Nevertheless she had to stop for a
few days because of a heavy cold or bronchitis. It was nice to kind of walk
slowly especially going up the hills. She turned out to be an artist / painter
as well. So I bought a painting from her of a Spanish scene as a souvenir. She
never booked ahead so when we arrived in Puenta Ulla at the only hotel where
they still had 1 room available I had kind of secured it already for myself.
Then the manager said 'Well there are 2 beds in this room and you peregrinos
never mind sharing rooms'. 'Ah not this time' I responded. 'This is a lady I met
on the road I cannot share a room with her alone'. Then the manager looked me
over and said 'Well I do have a suite; if you have money I can give it to you'.
And without asking further I said 'Yes'. It was only 50 euros, and Angela
had her own room with bathroom and privacy for only 25 euros. Gracias a Dios!
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| Angela Paul-Bourdin from Alencon, Northern France |
Out of the approximately 1225 kms from Cadiz, I skipped I think 150 kms. So in
the end I walked in my boots some 1075 kms. And my credencial/certificate says
1172 kms. Was it beautiful.....exciting.....difficult.....long....a learning
experience....? Yes, all of that. It was full spring and different shades of
green all over. Plus a great variety of plants blossoming and colourful wild
flowers.
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| Bougainvillea tree in Las Cabezas de San Juan |
Cows and 'toros' grazing on the pastures of large fincas and especially
Andalucia and Extremadura regions are all dotted with olive trees/plantations
and the typical grey oak trees.
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| Grey oaks everywhere.... |
But then as expected, the trail turns also into
large stretches of tarred roads/blacktop/asphalt. In the heat of the day not
pleasant at all.
Walking the Camino remains an exciting event simply because
every day is different and the same: Walk, Rest, Eat, Sleep and Repeat. It
sounds monotonous but every day you talk with new people, every night you sleep
somewhere else, every restaurant is different; and true to the bone everybody
you meet recognises you as a pilgrim so people are nice! No thefts on the trail
either.
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| Approaching Zamora just after midday ; simmering heat with hot sandy and hot gravel roads |
I had my checking mantra ready after every stop and before every start: 1.
documents=passport, 2. money-cards clip, 3. smartphone, 4. walking pole. OK?!,
then 'Vamonos'/ Let's go! This trail from Cadiz to Santiago de Compostela is not
difficult; then it is a long hike. The distances between villages can be far;
quite often more than 10kms and a few close to 20kms; and in some villages you only see cats and hear
barking dogs: rural Spain is losing its population. Walking this long trail from Cadiz via Seville to Salamanca is likely to be torture in summer.
Now after 3 Caminos I
learned what everybody is supposed to know from day 1: that you have to walk
your own Camino; therefore pace yourself! Next time with my wife we shall walk
the Portuguese one and it will be a slow one, a good one again.
This was the
Route:
22 April / Tuesday / plane from Eindhoven to Seville / dormitory Hostel
San Isidro / cheap and noisy / sleeping bag
23 April / train Seville to Cadiz / START Camino
Augusta at Iglesia de Santiago Apostol / Hotel Andaluza in San Fernando; very
good / 18kms
24 April / San Fernando to Puerto Real / Hotel Las Canteras; very
good / 18kms
25 April / Puerto Real to Nueva Jarilla / slept in garage of Family
Veronica Lopez Saborido / excellent / 44kms. World Championships motorracing in
Jerez de la Frontera; all hotels fully booked for 3 to 4 days / sleeping bag
26
April / Nueva Jarilla to El Cuervo / Hotel 'ViaSevilla-Cadiz'; the owner said he
was fully booked but offered me a room under construction for free / 11kms
27
April / Sunday / El Cuervo to Las Cabezas de San Juan / Apartment CECALMA /
