ensuitepilgrim's Blog

They say that Madrid is a city that never sleeps. As Mac & I made our way down the Calle Atocha, at 6 am, this morning, we witnessed hordes of young people, in all manner of states – euphoric, exhausted, noisy and boisterous – unthreatening. I was even more glad for the double strength windows in our hotel room, which overlooked this popular thoroughfare – didn’t hear a thing. A final glass of Pacharan , in the hotel bar ,may have helped. Less than 24 hours in this great, capital city, but time enough to enjoy the lively area around us, especially, Plaza Sta Ana. Returning , we came across a  dramatic sculpture, recognising the fate of 35 citizens, assassinated, during the civil war. A sobering sight. The journey home was smooth enough, having navigated  the Madrid Metro system, to reach Barajas Airport, in time for a final Desayuno.

I was relieved to finish this section of the Camino, mainly because a lot of family and friends had been so generous with their sponsorship.Muchas Gracias. This section of the Via de la Plata, from Caceres to Zamora ( particularly after wet weather ) , is challenging in different ways – long stretches without any place of refreshment. Few places to sit down and take a break; except for the ground, and after entering Castille y Leon, wide ranges of monotonous landscape – mainly cereals and grazing. Even the snow- capped mountains were soon left behind. Apart from the many Spings and stretches of floodwater, the surfaces were good to the feet ( fine grit & sand ) and the Camino, well signposted. Of course, my view could have been clouded by the days of miserable weather . However, I should not recommend it for first-timers. Compensations came by way of the companionship of other pilgrims and the gracious, friendly welcome received in bars, cafes and places we stayed.

The Via de la Plata has brought some investment and revitalisation, to some of these lonely Pueblos , with locals offering accommodation in restored houses and farms – highly recommended as essential alternatives ( for me ), to Albergues, which can be found there , too.

The government, with EU help, has improved the road infrastructure and high speed train lines are bring built.These are breathtaking constructions .

The history of the Camino and the dedicated sites, especial to St James and his devoted Pelegrinos, are well represented along the way and in different forms.

“Walking the Camino you can make yourself miserable or strong. But the amount of walking will be still the same.” That was a quotation, I found, somewhere and was very appropriate for this Camino. There is also another, Spanish ,saying, which goes some way to describing the attitude of pilgrims, both to those who look after them, feed and direct them… and to each other :-

– “El peregrino no exige , agradece. ”

There are moments and times when I should have reminded myself of that and what a privilege it was, nevertheless , to walk this Way.

Translation – A pilgrim doesn´t demand , he´s grateful.

Amen to that !

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The end of this stage. A city I have never visited before, too tired to do it much justice, this evening, but look forward to visiting it again. As you walk in to the city, as we did, from the South, there was a pleasant walk alongsidecan extremely full and fast flowing River Duero ( Zamora was flooded last week ). The cathedral, set against the sky, above the cliffs and walls, gives an impregnable impression ; entrance into the old town is made across a Roman bridge.( PS It is “Romanic”, not Romantic )

I shall write this retrospectively and seek to enliven what is actually a great deal of monotonous walking – fields of cereals and grazing land stretching way across to the horizon; with  an occasional vineyard .Castille Y Leon is fairly daunting , in that there is nowhere on the Camino to sit and rest…except the floor!

Having to stop and apply some  ” Voltaren Emugel”, to a troublesome calf, I had to recourse to the Armco Barriers ( thank you Mac, for pointing that out )…Excuse my back!

That embrocation was most effective ; apply three times a day. No problems with feet or boots.I underestimated the unseasonable weather, but the Poncho was a boon on the cold, wet stretch from Cubo de la Tierra del Vino  to Villenueva de Campean. There were very few cafes on any of the stages,but when we did find one, the welcome was always warm. This little place, newly established and not yet in any of the guide books, was a case in point. Tea and cakes , in a beautiful setting.

We had a conversation via Siri, Google Translate – Mac, much amused.

Our final stop before Caceres, was in La Posada del Buen Camino; an authentically restored house, in this small Pueblo. Home cooked dinner, which we shared with three other Pelegrinos and wonderful Zamora d o c vino tinto.

As always, it was heartwarming to get Hannah’s photos of three of the grandchildren, just to remind me what I ‘m missing….

Now for a short stroll around Zamora, aperitifs and dinner. It has been a tough Camino, at times, but we have met some very interesting people and with Mac’s unfailing sense of humour, managed to leave most places and people with a smile on both theirs and our faces.

