First steps…Sunshine & Showers

We had a smooth flight to Madrid and got a courtesy bus to T4 ,at the huge Barajas airport, where we took the Cercanias train to the bus station – 31 minutes, leaving time for a sandwich, before taking the bus to Caceres. This was a long, in time , journey, stopping at three towns, en route, the last being Trujillo, which looked like a must visit destination. Our accommodation in Casar de Caceres was good and we made tracks to the local restaurant, for a late meal, watching Barcelona being beaten by Valencia – a result which seemed to please the locals, watching.

We set off on a bright morning, after breakfast at Jorge’s cafe, speciality, Churros, but I had cheese and bacon toastie ! Mist was burning off the valley as we progressed a well marked path. Wild flowers and clumps of Lavender decorated the hedges, fields of cattle and sheep. Quite uneventful until we came to a diversion, made necessary by the construction a high speed rail links, from Madrid to the Portuguese border.

Even more impressive was this bridge crossing one of several rivers, feeding the Embalse.

Just after this point, the Camino combined with a local River Tajo GR route and weaved up and down the hills bordering the dam. There were fine views , but it was very difficult underfoot and we were relieved to be directed to walk alongside the N360, which carried very little traffic.

Eventually we reached Canaveral, where we were booked in to a wonderful, private hostal, in an old , renovated building, overlooking a small, Ollve Grove, chickens free- ranging, Lemon Trees in full fruit. Rightly popular , so much so, that  Mac was asked to pick up a free bed in our suite, to transfer to a dorm, upstairs,in order to accommodate a late arrival.

We met some very interesting characters over a tasty € 8.00 dinner, with wine. Some very interesting stories about the renaissance of the Pilgrim routes in Spain and the fact that the ubiquitous yellow shell, on a blue background ,was part of the deal with the EU, to subsidise the stone way markers, an aspect of an overall plan to give Spain a fresh, post- democracy look. ( see first photo ).

Most of the pilgrims had concerns about Tuesday’ s poor weather forecast of unseemly high winds and rain. Most opting to take a local bus part if the way. We shall probably follow suit.