A change of direction…

Posted on 28/09/2019 by magwood

So, finally an update.  Sorry for the long silence and thank you so much to those who have enquired as to my recovery from what was first diagnosed as tendonitis.  By the time of my last post, when I was hobbling around Porto at the end of May, I was much improved and ready to throw away my crutches, but I felt that something was still not quite right.  Long story short, I saw a consultant who sent me for an MRI and discovered that my right hip has a stress fracture in the ball joint (femoral head).  A follow-up x-ray also showed osteoarthritis and loss of cartilage – things that come with qualifying for a bus pass it seems, so at least if I can’t walk I can hop onto a bus!  I’ve also had a bone density scan and am awaiting the result.

I’m told the fracture occurred when I suffered the severe pain that put a stop to my Camino de la Lana. The bone is not displaced so hopefully it will mend without any further issues.  Oh, the joys of ageing (and of course there are many joys).  

So my walking has been somewhat curtailed since my camino came to an abrupt end in San Esteban de Gormaz on the Camino de la Lana.  I’m building it up gradually but the farthest I have walked in the last few months is 14 km.  I have a way to go before I set foot on another camino.

In the meantime, there have been momentous changes in my circumstances.  I have left my life of more than ten years living in a white village half way up an Andalusian mountain and returned to the UK.   I’ve reclaimed my pretty little cottage that forms part of a rambling complex of farm buildings, which you might expect to be situated way out in the countryside (and it probably was once upon a time), but is actually tucked away between extensive housing estates, close to good amenities and only a short trip into the centre of Bristol.

It obviously wasn’t an easy decision or one taken lightly.  But I have changed a great deal over the last few years, my interests have expanded and I have become even more independent.  Nevertheless it was a very sad day when I parted from my four legged friends (and many very good two legged friends).

Having left Spain at the end of July I returned a couple of weeks ago to dog and cat sit. It was a great opportunity for me to catch up with my close friends and enjoy a couple of walks in the mountains. I loved my time living in Spain, in such a vibrant multinational community.  Almost everyone you pass makes eye contact and says a genuine ‘buenos dias’ (or  more likely  just ’buenas’ as per the local habit) or has time to stop and chat.  It isn’t just the climate that is sunny, or maybe because of the climate the people who live there for the most part are warm and friendly.

I still have lovely walking very close to where I now live.  A myriad of tracks through what was probably once the land that belonged to the farm, and two stately homes (now in local authority ownership) with really extensive grounds including woodland and a gorge dropping to a river.  As I build up my walking stamina these beautiful green parklands will allow me to walk for as many kilometres as I can manage.  

So now the rest of my life is an unwritten story, hopefully with more camino adventures to come and lots of short trips around Europe, starting in a couple of weeks with a visit to Dubrovnik and Split.  There is so much of Europe that I haven’t experienced and so many places I can easily get to from Bristol, although I anticipate I shall be feeling increasingly guilty about flying – maybe if I use the bus more often I can slightly assuage my guilt!

Posted in A view of life | Tagged , , , , | 48 Comments

Busing around Porto

Posted on 29/05/2019 by magwood

The breakfast spread at Gallery Hostel this morning was as good as most hotels.   I ate muesli with soy milk, fresh fruit salad and a small roll with jam. Way more than I needed. Then I watched a chap next to me take two huge chunks of cake, four pastais de nata and two croissants. Wow, that’s a lot for two people, I thought. But his wife then went up to get her own plate full – all that sweet stuff was just for him!  And they weren’t overweight!  Perhaps they are off to run a marathon!

I walked to the Palacio Cristal this morning. It is billed as an interesting building in beautiful gardens. That would do me for an hour or so I told myself.  Not on your Nelly was the reply.  We can’t have you sitting in beautiful surroundings just relaxing – let’s dig the whole place up and close it off to the public and whilst we’re at it, we might as well close the palace and do maintanence on that as well!  I did manage to find a bench and sat down to consult the tour bus map. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and turned my head to see a beautiful peacock about a foot away.  Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.  There followed a rabble of young cocks with their feathers beginning to change colour around their necks.  All these birds were interested in one thing only – begging for food, which I didn’t have, so they soon moved on.  It was quite breezy and the full grown peacock was being whooshed sideways when the wind caught his tail feathers.

There is a tour bus stop outside the gardens but not one where you can buy a ticket. I searched online and found I could buy one that way. Around 16 euros for one day, 18 euros for two. The bus duly arrived and I showed the driver the voucher I had downloaded, but apparently I needed to send a copy to his office.  He gave me an email address and I duly sent it off.  Then (whilst he was driving) he took my phone and tried to scan the barcode, all the time with his eyes on my phone, on the scanning machine, or on his phone.  Something wasn’t working.  Still driving, he passed me his phone so I could see his personal email address and told me to send it there.  There was much passing of phones between us and eventually something happened to enable him to issue me with a ticket. All this time, probably ten minutes, he was driving with one or no hands on the wheel – incredible!

Anyway the bus ride was a great success. There are two routes with this company, red and blue buses. I was on the red one which drove out to the coast at the Forte of San Francisco and alongside the beautiful sandy beaches to the lighthouse at the mouth of the River Douro and back into the city alongside the waterfront.  I hopped off at Praça da Liberdade the main square of the city

I had been advised to pop into McDonald’s,  what a juxtaposition I looked upon,  inside this beautiful building right on the city’s main square one looks upon the McDonald’s garish illuminated menu board whilst floating immediately above a massive Art Deco stained glass window, crystal chandeliers and intricate friezes complete the anomaly. Apparently this beautiful building was once home to the Imperial Cafe, until Ronald moved in.

I walked the length of the square and sat at the far end admiring the building of the Camara Municipal.   The entire square is lined with outrageously ornate and beautiful buildings and the roof lines against the perfectly blue sky are spellbinding.

By now my stomach is telling me its time to go find the next vegan dining experience on my list.  Da Terra in Ruta Mouzinho da Silveira (there are several branches) is a vegetarian/vegan buffet salad bar. You can visit the food bar as many time as you wish.  Huge choice of dishes, almost all vegan. 7.50 euros at lunchtime and I think 9.50 euros in the evening.  Highly recommended by others and I can concur.

I then walked back to the square to get on whichever tour bus turned up first. It was red so I jumped on, planning to alight closer to the hostel at the stop I got on this morning.  But this red bus wasn’t taking the red route.  Very strange.  I leaned out over the side to check that the bus was actually red.  Yep!  Having taken neither red nor blue route as far as I could make out, it eventually coincided with the blue route, alongside the river and over the Luis I bridge, climbing up behind port wine warehouses and looking down on the very long red roof lines, with cable cars rolling by overhead.