excellent / 30kms 28 April / Las Cabezas de San Juan to Utrera / Pension Hidalgo
1 / good enough / 39kms
29 April / Utrera to Alcala de Guadaira / La Casa del
Cura / spacious and beautiful / 18kms
30 April / Alcala de Guadaira to Seville /
Hotel Ribera 4 stars / perfect and pricey / 23kms
1 May / Seville to
Castilblanco de los Arroyos / Hotel Castillo Blanco / good / 38kms
2 May /
Castilblanco de los Arroyos to Almaden de la Plata / Hotel Casa Concha / good
enough/ 29kms 3 May / Almaden de la Plata to El Real de la Jara / Private
Pension Carmen Bayon / good / 14kms
4 May / Sunday / El Real de la Jara to
Monesterio / Hostal El Pilar / excellent / 22kms
5 May / Monesterio to
Calzadilla de los Barros / Pension Los Rodriguez / good / 27kms
6 May /
Calzadilla de los Barros to Zafra / Hotel Victoria / very good / 20kms
7 May /
Zafra to Almendralejo / Hotel Los Angeles / a general rip off, to avoid / 38kms
8 May / Almendralejo to Merida / Hotel La Flor de Andaluz / good enough / 30kms
9 May / Merida to Aljucen / Casa Rural La Plata / super place / 17kms
10 May /
Aljucen to Alcuescar / Albergue de Peregrinos donativo / good / 19kms / sleeping
bag
11 May / Sunday / Alcuescar to Valdesalor / Hostal Posadade de la Plata /
good / 28kms
12 May / Valdesalor to Casar de Caceres / private apartment /
spacious and good / 24kms
13 May / Casar de Caceres to Canaveral / Hostel
Canaveral dormitory / ok but snorers / 34kms / sleeping bag
14 May / Canaveral
to Galisteo / La Pension del Parador / beautiful and good / 27kms
15 May /
Galisteo to Oliva de Plasencia / Hostal Via Caparra / good and beautiful / 31kms
16 May / Oliva de Plasencia to Aldenueva del Camino / Hotel posada Tres Mentiras
/ excellent / 27kms 17 May / Aldenueva del Camino to La Calzada de Bejar / Casa
Calzada Romano / perfect place and cheap / 22kms
18 May / Sunday / La Calzada de
Bejar to Fuenterroble de Salvatierra / Albergue Parroquial donativo dormitory /
good enough / 20kms / sleeping bag
19 May / Fuenterroble de Salvatierra to San
Pedro de Rozados / Hostal VII Carreras / good / 28kms
20 May / San Pedro de Rozados to Salamanca / Hotel GranVia / good / 23kms
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| The impressive original main entrance to the Cathedral in Salamanca |
21 May / Salamanca to Calzada de
Valdunciel / La Casa del Molinero / dubious bedding quality; not clean enough / 18kms /
sleeping bag
22 May / Calzada de Valdunciel to El Cubo del Vino / Albergue Torre
de Sabre / good / 20kms
23 May / El Cubo del Vino to Zamora / Hosteria Real de
Zamora / boutique hotel, dark, 'me no like' but beautiful / 32kms
24 May / Zamora
to Montamarta / Fonda El Asturiano / good and clean / 18kms
25 May / Sunday /
Montamarta to Granja de Moreruela / private apartment / good / 22 kms / split
Camino Sanabres / Via de la Plata
26 May / Granja de Moreruela to Tabara / Hotel
El Roble / perfect and superb cooking / 32kms
27 May / Tabara to Calzadilla de
Tera / Albergue Municipal donativo, dormitory / good / 32kms / sleeping bag
28
May / Calzadilla de Tera to Mombuey / Albergue Parroquial donativo, dormitory /
good / 26kms / sleeping bag
29 May / Sick day and Travel day from Mombuey to
Asturianos to Puebla de Sanabria to Ourense / 150kms / hotel Irixo / good
30 May
/ Ourense to Tamallancos / Hotel Viastellae / good / 13kms
31 May / Tamallancos
to Lalin / Hotel El Palacio / excellent / 24kms walk to O'Dozon / nowhere to
sleep; then bus to Lalin
1 June / Sunday / Lalin to Silleda / Hotel Ramos / very
good / 17kms
2 June / Silleda to Puente Ulla / Pension O Cruceiro / very good /
22kms
3 June / Puente Ulla to Deseiro / Albergue Reina Lupa / excellent / 11 kms
4 June / Deseiro to Santiago de Compostela / Hotel Horreo / good / 12kms
5 June
/ Santiago de Compostela / Pilgrim's mass in Cathedral and sightseeing / Pension
Rey Fernando / excellent / great location for taking the bus to airport
6 June / Santiago de Compostela / flight to Barcelona /
I missed the connecting flight to Eindhoven because I fell asleep
7 June /
Barcelona flight to Eindhoven / bus to Leende home-house.
