Author: Janet

We took it easy today. We slept in a bit—7:00 for me; 7:30 for Stephen.

We ate a leisurely breakfast, packed up and tidied up the apartment. We walked over to El Jardin del Convento, a little, old, stylishly furnished, family run boutique hotel — our quarters for the night. Our room wasn’t yet ready but we learned that many restaurants that would normally be closed (it being Monday) would be open for lunch because of the holiday! We walked by the Restaurant El Almirez and made a 2:00 pm reservation. I was quite excited as I had very much wanted to go there but thought that it would be closed.

We passed by what seemed to be a popular pastry shop and bought some cookies. (Our little stash from Plasencia was long gone!)

We wandered around the town some more

and then shopped for supplies for dinner (bread and cheese and fruit and water) and for breakfast and lunch the next day (also bread and cheese and fruit and water).

We checked in to the hotel and I did my best to enjoy the terrace overlooking the lovely garden but it was a tad cold! (Too bad the weather wasn’t warmer!!)

Lunch was great! One of the best meals of the trip to date.

I relaxed in the room the rest of the day. Stephen was anxious to check out the chestnut forest and did get up amongst the chestnuts but never quite found the path suggested by the hotel owner. (Rain had been forecast and I had no desire to get muddy. I also wanted to spare my knees and shins and feet for the walk the next day!!)

Approx. 15 miles; good weather; somewhat hazy skies

Stephen prepared a lavish breakfast.

I had arranged a ride with Victor who had driven us the day before. He arrived promptly at nine at the designated pick up spot (only permitted cars can enter the area where our apartment is located).

We rode back to La Calzada de Bejar to begin our walk of the day.

Shortly after leaving La Calzada de Bejar, we ran into Rudy (the German pilgrim). He told us that he had a cold (!), had just taken a rest day and was planning a short stage. We gave him a wide berth but he didn’t seem that anxious to chat.

Fuenterroble de Salvatierra (pop.260) sits at the very edge of the Meseta.

I called Victor from the local bar. We had only just finished our small beers when he arrived. To our surprise, an American pergrina ran up to photograph the phone number on the car, shouting ”A taxi. A taxi”

Victor drove us back to Hervas and I arranged a pickup of 9:00 am on Tuesday. (No manana!)

We walked around Hervas a bit and then ate left over pasta and cucumbers and tomatoes chez Stephen.

14.4 miles (elev. gain: 2277 ft)

Sunny (somewhat cloudy later in the day; although no rain was forecast, it did rain but we weren’t caught in it!)

Transition stage in the Sierra Bejar between Extremadura (which we are soon leaving) and the Meseta of Castile y Leon.

It is roughly 6 to 7 miles on or close to the N-630 from Aldenueva del Camino to Banos de Montemayor (pop. 769), at the foot of the Sierra de Gredos. The name ”Banos” comes from the 1st C Roman baths that were located here. The town was a ”mansio” (stop) on the original Via de la Plata.

We ate our sandwiches on a bench in the main square and tried unsuccessfully to visit the museum where the remains of the baths can be seen.

We then started the ascent to Puerto de Bejar (pop. 100) on a beautiful restored cobbled Roman road.

We left Extremadura and crossed into Castile y Leon on a short stretch of shaded, muddy lane with the sound of rushing water nearby.

We walked along a well-preserved section of the Calzada Romana lined with oak, chestnut, beech and ash.

A number of miliarios have been restored to their original positions along here and Stephen seemed intent on photographing each of them!

We crossed the largely original Roman Puente de Magdalena over the poplar-lined Rio Cuerpo de Hombre. (It is an attractive bridge but we felt no desire to go down to the river to get a picture.)

After the bridge, we walked along a path lined with ash and broom and lavender and with fields containing huge granite boulders on the left hand side and oaks lining the hillsides on our right hand side. There were occasional views of a snowy peak we later learned was Pinajarro near Hervas.

