25. Arévalo

We ended up having a very satisfactory meal in the bar opened especially for us four pilgrims last night, and after a good sleep we were up and on the road fairly early.

There were four little towns along today’s stage so we figured we’d get some breakfast without too much trouble. As it turned, out the first three towns were very much asleep at the time we walked through. Thankfully we had a couple of bananas each to keep us going. 

The path was mostly sandy gravel so every now and then there was a need to pause and remove some unwanted grains from the shoes. Don’t be fooled by Keith’s puzzled look, he really does know what he is doing (seriously!).

He even remembered to stretch from time to time.

As you can see from the stretching chair, we eventually found an open bar (after only 12 kms). Beyond here, Keith had the camera. 

The early hours were on wide open plains and the second half of the stage wound through a huge pine forest.

These trees were ‘milked’ for their resin and there were thousands of them.

They also had the most dramatic bark.

The forest went on - 12 kms in all. And so, we kept walking - on and on and on...

The forest started to thin as we approached Arévalo. 

Arévalo is a fairly large town. Our lodging for tonight is the local sports stadium, and again we are sharing with Andreas and Louis - the two pilgrims from Alicante.. It is a challenge to find these places and get in but we have succeeded. Now we are sitting comfortably in the best tapas bar I have so far seen. In fact, it is so good we might just stay and have tapas for dinner. 

I am missing my perigrina companion, but I am hoping she will soon be home and catching up on much needed sleep.

Buen Camino to you all and muchas gracias for following along.

Neil

24. Gotarrendura

Today marked the beginning of stage three of this camino for me and the first day of Keith’s Camino. As you can see, Keith was quite excited to be starting out on this adventure.

Sadly, it is also the day that Sarah leaves for the long journey home. It has been a joy to walk with her on the mountainous stretch between Toledo and Ávila. Sarah had time to accompany us to the city gate before heading back to the station at the other end of town.

As we walked to the gate, mist rolled in and enveloped Ávila.

We crossed the bridge together and then said farewell. That wasn’t so easy.

Then it was down to business - walking. There was a few kms of road walking out of Ávila but within half an hour we were on the farm tracks that have become very familiar to me on this route. This part of the way is well marked, we even found a yellow arrow on this stock grid.

Keith found his rhythm quickly, although he does have the challenge of managing everything with a broken hand - an injury from a recent cycling accident in Australia (think of packing and putting on a pack, washing and wringing out clothes, and clambering in and out of top bed bunks with one hand!)

I’m not sure how this field was marked out but the dry stone wall fence certainly has character.

We ascended gently for the first part of the stage through some picturesque country.

Then down and up through a small valley.



And finally, we entered an expansive plain across which we shall be walking for some days, I suspect. As the morning wore on storm clouds build and it looked as if we might be in for a drenching. In the end, we managed to avoid each of the storms that surrounded us, though as you can see from this photo the path had been doused and was quite muddy.

Along the way we passed eigth other people walking along our route. We wondered how this would work out at the municipal albergue, which is the only accommodation in the one horse town that marks today’s destination. Our wandering increased when we arrived at the albergue to find two other guys already there (Sarah and I had meet these guys a few days earlier - they are walking with Camino Sureste from Alicante which sometimes coincides with the Levante). As it turns out, the other eight did not turn up. Perhaps, they were picked up by some tour bus and taken to more celubrious accommodation. So, there are four of us here in this little albergue.

As it happens the only bar in town is closed on Tuesday (today) so, no cerveza for Keith on his first day of walking. In fact, no food! Thankfully, the person who holds the key for the albergue is going to come back and drive us to a nearby town to buy some food (or so we’re told!). Here’s hoping this works out, otherwise Keith might rue his decision to join me on on this venture. We’ll see what happens...

Postscript from Keith

This was an amazing day’s walk and more exquisitely inviting than I even imagined. The process of walking like this is new to me but I absolutely love everything about it. In particular travelling under the oversight of my friend Neil has been an honour. Just one day makes me realise the size of the task he has taken on. It also helps having a companion but so much of this walk Neil is walking alone and I believe that takes an inner courage and resolve I’m not sure I could muster. 

Still after a wonderful day in Ávila with Neil and Sarah I’m looking forward to the fun of walking with Neil for the next ten days. The legs are sore at present but hopefully they’ll back up tomorrow.

Buen Camino, Neil and Keith 

Addendum.

It turns out that this ‘one horse town’ is actually the birth place of Santa Teresa. The old guy who holds the key to the albergue came over and took the four of us peregrinos on a tour through the block where she was born and the five hundred year old dove coat that the family used to run. Apparently, it housed 700 doves. The things that happen on Camino!!

