Day 9 - To Caparra

Caparra is a city in ruins. Literally. It was a Roman empire city, but was abandoned and buried in the sands of western Spain. Some parts have been excavated, and the great Arch of Caparra is in remarkably good shape. It is a quadruple arch, two arches facing northeast toward the mountains, and two arches facing northwest, with all four joined at the corners.

We have walked 75 days on Caminos since 2012, and today was one of the most emotionally disappointing. We've never had to take a ride in a vehicle until today. The town we had hoped to stay in had no beds, so we were given a ride to the nearest hostal, about 8 miles away.  This wasn't a complete surprise as some of these small towns have very limited accommodations.

Other than that it was a great day. Beautiful countryside. Ancient ruins. Practically no other folks on the trail. Mostly healthy bodies. Warm sun.

We visited for a while last evening with a nice couple from Slovenia, Johannes and Lillie. They walk very long stages so we will not likely ever see them again. Lillie gave us a gift of a quote (see below).

Weather : Low 41 High 60 with a cooler than expected breeze.
Quote from RA's journal: "Lillie said of Johannes, "He is in charge to make sure it all works out OK, I am in charge to enjoy it".  I gave a big smile and a thumbs up."
Tips for pilgrims: The arch and city ruins of Caparra are impressive. The visitor center is worth the 200 meter walk over the hill, but be warned that it is closed from 2 - 4 pm. The walk from Carcaboso to Caparra is one of the best stretches so far, but it has several points of confusing signage. The best suggestion I have is when given a choice, proceed directly northeast, not turning unless absolutely no other choice. We feel like Hostal Asturias is a good value, though not luxurious.

Sunrise through the stone fence

Cow watching pilgrims, pilgrims watching cow

Arco Romano de Caparra

Original insignia, dedicated to the designers parents

Day 8 - To Carcaboso

The main event of the day was passing by the town of Galisteo. This town is enclosed within a stone wall which is 35 feet tall and about 10 feet thick. The wall is about 800 years old, and to this day there only three exits!  We ate an early lunch on top of the wall before continuing on to Carcaboso.

We continue to meet new folks. 'Daniel' from Missouri and 'Michael' from Germany assisted us today in arranging housing for Friday evening (after they shared with us the info that the place we had planned to stay was already full, as they had just called and inquired).

Weather: Low 46F High 74F Sunny
Quote from RA's journal: "Even leftover pasta makes a picnic."
Tips for pilgrims: Follow-up on yesterdays tip, if you do choose to go through Riolobos, the entire day to Carcaboso is on asphalt. It is not a busy road, but there are very few breaks from the pavement.  Don't miss the city walls of Galisteo!

Walkway atop the city wall of Galisteo

Looking down on a house inside the town

Peaking over the edge of the wall

Wheel of Fortune - notice the category, "Secrets of Marriage"

Day 7 -To Riolobos

"Now shall I walk or ride?
Ride, Pleasure said.
Walk, Joy relplied".
W. H. Davies

We took a little detour this afternoon. In order to even out the distances, we took a left after about 10 miles and walked to Riolobos, for a total of about 13 miles. We had asked last night's host to call and reserve a Casa Rural, which is Spain's version of a B and B.  It is a great little house of maybe 4 bedrooms, called Abuela Maxi. We were alone until a couple from eastern Spain showed up about 6:30 pm. They are auto tourists, Manuel and Pilar, seeing a few of the historic sights of western Spain. I hope they find joy in their journey, along with pleasure.

We got our first glimpse of the snow capped mountains north of here, walked through cork tree forests, and met a class of junior-high kids jogging up the road as we entered town.

We have really enjoyed the comments on the blog.  We do miss our family and friends in the States.

Wi-fi in this town is not able to handle photos, will add them later.

Weather: Low 46F High 68F Sunny and pleasant.
Quote from RA's journal: "Kindness has no language barrier."
Tips for pilgrims:  Carnavaral to Galisteo is 28 km, then 11 km to Carcaboso the next day. By diverting to Riolobos, you only add about 2 km to the total walk, but you are able to keep both days to Carcaboso under 22 km if you stay in Riolobos and continue all the way to Carcaboso the next day.

Day 6 - To Carnavaral

This is not the Camino Frances. We were 9 hours and 32 km (20 miles) with no towns, coffee shops or truck stops.  Be sure to have enough food and water leaving Casar de Caceres. It was a beautiful walk through green ranchland, along a highway next to Spain's version of Lake Powell, and the last 11 km atop a ridge where we saw our first real wildlife (Ruth saw 3 european elk while I was trying to take a picture of flowers).

The meal at the Hostal Carnavaral was excellent this evening. The 5 of us decided the best first course is the green salad, the best I've ever seen in Spain. The best dessert is the rice pudding which seemed to have a subtle citris flavoring.

One funny story from this morning. Last night's albergue is notorious for loud town bells that ring the hour TWICE at the top of each hour (9pm with 9 rings at 9:00 and 9 more rings at 9:01, with this pattern continuing all 24 hours). This morning over breakfast Ruth says to me, "At least the town bell stopped ringing after 10pm". I didn't think she was serious, but then I realized she had slept so well that she didn't hear the rings all night. We laughed.

Weather: Low 42F High 62F Sunny and windy
Quote from RA's journal: "OK Spain, now you're just showing off."
Tips for pilgrims: See text above.