We had a final short climb up to La Calzada de Bejar (pop. 100), a rather depressing place.

It started to drizzle and I worried about getting wet. We sat on a bench in a main square opposite a bar (the bar owner tried to rent a room to us), so that I could call a taxi to take us back to Hervas, where we planned to stay the next three nights.

Hervas (pop. 4052), a pretty mountain town in Extremadura. It sits alongside the Ambroz River. There are large chestnut forests nearby and the traditional architecture makes great use of chestnut wood, sun dried brick and granite.

Jews started fleeing here from Castile in the 15th C. In 1492, when the expulsion order was issued, there were 45 Jewish families and a rabbi, occupying some of the best areas in town. They were forced to sell up for a pittance.

Today, the town boasts one of the best preserved Jewish quarters in Spain.

We plan to spend two nights in a little light-filled apartment (135 euros for 2 nights) near the old Jewish quarter. We will spend our last night in the town in a lovely little boutique hotel.

After depositing our backpacks, we went out to the tourist office and then to a fruit and vegetable store and a supermarket (where we bought laundry detergent for the washing machine!).

13.2 miles (with detours owing to difficult stream crossings)

Sunny (Temp. range 48-76)

Overall, a very nice walking day on a number of Roman roads often along lovely dehesas and through Spanish lavender and broom.

A number of stream crossings, a couple requiring detours.

Some unpleasant road walking along the N-630.

We crossed a bridge over the Garganta de la Buitrera

to get to our lodgings in Aldenueva del Camino (pop. 784), a two bedroom apartment with noisy plumbing that is ok for a night. (65 euros).

We ran our clothes in the washing machine and hung them out to dry on the balcony-local style. (I always ask for directions on the use of the washing machine but the directions are always mysterious. Once , we had to call the landlord to get the door of the machine open—brute force was the answer! Fortunately, Stephen has become something of an expert!)

After cleaning up, we went in search of food. The landlord had assured us that the nearby bar and casino served food at all ours—NOT! We walked on to the next bar and ran into Steve and Ann, the Floridians. Ann seemed a bit disgruntled. They asked us to let them know if we found food. We decided to get supplies from the tienda nearby and eat in the apartment!

12.2 miles

Took a taxi back to Carcaboso—a depressing town!!

Stunning walk. Beautiful day. Area around River Jerte has a microclimate with more rainfall than average. This makes the vegetation lusher and greener.

We walked along a combination of farm roads and dirt paths, many of them old Roman roads, and through very green pastures with cattle grazing and stunning dehesas with large granite boulders. There were willows, poplars and hawthorn trees along our route and views of a snow covered peak to the northeast.

We suddenly found ourselves looking at a well-preserved section of Roman road and a minute later at the 1st C Arch of Caparra (the only surviving arch in Spain that is quadrifont i.e. has 4 pylons and doors).

Caparra was a medium sized Roman town which was right on the original Via de la Plata. It declined in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Other than the arch, there are no standing structures. However, the site is quite atmospheric (especially as we had it mostly to ourselves with the exception of one couple who arrived after we did and were eating their lunch); lots of olive trees and the footings of many structures, as well as well-preserved sections of the major roads.

Raul had agreed to pick us up at 3:30 at the gate to the site (cars are not allowed in the area of the Arch). We suddenly discovered that the gate (the only exit to the road) was locked! Fortunately (by knocking on various doors of the information center that said ”no admission”), I was able to find a caretaker to let us out! Phew!

We returned to Plasencia and stocked up on cookies and did some more exploring!

7 miles

Lovely sunny day with possibility of thunderstorms (none ever materialized). Temp. range 47-68

Because we wanted to leave earlier than the designated start of breakfast (9:00), our hostess, Montse had left us cold cuts and cheese and coffee in the refrigerator and huge slices of bread and a banana and flan on the table. Stephen was surprised to find that the reheated coffee was very good.