I carried my 38 liter
Korean 'Summit' backpack weighing 7 to 8 kgs. I never take a lot of food or drink with me. Max. 1 liter of water; a few foodbars and a good dry Spanish sausage ('fuet') will get me a long way!
I spent on average 62 euros a day
on the trail / and including flights and new boots and incidentals the amount
spent over 47 days came to a bit less than 4.000 euros. In and out. 84 Euros a
day......and I believe I lived quite luxuriously as 'un peregrino con plata'!
And here are a few tidbits:
1. The day I ended up in Nueva Jarilla I had walked
44 kms as in Jerez de la Frontere the only room I could find was at a NH Hoteles
for the juicy price of 485 euros (sin desayuno!). Amd I never drank a sherry in Jerez!!
The World Championship road motor
racing attracted 200.000 visitors. And also in Nueva Jarilla, 25 kms further North there was nothing available. So after an early dinner I decided to sleep in the
park. Then I found that there were quite a few ducks around which meant stagnant water.
Ah, of course I could go and ask the priest at the church but no, these
villages were only served once a week by a roving priest and the church remains
normally locked up. Then, at that moment, my daughter Kesso Gabrielle sent me a message from Malawi asking me
how I was doing. In only 10 minutes she had figured out with Chat GPT and Facebook the name of
the person in charge of the laymen services at the church....and yes that family
offered me a place. 15 Minutes later a lady called Veronica ushered me into
their huge garage where some 20 mattresses were already placed for the visiting
bikers. I thanked her father Diego and her profoundly, took a quick shower in the cabin at the back of the garage, rolled out my sleeping bag, slipped inside, thanked God and my
daughter in prayer, and said goodbye to the world. I did not even hear the bikers coming in
at night.
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| My home for the night: Garage in Nueva Jarilla before the bikers arrived |
2. Songs that I quietly sang and hummed on the trail:
'I am a pilgrim' by the
Byrds,
'Across the borderline' by Willy DeVille,
'Don't let the stars get in your
eyes' by Carl Mann.
3 A prime reference book about the various Caminos with
superb photographs is written by H.G. Kaufmann and M. Bravo Lozano (in German):
Santiago de Compostela, auf alten Wegen EUROPA neu entdecken; Tyrolia Verlag
1992.
4. Finally a note about an important message from Jesus to His Apostles
before He finally went to heaven. He asked all of them to spread thoughout the
world and preach the word. And he predicted that all except one would become
martyrs. It was also assumed that the Apostles/martyrs were laid to rest in the countries where they had preached. And so it happened. Sint James=San Thiago was murdered by Herod in
Judea but he preached in Spain. After his death his body was moved to Spain and his remains with 2 more disciples of him now rest in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
Thomas preached in
India and Pakistan and died most probably in Kerala. Peter went to Rome and was
murdered there by Nero. Andrew preached in Northern Turkey and the Krim. Simon
preached in Egypt and Libya. Bartholomeus went to Armenia. Thaddeus went to
Persia and Assyria. Filippus went to the Ukraine and North of the Caspian Sea.
Matthew also went to Northern India. Matthias went to Rumania. And the one who
did not become a martyr was John who was banned to Patmos island by the Romans
but died in peace in Efese, Turkey. Paul, formerly Saul, was not one of the initial Apostles; he never met Jesus either, but became in reality one....he died as a martyr also in Rome, hanged with his feet up by
Nero.
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| Arrival with thanks 4th June '25 Cathedral Santiago de Compostela |
In the end......I flew from Santiago de Compostela airport to Barcelona....and missed my connection to Eindhoven in the NL.
WHY? Simply because I fell asleep on a bench. The gate nr. had not been decided yet and I had to wait 3 hours anyway. So I moved around to find a place to rest. And resting I did. When I woke up the plane had left!! Jeepers. That was an expensive rest! I had to buy a new ticket (thank you Valerie!), spent the night at the airport and leave the next morning......Then after a walk of more than 1.000kms, who would not need a good rest?