Once we were away from the Vila Nova de Gaia area, this route was not so interesting, until we eventually crossed back over the river and I hopped off the bus back where I had hopped on, in Praça da Liberdade.  And I wandered back to the hostel from there.

I probably walked about 5 km in all today. Not ideal, but it is impossible to be in a city and not walk.  I took it extremely slowly and felt fine, although after I reached the hostel and rested for a while I was a bit stiff.

No supper required for me tonight after my buffet lunch. I popped to the small supermarket just adown the road from the hostel and bought some fruit and soy yoghurt to fill any gaps.

I challenge anyone to come to Porto and not fall head over heals in love with the place.  There is so much to do and see.  River activities, beautiful beaches, wonderful architecture, cafe culture, shopping. Porto has it all. And don’t forget the PORT. I might visit the wineries tomorrow. My flight isn’t until late evening so I have another full day to fill.

Posted in A view of life | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Limping around Porto

Posted on 28/05/2019 by magwood

Not having tested the extent of my mobility for FOUR WEEKS, I somewhat guiltily booked myself ‘special assistsnce’ on my flight from Málaga to Porto. The easyJet employee I spoke to was extremely helpful and supportive and upgraded my booking to priority boarding with a seat in the front row. I duly reported to the assistance desk and after a short wait was invited to climb aboard the wally trolly that wove through the heavily crowded airport.

I sat next to the driver who was patience personified. A charming young man who navigated every type of non-observant person. Those who only had eyes for their phone, others who looked directly at the buggy but took no avoiding action whatsoever, those who were in an end-of-holiday daze and saw nothing at all, others who were intent on looking high above at the directional signs and had no idea what was happening at ground level, and those adorable scraps whirling around in an attempt to make themselves totally dizzy and falling to the ground in our path. My driver was a saint in the making and delivered me to my departure gate just as it was being opened and I was ushered through as number one passenger. Well, there has to be some advantage to this tendonitis business.

It’s very nice to be in Porto again. Such a beautiful city with a fabulous atmosphere. I took the 602 bus from the airport to the end of the line – quite a long journey for just 2 euros.

The bus was driven by a woman who seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. As we reached the outskirts of the city there was suddenly a severe rattling vibration, it felt as though I was operating a Kango hammer (what I imagine operating a kango hammer feels like, I should say). I should have realised…this was my welcome to Portugal – the land of cobbles – roads, pavements – you name it, they lay cobbles on it. I remember them so well from walking the camino Portuguese, and not for a good reason, although they do look very charming!

I saw a few sights that I remember from my previous visit in 2014, but it was all too brief and all too wet to take in many sights. I have decided to take the advice of the wise ones who suggested I use the tourist bus to see more of the city tomorrow.

On alighting the airport bus I embarked upon the longest walk I have taken in 28 days, which was not much of a record as I doubt I have walked more than 100 metres on any occasion since my ‘incident’. Google maps indicated that the walk to my chosen hostel should take 12 minutes. It took me considerably longer. I normally walk faster than google suggests, but certainly not at the moment.

At Hostel Gallery I have a place in a 6 bed female dormitory, 23 euros per night. The hostel is in a charming period property with high ceilings and beautiful wall tiles, very friendly and helpful staff, breakfast included with lots of things I can eat, loads of places to sit and relax, including a roof terrace, a bar and restaurant, where they serve communal meals a few times a week. My room is spacious and the bathroom facilities are perfect, two showers, two loos and two basins. The other women are from the USA, Australia, Switzerland, Asia and Manchester. A delightful and friendly bunch, who are all on the right side of 35, vibrant young things. We exchange travel stories and I totally forget that they are probably younger than my daughters. My pensioner status is irrelevant in such situations.

I consult the App ‘happy cow’ to discover what vegan eating options I have in the area of the hostel. I am happy to discover that there is a well reviewed bar just around the corner ‘Apuro Vegan Bar’. The place is entirely vegan and organic including the wine and beer! It’s very casual, polished concrete on all surfaces and has a resident mog. I order nuggets, hummus and fries. Not as good as the reviews led me to believe, but quite acceptable and a very comfortable ambience. And the wine is very acceptable. I’ve not negotiated crutch con vino yet – it could be an interesting stagger back to the hostel!

I decided at the last minute not to bring my camera. Mistake! My phone isn’t very reliable. A rather dated iPhone 6 which has been on a recent trip down the loo. I am using my camino backpack but with very little weight, probably no more than five kilos, but I should have made allowance for my already much missed camera. So apologies for any poor quality photos I post in the coming days.

The aptly named Hostel Gallery is situated in a road full of, guess what?, art galleries! On my return, I passed a restaurant with a neon sign within…“fuck art, let’s eat”. Made me chuckle!

(Header image taken from google as I had nothing suitable)

Posted in A view of life | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Listen and learn

Posted on 23/05/2019 by magwood

Who knew? (A lot of you probably, but not me.) 

Already three weeks since the sudden end to my camino and I am still using a crutch to get around.  Three weeks!!  At first I thought I would be fit to walk again after a couple of days before recognising that my camino was actually over.  I was a bit concerned when I visited my GP after a week and was prescribed anti-inflammatories and painkillers to last a further three weeks.

When asking my friend Google how long tendonitis takes to heal the general response is…”The pain of tendonitis can be significant and worsens if damage progresses because of continued use of the joint. Most damage heals in about two to four weeks, but chronic tendinitis can take more than six weeks, often because the sufferer doesn’t give the tendon time to heal.”  A lesson for the future there then!

I’m not whingeing (well, maybe a bit!), but I am just totally surprised that it is taking so long to get back to ‘normal’.  I shall certainly pay attention to what my body is telling me in future.

listen to your body when it whispers and you won’t have to hear it scream

I’m off to Porto early next week and had assumed that I would be fully recovered by then.  It was long planned that I would finish my camino towards the end of May, which happens to be the end of the half-term week in the UK, and therefore flights from popular holiday destinations are very expensive (Malaga is where I normally fly from).  A bit of lateral thinking hatched a plan to take a bus from Santiago to Porto and fly to the UK from there to fulfil my childminding obligations whilst my daughter and her husband swan off to Mexico for a week to celebrate his ‘big’ (that’s entirely subjective – it doesn’t seem so big to me!) birthday.

Being unexpectedly in Malaga when my camino should have ended could have been an issue.  Except that I can get an Easyjet flight from Malaga to Porto for £17.50, half the cost of the coach fare from Santiago to Porto. So I booked a flight to give me a couple of days in Porto in the deluded anticipation of being fully mobile after four weeks.  It could still happen of course, but is seeming more and more unlikely that I will have a “throw away your crutches” moment in the next few days. 