We took a taxi back to Galisteo which looked nicer in the morning light than it had on the gloomy afternoon the day before.

David called to tell us about the Christian Gerhaher concert of Brahms lieder he had heard the night before.

We crossed the River Jerte by a medieval (14th C) bridge inaptly known as the Puente Romano.

Everything is greener and lusher than we’ve experienced on previous days.

The walk to Carcaboso was along a road but not unpleasant.

We passed fields of grain, pastures, other agricultural land, a poplar farm (possibly associated with what seemed to be a cellulose factory belching out smoke and bad odors), a huge array of solar panels, a wind farm. There were oaks on the hills and poplars and willows near the streams.

We took a quick look at the main square of Aldehuele del Jerte (pop. 350) and walked on to Carcaboso (pop. 1160), an uninspiring place.

There are 3 Roman miliarios in the front yard of the church from the time of Trajan and Hadrian.

While we were wandering around looking for a taxi stand (to get a taxi to Plasencia), we were buttonholed by the owner of a private albergue who insisted on calling a taxi for us and on giving us a tour of his albergue— he had no customers!! He was unable to locate a taxi so I gave him the number of Raul who had driven us the day before.

Plasencia (pop. 40,663) is a lovely town (founded in the 12th C) on the banks of the Jerte River. It was once completely surrounded (12th C) by double walls, large portions of which have now been incorporated into private houses.

We are spending two nights in a really nice room at the Parador-a beautiful building (on the site of a synagogue which was itself built on the site of a muslim fortress) which still retains some of the architectural features of the 15th-17th C monastery it once was.

We spent the afternoon shopping for food supplies (including great bread and cookies) and wandering about the old town whose buildings largely date from the 15th C. Why are some towns more charming than others? We loved Plasencia!

Regrettably, the cathedrals (there is an old attached to a new) were closed for repairs.

12.4 miles

We chatted with Steve and Ann from Florida over toast and tea.

Rain was forecast but it was a lovely sunny day until about noon when a few clouds gathered. There was a little drizzle about 3:30 but no real rain.

We ran into a couple (Julien and Joanne) from Montreal and s young woman (Kathi) from France at the start of a beautiful stretch of Roman road— bucolic meadows, holm oaks, Mediterranean scrub, low growing broom, purple and yellow wildflowers, hills on the horizon.

As we approached Galisteo, the landscape began changing. Everything seemed much greener. We walked along willows and poplars and rock roses.

Apparently, the area is irrigated by an extensive set of canals. We saw a number of beautiful stone aqueducts.

Galisteo (population 1055) has a magnificent Almohad wall of rounded stones—11 m high, 3 m thick and (in the 13th C) 1200 m long.

As we entered town, we saw Ann and Steve having lunch at the depressing Bar Los Emigrantes. We waved and walked on because we wanted to stroll around a section of the walls and it seemed as though it would soon start to rain.

We’ve seen giant arrays of solar panels but saw our first windmills of the trip as we approached Galisteo. (Spain is currently the 5th largest producer of solar power in the world after losing ground in recent years.)

Another view of walls

When we returned, Julien and Joanne were grabbing a bite to eat and the two Swiss women and their Dutch friend were waiting for a taxi to take them on to the start of the next stage.

We ordered two small beers and I called for a taxi to take us to our Casa Rural in Riolobos (population 1351; off the camino and roughly 12 km from Galisteo) where we were spending the night.

We are staying in a very nicely furnished Casa Rural. It has everything you need for a very comfortable stay (even a common room with recreational games).

Our room is very pleasant, nicely appointed and with a shared terrace. (81 euros includ. breakfast)

We ate the remains of our sandwiches and headed out in search of dinner supplies-i.e. bread and cheese and fruit. We struck out on the bread at the first market we tried.

We went looking for the bakery in town. A very nice gentleman left off unloading his car to take us several blocks to the bakery. He told us that though the bakery was closed (surprise!), we could knock on the door and someone would sell us some bread. I think that only works for locals…

We eventually found another little market.