We’ve also been told that they are going to open the bar for us to eat, but that will not happen until 7.30 or 8.00pm - Spanish hours! 

Amity in Ávila

Today has been about seeing and experiencing a little of Ávila, old and new. This view seemed to encapsulate some of the layers of this place - a satellite dish atop a terracotta tiled roof in front of the mediaeval ramparts.

It’s also been about making provision for the next stage of our different journeys - a train ticket to Madrid for Sarah, a session at the laundromat to freshen Neil’s pilgrim wardrobe, and beginning to get Keith’s eyes attuned to the search for yellow arrows. 

Our way to the laundromat took us past the lovely octagonal tower of the Iglesia Santiago.

And our way to the train station took us past the Monasterio de San Tomé which Sarah decided we needed to visit, especially since reading that St Teresa herself had trod the stone cloisters, along with the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada! Like many of the Spanish religious establishments, it’s on a massive scale hard to capture in photographs.

A range of interesting rooms off these cloisters, including an old fashioned natural history museum stuffed full of stuffed animals, and what looked like a teaching space with some lovely frescoes.

The church itself was enormous and fairly gloomy. This is the view from the upstairs choir stalls where the Dominican friars sang the office,

And this is the carved wooden ‘hood’ which crowned the chair in which the king sat alongside the friars.

The enormous wooden door to the church was embossed with iron knobs ... you can never be too defended I guess.

And as ever the storks making use of any available high point. Here was a veritable stork hotel.

Not far from the monastery is a statue of St Teresa of Ávila, with her fiery eyes and wild hair. And below her, St Sarah of Bruce with her flapping right arm and hobbit toes. Keith commented that Teresa looked more relaxed!

In the afternoon the rain came again. We retreated into a pastelaria and then back to our rooms. In the evening it cleared and we had the most enjoyable walk down the route Neil and Keith will take tomorrow to the ponte (bridge) and glimpsed the route stretching ahead...

The bridge and nearby wood ...

And here is some of the view from the top of the muralla, the city wall, an extraordinary edifice beautifully conserved, which surrounds the entire old city,

The walk along the walls brings you right up to the side of the cathedral, allowing for close vision of the Rose window.

And we capped off a great day with a festive dinner, though at the traditional Spanish hour (which means nothing is available till 8.30pm at the earliest!).

Tomorrow our ways part again for a time, which is a little hard. But I (Sarah) am much consoled by the fact that Neil will be walking on with his great friend Keith and to know how much they are already enjoying sharing the journey together.

Buen Camino,

Sarah, Neils and Keith

23. Ávila

We are currently residing in the historic city of Ávila, where the cathedral is the first Gothic cathedral in Spain (just in case anyone wanted to know). The walls of this old city are 2.5 kms around and there are eighty seven turrets, nine gates and a partridge in a pear tree (just kidding).

This is the one through which we entered.

It has been another nice day of walking. We began by descending further from the village of San Bartolomé into the much smaller hamlet of El Herradón, where there is a Roman puente of some note, but alas no open bar on this Sunday morning for second breakfast.

We also passed this fella on the way. He had a great face but looked a bit like an unmade bed (as Sarah’s dad would have said).

The next phase of the stage was a solid climb to the highest point on this Camino - over 1400 meters. It was a somewhat relentless slog up through a narrow valley - much clambering and occasional bog negotiating.

But rewarded with some great views.

The third stage took us across another delightful high plain, which we found relaxing after the solid climb.

After about four hours of walking we entered the little village of Tornadizos de Ávila, where we were greeted with buen caminos from four oldies sitting chatting on a bench.

After a refreshing cerveza and a queso bocadillo we continued on for the final ten kilometres into Ávila. This was mostly gentle and downhill so much appreciated at that stage of the day. In an hour or so we will be joined by our friend Keith Castle who will walk on with me (Neil) for another week or so.   Sarah will stay for the rest day here and then catch a train back to Madrid and a plane home to Canberra. It has been a delight to share this week of walking together. She has not missed a beat, despite some challenging stages but she is currently conked out on the bed somewhat exhausted from the adventure - her feet bearing almost as much tape as the walled perimeter of the city into which she has determinedly staggered.

Postlude.

Keith arrived and we went off to a bar in downtown Ávila, beyond the tourist prices. For a time we were the only three in the bar, together with a very loud TV playing some soapie. Then, all of a sudden, the bar was full of young people and outside a brass band was playing - it was as if we were in the middle of a fiesta with much noise and energy. And what a band! Check out what these guys are wearing!!

You never know what’s going to happen next in Spain. That’s part of the wonder of it all. Buen Camino, Neils and Sarah