So instead of planning to visit all the really interesting places around the city that I missed when I passed through on my second camino from Lisbon (due to rain and lack of time) I am researching if there are any places within easy reach of my hostel – Palacio de Cristal (8 minutes walk), the wine cellars on the other side of the river Duoro (35 minutes, not sure about that one, perhaps a taxi ride).  Luckily the weather is due to be mid twenties so if I have to hobble around the gardens of the Palacio de Cristal and spend long hours on a bench reading in the sunshine, I can think of bigger problems.  And perhaps I will have to visit Porto for a third time when I am fully recovered.

don’t let your mind bully your body

So hopefully my darling grandchildren will be impeccably behaved whilst I am on duty  (perhaps another delusion), but I may not be able to take that ramble I have promised my grandson the day after I arrive.  

And before winding up, I want to reiterate that I do write my  blog posts with tongue somewhat in cheek.  I am totally aware that my minuscule problem doesn’t warrant any sympathy.  In the big scheme of things I am so very grateful for general good health in a world where many are struggling with real problems.  

Listen to your bodies folks – they know what they’re talking about!

amongst the inspirational quotes I found this beautiful meme…one day I’ll get there!

Posted in A view of life, Camino de la Lana | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

George

Posted on 16/05/2019 by magwood

This post is not related to the camino, just a heartfelt story about a lovely man…

George (Jiri) came into our lives in 2011.  We noticed a new neighbour in the rental property below our house.  He engaged me in conversation one morning asking about the water supply that was giving him problems.  He was soon a regular visitor at our house.  He was lonely, living alone in a remote house on the outskirts of a town he didn’t know and he was glad to have our company.

He was from the Czech Republic, and spoke quite good English.  He had lived in Florida for a long time, working as a waiter and at some point had become an alcoholic.  I’m not sure at what point he became sober, but was rightly very proud that he had achieved sobriety, having reached a very low ebb and suffered considerable ill-health. 

His next move was to Tenerife where he also worked as a waiter.  I don’t recall if George told me the timescales of his moves around the world, but if he did I certainly can’t remember now.  

And then the guy that he worked for in Tenerife asked George to move with him to this small mountain village in Andalucia where he planned to set up a business that George would manage, something to do with soft drinks as I recall.  The guy stopped at the petrol station at the edge of town and enquired about property to rent.  It just so happened that the proprietor of the petrol station owned the house below us that had recently become vacant and a deal was instantly done, a rental deposit and the first month’s rent was paid.  George was deposited at the property, with his boss’s car, whilst said boss returned to the UK to take care of business.

And that was the last George ever heard of this guy.  He changed his phone number and there was no means of contact.  George was mystified and stuck in a difficult situation, with very little money, bored stiff and isolated.

He had great charm, a winning smile and a bright twinkle in his eyes.  He was a very easy friend.

He asked us if we had any work he could do.  He would do it for no payment, he just wanted something to do.  We didn’t have any spare cash to pay him and the only job that really needed doing was such horrible work that we couldn’t ask him to do it.  There had been a bit of a landslide behind our house and earth was  piled up against the wall, not a little bit, but metres long and probably a metre and a half high.  

After he asked us for the umpteenth time if he could do some work, we finally, with embarrassment, showed him what was required and his face lit up.  At last, a project!  He would only accept a pittance for an hourly rate (which was in reality all we could afford, but was half the going rate), but when we saw how hard he worked and tried to give him more.  He outright refused.  He wanted me to be his banker – I kept an account of what he had earned, how much he had drawn, and whether he had a positive or negative balance.

I have never seen anyone work so hard.  He cleared tons of earth and rocks from behind the house and carried it up our long and very steep drive in two buckets – his already skinny and bandy legs looking as though they might give way under the strain.  He always had a smile on his face and a cheerful word to say.  It took weeks for him to clear the landslide and then he used a heavy kango hammer to remove some of the rock to widen the gap behind the house.  Then he built a huge retaining wall, plastered and painted it.  Every bit of the work he did alone and without complaint.

During these weeks George began to worry about the rental that was overdue.  He asked me if I could help him sort it out.  I knew the owner of the property fairly well and told him about George’s dilemma.  He was surprisingly considerate and said he could use the deposit as the second month’s rent and allowed him a bit more time if he needed it to find alternative accommodation.  With the help of a friend we found him a townhouse in the village where he was more easily able to socialise and he made other friends.  I asked around and found him several other jobs, enough work to keep him going for quite a while.  He would pop into my office most days to say hello and we remained good friends.

But he couldn’t really sustain his life here in Spain without regular income and eventually he saved enough to return home to the Czech Republic, and we kept in touch over the ensuing years via facebook.

We heard he had used an inheritance from his father to open a bar in Benidorm.  I’m not sure if this venture was a success.  He came to visit us in July 2017 and spent a couple of days here.  It was lovely to see him again.  I stopped following him on facebook because there were very many postings about football, he was a huge Barcelona fan and although I was always very interested to see photos he posted of his new grandson, the football was of no interest to me.   But I knew he had returned again to the Czech Republic and we sent the occasional message to each other.

On 8 April, the day after I started my 2019 camino, I received a message from George.  He told me he was seriously ill with cancer of the lymph nodes and he was receiving chemotherapy.  

Last night I couldn’t sleep for a while and my thoughts turned to George.  I wondered how he was doing.  I looked up his facebook page and discovered that he had died the previous day, aged just 50.  We have such fond memories of George.  We have thought of him regularly over the years and he will often be remembered in the future.  It is impossible to think about George without smiling.  Some people enter your life briefly and leave a lasting impression.  Rest in Peace my friend.

Posted in A view of life | 12 Comments

A different view of the camino…

Posted on 09/05/2019 by magwood

Below is a link to Nina’s website. Nina is a designer and has a wonderful eye for a powerful image. She posts one photo each day with a few thoughts to accompany it.  The black and white images are very dramatic and powerful. I’m sure you will enjoy them.

See here

Posted in Camino de la Lana, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Home again, home again, limpity limp!

Posted on 05/05/2019 by magwood

Sorry for the prolonged silence. I was hoping that if I left it a few days I might have some positive news.

So, to recap, on Wednesday my right leg gave out part way through the stage. I battled pain and inability to walk through sheer determination and a good deal of stupidity. But in reality there wasn’t really much option. On a national holiday (Mayday) and passing through only villages with one or two inhabitants, my only options were to flag down one of the very few passing cars or magic a taxi number from somewhere.