12.6 miles

We checked out of our hotel and took a taxi back to our stopping point near the Embalse de Alcantara.

Beautiful weather (sunny day and temp. range 41-65) and lovely walking. More ups and downs than we’ve had for a while. Mediterranean scrub, pastures, oak plantation, pine plantation and lovely forest of cork oaks. Some isolated rock outcroppings.

We saw hardly anyone (a few sheep farmers with their dogs and sheep) until we got to Canaveral where we saw a couple of hikers having lunch at a cafe.

As we were leaving Canaveral, we also met two Dutch cyclists struggling with an uphill.

We saw our first deer on the walk and later learned that a peregrino had been bitten by a tick in the same area. (Some 30 percent of Spanish ticks transmit a deadly hemorrhagic disease.)

We took a 600 m detour from the Camino to the little hamlet of Grimaldo (population 65).

At the one restaurant/bar in town (no other food services), we encountered Rudy (the German peregrino) having lunch with a whole group of peregrinos. They all encouraged us to have lunch quickly before the bar stopped serving food at 4:00. However, it was 4:01 and already too late. We would have to wait until 8:00 if we wanted to eat!

Cesar our host for the night was also lunching at the bar and we walked with him and 2 Swiss women, Sylvia and Yvonne, to our lodgings for the night.

We have the blue Picasso room complete with Picasso biographies on our bedside table.

Cesar is a knowledgeable (he checked everyone’s route guidance for the next stage to make sure that it was up to date) and thoughtful host. He provided cookies and fruit and tea and coffee for snacks and breakfast supplies.

We were able to run a load of laundry in his washing machine (2 euros).

There are two Floridian peregrinos also staying in the house.

Stephen hung up a clothes line in the backyard and returned to find one of the Swiss women in possession!

We all returned to the bar for dinner where we were joined by a 75 year old Dutch woman who injured her knee in a cycling accident and is struggling a bit, another older woman who is walking backwards from Santiago, an Irishman and Rudy.

We ate with Rudy. He comes from a village near Bayreuth and does criminal tax investigations. He doesn’t understand why Stephen hasn’t retired!

Dinner (the 3-course pilgrim’s menu for 8 euros) was decent.

We played tourist today. We ate breakfast, visited a palace, walked on a section of the walls and had a snack at our favorite coffee shop on the Plaza Mayor. We then visited a church, shopped for sandwiches and fruit and water for dinner. At 3, we went to a restaurant for a very enjoyable lunch. We returned to our hotel and did our laundry and relaxed before an early dinner and bed!

A few pics:

14.2 miles

We moved to a sinfully large and luxurious room with 3 balconies at the Parador (which combines two palaces) and then took a taxi back to Casar de Caceres.

We chatted with David about the Yuja Wang concert he had attended in Paris the night before and about his bakery crawl to find the perfect croissant.

Rain had been forecast but it was a lovely sunny day with no rain in sight and temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees (between 50 and 60 as we were hiking).

Stunning hike mostly on Roman roads between walled pastures and empty farmland and with massive granite outcroppings. We felt totally alone with nature—although there were some occasional farm buildings with farm vehicles. Holm oaks, purple and yellow wildflowers and a lot of broom. At times we felt that we might be in Yosemite; at other times, when the terrain was scrubbier, we felt that we might be in the American southwest.

This section of the camino has the reputation for being deadly in the summer— a long walk without shade. However, we had perfect hiking temperatures!

We eventually came to a lovely path on private property and later walked on a little path overgrown with wildflowers in sight and hearing of the N-630. Sadly, the last part was on a very fast section of the N-630 with a lot if blind curves. We were very excited to walk across bridges over both the Amonte and the Tajo (or Tagus) Rivers fortunately on pedestrian walkways.

We took a (pre-arranged) taxi back to Caceres.