LIVE from the Camino In Sevilla now, starting on the Via de la Plata tomorrow!

[Luka]

My blog is in Dutch...
https://vansevillanaarsantiago.wordpress.com

Will try to post updates here as well!

 

[LTfit]

Buena suerte mañana Luka, I will be watching out for your posts!

I loved the stretch from Sevilla to Zamora and look forward to finish this summer.

Groetjes uit Nederland!

LT

 

[nalod]

Have a lovely journey, enjoy.

 

[peregrina2000]

Buen camino, Luka, I hope you have a wonderful camino. Really looking forward to hearing about it! Laurie

 

[Anniesantiago]

Buen Camino, Luka!

 

[piogaw]

Hello luka,

Que tengas un buen camino.

Hope to see you in santiago. I will be working as a hospitalero at the albergue fin del camino in santiago for the whole of june. Maybe we can meet for a cup of cafe or an orujo con hierba.

Hasta luego.

 

[Luka]

Thanks all!

I am in the albergue municipal in Guillena right now. About ten people, I guess. Weather is a bit cold (16 degrees), cloudy and windy. First day went fine. Both of the arroyos (streams) are easy to cross.

@piogaw, I will only walk to Salamanca...

 

[Luka]

In Real de la Jara now. Weather is (still) Northern European: cold and rainy. They say it will get better.

Until now everything goes very well. I skipped Almadén today. Took a taxi for the first 16 kms of roadwalking from Castilblanco. Started at the entrance of the parque natural. Wonderful! I passed Almadén and walked on to El Real.

In fact I am one day ahead of the rest now. My original group was around 20 tot 25 I guess. Now it is even less. I am staying in the albergue municipal with about 5 other pilgrims. Flooding is nowhere a problem any more.

I am simply loving it!

 

[LTfit]

Glad to hear that the arroyos have cleared up. Spoke to a Spanish friend yesterday who just returned home (to the NL) and she said that some were chest high. The Plata from Cáceres on was for her a real trial, deciding at times to skip stages due to the constant rain, cold and wind.

Stay warm as Jirit posted that temps further north are in the single digits!

Groet,
LT

 

[Luka]

Thanks! I heard the stories about arroyos that were totally unable to cross as well. I only had to put off my shoes twice (but that is mostly because I don´t dare to walk over the stones). The weather is finally great too! Lot of sun and temperatures in the low 20´s (celsius).

I am in the wonderful albergue in Fuente de Cantos now (El Zaguán). Great and very, very luxurous place with nice owners. They charge you 15 euros, but it is totally worth it.

Unfortunately I won´t walk today. Have problems with my shins and am afraid I will develop shin splints if I walk on today. So I decided to take a day of rest. I´ll take the bus to Zafra to stay with my pilgrim friends I met on the way.

 

[sulu]

Have problems with my shins and am afraid I will develop shin splints if I walk on today

All the best Luka, I hope this doesn't become a serious problem.
Buen camino
Sue

 

[Luka]

After one day of rest I walked for two days (20 and 27 km) and my shins seem to be fine!

 

[LTfit]

Good to hear Luka! Enjoying your blog and foto's. Brings back lots of memories although with all the flowers it is almost unrecognizable.

By the way the 16 km into Almadén is not so bad if you do it in the dark. Otherwise it would have been grueling in the heat of the summer.

 

[Luka]

I spoke to a pilgrim who actually really liked the roadwalking out of Castilblanco. She said that the scenery was so beautiful she hardly noticed being on a road.

I am in Casar de Cáceres and it is getting crowded. Maybe it is because of the festival in Cáceres this weekend. No beds left there, so everyone moved on. The albergue here has 20 beds and I saw 27 pilgrims arriving so far. No idea how they are gonna solve this problem (as I am not in the albergue now, but on a terrace with wifi).

 

[Luka]

Wow, a complete group of 11 has joined a group of 10 to 12 other pilgrims now. And we are all heading for the same albergue in Grimaldo with only 12 beds...

 

[Anniesantiago]

Yikes! Glad I'm behind you!

 

[nalod]

Hard to believe that I was alone on that route in 2012 and only one or two with me this year. I walked in Feb March.

 

[Luka]

Different season!

I decided to escape the crowds. Walked from Embalse tot Cañaveral and took the train to Plasencia. Will stay here an extra night and then move on from Carcaboso I think.

 

[alansykes]

How was Plasencia? Been meaning to detour there twice but never managed it - last time I got to Carcaboso on a Saturday and had forgotten the buses don't work on Sunday. It sounds a wonderful place.

And are the AVE works finished yet? - they were a bit of a nuisance several times between Casar and Grimaldo at the end of last year.