World Heritage Site; the City of Salamanca has a horde of archeological, historical & cultural sites. The Peggy Sue restaurant is not one of them, but as a lifelong Buddy Holly fan, a photo was irresistible! We did not eat there, but wanting a change from Menu del Dia, we chose a Persian restaurant, and were not disappointed. However,there are new styles of eating, apart from the traditional. We tried JarraMania, opposite our hotel entrance, where you write your order on a list, from a selection of countless Montaditos. We tried two each and a Jarra of Tinto Verano, for € 3.00 . Inexpensive and a third of what you would pay on the adjacent Plaza Mayor. That’s not to say we didn’t succumb to the charms of that wonderful square, especially as our hotel room balcony overlooked it.Still, I am getting ahead of myself.We arrived here, yesterday, after a 25 KM walk from San Pedro de Rozados, across Castillian meadows mainly, until we reached the city outskirts, where we came across a huge cross and a notice board commemorating the battle of Arapiles, July 22nd, 1812,where Wellington inflicted a defeat on the French forces. The cross is not linked to the battle, it pays tribute to all Pelegrinos.

Having found our hotel , despite the baffled reception we received; Sercotes Las Torres obviously does not get many pilgrims. We were eventually given the room I had booked, overlooking the Plaza Mayor. Mac thought it was a great deal and this was confirmed by the super breakfast we enjoyed, this morning ( included ) . There are so many beautiful buildings, it is beyond the purpose and capacity of this Blog, to do them justice. So just a few illustrative samples to follow:-

When you walk this stage of the Camino. You get tantalising glimpses of the city from as far away as Morille, on a hill,1160 metres high.

Pressing further on, ” Looking Back Over My Shoulder” ( MOR Classic song ), a long and winding road…….

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And in the far distance, the snow-topped peaks of the Bejar Mountain Range.

We have enjoyed two days’ sunshine, though we set off in a temperature of  3 degrees, yesterday. Salamanca looks it’s best in the sunlight and especially at twilight , where a pinkish glow appears. In case, you find the romanticism of this passage a little too twee….and you’d be right . Here is a photo that exemplifies the practical side of a sunny interlude, for a Pelegrino.

Whilst strolling through the city, today, we came upon lots of film props and settings, for a film of Romeo and Juliet, being made by an American company…English play, American filmmakers in Salamanca. Still, they made some memorable ” Spaghetti Westerns” in Spain , too. Shakespeare, for American TV? Flogging a dead horse?

Tomorrow, on to another surrealistic setting,El  Cubo de la Tierra del Vino; unfortunately, the Philoxera Plague of the nineteenth century, wiped out most of the vineyards.Hope they have sourced some wine elsewhere, if not locally. Now, some shots of a ” Turigrino”.

Hope we get to meet some more Pelegrinos tomorrow, old and new. From the most earnest , who walk every step with God, to those who walk every step and curse…

Utreia!

Looking down at St Pedro de Rozas, today, after our walk from Fuenterrobe. Cuckoos calling and the “odd” Sweet Pea to note. The breeze was still pretty cool and out of the sun, chilly. All of which is a massive improvement on Rain & grey skies.

This bridge , near a huge pig farm, is the halfway point from Seville to Santiago de Compostela, depending on which of the three possible ways you can take, from Zamora; but that’s a decision for the future. The stream, possibly a more auspicious sight than the ” cerdos negros”but I thought you might like to see them, anyway.

Our accommodation, VII, Carreras, is a focal, tourist point especially for Pelegrinos. They had an impressive array of Tapas, for lunch. Out of respect for the aforementioned swine, we passed on the pigs’ lips, a local delicacy, rather like pork scratchings.

Tomorrow, we have 25 KM to walk to Salamanca, where we have a rest day, till Tuesday.

Hope I am not as stiff as the ” Tin Man”; we haven’t met Dorothy or the Cowardly Lion……yet! Utreia.

“A deep, cold river, we can’t go over it, we can’t go under it….Oh no, we’ve hot to go through it !” ( From Michael Rosen’s Epic, ” We’re Going On a Bear Hunt ” )

From Banos, Roman Thermal Baths; quite touristy, we climbed out of the valley towards Bejar. Not as difficult as we thought and only light drizzle. Met a French couple, en route, and shared experiences; delightful  couple, great SOH. You would need it , listening to our French! Soon enough we made it to our Casa Rural, Calzada.

Renovated sympathetically , with some stonework going back to Roman times. Our host, Maria, epitomised the warm welcome Pelegrinos receive on the de la Plata. Warm fire and spacious rooms. We made our way to the only bar in this fascinating time warp of a village, along the Main Street, Via de la a Plata, with its overhanging balconies, some of which appeared to be on the point of imminent collapse. Encountering a Spanish-American couple, who made their way to the bar, with us. After a couple of beers and Tapas, it got lively and Darcy  demonstrated an amazing mixture of gymnastics and Pilates! On a full stomach, too. We were impressed…. Maria cooked us a great dinner, Norway, Spain and Holland, together; Maria , after much prompting, showed us a portfolio of her paintings of the locality – Naive Art, the unskewed eye; they were lovely and I would have bought one but for the impossibility of getting it back safely, in a rucksack.

