- Time of past OR future Camino
- Too many to count!
Hello fellow peregrinos. I have finally completed my website pages, regarding my travels and experiences on the Caminos Teresianos, also known as the Ruta Teresiana. It is either a 107 km or 117 km route, depending on whether you choose the Northern Route, or the Southern Route. We chose the shorter, the Southern.
While this is not a Camino de Santiago, it can easily be connected to the Vía de la Plata, starting in Salamanca, on what is now known as the Camino Natural Vía de la Plata (From Alba de Tormes, the end of the Ruta Teresiana, to Salamanca, a walk that is 23 km, formerly known as the Vía Verde).
As for the Camino Teresiano, for those interesting in walking in the footsteps of St. Teresa of Ávila and her contemporary, St. John of the Cross, you will not be disappointed! This route celebrates the life and death of these medieval mystics, who forever changed the Discalced (Barefoot) Carmelite order and forever changed the landscape of Spain, in this high central plateau, also known as the Meseta! Yet their writings and wisdom are pertinent for our time, and forever in the mystic spiritual tradition.
The Ruta Teresiana starts in Ávila, the place of Santa Teresa's birth and ends in Alba de Tormes, where she died.
I would not recommend this Camino for first-time pilgrims, as it has very little infrastructure, even fewer pilgrims, almost no one speaks English, there is almost no wifi, not even in albergues, and at times no cellular connection! So data plans don't even always work! A pilgrim must plan ahead, and even call ahead to ensure that services are available and someone is there to check you into an albergue and to obtain meals, if you are not eating from your pack.
The good news is that the route is incredibly well-marked, the locals are amazingly helpful, and astonished if you have come all the way from the USA! We were treated incredibly well, and I have stories of those who went out of their way to help us.
If you have an adventurous heart, whether or not you speak any Spanish, if you have done a least one pilgrimage and you are sitting on the fence trying to make a decision about this route, I would say to you, "Just go for it!' A big smile and lots of motions go a long, long way! This is a solitary walk, however, so come with a fellow pilgrim, or know that if you want to experience a Camino from a fully local perspective, this is your Camino!
You can read all about our adventures, by going to my website, on the Caminos Teresianos!
While this is not a Camino de Santiago, it can easily be connected to the Vía de la Plata, starting in Salamanca, on what is now known as the Camino Natural Vía de la Plata (From Alba de Tormes, the end of the Ruta Teresiana, to Salamanca, a walk that is 23 km, formerly known as the Vía Verde).
As for the Camino Teresiano, for those interesting in walking in the footsteps of St. Teresa of Ávila and her contemporary, St. John of the Cross, you will not be disappointed! This route celebrates the life and death of these medieval mystics, who forever changed the Discalced (Barefoot) Carmelite order and forever changed the landscape of Spain, in this high central plateau, also known as the Meseta! Yet their writings and wisdom are pertinent for our time, and forever in the mystic spiritual tradition.
The Ruta Teresiana starts in Ávila, the place of Santa Teresa's birth and ends in Alba de Tormes, where she died.
I would not recommend this Camino for first-time pilgrims, as it has very little infrastructure, even fewer pilgrims, almost no one speaks English, there is almost no wifi, not even in albergues, and at times no cellular connection! So data plans don't even always work! A pilgrim must plan ahead, and even call ahead to ensure that services are available and someone is there to check you into an albergue and to obtain meals, if you are not eating from your pack.
The good news is that the route is incredibly well-marked, the locals are amazingly helpful, and astonished if you have come all the way from the USA! We were treated incredibly well, and I have stories of those who went out of their way to help us.
If you have an adventurous heart, whether or not you speak any Spanish, if you have done a least one pilgrimage and you are sitting on the fence trying to make a decision about this route, I would say to you, "Just go for it!' A big smile and lots of motions go a long, long way! This is a solitary walk, however, so come with a fellow pilgrim, or know that if you want to experience a Camino from a fully local perspective, this is your Camino!
You can read all about our adventures, by going to my website, on the Caminos Teresianos!