Once I stopped walking I just couldn’t put any weight on my leg, even with the help of my walking poles. Luckily we stopped in a larger village where an extremely kind man immediately offered to drive us back to where we had started that morning, the only town in the area of size and with an emergency department. The doctor there upon examination decided that it was a hip problem and gave me an injection of Metamizole (which is banned in the UK and other northern European countries as it has been known to cause death, although apparently harmless to Spanish). I was told to rest for a day or two before starting to walk again.

We returned to the Hostal Moreno and I somehow managed to walk the long corridor to our allocated room. I needed to visit the bathroom during the night and it took me about fifteen minutes to walk a few metres. I returned to bed on my hands and knees. In the morning there was no improvement and I accepted my partner’s offer to drive the 700 kms to collect me.

I only left my bed to visit the bathroom and on subsequent trips I knelt on a blanket and pulled myself along with my hands. By the time I departed, that must have been the cleanest stretch of floor and the dirtiest blanket in the hostal. It was also the most undignified thing I have ever done whilst sober! But it worked.

Nina was my guardian angel. Shopping for goodies, bringing me an occasional glass of wine, keeping my spirits up and just being there.

David duly arrived on Thursday evening and we left on Friday morning. An eight hour journey where I didn’t dare drink more than a few sips of water because there was no way that I could use a public toilet en route. Luckily I have a cast iron bladder and didn’t suffer.

We passed signs for so many places that I had walked through on this and other caminos…Cuenca, Madrid, Segovia, Córdoba, Almería, Granada, Málaga. We rushed past the spectacular landscape that I had experienced at a much more leisurely pace. David took a couple of coffee breaks whilst I stayed in the car, but he brought me a good selection of snacks for the journey. I did just stand, hanging onto the car door during one break, just to give my backside a change of scenery!

We drove immediately to the emergency department of the hospital nearest to home, where I received the best possible service, taken from the car in a wheelchair, passing through the triage system before I even had the chance to use the loo, seen by a doctor within fifteen minutes, then whizzed off to the x-ray department, administered another injection to my posterior and after about a half hour wait a return visit to the doctor. This time I was told that I was suffering from an inflamed ligament / tendonitis with no fracture to the hip. This made much more sense to me as I couldn’t see how an issue with my hip could come on so suddenly. I was in and out of the hospital within 1.5 hours, made a quick stop down the road to buy some crutches and was then on the last leg home. Just a quick stop to collect Roly, our dog, from our friends who had happily agreed to look after him for the night, and then finally sitting in my own chair.

Yesterday (Saturday) I couldn’t detect any improvement at all, but today there is a slight change in the right direction. And so I am confident that within a few days I will be moving around more easily.

An inflamed ligament doesn’t sound as though it should have caused me such a problem, but I think I have a fairly high pain threshold, and I don’t think I have been making a fuss about nothing.

So my camino is over for this year. Nina decided to catch a bus to Burgos and then to León and she is now walking along the Camino Frances. We had a very emotional parting. I could not have hoped for a better walking partner and friend. She is a wise and caring woman with a great sense of fun. I am sure I will be privileged to walk with her again before too long.

David is quite pleased to have me home early, Roly made a big fuss of me for about five minutes and I have hardly seen him since (he chooses to be an outside dog), but the cat has jumped on my lap at every opportunity (and as I am spending 90% of my time sitting of lying, there is a lot of opportunity!)

Rather than be too upset about cutting my camino short, I appreciate that I have walked six prior caminos with no issues other than the odd blister. How lucky is that? And I am truly appreciative of the care and loyalty from Nina and David, and although it was a long journey home, how much more difficult it would have been if I had to return to another country, or if I had been walking alone. I am one lucky and grateful pilgrim.

Thanks to everyone who has expressed concern, either through the blog or via private message. I so appreciate your care. And also for the many messages of support I received along the way. I love to read your comments even though I don’t have time to respond directly.

THANK YOU to one and all.

Edit: after getting around on crutches for a few weeks, I felt progress with my hip was not as it should be.  Long story short, I organised an MRI and was aghast to be told that I had a stress fracture through the right femoral head (ball joint of hip).  Apparently such a fine fracture with no displacement of bone does not show on an x-ray.

Posted in Camino de la Lana, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged , , , , , , , | 46 Comments

Ruta de la Lana, stage 24, San Esteban de Gormaz to Alcubilla de Avellaneda, 25 km

Posted on 01/05/2019 by magwood

Distance, 25 km
Elevation gain, ? m
Elevation loss, ? m
Total distance, 678.5 km
Daily average, 28.3 km

The day starts well with a farewell to Marianne and Ruedi, our Swiss friends with whom we have been keeping pace since Cuenca. They will finish this camino another time. We will miss them.

After a long trek out of town, due to our hostal being on the outskirts, we were on a track at 2.5 km. it was unusually quiet on the road for mid-week, but then I realised it was Mayday public holiday, so not much was moving at 07:30. We passed through rolling agricultural land. Amongst the cereal crops are the occasional vineyards. Another blue sky, hot sun day, with a deer peeking out from the wheat field.

Nina and I took these photos at the same time…see how even our cameras can only see our own halos!

Cuckoos have been a constant companion on this camino we hear them, but never see them. Today, for the first time a bird flew overhead whilst cuckoo-ing.

First village Matanza de Soria at 8.5 km and then on the road to village number two, Villálvaro at 12 km. After a short break I found it difficult to get started again. My right thigh/hip was very painful for no apparent reason. Once I got going I could keep up a good pace, but didn’t dare stop again for fear of not being able to continue so we passed straight through village three, Zayas de Báscones at 19 km and I tuned into my camino playlist to give me some impetus to reach village four, Alcubilla de Avellaneda at 25 km.

I made it to the front door of the bar, but there was a flight of stairs to climb and my leg had gone on strike. I couldn’t put any weight on it. Nina brought me an ice cold Fanta which I supped sitting on the bottom step. It was time to give up. Luckily Tomas, a very kind man from the bar, offers to drive us back from whence we had come. He has a small hotel in the village Marquesa de Tavira, 615 826 895 / 975 357 681. He takes us to the emergency department where we had been only last night for Nina. And now here we were again. I had my first ever ride in a wheelchair, and felt absolutely ridiculous, but I really couldn’t put any weight on my leg. There was a different doctor and nurse on duty, but equally as kind and caring as those last night. The doctor quickly assessed my problem and decided it was my hip that was malfunctioning, organised an injection of Metamizol into my bum and told me to rest for a day or two. This is my first serious injury in seven caminos, and I don’t like it one bit.

Dear Tomas had waited for us and drove us back to Hostal Moreno where we stayed last night, and where I have been in bed ever since, with Nina waiting on me and anticipating my every need.

