Virus Warning!!

Amazingly, I have only met 2 other people (a Spanish couple) who are on their first Camino. Most of the other folks I bump into on The Way are on at least their 3rd or 4th Camino, and some have done 8 or 9. A couple of days ago I met an ex-Swiss Army man, Jean-Francois, 74 years of age, who was walking the Via de la Plata in the reverse direction from Santiago to Seville (all in 1 go) carrying a backpack weighing 13kg. He had also walked from Geneva to Rome and Geneva to Jerusalem in the past since he retired.

It seems that once people do one Camino it gets into their blood and they have to do more and more. I hope I´m immune to the virus as I can´t imagine spending my life on the road like some do. Although once you have developed the fitness and capability to do something like this I can see that it´s hard to go back to being less active.

I have just reached Alija del Infantado in the Province of Leon and am 324km away from Santiago. That´s about 2 weeks´walking for me. Tomorrow La Bañeza and Astorga on Sunday where I join the Camino Frances and should have more walking company.

Krumble joined me in Salamanca and managed two 30-plus km days before retired hurt in Zamora. Both of us disappointed but it was the right decision. The Camino will still be there when he decides to return.

Sadly, Chris won´t be able to meet me in Astorga for the last leg so I will be alone for the final push.

Body still holding up.

More when I get internet access again.

Update 22 October 2010

Just arrived in Salamanca with just about 700km covered and another 500 to go. More or less on schedule. Should have passed through today but am staying with Elena tonight and meeting up with Krumble tomorrow who will be walking with me for the next week.

Shin splints and toes are all OK now and I have settled to a comfortable pace which is about 3.5km per hour including stops for food, taking pics etc.

The drip that was the Camino Mozarabe between Granada and Merida (ie me) has now turned into a trickle along the Via de la Plata between Merida and Astorga before it becomes a torrent on the Camino Frances. Am meeting more pilgrims and there are more good and cheap albergues on this route. Have walked the last 4 days from Canaveral with Petra, a German girl, who is going to work as a hospitalera in the albergue Javier in Astorga.

Too many rivers to cross ...

Well I´ve crossed a few since I started. Some I´ve forded and others by bridge. There was the possibility of wading/swimming some but I chickened out and took an easier option. Just crossed a 14th C bridge leading to Canaveral where I am staying as the only person again (gratis/donation) in a peregrino albergue. Pretty basic with cold showers but the hostal/bar next door does a good menu del dia and I have just feasted on rice, rabbit, flan and a coffee and anis or two. Free internet access for peregrinos.

The interesting thing about being on the road for such a long time is that one forgets where one was last and where one is next to be. Not to mention where one is at the present time. I am keeping a written journal so I can sequence everything when it´s all over. Apologies to those of you who are reading this but I do promise that I will produce a coherent journal (with pictures) of the whole event. Meanwhile, stream of consciousness prevails. Backwards and forwards in time, that is.

Tomorrow 30km to Galisteo.

And so to bed.

517km Down 663.6 to go. 1 day behind schedule

Shin splints and wonky little toes have made me slow down and take a day´s rest where none was planned. At least it was in Caceres which made it worth while. Never been there before and it is a delight. The old walled city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. If you´ve never been I suggest you do a tour of Caceres and Merida which has the finest Roman remains in Spain and they are only 80km apart.

I have a day´s rest scheduled for tomorrow which I won´t take and will do the short walk of 15km to Cañaveral which will put me back on track. Then 30km to Galisteo on Sunday.

In the last week I have attended 2 Masses which is 2 more than I have ever been to before (not counting C of E Communion) - and they couldn´t have been more different. The first was in Don Benito in the Iglesia de Santiago where they were celebrating something to do with the Virgin Mary. Almost all the congregation were females of a certain age each sporting that familiar hairstlye I call the "Spanish Helmet". And the church was packed. The second was in a residence for handicapped men run by Los Hermanos Esclavos de Maria y Los Pobres which has about 5 monks, a few volunteers and some 60-70 severely handicapped men. The congrgation here was exclusively male (of course) and the handful of people present (including the acolyte) were all in a very bad way. Everything the brothers do for these people is paid for from donations. I and a few other peregrinos were staying in the albergue they run which provides free bed, breakfast and evening meal.

Having walked 33km from Caceres to the Embalse de Alcantara, tonight I am the only resident in an albergue turistico run by the Junta de Extremadura on the shores of that very pretty lake. Bed, breakfast, evening meal and 3 beers for only 23EUR!.

Update Tuesday 5th October

Yes, I got yesterday´s date wrong! I was 3 days ahead of schedule though, despite my inability to read a calendar.

I am taking today as a rest day because:

1. I want to give my left little toe a rest.
2. I have gut rot. (May be it was the lentil soup yesterday).
3. Manolo the architect has sent me the contract for the house extension and I have to print, sign and send it back, as well as transfer some money on account for the first piece of his work.
4. I need to find somewhere to stay tomorrow night in Campanario. I have the numbers of a lady who takes in peregrinos and an albergue with 4 beds so with any luck I won´t be sleeping in the fields tomorrow night.

After today I will only be 2 days ahead but hopefully in better shape.

Update Monday 03 October

Today I walked 18km from Monterrubio de la Serena to Castuera. Since Hinojosa del Duque (the stopbefore Monterrubio) I have moved outof Andalucia and am now in Extremadura, in Badajoz Province to be exact. Olive trees as far as the eye can see have given way to gently rolling hills with evergreen oak everywhere along with fields strewn with enormous boulders smoothed by the glacial action of the last (presumably) ice age. Everything seems much greener and more pastoral here with herds of cattleandflocks of sheep.

So far I have covered over 25% of the distance to Santiago and am 3 days ahead of schedule although this will change over the next day or two as I convert a long 36km day into 2 shorter ones to give the little toe on the left foot a bit of a rest. Both little toes have played up since I started the walk which is surprising given the amount of training I did before I started. Little right toe seems to be getting better but maybe that just means less painful and the fact that I can´t limp with both legs at the same time!

This part of the Camino, from Granada to Merida, has been pretty lonely and I have only met 2 other pereginos - both cyclists - and both only doing a part of the way as far as Plasencia. I did have the company of a Spaniard (Rafa) between Cordoba and Cerro Muriano. as he was using that stretch as training for doing the Ourense - Santiago route next spring. Apart from that I have had a few buen viajes from people I have passed in the street as I´ve gone through villages and a toot or two from passing motorists. Also the very big dogs on chains (or not) on farms I pass seem very pleased to see me and appear to know I´m coming from along way off.

Tomorrow it´s 21km to Campanario. This should be interesting as the guide seems a bit uncertain whether there is any accommodation there and the fact I have to ford a river which is deeper (allegedly) than the 3 or 4 I have forded so far. There was torrential rain last night in Monterrubio although today has been fair. It looks like autumn is drawing in and some parts of Spain are on flood alert if the forecast rain makes another appearance. I hope it waits until after I cross the river!

Finding places with decent internet access has proved difficult which is why this blog isn´t updated as frequently as I would like. Also,hostals which say they have WiFi have such weak signals that I often fail to make a connection from the smartphone.

Sorry about the lack of pictures but they are all on my camera and I forgot to bring the USB cable with me to upload them!! Something to look forward to.

Until the next time.