Hello Kinkatoe!
Don’t forget that this forum is frequented mainly by English-speakers. When you begin walking, you will find yourself in the company of non-English-speaking Europeans - French, Dutch, Germans, Swiss, Austrians, Italians and of course Spaniards.
The Vía de la Plata can be more than just a track to follow. If you want, since you are not pressed for time, it will give you a tremendous opportunity to immerse yourself in the history and present-day reality of Spain - Sevilla, gateway to America in Spain’s Golden Age, Andalucia, home to the poet Lorca, to flamenco, to gypsy culture, to poverty, high unemployment and corruption, Merida with its impressive Roman remains, Extremadura (the land beyond the Duero) which gave so many emigrants to the New World in the 16th. and 17th. centuries (think of Cape Cañaveral in Florida), to the building sites of Madrid and the tourist resorts in the 20th. century, Cáceres with its magnificent medieval historic centre, the vast Meseta, Salamanca, its plaza mayor, medieval university, Roman bridge, etc., etc., etc. Zafra, a few days walk north of Sevilla, was the scene of a massacre of Republican civilians (trade unionists, local politicians, teachers, journalists…) by the rebel troops at the start of the Civil War in 1936. And that is just scratching the surface...
As you walk, think about all those who have preceded you and try to sense the reverberation of their presence in the landscape - herdsmen moving flocks of cattle or sheep from north to south and back again, Roman officials and soldiers, Visigoth invaders, Arab and Berber armies and settlers, Jewish scholars and traders, Christian priests and officials, pilgrims from Andalucia on their way to Santiago…
Make a point of walking in silence for at least part of every day, so that you can open your ears to the sounds of nature, be attentive to the world around you and above all hear what your own intuitions and subconscience would like to tell you…
May this walk be a major moment in your life!