So more thanks are due to the kindness of strangers and a huge debt of gratitude to Nina for being an utterly supportive friend. And big hopes for a speedy recovery.

The information at the top of the page is incomplete because I forgot to turn off Wikiloc until we had been in the car for a few miles.

Posted in Camino de la Lana, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Ruta de la Lana, stage 23, Caracena to San Esteban de Gormaz, 29.5 km

Posted on 30/04/2019 by magwood

Distance, 29.5 km
Elevation gain, 210 m
Elevation loss, 453 m
Total distance, 653.5 km
Daily average, 28.4 km

Señora María Angeles opened the bar for us at 07:00 for breakfast and cooked cheese omelettes for Marianne and Ruedi whilst Nina and I had tostada con tomate, which set us up nicely for today’s walk.

Early this morning we saw many deer, even a family of three, which is the first time I have seen more than one at a time. And later a hare sat on the track ahead of us. Not many photos today – the deer were way too quick for me and although the scenery was very pleasant, I just wasn’t that inspired to get my camera out (and the header photo is from yesterday’s stage).

We were on the road to the first village Carrascosa de Abajo (with no bar) at 6 km, the second village Fresno de Caracena (with no bar) at 9 km and we were eventually on a track at 10.5 km. 17.5 km found us at Ines (without a bar), and 21.5 km at Olmillos with a closed bar, but a lovely man crosses the road to open it for us. Hurrah, cold beer and crisps! We are walking through rolling crop fields, the sun is shining from a blue, blue sky, and we can see snow covered mountains in the far distance.

After Olmillos we are back on the road for most of the way until we reach San Esteban de Gormaz. We cross the bridge over the Rio Duero and stop off at the Plaza Mayor and pop into the Ayuntamiento for a sello. We have been advised to stay at the Hostal Moreno as opposed to the polideportivo. I can’t find the location on google maps, but it tells me where to find the street. We walk quite some way and find no sight of the hostal. When we ask someone we are told that it is situated at the opposite end of this very long road, a good 20 minutes walk to the other end of town. If you plan to stay here, turn right when crossing the bridge and keep going until you are about to leave town.  We expected the cost to be around 30 euros but it was in fact 38 euros for a twin room. It is ok, if rather overpriced, but I suppose I should take into account that this is a bit of a tourist town, with some really ancient buildings.

After showering and doing a bit of washing, we set off for the shops to buy food for tomorrow in the small Eroski, and then we pop across the road to the farmacia for some anti-inflammatory cream and pain killers for my foot and to get advice for Nina who has had a stye in her eye for almost a week. She bought some cream back in Sigüenza, but the problem didn’t really improve, although today it seemed a bit less inflamed. The lady in the farmacia suggested a visit to the emergency department at the local health centre. We were seen immediately by a doctor who prescribed drops and cream. We then had to return to the farmacia to collect the prescription but by now it had closed. We had been told that we would need to phone the emergency number to get attention, but before we had a chance, the young man who worked there and was having an after-work drink in the bar next door, opened up for us and our friendly pharmacist dispensed the medication, charged the outrageous sum of 2 euros, chatted with us for ages and then gave us some free sample sizes of shampoo and toothpaste, and hugged and kissed us goodbye. I can’t imagine anywhere other than Spain giving such great service to a couple of out of town strangers. Thank you wonderful people of San Esteban de Gormaz.

After all the extra to-ing and fro-ing we had clocked up over 35 km!

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Ruta de la Lana | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Ruta de la Lana, stage 22, Retortillo de Soria to Caracena, 24 km

Posted on 30/04/2019 by magwood
Distance, 24 km
Elevation gain, 266 m
Elevation loss, 386 m
Total distance, 624 km
Daily average, 28.4 km
We are informed by my notes that the first 12 km of this stage are on the road. But I am also informed that it is possible to follow the GR86 route to the same town and walk off road.  We leave Retortilla via an archway and soon come to a small chapel.
At this point the yellow arrow directs a right turn onto the road, whereas we turned left for the GR route. I forgot to start recording on Wikiloc until we had covered around 1.5 km.  Even on this route we are still on the road for around 3 km before following the red and white stripes to the right over barely discernible dirt tracks, through scrubby woodland, over great slabs of rock and past towering cliffs.  A couple of vultures take off barely a couple of metres above our heads, their huge wings making a loud swishing noise. An incredible sight and sound.

See the chick beside the vulture on the right!

At 5 km we reach the first village, Castro, and at 8 km Valvenedizo, where all the inhabitants (two men and a dog) greeted us in the town square.  Inhabitant number one was extremely kind and showed us the way back onto the GR86, and accompanied us for 15 minutes.
 A lot of the cliffs are deep red and there are many ruins that were built into the rock face.   It’s an absolutely fabulous walk over all types of ground. But the red and white stripes indicating the way are not always easy to see and we do get a bit lost, but can see from maps.me that we are heading in the right direction. Eventually we cross a small crop field to reach the road and  immediately see the stripes.  We should have got onto the road some time sooner, but no harm done.
We bypass the third village on this route, Losana and are back on track for the final leg of the GR86 into Tarancueña at 16 km, 4 km further than taking the road, but immeasurable pleasure in that extra distance. We have been walking through raw nature, virtually no cultivation, birds singing all the way, vultures and eagles circling overhead, streams rushing along, and no mud.
After Tarancueña we are back on the camino, and on equally beautiful track.  Mostly narrow goat track winding up and down the hillsides, lots of climbing up rocky cliff faces, wading rivers and hopping over stepping stones, all the while surrounded by towering cliffs.
Finally we can see the church of our destination, but it is on the other side of the gorge high up above us.  The last climb into Carancena is a bit of a challenge.  We find the bar, which is just below the church at the top of the hill, very subtly and simply called ‘bar’ on a wooden  plaque above the door.  We walked straight past without noticing it, but when we finally pushed open the door we were welcomed by María Angeles. I had heard that her son allowed pilgrims to stay in his house.  She confirmed this was so but that the house was rather old and primitive.  Fine by us, I told her.  It is indeed primitive but much more welcoming that many albergues we have stayed in.  There are three beds, two rather larger than single, so the four of us were easily able to fit in.  A decent bathroom and kitchen, calor gas heater and hot water for the shower.  Everything a pilgrim needs. Donativo.  Thank you María Angeles.  You can reach her in advance 975 183 560 / 690 248 472 / 692 311 393. There was no mobile signal in the village, so it is best to try the landline first. And she serves good food.
We left our stuff at the bar whilst we walked up to see the castle. It’s huge and open for exploration.  Nina was outside waiting for me to exit and thought she would take a photo of my smiling face as I emerged through the low doorway.  Little did she know that I had decided the best way to avoid bashing my head was to exit rear end first.  Result, a rather unexpected and silly photo.
I’ve just learned that we have more than doubled the population today.  There are just three permanent inhabitants of Caracena, swelling to 90 during the summer.
This stage was not long in distance but we all felt exhausted when we arrived. It was hard work walking on uneven surfaces and climbing rock-faces. One of the most stunning camino walks.
Posted in Camino de la Lana, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Ruta de la Lana, stage 21, Atienza to Retortillo de Soria, 24 km

