Starting in Merida February 18th

[HeidiL]

At Eastertime in 2008, my menfolks and I stopped walking in Merida and spent a glorious couple of days there exploring everything Roman in the neighbourhood before flying home.

This time, we're starting in Merida and aiming for Salamanca, depending on the weather and my knee (arthrosis).

My son and I are attending Spanish courses in Salamanca from February 29th to brush up our grammar and add some vocabulary - my son has two Spanish exams in the spring and could do with some extra training, and I have discovered just how much I miss not being able to use ALL tenses of verbs, with all the common past tenses instead of my present rather awkward Perfecto...

 

[Castilian]

Enjoy every stop and every step of your camino!

Best of luck with weather!

 

[SYates]

We might meet on the way then, I am starting 6th February from Sevilla. Buen Camino, SY

 

[HeidiL]

...and we're going to be back, this Easter walking from Plasencia, where we stopped walking in 2016. I did continue on my own for a few days the same year, but I don't mind re-doing Cáparra!

We're aiming for Zamora, but will see how far we actually get - no hurry, the Camino isn't going anywhere.

 

[HeidiL]

We now have plane tickets, a hotel reservation for the first night and a spreadsheet with Everything On It - the way I usually plan our Caminos, knowing that Things Will Change.

 

[HeidiL]

I'm ridiculously happy to count down the days, but trying very hard not to start packing until the weekend before. I know we have the gear, we've done this before - so why are there butterflies in my stomach, and why do I wake up having dreamt of new poles and a better clothesline?

 

[domigee]

I'm ridiculously happy to count down the days, but trying very hard not to start packing until the weekend before. I know we have the gear, we've done this before - so why are there butterflies in my stomach, and why do I wake up having dreamt of new poles and a better clothesline?

I’m with you here! I have the gear, I have done this before but.... I am ridiculously nervous. And I have started packing Buen camino.

 

[OzAnnie]

...and we're going to be back, this Easter walking from Plasencia, where we stopped walking in 2016. I did continue on my own for a few days the same year, but I don't mind re-doing Cáparra!

We're aiming for Zamora, but will see how far we actually get - no hurry, the Camino isn't going anywhere.

Thankyou for that link Heidi
I hadn’t researched that area and learnt something!

Hopefully will get to see it close up later this month, depending on how things work out.

Annie

 

[HeidiL]

Everything packed, a few reservations on hand, and we've checked that the albergues are open.

We'll be in several places at the right time for my beloved Easter processions - we'll simply HAVE to end up in Zamora, which even has a Semana Santa museum.

I really don't want to go to work tomorrow, I just want to fly to Spain and start walking.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

We'll be in several places at the right time for my beloved Easter processions - we'll simply HAVE to end up in Zamora, which even has a Semana Santa museum.

Since you're interested in Semana Santa, I'm sure that you'll appreciate the museum. It has a large collection of the floats and some valuable descriptions. For me, highlights of Zamora were the romanesque churches and the Museo Baltazar Lobo (sculptor) near the cathedral. I also enjoyed the Zamora museum and the early 20th century architecture. The food and wine is great too ...
I'd recommend staying at least a day to explore the city. Unfortunately, however, you're only allowed to stay one night at the albergue.

 

[HeidiL]

If things go as planned, we'll be in Zamora in the afternoon of Saturday April 20th. My husband is flying home from Madrid in the evening of Monday the 22nd, while our son and I are flying on the 24th - so we'll have some flexibility.

 

[HeidiL]

...and I'm off! The airport bus leaves in less than an hour...

 

[HeidiL]

Posting from Hostal Asturias. The bus from Madrid was an hour late, so we left Plasencia much later than planned. Nice walk, but short. We’ll go to Cáparra when they open at ten and start walking from there.

It’s wonderful to be back on the Camino!

 

[HeidiL]

We did. Everything in Aldeanueva del Camino was full, so we’re at Hostal Roma out on the highway, and tomorrow’s walk will be 2 km shorter.

By the way, there’s a new-looking fuente 2-3 km before Aldeanueva. Good water.

Still got a bit dehydrated today, and the back of my calves are sunburnt. It’s hot.

 

[HeidiL]

Tried to walk what Spanish Wikipedia claims is the alternative route today - to Béjar. Gave up finding it, went the gps route instead, till we found a green path on an abandoned railway line and followed that into town.

Unexpected Easter procession with Via Crucis this evening, followed for a while after getting sellos with a scallop for San Juan Baptista from the priest, who was wearing elegant purple and gold.

Our son is arriving from Salamanca in ten minutes, he’ll walk the rest of the week with us.

 

[HeidiL]

Good morning from Morille! The albergue is not full, but there are around 14-15 people here, and hanging out in the bar last night was really nice.

My son and I walked on our own yesterday, after sending my husband off to Salamanca on the bus, and we’re looking forward to joining him there after today’s walk in a flat with a washing machine!

He has made reservations at a really nice restaurant for lunch for us, and the first Easter procession starts at 20.30, so I’m expecting a good time.

 

[HeidiL]

And now we’re in Casa Saso, bunked down is a converted freight container. Good day, cloudy and windy.

 

[HeidiL]

...and from there we walked to El Cubo del Tierra del Vino, and took the bus to Zamora for Easter processions.

We have just booked tickets to Madrid for Easter 2020 - from there we'll take the bus to Salamanca (or Zamora) and the local bus to El Cubo to continue walking. The route to Astorga looks just right for the number of days we have.

 

[HeidiL]

We will be arriving in Madrid April 2nd and 3rd (some of us need to stay at work until the very last moment, though the flight is more expensive) and will be taking the train (if ALSA lets us buy tickets in April some time soon) to Zamora and either the bus, if the time table fits, or a taxi to El Cubo on the 4th.

That first day, with all the travel from Madrid, we're only walking 13 km - El Cubo to Villanueva de Campeán, and on the next, it's 19 km to Zamora. We actually have hotel reservations in Villanueva and Zamora, so I just had the idea of leaving our sleeping bags in Zamora - no point in carrying them when we know we won't be using them!

 

[HeidiL]

That walk at Easter 2020 did not happen - but we're walking from El Cubo del Tierra del Vino this Easter instead.

The week BEFORE Easter, my husband and I will do a bit of Camino Sanabres just for the fun of it - starting in Granja de Moreruela and walking nice, short days to Puebla de Sanabria. Then we go back to Zamora, our son joins us there, and we go back to El Cubo and walk to Astorga. Alas, his girlfriend can't join us as planned due to illness in her family.

If there's time, we might do a bit of Francés as well, from Astorga, but we're not in a hurry.

 

[HeidiL]

This is it. We're flying today. No stroke the night before (me in 2018), no covid-closures (2020). If something happens that will stop us this year, I will be very cross.