 

[Anniesantiago]

You're smart to bus around the construction Luka. I'm going to be doing some of that myself.

 

[Luka]

Plasencia is nice! More or less comparable to Cáceres I would say. I am staying in albergue Santa Ana in the center of town. Dormitory bed for 18 euro including breakfast. Modern and clean. Tomorrow I'll take the bus to Carcaboso and move on from there.

AVE works are far from over. Have had a few detours. Not too bad. No idea where they end as I didn't walk the part Cañaveral - Carcaboso.

 

[Luka]

Wow, after some more than full albergues and escaping the crowds, I am now at the other end of the spectrum. Have one big albergue in Carcaboso to myself! There are maybe 10 to 12 pilgrims staying at Elena, but still... a very big difference!

I think I have had the best of both worlds today. Enjoyed the hospitality of Elena in her bar earlier today and now a night alone! No snorers, no smelly socks... Just cooked myself a fabulous soup of white beans, peppers, tomato, sheep cheese and loads of garlic! Yum!

 

[alansykes]

You're in the albergue turistico? It looked very nice to me, and I rather regretted not staying there rather than in Sra Elena's - which was fine, but perhaps not quite as good.

Enjoy the arch tomorrow! - I had eagles overhead for much of the day I went north from Carcaboso, and a herd of cows with their musical bells. Next time I think I'll try to stay the next night in Hervas, which apparently has a well preserved Jewish quarter, but it will make a long day even longer.

 

[Luka]

Yep, Los Miliarios. Very clean, modern, new, everything state of the art. Maybe not the charm of Elena, but I enjoy it. And the lady that was here earlier today was very friendly and helpful. Not cheap though, 14 euro. Bedtime, bedtime... A lot harder to discipline yourself when you don't see anyone go ;-)

 

[Luka]

Hmm... have to give myself some courage at this moment...

Weather changed. Rainy, windy, chilly... and it seems to stay like this... Had a too short walk (only 19, couldn't do the alternative of about 39) and am now since 1pm stuck in Hostal Asturias. Nothing wrong with it, except that it is in the middle of nowhere in between the A66 and the N630. Nowhere to go, no other pilgrims to hang out with. There is only one group of 7 Spanish pilgrims here. Very friendly, but my Spanish is not good enough for serious conversations.

Hope to meet some other pilgrims in Aldeanueva tomorrow. And hope the weather forecast is wrong!

 

[LTfit]

Luka - can imagine how you feel, Hostal Asturias is indeed in the middle of nowhere. I am surprised that they have enough business to stay open. Hope that the weather improves for you. Didn't stay in Aldeanueva but went on to Baños which I quite liked. The municpal albergue is nice with a pilgrim museum.

Alan - don't know how we managed to get lost but from Hostal Asturias we made the climb to Hervas thinking that it was Baños. I was a bit disappointed as Hervas looked like a nice place to stay. We ended up backtracking to the Camino and continued on to Baños.

 

[Luka]

LT, it seems Hostal Asturias is doing quite well. Lots of truck drivers who stopped here for lunch.

I just heard that they don't bring me back to Arco de Cáparra tomorrow... I thought the return was included in the price. I wanted to walk to Aldeanueva, but that has become very short right now... I could walk on to Baños de Montemayor, but then I will have to walk a 30+ stage or a very short one again... Any recommendations? What is a nicer place to stay? Aldeanueva or Baños? Have no bathingsuite so the baths are not an option.

 

[peregrino_tom]

Luka
my knowledge is more than three years old now, but for what it's worth... We had very helpful volunteer hospitaleros at Aldenueva which is small but cosy. Our motley band of pilgrims we were one too many at that point, but the hospitaleros let one person sleep in their room. They helped us find the evening mass and they came with us all to a restaurant they recommended for the evening meal. Also the snoring Austrians got billeted downstairs - so everyone was happy :lol:
If it hasn't been re-waymarked in the last 3 years, the stretch of road up to Banos is nasty - it's fast with crash barriers close up to the sides and nowhere to walk on the other side of them. So make sure there's sufficient light when you walk it, or else jump on the bus for that stretch - lots of people did when I was there
cheers, tom

 

[Luka]

Thanks! According to my guide it is still roadwalking in between Aldeanueva and Baños. I think I'll stick to my original plan and make it a very slow day in Aldeanueva. Besides, more chance to meet other pilgrims I suppose (the ones that do the stretch Carcaboso to Aldeanueva in one day).

 

[piogaw]

tom,

municipal albergue in aldenueva is unmanned when i was ther this past winter. maybe they will have a hospitalero there in the spring/summer. also if i remembered correctly there are no cooking facility and no heating. this is a donatovo albergue.