Miliario Henge

Millions of tiny red blooms make a carpet around the moss covered rocks

Embalse de Alcantara

High speed railway construction

We must have seen 50 types of flowers today.

Day 5 - To Casar de Caceres

The distance between towns on this Camino is not always good for walking.  Leaving Caceres it is 11 km to Casar de Caceres. We had to stop here because it is 22 km to the next point of civilization, which is too much for an afternoon stroll.  It rained all day today, so a short day was very welcomed.

There is a Museo de Queso (cheese museum) in this town, but sadly it is closed on Mondays.

We shared our afternoon meal of pasta with a young Korean. She tried to get us to say her name correctly, but I don't think we ever succeeded. Something like Minzo.

We hear that the Via de la Plata is very busy about 7 days behind us, people unable to find a bed in some of the little towns. Not so where we are. We did not see a single other pilgrim on today's walk, although there about 6 in each of the two refuges here tonight.

Weather: Rain with both the low and the high temp in the mid 50s.

Quote from RA's journal: The sign in albergue made me laugh 'We do not like to have any washing hanging in the town square'.

Tips for pilgrims: Make it to the Plaza de Toros on the north side of Caceres and there are some Way markers from there, though not many.  After about an hour on the highway there is a nice gravel road on the left that you can stay on directly into Casar de Caceres, then straight through town on the main road. The municiple albergue is basic, but has a good kitchen and free washer and dryer.

Leaving Caceres the Camino passes the bull fighting arena

Some of today was along the highway

Large steppings stones have been placed at many low spots along the trail

Something like:

March on pilgrim

Arrive in Santiago

Give a hug and a kiss

Ring the bell

Follow your Way

God will be with you

To your destination.

Day 3 - To Aldea del Cano, Day 4 To Caceres

Day 3
Another fine day.  The lambs were looking at us like we were the first humans they'd seen.  The sight of a stork landing in a grassy field reminded us of pelicans in Colorado, much more graceful than you might think. Several new wildflower species were in bloom.

We passed our first Roman Miliario today. These pillars of stone were set one mile apart along the road which goes north from Merida, as in other parts of the empire. Some have disappeared over the centuries, but many still stand.  Much like our highway milage markers, they were numbered to indicate distance from the origin. I recently learned that the Romans defined the "mile" that we still use in the USA. It was 1000 strides of the average Roman soldier (actually 2000 steps, but only counted as 1000 because they counted only when right foot struck the ground).

Weather: Low 34F High 64F
Quote from RA's journal: "The camino provides so much opportunity to stretch oneself, remain flexible."
Tip for pilgrims: The monastary building in Alcuescar is not heated, be prepared for a cold night if you are not walking mid-summer. The walk to Aldea del Cano is well marked. The bar next to the albergue in Aldea is VERY noisy on Saturday night.

Day 4
This was the first day that was hard. Not terribly long, but morning rain prevented our typical trailside breaks, and our bodies are sore.  The path was mostly in a large right-of-way that seems to be used for moving sheep north and south.

A couple more thoughts on the monastery two days ago.  Our guide for the monastery tour was Cleophus, who is originally from Tanzania. The buildings once housed a school for youths, but demographic changes in the last 50 years result in an assisted living home for the elderly (I wondered if some of the men who are given aid here now might have attended the school several decades ago).  The meal was simple, but adequate.  I was disappointed we did not eat with the men who are being cared for, but we were directed to a separate dining area,.

Weather: Low 50F High 58F. Rainy morning, breezy afternoon.
Quote from RA's journal: "Remember to find joy in the journey."
Tip for pilgrims: Caceres is big, but not as spread out as Leon or Burgos. Grocery stores closed on Sundays.  We stayed at a hotel to get some good rest.

Men getting afternoon sun in Alcuescar.

Miliario stone.

So many beauties.

Antique olive press?

Dinner selfie with Maria, Hans, and Peter.

Storks make use of the churches

Room with a view in Caceres.

Day 2 - To Alcuescar

Perfection.  If I were to describe the perfect Camino day, this would be it. About 12 miles, mostly on dry dirt track.  A little frost on the backs of the sheep at first light and warm sun for the remainder of the walk. Not a cloud in the sky. The path seemed to be in the "middle of nowhere" with a few cattle and one flock of sheep meeting us mid-morning.  The monestary in town cares for pilgrims who stop by and a number of disabled men who live here.  A tour is offered at 6:00 pm, mass at 7:00, and a community meal at 7:30.  I will need to add details later, as I am writing this before the evening events.

Jose is a Spanish man we've shared quarters with each night so far. We helped each other with language for quite a while last evening. He is doing his eighth Camino.  Very friendly and very good at snoring.

The restaurant where we found good wifi has a nice collection of european elk antlers (Cafe Alejandro). We ordered our first cafe-con-leches of the trip.  We enjoy them but other Americans seem to have a much greater fascination than us.

Weather: Low 32F High 62F Sunny.
Quote from RA's journal: "Lord help me be 'in the moment' and aware of You".
Tips for pilgrims: At the top of the hill, maybe two miles before Alcuescar, take the right hand fork to go toward the town (signs and arrows pointing both left and right), then at the botton of the hill as you get to the edge of town, take the left fork down a grassy alley to go to the monestary, which is on the highway.

Church in Aljucen in the evening sun

Old stone wall

Camino traffic jam

Thousands lined our path

Local wall decor.