Saturday dawned brightly for a welcome change and we made good progress until we met the river “Uh-uh”…..Divested of my shorts, socks and boots, I followed Mac across , in the freezing water, made up of snow melt from the nearby mountains ; he did a great impression of St Christopher and bravely made his way back across the submerged , stepping stones, to take my rucksack from me, thus allowing me to clamber across the last two stones and on to dry land. We laughed with relief and after 2 KM came across a bar, where we took coffee and got our socks and boots back on.

As if that was not enough, just before our next stop , we were caught in a hail storm – T G for Ponchos….As we entered Fuenterroble de Salvatierra, our host, Pacqui was waiting to usher us into his Casa Rural. Showered and warmed up we went down to Bar  Jorge and ……Today brought home to me the words of Albert Camus, when he wrote…..” Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend”.

When you go two or three days on the Camino, without Blogging, it’s only the photos that bring things back!  Hopefully, I can capture some of the places as we moved on.

We walked through the walled town of  Galisteo, over the bridge, stopping to admire the the Stork’s nest.( see above…literally ).

The routes take you through meadows, populated with Holm  Oaks, for the most part and grazing cattle. Wild flowers and clutches of Lavender  brightened up the grey day, along with plentiful birdsong; they were as relieved as we,  by the temporary lack of rain. Hoping for coffee, we could only find a corner shop, where plastic cylinders of coffee were micro- waved for us! Not even a bar. But rewarding views, nevertheless.

We stayed at Oliva de Plasencia, after a baffling interchange of phone calls in the village shop, where my phone was handed to two different people, before we eventually found our base for the night – Scam going on, no passport, just gimme the money. But it was fine and we had a  great anti- Brexit discussion, with a French guy. He swore like a trooper! So far, we have met the usual phalanx of Dutch, German, Danes and Spanish; a mix enriched by  two South Koreans and a guy , who one time said he was Nepalese, then , Japanese – lost in translation? He wore a classic Andy Capp, for those who can remember him!

We received friendly welcomes, advice from everyone , although I did do some research about our route to Aldeanueva because of possible flooding. So we chose an alternative route on a side road and we’re glad that we had, when we met our French compadre, who had gone the traditional route, wading up to his thighs and losing his phone, after taking a tumble; he was shaken up , but determined to continue, nevertheless. After borrowing my phone, to contact his next Albergue, we bade him” Buen Camino”. Mac was really concerned for him, but… What can you do?

We found Apartment La Luna, after a long, last Camino mile; a casa rural, situated above a hairdresser’s…our coiffeuse, was very helpful and my twin set looked a picture. One of the stranger sights was a gypsy type wagon, pulled by two donkeys and they gave us a cheerful wave?

A feature of this part of the Camino, are the Roman ” Milaria”; milestones, over two hundred of them, preserved and , especially explained , as you go along. In fact, if they could balance the historical importance of the Via de la Plata, with practical info.about the terrain, it would be brilliant!

At Aldeanueva del Camino, I found a pharmacist for help with a troublesome calf muscle ? He sold me a tube of  cream, which has been really effective, I have to say.So, after another €9.00 Menu del Dia – Oxtail, salad, rice pudding ( mmmm ) , vino tinto, good night from me. Hopefully, not too many Springs to traverse, tomorrow. Just the snapping calls , from the bills of the Storks, in abundance here, nesting on towers, electricity pylons, anywhere with a vantage point.

LTuesday as forecasted, shocking weather for walkers…long debates amongst pelegrinos about how to or what to do, in our hostel. Anyway, we decided that a daylong soaking, notwithstanding our state of the art rainwear , was not feasible. We got great help from the owner and he gave us a timetable, involving two buses, in & out of Plasencia, to get to Camping Catalinas, our pre- booked accommodation.

We were unsurprised to be joined by other Pelegrinos of a similar disposition.

Spain’s  bus services are excellent and combined with the RENFE, would make touring anywhere expeditious.

We arrived at Riobolos, as advised and were given a warm and welcome by the owner of the campsite, shown to our apartment and we the enjoyed a tuna, tomato and red pepper Bocadillo, accompanied by our favourite Spanish beer, Cruzcampo. Two Dutch pelegrinos joined us later; we had enjoyed their company, the previous evening . After a siesta, we had €9.00 Pelegrino dinner, locally resourced! Our manager then arranged for a taxi, the next morning, to take us back to the Camino, where we hope to recommence walking. This is a great, little campsite and such pilgrim friendly staff, great sense of humour, played upon by Mac, inevitably! A view of the terrace from our balcony.