Posted on 28/04/2019 by magwood
Distance, 24 km
Elevation gain, 540 m
Elevation loss, 398 m
Total distance, 600 km
Daily average, 28.6 km

There was no rush to get up this morning, as we were fairly sure our washing wouldn’t be dry too early.   And sure enough most of it was still fairly damp when we collected it.  Luckily my shorts and sleeveless t-shirt were dry enough and I had a spare pair of socks to walk in.   So it was past 09:00 when we set off.  Right from the start the sky was a brilliant blue and the sun was shining bright, no clouds, and an occasional puff of welcome cooling breeze.

And then we popped up to the top of town to see the castle (in reality we followed the Don Quixote route instead of looking out for arrows, so we retraced our steps to Plaza de España and exited town from there.

So it was another day of ups and downs.  One almighty up and down right at the start. Then a walk through pine forrest for around 4 km, partly nice soft sand track and partly horrible loose stones, but very little flooding – it has mostly dried up now.

We reach Romanillos de Atienza at 11 km and were very happy to find a bar in this pretty stone village – an ice cold Fanta never tasted so good.

After the village we are once again walking through the flatlands with a bank of wind turbines – their blades barely turning.  We can see snow on the tops of distant mountains.

Then we were on the road for way too long, probably 2 km, before reaching the next village, Miedes de Atienza at 18.25 km, where there is another bar below the ayuntamiento with some handy picnic tables close by.  I eat quinoa, avocado and tomatoes from my supplies.  Our Swiss friends Marianne and Ruedi join us.  They are planning to walk only another two days.

It’s poling day today for the spanish general election. There are signs in every village directing people where to vote.  Consequently there are probably more people around than we would normally expect to see on a Sunday.

The track out of the village is steep and rocky on a goat track winding up the mountain side.  Up and up we went 230 m in 3 km over very rough ground.  At the peak we were at 1,380 m and were directed across a road back onto rough ground and indiscernible track. Quite soon we were directed back onto the road at a point where the Armco barrier was rather high, even for those of us with long legs.  It would have been preferable to either stay on the road from the high point, or stay on the rough ground for longer where the barrier disappears for a awhile.

After around 1.5 km on the road we drop down on a very steep concrete track towards our final destination.  As we pass a farm yard we hear the plaintiff bleating on a baby lamb. We look over the gate and see a newborn with its head stuck between railings.  The gate is too high for us to climb and we are relieved when a car approaches and we flag it down. The guy told us that the owner was called Jesús and we should try to get a message to him at the bar when we arrived. There wasn’t anything else we could do, but duly reported it at the bar and hope that the poor creature was released from its torture sooner rather than later.

The bar/restaurant/hostal La Muralla has built an albergue a few metres down the road. It is one of the nicest albergues I have had the pleasure to stay in. 18 or 20 places in bunks, paper sheets, cosy duvets and pillows.  Really well thought out, separate bathrooms each with two basins, two showers and a loo, very good kitchen. Plenty of space for washing to dry in the sunny courtyard. 15 euros, 975 345 053. There is no shop open on a Sunday so we can’t make use of the kitchen (not actually sure if there is a shop in the village), but there is plenty of equipment, a ceramic hob, microwave and toaster. We ate in the restaurant and I took leftover salad for the next day.

It was a shortish day that felt quite long, due to tired legs from yesterday, the elevation and the heat.  I promise, I am NOT complaining about the heat (yet!)

Posted in Camino de la Lana, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ruta de la Lana, stage 20, Sigüenza to Atienza, 37 km

Posted on 28/04/2019 by magwood


Distance, 37 km
Elevation gain, 696 m
Elevation loss, 530 m
Total distance, 576 km
Daily average, 28.8 km

It is again a cold start to the morning, there are patches frost on the ground but the sky is clear and the sun is shining so all is well with my world.

By the time we reach the first stunningly beautiful walled village of Palazuelos at 6 km, the sun is well and truly shining in a cloudless blue sky, and for the first time in what seems an age I remove my raincoat for the rest of the walk. We follow arrows up through the town and find a track rising above the flatlands. And then onto a narrow path through natural scrubland, pausing for a moment on what might be a contender for the ‘best bench on the camino’.

We walk around the edge of the basin until we reach another charming village at 9 km. I am a little puzzled because this village does not appear on my list. It’s called Carabias and we are delighted to find a boutique 3* hotel which is not only open, but willing to serve a couple of scruffy pilgrims on their sunny terrace. I was presented with a whole jug of hot soy milk which was sufficient to fill two cups, and we had delicious toasted rustic bread with a dish of diced tomato. We were expecting the bill to be high, but it was less than most cafes would charge. Thank you Hotel Cardamomo.

When we set off again we have shed more clothes and for the first time in a couple of weeks we can feel fresh air upon our skin. It’s a good feeling that gives me a strange energy.

At this point we lost sight of any arrows although we were still in accord with the track I had downloaded onto maps.me. When meeting up with our Swiss friends at the end of the day they told us that back in the first village, Palazuelos, they found an arrow passing through the arch in the main square, taking them down onto the plain, whereas we had walked up to the top of the village and taken the high road. I estimate we may have walked an additional 4 km before rejoining the route they took, but that breakfast was worth the extra effort.

We saw no arrows for many kms, but I could see that we were walking in the right direction, eventually passing by an abandoned salt works. And at this point arrows and directions appeared pointing up an extremely steep hill to the next pretty village of La Olmeda de la Jadraque at 16.5 km (rather than the 12.5 km in my notes).

It’s a day of ups and downs – rising to villages and descending onto the plains.

Our fourth village is Santamera at 20.5 km, just a few pretty houses and a church, totally surrounded by towering cliffs on all sides. We stop here to eat lunch from our supplies and I refill my water bottle from the fuente. I trudge up a lung-busting 1.5 km steep hill out of the village

At 27 km we arrive at Riofrio de Llano. A villager sits on a bench opposite us and engages in conversation, saying if there is anything we need, he will try to provide it for us, what a kind offer.