 

[peregrino_tom]

piogaw/Luka
OK, good to have recent news. My guide book also said it is unstaffed. So maybe it's just a seasonal thing... I was there mid-October 2010. There was no kitchen - but we didn't need heating then!

 

[Luka]

I am in Aldeanueava now. Nice, little village. I am staying in the brand new albergue turístico La Casa de mi Abuela. Just opened (I think 2 months ago). Still working on some things, everything clean, new and nice.

 

[Luka]

The weather... Four walking days ahead until I arrive in Salamanca (where my camino ends) and the forecast is just rain and 11 to 14 degrees... Since I have lost all my pilgrim friends and it doesn't seem I am going to find any new ones I am seriously considering bussing back to Sevilla tomorrow...

 

[Anniesantiago]

So sorry Luka. I'm feeling a bit disheartened myself. Maybe it's the stars. Supposed to pour tomorrow. Light rain would be bad but this damned sideways stuff is cold and mean. I learned there is a bus to Caceres tomorrow morning. If its pouring I'm holing up there two days.

 

[peregrino_tom]

The weather... Four walking days ahead until I arrive in Salamanca (where my camino ends) and the forecast is just rain and 11 to 14 degrees... Since I have lost all my pilgrim friends and it doesn't seem I am going to find any new ones I am seriously considering bussing back to Sevilla tomorrow...

These are the low points when you need to think positively!
Very likely other pilgrims will appear out of nowhere. You are just onto the high plateau which has a different beauty to the plain. The cattle are quite cute and you should see the occasional white arrows indicating the way of the transhumance / canadas - a traditional migration path that probably pre-dates all caminos.
Fuenterroble is one of the most legendary places on all the Iberian caminos. And the next day you can follow the crosses up to the highest point of the VdlP - if you have the energy..
And finally, seductive honey-stoned Salamanca - you're so close to it!
Keep going if you can, best wishes, tom

 

[Luka]

I am sorry, I left... If it is not pouring, there are heavy showers. It was only 8 degrees in Aldeanueva. If I would have weeks ahead I would certainly have moved on, but I don't want to end my holiday in rain and chilly weather.

I am in Cáceres now. My bus to Sevilla leaves at 4 pm. I'll probably spend the weekend there and then pass by Córdoba before I go back to Madrid. Free as a bird (until my plane leaves).

 

[nalod]

Enjoy Seville, I stayed in Hostal Triana found it nice. In Cordoba stayed in Hostal Alcazar 21E including breakfast which is a good price for Cordoba if you stay there.

 

[LTfit]

Too bad Luka but understandable. Here too rainy and 9c but then again we are a bit further North. It is crazy all over Europe! Agree with nalod, Triana is a good choice. Córdoba is also lovely!

On a side note wanted to continue on the Pelgrimspad this long week-end and get in 3 days of solid walking rather than the up and back on a Sunday but forecast bad not only for us in Zuid-Holland but also in Noord-Brabant. Had hoped to reach Vught...

Enjoy your last days!

 

[Luka]

Thanks for the tip about Córdoba! Tried Triana in Sevilla, but was full. I will now be staying in the Architect Hostel.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Luka. I just returned to my Hostal and found your note. So sorry I missed you!

I'm about ready to head to the southern Potuguese coast. Isn't the weather something!?
Enjoy Sevilla!

 

[Luka]

Would have been nice, but was a small chance. I was only there for a couple of hours. Enjoying Sevilla! A bit cloudy and 21 degrees. Better!

 

[Anniesantiago]

Two other forum members ended up here tonight. Patsy from England and Eluzabeth from Austrailia. The forum is a good meeting place! They recognized me by the Mavabi skirt! Lol

Luka, i hope you can enjoy some warmer weather.

 

[Luka]

Nice! And now on your way to Pamplona?

I am still a bit 'caminofused'. Left my hostel in Sevilla this afternoon to take the bus to Córdoba and accidently started to follow 'flechas amarillas' in the city ;-)

 

[peregrino_tom]

I am still a bit 'caminofused'

It's like gravity, and the force is still with you... :arrow:

 

[Anniesantiago]

Lol. Those flechas are hypnotizing!

Left Caceres yesterday morning and arrived in Vitoria after a 10 hour trip. Took the 8 am to Pamplona and am now safe and happy at Pension Sarasate in Pamplona. On my way out to get a few items and then back for some sleep. I hope to start walking tomorrow.
Thanks Jirit and Luka for all your info. It really helped

I passed some spectacular country yesterday on the bus and look fireard to walking Caceres to Salamanca next time.

Buen Camino All!