Boots left outside, on the window ledge.

Tomorrow, no more ” mea culpas” – pragmatism must rule. As someone said :- “there are no tourists on the Camino, just pilgrims who haven’t found their way yet” .

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.

‘When I decided to raise funds for Cancer Research, I didn’t have any more motivation than to make a small contribution to an organisation that helps develop newer and better treatments for cancer; such as the “keyhole” surgery that helped to prolong my life. It was my daughter, Hannah’s suggestion to make an appeal through the “Just Giving” website and it was their suggestion to set a target – we chose £1000.00!

The above photo shows me giving a PowerPoint Presentation  at The Spotted a Dog, Digbeth, to a gathering of family and friends. Bless and thank them all.
“John’s Camino for Cancer”
I am walking the Via de la Plata in Spain for Cancer Research UK because I am grateful for my recovery from serious Cancer.

Event: Camino for Cancer on 09/04/2016 Spotted Dog ” Camino for Cancer ” Night.
Raised: 106% of the Target!

£1,061.71 was the total by the next morning, with promises of more to come. I had a lot of help from Barbara – the raffle,logistics, John Tighe ,the landlord & his son Sean, John Meehan for coming along and giving us an acoustic set from his CD.See photo above.

I set out a few “artefacts” – Compostelas, Pilgrim Passports, memorabilia – had three framed for the occasion ! Doubt that I would ever have done that without this night.

A notable and welcome guest – my brother Matt, who flew from Holland,especially.

Well , that leaves a week now until Mac & I fly to Madrid and take a connecting bus to Caceres, where we resume our walk along the Camino, Via de la Plata. As you can see, I’ve got the T-shirt, now I have to be there and do it!

Our plan is to walk up to Zamora, with a day’s rest in Salamanca, en route. Logistically and apart from the walk itself,the trickiest part is getting from Madrid airport, north of the city, to the bus station , south of the city , but bearing in mind it’s a Sunday, crowds will not be a problem . Plan A is to take the Cercanias rail link, which takes 31 minutes , Plan B is the Metro, which involves two changes and takes an hour. Plan C is a taxi.The bus tickets are reserved and printed off – getting your head round Spanish bus websites is the equivalent of “Alice in Wonderland”.

I hope to Blog our journey , regularly, and am both excited by the prospect and motivated by the great support, described, above. ” Ultreia! “.

Well, the training walks have been going well; averaged just over 11 minutes per kilometre, on the last two.But need to bear in mind that these are only 6-7 mile long, albeit with rucksack at 10 Kg. On Caminos, we try to keep to 12 minute Kms, which loosely means 3 miles an hour. We have what we call a” bag break”, every hour and a longer break, ideally at a bar, every two hours or so. My fellow Pelegrino,Mac, is forever telling me that break is not a break without a….of some kind.

I have set out my kit, for two weeks now, I shall try to lessen it, however, what do you decide when faced with a choice between two T-Shirts?

With an important event, looming,the Camino for Cancer Fund Raising evening., I have put the finishing touches to the PowerPoint Presentation,designed a quiz and downloaded an eclectic mix of videos and music. Latest flyer went out,yesterday.

I have been more than vexed with the Brexit arguments that abound everywhere,my twin flags are as follows:-

God spare me the ” Little Englanders”. No more politics…..for a moment.I was sent a book containing short reflections on the Camino, thankfully free of sanctimony, I have greatly enjoyed it.

It has been great to spend time, recently with my children and the grandchildren, farm visits and mealtimes…As rbrault wrote in his blog spot” Enjoy the little things,for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things”

Plans are afoot for two holidays in the motorhome, May and July.My greenhouse has been repaired and seedlings are coming along, there and on the laundry room windowsill. I have a lot to plant out, before setting off for Madrid on April,17 th. Also a lawn to scarify and  daughter,Hannah’s new allotment to work on. Which reminds me that”Heaven is under our feet,as well as overturn heads”;Thoreau

Finally, have my last physio session, shortly, trying to shake off a niggly calf problem,I was reminded of a quotation from Kenji Miyuzawa, ” we must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey”; well, Kenji, I shall be embracing Ibruprofen on my next walk.

This was a more relaxing journey, with Tom Henry and Jude. I should not be too surprised if Mac and I don’t  thumb a lift or two, on our Camino! I hope everyone enjoys the Spring and the lighter nights to come.Apologies for my writing this in a rush.