28. Alcuéscar to Cáceres

I am grateful for the comments people are sharing on the blog each day - your reflections, insights and encouragement help me to appreciate more of this amazing adventure, so a big thank you. 😊😊😊

It was a really nice stay in the albergue at Alcuéscar last night, which included a delicious communal meal and a restful sleep. For the past couple of weeks it’s been important to get going early to beat the heat of the afternoon, but this morning we knew the gates would not be opened until 6.30am. Having said that, I was still on the way before dawn, though I’ll spare you more shots of the now waning moon. 🌝

It was a peaceful, smooth path for the first half of the day - on dirt roads winding through paddocks scattered with oak and cork trees.

There seems to be more water in this part of Spain (than in Andalucía) and more dams.

The animals I’ve seen also seem relaxed and content. 

Roman bridges were a bit of a feature today, I crossed at least four of them, including this one located just before the first village. I went searching here for breakfast, but no luck. Nothing was opening before 9.30am, and that was too long to wait.

This stork standing guard at the entrance of the village didn’t seem to mind, so I figured I’d just get on with it.

Bloody Roman bridges, only 2000 years old, and look at how this one is wearing. Didn’t these people know how to build stuff that would last??!!

And what’s with the bump in the middle??

I had two mobs of sheep coming straight towards me on the path today. I recalled Geoff Travers’ story of being knocked over by a (giant) sheep when he walked this route in 2014, so I was on my guard. Alas, both flocks parted in the middle and let me through. There’s got to be some perks for working in pastoral care!!

A Roman mile post - still standing straight after all these years. (Ok, so maybe they did know a thing or two about building!!)

At one point, I walked across an old (perhaps abandoned) aerodrome.

And then, a little later into this ‘wide brown land’. 

There are many things Camino along this way, including the wall art in the bar I stopped at for lunch. 

The final two hours of walking into Cáceres was rougher and rockier than earlier, but still pretty straight forward. I finally crossed over the small line of hills I’d been walking towards all day, and there it was, stretching out on the other side.

On the way in, I passed the only other pilgrim I have seen all day - Tony from UK. He looked at least my age and was clearly struggling with blisters. It reminded me of how fortunate I am still to be feeling relatively fit and strong at this point. My calf muscles are ‘slightly’ tender but apart from that everything is good. I stumbled at one point on a rock today but didn’t fall. For these mercies, I am grateful. 

Cáceres has an old, walled city centre that is cross-crossed with narrow cobbled lanes and filled with towers, turrets, and enormous churches. 

Apparently, they had trouble getting water into this town in the early days. Eventually, they developed this font that could fill five jugs at a time. Apparently, it was a winner!

The view of one side of the Plaza Mayor.

I am in an albergue/Hostal in a worn building in the midst of all this. At present there’s only one other guy in my dorm - a Spanish guy, Andres, who is riding the VdlP on his bike. He actually lives in Santiago and rode today from Mérida. As a Galician from the temperate northwest of Spain he is struck by how dry, brown and hot it is here. It’s like much of Australia, I said, you can grow to love it. Actually, as I’m typing this another guy on a bike has just arrived, from Hull in the UK. He’s riding south and then swinging into Portugal. 🚴‍♀️

Tomorrow will be a big day for me, 45kms, the longest stage so far. There’s a small town 10kms in, and then nothing for the next 35kms. Accordingly, I have stocked up on supplies from the supermarket. All is set. After stages of 36 and 37kms respectively, here’s hoping the legses and feets can handle it!!

Buen Camino

Neil 🧡👣