As usual, we were not up at the crack of dawn. Our host, Nacho, bustled about full of energy and efficiency and gave us lots of information about the Extemadura part of the Camino. At about 10 a.m., we hopped into his vehicle, he drove us 2 km to the point where the newly positioned…
Today was an excellent day. The skies were blue and we were rested after the night at Albergue Cañaveral, which was a better experience than the 4 star hotel. The walking was almost entirely on dirt paths or roads through light forest and farms. We took the “new” route at the double gate at “Cuatro…
Again we only walked the last 12 km, from the Embalse de Alcántara to Cañaveral. I think we’re now finished with the motorized transport and will be able to walk the remaining 700 km or so. The absence of accommodation at the Embalse is a bit of a problem. (I emailed the fishing lodge, Pesca…
No, we didn’t walk it all. In fact we walked only the last 11.9 km from Valdesalor to Cáceres. After a bad night’s sleep and continuing jet lag we were feeling somewhat down, even though the day was crisp and sunny. The prospect of starting a 20 km section, with no amenities and no energy,…
The day started late, due to jet lag and not wanting to get up to a chilly rainy day. We had inevitable first day fussing and indecision about how to arrange things in our backpacks. I assured MB that it would soon feel like second nature to get up, dressed, stuff things into the pack,…
Today was a rest-up acclimatization day, after the flight to Madrid and 3-hour bus to Mérida. Some hostals and hotels were full because of the half-marathon taking place today. We stayed in the Hostal Salud (private room and bathroom) for €35. It’s OK. Spent the day wandering around the Roman ruins. The amphitheater is very…
Now, only 3 months after returning from Spain, I’m about to go again. Tomorrow I fly from Toronto to Spain with my sister-in-law MB, and on Monday we begin walking north out of Merida on the Via de la Plata*. Why so soon? Having been several times on the Camino Frances in late autumn, I…
Warning – This post will be boring unless you are a Camino fan. I started at St. Jean Pied de Port on October 14 and arrived in Santiago on November 27, exactly 6 weeks and almost 800 km later. For me, 6 weeks was the right amount of time. I found that 20 km/day was a…
Seeing Clarely 