I'm On The Vdlp

[Espero]

After catching a space A flight from Travis AFB to Ramstein, a commercial flight from Frankfurt-Hahn to Jerez, a train to Sevilla, it was a subway ride and short walk to Triana Backpackers. Today I walked from Sevilla to Guillena. So far, my fellow perigrinos are Spanish, German, Canadian, Portuguese, Czech, and French. My question is where are the Americans? With such a diverse group, I'm glad I have the Google Translator. My Camino, so far, is better than I expected.

 

[alexwalker]

Buen Camino! VdlP is a good way, but some of the first stretches can be long.

 

[LTfit]

Hi Espero,
Enjoy! I have done the entire VdlP once and last Feb the stretch Sevilla-Salamanca again and during these Caminos I only ran into one American and luckily he could speak some Spanish. It is definately a plus to be able to speak Spanish or another language when doing some of the more quiet Caminos but I am sure that all will turn out fine. Luckily a lot of younger Europeans are beter at speaking English than Americans are at speaking other languages (take no offense, I am also American).
Buen Camino!

 

[AZgirl]

I'll be starting next week, from Seville, glad your camino is going well!

 

[hieudovan]

After catching a space A flight from Travis AFB to Ramstein, a commercial flight from Frankfurt-Hahn to Jerez, a train to Sevilla, it was a subway ride and short walk to Triana Backpackers. Today I walked from Sevilla to Guillena. So far, my fellow perigrinos are Spanish, German, Canadian, Portuguese, Czech, and French. My question is where are the Americans? With such a diverse group, I'm glad I have the Google Translator. My Camino, so far, is better than I expected.

Espero, I guess you beat me to it. I'll be in Sevilla May 3 and start walking May 4. How was the jet lag? Buen camino to you. I hope to have the good fortune of meeting a diverse group of peregrinos like yours. Buen camino. -Hieu

 

[weekjchammings]

Buen Camino! VdlP is a good way, but some of the first stretches can be long.

Hi Alex,
I am also starting around the 23 rd April but in Sevilla not SJPDP, hope we meet up in Santiago or beyond. Dos cerveza por favour, one for you and one for me, queria una cama para uno noches por favour. Sorted that's a beer and a bed oh and in between menu del peregrine plus vino tinto por favour.
Not concerned too much about virtual lack of the Spanish lingo and at my age I am finding anything over 50 km a day a little challenging.
I can never understand why so called adults find difficulty in communicating with other adults from different countries. Pick 20 very young children from 20 different countries, put them all in a room together they will communicate. I maybe lucky being a 71 year old child having fun on the Camino.
"Que Sera, Sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be"

Have a good one Alex, no patch on my pack but the flag of Wales.
Buen Camino................Keith.

 

[Kathy F.]

I'm heading for Ramstein this weekend.

I walked solo and ran into people from all over, but few from the USA. Think of yourself as a NorteAmericano rather than an American. I found many more Canadians than Americans walking (I'm sure that was just a coincidence, but a delightful one).

On day three, I took a photo of dinner in one of the municipal albergues (Zubiri?). In the front were a group of Italians talking. To the left were Spaniards, to the right were Germans, standing in the back were French. All around me were conversations in languages I barely understood (my Spanish improved by leaps and bounds over the next 5 weeks). Welcome to the world - the American was totally the "odd man out." It was like the lobby of the UN. I needed to capture the moment. Hey, if I wanted to talk to Americans, I would have stayed home, LOL!!

Buen Camino!

 

[alansykes]

I've never met an American on the Via de la Plata. Come to think of it, I've never met anybody from an anglophone country - Italians, Germans, Austrians, lots of French, Belgians, a Hungarian, a Québecois and many Spaniards, but never anybody from the British isles.

 

[AshaDasi]

After catching a space A flight from Travis AFB to Ramstein, a commercial flight from Frankfurt-Hahn to Jerez, a train to Sevilla, it was a subway ride and short walk to Triana Backpackers. Today I walked from Sevilla to Guillena. So far, my fellow perigrinos are Spanish, German, Canadian, Portuguese, Czech, and French. My question is where are the Americans? With such a diverse group, I'm glad I have the Google Translator. My Camino, so far, is better than I expected.