The last section is most difficult underfoot. Rough track with large loose stones and a fair bit of flooding. We have 10 km of this, when we are already tired, but there is nothing to be done but to stride out through a variety of landscape for our destination. We can see the mighty fortress guarding Atienza from a distance of 5 km and it takes us another hour to arrive into town.

Another steep climb up to the main square where we stop at bar Galy situated under the ayuntamiento. The very helpful bar woman made countless phone calls only to discover that the alcalde is away on holiday, his second in command is out of town and no one has access to keys for the albergue. She has a sello in the bar. Eventually a woman from the tourist office comes to meet us and takes us to the albergue where we see our Swiss friends have already arrived and made an unfavourable assessment. We walk in and are immediately hit by cold, damp air. There are two rooms, each with one bed, with plenty of blankets. I didn’t see what other facilities there were. We decided not to stay. In the warmer months I am sure it would be ok.

We walk back down, passing by a Casa Rural that we discover is full, but we are told to try the hostal Santo Cristo at the entrance to town, where there is also a bar and restaurant. Modesto runs the hostal and showed us a large room with en-suite for 30 euros. Great! He offered to do our washing, which we gratefully accepted, but as there is no dryer and it is already quite late, we are not sure it will be dry in the morning. But it is a short day tomorrow so we can make a late start if necessary.

In the restaurant I am served a plate of rice with setas and asparagus, which is absolutely delicious. Thank you Modesto, you are a very nice man!

Posted in Camino de la Lana, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Ruta de la Lana, stage 19, Mandayona to Sigüenza, 25.5 km

Posted on 26/04/2019 by magwood


Distance, 25.5 km
Elevation gain, 366 m
Elevation loss, 266 m
Total distance, 539 km
Daily average, 28.4 km

The hailstones from last evening were still in evidence in the hedgerows this morning. It is cold, but no wind and a glimpse of blue sky from time to time.

There are two options for this stage, either take a long trek to Atienza of 30++ km or a diversion to Sigüenza. We chose the latter. From start to finish it was a perfect camino. Most of the way alongside the raging, rushing, muddy water of the Rio Dulce which at all points was about to break its banks and at some points it had succeeded.

We first pass through the village of Aragosa at 4 km, very pretty stone buildings dominated by the cliffs. There is a very highly regarded casa rural here, but no facilities. As we leave we see a cheeky ferret who seems as interested in us as we are in her. She watches us approach before leaping up the hillside to get up to mischief.

And then the track and the river are as one, totally flooded with no way to avoid getting feet wet. So we don our flipflops and get on with the job in hand. My goodness that water was cold and I estimate that we had to wade (no deeper than mid-calf) for 100 metres. I have to say, after the initial shock, the icy water worked wonders for my sore left foot! Then came the operation of putting on my toe socks whilst balancing on one leg, not an easy task when sitting down, let alone when standing!

We are soon walking through a gorge with towering cliffs on either side, only a couple of hundred metres apart. There is a constant stream of vultures crossing from one side to the other, just like popping across the road to visit a friend. It is all so beautiful and dramatic with tall poplar trees lining the swollen river. We are walking with our necks bent and our eyes fixed on the sky.

We come across a series of ruins where there was once a paper factory, complete with chapel and workers’ cottages.

The next village we reach is even prettier, La Cabrera at around 12 km – again no services.

The last village at 16 km, aptly named Pelegrina, does have a bar/restaurant but we have to make a diversion to reach it right at the top of the hill upon which it and its castle are perched.

Once we are on our way again we climb out of the valley via a single zig-zag track. When I turn to look back at the castle eagles are circling it. They fly so close overhead that we can hear the noise their wings make.

We are then wandering in the wilderness for a few kms over stony ground through natural woodland and scrub. The way is very well marked because the track is shared between four routes, the camino, the GR10, the Ruta de Don Quixote and the way of El Cid.

We finally regain a wider track and can see civilisation in the distance as Sigüenza comes into view with a massive castle. The town is very historic, with cathedral and several churches. The streets are lined with beautiful old buildings and it is thoroughly charming.

We are staying at an albergue in the convent of the Padres Josefinos, which is situated behind the cathedral, 949 390 890, 15 euros. The rooms are very basic, we have a room with four beds although two of them are inaccessible without ladders, and an en-suite bathroom. I have to say it’s not my favourite place, even though it is housed in a lovely old building. No laundry possibilities, no heating as yet, and a really grubby shower curtain. There are plenty of other options in town, including a parador, but it being a tourist town, I imagine prices are high.

There is a reasonable sized Eroski in town so I have bought a few goodies – hummus (I’ve been dreaming of hummus for a couple of weeks!), pre-cooked quinoa, and some avocado to go in it. There are no facilities enroute tomorrow so it is good to know I will be able to eat well.

We were so very lucky to walk this strage today. Although not warm and sunny, neither was it particularly cold, and not a drop of rain. We were able to fully appreciate the magnificent surroundings. Surely one of the best ever camino stages. And isn’t it about time?

Posted in Camino de la Lana, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Ruta de la Lana, stage 18, Masegoso de Tajuña to Mandayona, 23 km

Posted on 25/04/2019 by magwood


Distance, 23 km
Elevation gain, 382 m
Elevation loss, 432 m
Total distance, 513.5 km
Daily average, 28.5 km

This morning we bade a sad farewell to our spanish friends Javier and Pablo. Family matters dictate that they need to return home immediately, but they will return to complete the camino.

As we left the Las Vegas Hostal and walked through the adjacent village of Masegoso de Tajuña, which we had only skirted when arriving yesterday, we realised that it is a really pretty village, well laid out with impressive houses and an attractive bar. In finer weather it would be a good place to relax.

Although we had wandered off-camino, there is a well marked track all the way to rejoining the official route about 8 km further on. It all started well – some blue sky amongst the grey clouds, a bit of sunshine from time to time and a track that is sandy and not muddy. We walk through woodland, and between crop fields, there is no rain and the wind is very mild. But all good things come to an end and after a few kms the red sticky stuff rises up to greet us. Not quite as bad as we have experienced in days gone by, but slowing our pace to 4 km per hour whilst we criss-cross the track to take avoiding action and pause to boot scrape at regular intervals.

We climb to the first village, Las Inviernas, at 8 km. My info says there is a bar. We find it, but there is heavy building work going on outside and within. We are urged to go in and are accosted by the loudest voiced woman I have ever come across. Even without the work it would have left something to be desired, so we decided to leave the noise of the hostess and the tools behind and move on without a drink.

There is a steep climb out of Las Inviernas until we reach a plateau of completely flat land stretching as far as the eye can see. Green fields with crops swaying in the increasing wind and lots of beautiful stone ruins along the way.

