Day Three

Leaving the town of Zamora early (and with difficulty locating signposts) we walked a long and torturous 34 kms or so on another hot day. The walking trail was not a pretty on this section and new roads constructed had unexpectedly added extra distance to the walk and sent us, frustratingly, in circles at various points. Very few other peregrinos walked with us that day opting instead for short sections or catching buses or taxis. We walked with a young Italian called Fabio for much of the day. His blisters were causing him pain. He has gone ahead of us now and we hope that he is managing well enough with his feet. When we arrived at our accommodation in Fontanillos di Castillianos we found ourselves in a very basic community hall which we shared with a Spanish couple and a Slovakian guy. We slept well.

Day Four

Thankfully this was a better day for us. Although still hot and a long walk of around 30 km we had less difficulty keeping on the correct path and arrived in the town of Tabara, a starting point for many Peregrinos taking the Sanabres route. Although a small town there was a certain atmosphere there similar to a crowd gathering for the start of an important sporting fixture or a play. Many French, Canadians, Germans, Swiss and more ( still no Australians).

Our accommodation was not bad, lovely to have our own room and bathroom. The evening meal was particularly good including a soup with chickpeas, spinach and of course jamon s well as empanada. We shared stories with peregrinos over dinner. I am one of the few first time peregrinos. Most people we are meeting have walked two or more Caminos.

Day Five

Today was wonderful because the cool change arrived, we only walked 22 kms, we didn’t get lost and our destination here at Casa Anita in Santa Croya de Tera is beautiful. The scenery has changed as we are now walking west and closer to Portugal. We are approaching the mountains in the distance and there are lots of pine trees and changing flora. Dinner is looking good here at Casa Anita and I may just pop across to the famous old church before we eat.

Walking the Camino can be a metaphor of life. So easy to get side-tracked and take a wrong turn but possible to back track to find the right path. Very difficult to be alert to all signposts and even then sometimes not easy to understand the signs all the time. Hard to choose which path to take when there are two identical arrows pointing in different directions. And best not to believe what any stranger tells you (Giulios favourite trick to practise his Spanish is to ask someone which way to go- there have been some crazy answers). And of course the Camino teaches us the life lesson that it is best to proceed with tranquility, to focus on the moment so that we can see all the signs and proceed with confidence to the next destination. And always the unexpected pleasure arriving at an unplanned but delightful place.

I am writing all of these blog posts on my little iPhone and I am using the internet wherever we may have free wifi. Thanks for all of those comments and best wishes to all readers.