Buen camino! Have a wonderful time discovering new nationalities! Sometimes we talk too much anyway, and just togetherness is enough! I'm sure you'll meet many who speak English soon enough. Enjoy the journey!

 

[AfriCat]

Hi AZGirl,
I will be leaving Guillena this Sunday morning. Having walked from Cádiz to Seville over the last two weeks, I am wimping out and getting the train from Seville to Guillena to make up for lost time relaxing in Sevilla, enjoying the Semana Santa celebrations and too many tapas.
May bump in to you - buen camino!

 

[jirit]

I've never met an American on the Via de la Plata. Come to think of it, I've never met anybody from an anglophone country - Italians, Germans, Austrians, lots of French, Belgians, a Hungarian, a Québecois and many Spaniards, but never anybody from the British isles.

When I walked the Via de la Plata last year, I met two Americans, one other Canadian, an Irish guy, and a Scot. Yes we did saw numerous Spaniards, Germany and Dutch and a few Italians. And our American friend joined us in Salamanca, so that makes it 3 Americans.

Contrary what some might believe Québecois is not a country, though every few decades some would like to believe it could be.

 

[alansykes]

.
Contrary what some might believe Québecois is not a country, though every few decades some would like to believe it could be.

Wooops, sorry. I should have been clearer in saying that he wasn't anglophone (he didn't utter a word of English in the very convivial evening we spent together in Guillena), not that Québec is independent.

 

[Texaloha]

I am starting from Puebla de Sanabria on April 27. When I read the stats from the Alberque in Laza, they registered 8 US visitors in one year. Btw, I lived in Ramstein for three years including Kindergarten and First Grade at Ramstein Elementary. Buen Camino all

 

[Espero]

Espero, I guess you beat me to it. I'll be in Sevilla May 3 and start walking May 4. How was the jet lag? Buen camino to you. I hope to have the good fortune of meeting a diverse group of peregrinos like yours. Buen camino. -Hieu

Hi Hieu,
I got over the jet lag in Ramstein where I spent two days trying to catch a hop to Rota. I finally gave up and caught a commercial flight to Jerez. I wish I had done my training on a Stairmaster instead of walking. The hill just before Almaden de la Plata is a butt kicker. Take care, have a safe trip, and buen Camino.

 

[alansykes]

The hill just before Almaden de la Plata is a butt kicker. Take care, have a safe trip, and buen Camino.

I think the scramble before Almadén de la Plata is the steepest bit of the whole Via de la Plata. It's worth it for the view back over the Sierra Morena and on to Almadén and lunch. I think the only really steep bits you've got ahead of you are on the calzada romana up from Baňos de Montemayor, bits of the section towards Padornelo from Puebla de Sanabria, and a rather tedious stretch up between Ourense and Cea, but by then you'll be so fit you'll hardly notice it.

 

[Cejanus]

HI! How warm/hot is it as you journey along? I am supposed to head off around April 1 next year but have a conflict with other appoints so I must now reschedule. I can't cope with the heat and I am guessing it gets pretty warm mid April and May. I am now thinking about starting around 1 March next year but this also concerns me. Decisions, decisions and I am endeavouring to work around the commitments to 9 grandchildren. I may have to delay another year but my heart says not to.

 

[Espero]

HI! How warm/hot is it as you journey along? I am supposed to head off around April 1 next year but have a conflict with other appoints so I must now reschedule. I can't cope with the heat and I am guessing it gets pretty warm mid April and May. I am now thinking about starting around 1 March next year but this also concerns me. Decisions, decisions and I am endeavouring to work around the commitments to 9 grandchildren. I may have to delay another year but my heart says not to.

Temperatures have been in the high 60s; low 70s. We were walking just ahead of the rain until Zafra, then got caught in a downpore just before getting to the albuergue. Today was sunny, cool and the trail was muddy.

 

[Cejanus]

Thanks for the update Espero. Sounds like real good walking weather except for the rain. I hope you did not get too wet. Travel well.

 

[Texaloha]

Is anyone in Zamora. Arriving in Puebla de sanabria on sat April 26

 

[Paschulke]

I'm following the weather-app anxiously, seems like a lot of rain lately…

 

[Paschulke]

Well I definitely can assure you, not a drop of rain, but temperatures close to 40 degr C. We're already behind schedule. Haven't seen any badge peeps yet.