The tracks are drying and are not too difficult to negotiate, but the strengthening wind, which has nothing to divert it for miles around, blows us off course now and then. We cross over a train line and eventually reach a short stretch on road at 16 km and find a cafe alongside a petrol station half a km further. I am delighted to learn that they have soy milk, and so order a cola cao, which I enjoy so much that immediately on finishing I order another.

Then we are back out into the even stronger wind on road to the village of Mirabueno, and we are surprised to see why this village earns its name. A stunning vista of a huge basin of fertile land 200 metres below us. It is a really unexpected and beautiful sight. A narrow single file path leads us down into the valley just the sort of path that I love, that I long for on any walk. Winding through scrubby woodland and even accompanied by the occasional burst of sunshine.

Those of you who have only joined my blog during this camino will be excused for thinking that I am a bit of a whingeing pom (as I believe the Australians refer to us Brits). But it doesn’t take much to make me happy. A narrow, winding track, a bit of sunshine and I am in seventh heaven. I took a rare selfie showing my camino happy face.

When we were only a couple of minutes from our destination the sky opened and spewed hail stones upon us. We darted into bar Agustin, and left our dripping belongings in a corner. I asked our host Agustin if he knew about accommodation for pilgrims. He made a couple of phone calls and soon enough a charming woman from the Ayuntamiento came to meet us and showed us across the road to a property next to the Caixa bank. Upstairs is a hall with stage, used for meetings, theatre and dancing. They have four inflatable mattresses, but only one blanket and no pillows. But there are a bank of air conditioning heaters so the large room is soon cosy and we start to plan this evening’s performance! There are two rooms with loo/basin and hot water, but no shower.

We are then taken to the ayuntamiento by Ana, where we are registered and given a sello for our credenciales. Ana tells me that the number to ring to give advance warning of your arrival is 949 305 002, and gives me permission to share her personal number 649 721 552. Such kindness, and so much appreciated. She even rings ahead to advise our next albergue of our arrival tomorrow. Thank you Ana, and Augustin, and Mandayona Ayuntamiento for providing this acogida free of charge.

We eat an early supper in Bar Milagros. Lentils for me and chicken and chips for Nina.

So we have enjoyed a practically rain-free day, and although it has been chilly, we have actually seen a bit of blue sky and sunshine, so things are really looking up.

And just after we finished our performance (including Swiss Marianne) there was a loud clap (not from an appreciative audience, but from the sky) and another hail storm ensued. What on earth is going on?

Posted in Camino de la Lana, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Ruta de la Lana, stage 17, Trillo to Masegoso de Tajuña, 24 km

Posted on 24/04/2019 by magwood


Distance, 24 km
Elevation gain, 315 m
Elevation loss, 466 m
Total distance, 490.5km
Daily average, 28.8 km

Last night was cold. I definitely should have brought a warmer sleeping bag on this trip. I also have a silk liner but they are no match for current night time temperatures. So I wore merino leggings, vest top, long sleeve top and fleece. I wrapped my merino t-shirt around my feet, draped my hoodie around my shoulders and put my raincoat (which has no weight and no warmth) over my sleeping bag – it might just trap some heat. I managed a few hours sleep between rearranging all the layers. In warmer weather this albergue would be lovely – no kitchen but really good bathroom facilities and situated alongside the river.

It was dry when we left. We exited town via the staircase to the right side of the cascades. So pretty. The first track is alongside the river for around 2 km, very pleasant and not really muddy. After a few metres on the road we are back on a track, this time with sticky soil, but there is a green central reservation, so we can walk along this to avoid the mud, but in turn get wet boots before it even starts raining.

I forgot to mention in yesterday’s report that along the entire length of the trail there were deer prints accompanying us. When we walked through scrubby land to avoid the floods on the trail, so had our deer. I saw one beautiful chap bounding across a field and we heard some bellowing that we hoped were deer earlier in the day. There were some hoof prints today, but only on the first stage, and not many.

We reached our first village, Gárgoles de Abajo (lower gargoyles!) at just over 6 km. there is apparently a bar but we didn’t see it walking through the village and didn’t feel inclined to go searching when it was quite likely closed. We missed the arrow to the track to the next town, Gárgoles de Arriba (upper gargoyles) and reached it via 2.5 km on a busy, narrow road during which time it began to rain. Another 5 km on a nice sandy track led us to Cifuentes, a larger town, where we finally stopped for breakfast at 13 km. I feel sorry for the owners of bars frequented by soggy pilgrims. I try hard to retain my dripping to as small a space as possible, but I see others trailing puddles all around the establishment without a care.

Nina made up for a deficit of caffeine over recent days by ordering three cortados, accompanied by a wedge of tortilla español, whilst I made do with hot water and toast. I’m not sure what Nina paid, but my order was 1 euro. So there is a balance to the high charges I pay for a simple vegan dish, ie last night 13 euros for a plate of grilled vegetables, which was absolutely delicious, but must have cost less than a euro to provide.

We pass through another village, Moranchel, on the way. Our flagging, soggy, cold spirits are lifted by the sight of enchanting street art. We don’t need much to make us happy. But a little sunshine wouldn’t go amiss!

Our Swiss friends stay in Cifuentes for the night, but we continue, making a diversion from the camino to stay in a hostal on the busy N-204, around 2-3 km off camino. We know about this place, Hostal Las Vegas, through a forum member AS. We wonder why it is called Las Vegas, assuming the name relates to its US cousin. But then I google and discover that ‘vega’ relates to low, flat, fertile ground.

Although we knew that the place is referred to as a truck stop, we had expectations of a cosy room with possibilities to use washing/drying facilities. Forget it! The room is basic, with a tiny radiator that barely heats the room, especially when draped with soaking wet gear, and a definite ‘no’in response to a request for laundry facilities. We dumped our stuff and went to the restaurant where we chose just the first course of the menu, lentil soup with or without chorizo. I feel it has been cooked with the chorizo and they have just fished out the meat for my dish. I have gone past being too picky. The soup is delicious and just what I need to line my stomach and hopefully get my digestive system working again. Being vegan on this camino is proving a challenge!

We are delighted to see our Spanish friends Javier and Pablo enter the restaurant. We have crossed paths with them since day two and it has always been a joy to see them.

Although this awful weather is due to continue overnight with heavy rain and wind, it is predicted to change for the better tomorrow. But we are not the only ones to be suffering. Whilst Britain and Denmark are basking in sunshine and everyone is wearing shorts and skimpy t-shirts, there is snow falling in northern Spain. What on earth is going on?!

Posted in Camino de la Lana, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments