Santa Croya to Rionegro del Puente

Beech forest

What a wonderful walk today. The river Tores was beautiful with many sandy, pebbly beaches. A great place to camp beside. It was glorious country reminding me somewhat of the Australian high country.We travelled separately from Andy and Karen today. Karen decided to take the road so she could get a lift if she needed it and Andy charged ahead to catch Karen in town. Along the way we passed a church that looked derelict but an old man who had ridden his bike out to the church 

encouraged us to look inside the little window. It was really pretty inside and in good condition.

The unusual church and beautiful country 

 He wished us buen viaja! Peter and I walked steadily and  took lunch break by the lake. A dog  and his owner were  walking up from where we decided to take our break and when they returned the dog growled because we were near  its owner's table and chair. It was a handsome looking dog and went swimming. I am impressed by the  steady nature of Spanish dogs.We stopped,at Peter's insistence, at a little Albergue cafe which turned out to be run by a South African missionary. He had worked in India and Zambia and then walked the Camino Frances and found so many people who wanted to discuss faith that he decided to settle in Spain (and for other personal reasons) and engage with pilgrims. It was an interesting stop. I felt energised and when I saw the village my stride quickened. We walked into town over a concrete bridge used by animals and saw a few people fly fishing. 

The river is shallow and pebbly like a mountain stream.  It was a glad sight to see Karen waving from the balcony of the Albergue. She had staked out our beds for us and was ready to defend them. We are really noticing the increasing number of pilgrims who are merging into the Sanabres part of the Via de la Plata from other caminos in Spain.
Peter reveals to us that the broken reflectors he collected from our road walk which he put in his shoes for safe keeping have been in his shoes all day today without him noticing! His shoes are a size larger but that seems amazing. He announces that the inner soles he bought are very effective.

For dinner we try an association  de gourmet restaurant hoping for something different from usual. The chef cooks in the restaurant so everything is fresh. We don't actually get a menu del Dia but he has a fixed menu. Karen and Peter announce they are vegetarians and for a moment he looks perplexed but soon produces a delicious salad and Gazpacho drink for them while we have Salmon mousse with strawberry jam smeared on the plate artistically. 

Think Master Chef! The mousse is delicious but the jam was a miss in my view. Next we get a standard Spanish soup of tomato based with egg and bread. It is good. Now we have pork cutlets with a salad of lettuce and pears. The vegetarians get a ,guess? Omelette with leeks and cheese. This is the best omelette they have had. Vegetarianism is a challenge in Spain, especially small places. Eggs to the rescue. Finally we have dessert of ice cream and chocolate sponge torte.  The table was set with three glasses and we thought great, a water glass as well as wine. We should have known. This is unheard of; it is always wine OR water. The glasses were for wine,  coffee and liqueur.  The liqueur is a specialty and looks like chartreuse, tastes like cough medicine and is drunk with coffee almost any time. It is made with herbs and we passed through the town where it is made.  They gave us two little bottles and would have kept topping it up! It was a generous meal  and real value for €10. We were then given cards that identified us as gourmets. There is a competition for a top chef on the Camino which will be seen on TV in Santiago de Compostella on the 23 rd May.  It is another attempt to improve and capitalise on the pilgrim experience I guess. 

Montamarta to Tabara 29km

We decide to take the more direct option to Tabara to save a day, take a bus if Karen is struggling  and it is more direct to the Sanabres way which is a deviation from the Via de la Plata. The downside is that it is along the highway. Despite the traffic which is not too bad, it is a pleasing walk through some delightful and varied country. Several cars and lorries give us a toot and a wave. It is a bit disconcerting the way cars whizz by. Karen copes quite well but is getting heat stress when the temperature soars. We have a few stops so we travel slower but it makes it easier on the feet.
The Aussies ( Franwyn and Jeanie) opt to do the same and we meet them as we begin to leave a little bar which was the only place for refreshments along the way. Standard fare is lemon fanta and ice cream when it is hot.
We all end up at the same Hostel Robles almost at the same time and the poor woman is trying to book us in ( we pre-booked), serve at the bar and deal with an increasing number of pilgrims simultaneously, none of whom speak much Spanish!

The Hostal is comfy enough but the gas for the hot water is out so I have a cold shower. Nice for the feet but rather shocking to the rest of the body. Still I am clean and we have a hand basin which means we can wash, of course, and hang out on our balcony that has a blind that doesn't go all the way up. I hit my face about five times going in and out!

Zamora

 Zamora

Arrived in Zamora and grabbed a taxi to the bar where we were to meet Peter and Andy and the landlady with keys for apartment. She very kindly brought a young friend who spoke good English as she spoke none.  Pete's heart sank when he found we were on the third floor and no lift.  He is very tired from these two days walking.

We get settled and the apartment is quite cute. We each have our own bedrooms. What luxury. The apartment has a bath and Peter quickly commandeers it for a long soak. He does this a few times over the two days here and it rejuvenates him completely. 

Zamora is a lovely town, almost as big as Salamanca with a very interesting history as it was a critical town on the frontier and is accessed by the Duero river which flows all the way to Portugal as well as being a vital post for the north south Via de la Plata. It changed hands many times between Christians and Moors and was a fortified city against the warring heirs of one of the kings of Castille y Leon.  It has the remnants of a castle with a moat no less. Also it has 22 Romanesque churches of which we saw about 8! The cathedral is very beautiful and has an amazing collection of tapestries. The details were exquisite and told great stories. We paid for the audio tour and it was really worth it.

The moat around the castle

The cathedral

Historic Olive  presses on the river

Modern and old together using the same stone and the fabulous trees that are trained to intertwine.

We were all looking for a change of menu and came across a Chinese restaurant. It is actually run by a Thai. We pounced on the Chinese buffet because they had a very wide range of options but they also had fresh food that you could select and they would cook to order. We went twice. We ordered jasmine tea but they called it chilly tea and it was only when it arrived that we understood what we were getting.

We catch up with Dennis again after seeing him briefly in Salamanca and he was very pleased to find the Chinese food because he has been missing vegetables too.

Katharina turns up as well and tells us that Niko has been dumped from the rehab program he was on and just abandoned.  She followed up with the organisation New Horizon who said he was not cooperating so they just literally cut him loose. We are all appalled by their lack of responsibility and duty of care. He is only 16. Katharina  and her Camino friends contribute €20 so he can get back to Salamanca and get some help.

There are more pilgrims on the road from Zamora now and accommodation is getting tight. 

We set off for Montamarta today after our two day sojourn in Zamora. I was a little anxious that my breathing would be okay and Karen has rejoined us to walk even though her leg is not 100%. It feels good enough. Today's walk is just through undulating fields of barley and wheat and only 19 km so a good test for us both. 

We find our rather odd little Casa rural El Brunedo. The host is very jovial and offers us some of his home made wine. Then he locks the back of the house up and disappears. We can't get out the back to hang our washing outside so it is draped around the room. The place has a great shower. Even though it was on the main road I slept soundly. 

It was not as noisy as I expected. We head out to explore and find a very strange sculpture(?) in the main square. It is a tree stuck into the bitumen with a stuffed dummy hanging from it. It is very tall and a complete mystery. The town is rather ugly with no centre. We find a pleasant bar with lawn and spend a couple if hours playing cards. We go exploring further and find Katharina and the Aussies. Dinner is at Meson Rosemary and we share with new pilgrims Anna rose from Germany and Swit from Denmark. This is their third Camino and they are in their late sixties. They are good company.

Salamanca

As you can see I haven't had reliable wifi for a few days so I am trying to catch up.  Salamanca is a lovely place. Oldest university in Spain and one of the oldest in Europe. It is a bustling place but there are also lots of flats and shops for sale or rent.  We go out to dinner with Andy's family ( two brothers and a sister and their partners) it is a merry group but the place we choose for drinks is shaded and we all get cold. Ivar and Susie are celebrating their wedding anniversary and order champagne. We think the bar has to go to a bottle-o to get it because it is so long in coming. The main square is filled with people and young people all dressed up. It is their graduation day. Others are hens groups or stag groups. There is a tradition here that couples dress in costumes and parade around town doing silly things before they get married. There is a superman and half a dozen Robyns .Eventually we get given red fleecy shawls to wrap up in! 

Katharina in her shawl from the restaurant.

Karen makes an early exit as her leg is aching and I am starting to feel unwell. We find an alternative place to eat and the taking of orders is total chaos. The poor waiter gets so confused. Andy's family are a bit like herding cats.
I cough all night and can barely breathe the next morning so Peter and I take the tourist train around Salamanca. 

My breathing deteriorates and I decide that I can't walk on tomorrow. I feel really disappointed but I can barely breathe and though I have decongestant from the chemist and my Ventolin I can't get enough breath. Dinner is agony as my voice goes and I don't feel hungry. I just want to lie down but I just cough and cough.

Monday 5th May and Andrew and Peter set off. This leg is 63 kms over two days. I can hardly breathe to walk around the room so setting off would just mean I would probably fall over somewhere there isn't medical help. Karen and I head for the hospital in a taxi. It is private so not a great wait. The doctor sees me after I have paid my €95 and diagnoses broncioasthma. She puts me on a nebuliser for twenty minutes. Relief at last. I can take a breath. She prescribes Seratide and antibiotics which cost me another €80. Being sick is expensive. We head back to the Hostal and pay one more night. I have abandoned this leg and will take the bus to Zamora with Karen which will give me another rest day. I feel disappointed about missing this leg but I can't see me managing unless I break it up into 3/4 days walking on my own. I am halfway now but that leaves another three weeks. Hopefully we will both resume the walk on Thursday. I spend most of the day in my room listening to the ebb and flow of life in a Salamanca street. There is lots of singing by groups of young people which is intriguing. A busker has been singing Flamenco all afternoon.
I can feel the antibiotics are starting to work as my chest starts to loosen up finally. Karen was a godsend helping with the doctor. Her Spanish has improved a lot since she has had to be recuperating from her ligament injury.

San Pedro to Salamanca 24 km

What a funny place the Albergue was in San Pedro  and it was the private albergue.  We arrived pretty spent  but as we were first we chose our beds. Andy rushes off to have a shower and says it is cold.  There is no way I am having a cold shower but Peter comes to the rescue by identifying matches sitting on a shelf next to a gas heater. He also notes that the heater has no flue to the outside so we must turn it off when we go to bed or risk asphyxiation! The few windows are high up the wall and not openable. Once heater is lit hot water is plentiful but the showers are just cubicles with curtains and no place to change privately if it is mixed sexes.  We dive into this delicious shower and change in the cubicle but Peter inadvertently hits the tap with his elbow and gets doused again.  Next it is the Spanish women who have been singing as they walk. They hop in and I proceed to do the washing in the tub which is also in the shower area. They hop out stark naked with shower caps, only to freak out when the bathroom door is opened by Peter. He can't see in but I stand in the door saying "Senoras only".  We all have a laugh. This place has two toilets and a pissoir but the ladies loo has no seat. We retreat to the bar for refreshments, explore the town and play cards at another bar. These men are playing Dominos very loudly.

This town is all higgeldy piggly with a shop here and a shop there but no sense to it.  Next morning the room at the Albergue smells of bodies and a bit sweaty. This obsession with closing windows is awful. I always want them open for fresh air.
Tomorrow we are meeting some of Andy's family as they have flown  in for the long weekend( bank holiday in England) and they are going to walk out with Karen who is much improved to meet us at the battle for Salamanca spot. This was one of the greatest losses the French ever suffered against the British apparently. I have started to cough  and not feel so good and think I have picked up Trish's cold.  We are also meeting Katharina, our German Camino friend.  Andy is very keen to get there today but it isn't a particularly interesting walk. 

When we finally get to the rendezvous point I am cold and tired. The cough gets worse. Andy's family are  great fun and very friendly. We drink our cafe con leche when we hit town. The. View of Salamanca from the roman bridge is spectacular.

Fuenterroble de Salvatierra to San Pedro de Rozados 28 .4 km

We set off today at a cracking pace and made good progress. Peter and I were eager for a Cafe con leche break but Andy was keen to stop at the village at the top of the hill. Catastrophe! Not one place open for coffee and it is 10:30 am. We find a little shop and buy something to eat and drink. Peter buys his litre of milk, his standard food/drink, Andy buys orange juice and I get two bananas. A poor substitute for coffee I have to say. We find a stone fence in the sun and have our break. I had been hoping for a civilised pitstop but now I have to wait until out of the village. While we rest we see a few cows being driven out to pasture by a few people. The cows see a garden  and head to that instead of up the lane. It is funny watching them herd these few cows like a group of children. Later we see them returning with the same cows. Then there are two freesians being herded by a little bow legged farmer. He has a fine twitch but never seems to touch his two very full uddered cows. The poor things look like they can hardly walk for these massive udders. Hr takes them to a stock watering trough but we pass them and I don't know what happened next presumably they got milked. It is a gentle climb most of the morning and quite cold. This snow on the mountains doesn't appear to be diminishing and the days are much cooler as we head north. I joke about walking towards the wind turbines on the far hills and sure enough that is our objective. The climb gives us more views of the snowy mountains and the breeze chills us but it starts to feel a bit endless. We reach the top but it actually isn't! 

Along the way now we find these TeePee type structures that are shelters for pilgrims caught between places. They are quite odd but I would stay in one if I thought I was too tired to continue.

Spread before us is a great panorama that we will cross to Salamanca tomorrow but still we need to wind through the trees, continually climbing to the summit and a cross that marks the spot. It appears and I get excited but then it disappears hidden by a bend in the hill. I am feeling exasperated now. Finally the cross appears, not on an outcrop but on the hill above the track. The wind has picked up and we start to get really cold. My fingers are numb. I climb to the cross and the view is 360 degrees. It is spectacular but freezing. We eat our lunches but we are getting too cold to stay long. Coming off the mountain is quick but now it seems like an endless road. We see the pig farm and take a rest, feet throbbing. The pigs are grazing on grassy pastures or in large open pens. They are so fat they lumber along almost staggering. 

When we go up to the gate they all run off but when we remain at the gate they all come back full of curiosity. I notice a couple with huge pink round sacks hanging from their bellies. Andy says they are cysts. They are the size of a cantaloupe. We think we must be close to San Pedro but alas the road  has more hills, twists and bends with no town in sight. 

Finally we come down a lane and there is the town. Andy makes a quip that it is even the right place. I reply" I am staying here even if it isn't!"  My feet are throbbing. We have hardly taken any stops today but walked constantly since 7:30 am.

Calzada de Bejar to Fuenterroble de Salvatierrra 21 km

Today was a mainly flatish walk with beautiful scenery but quite different. The trees are still getting their new leaves and the holdings are much smaller. Farmers walk their small herds of cows out to pasture through town and back again.  

The snowy mountains seem to loom larger and we see other sides with more snow. We walk with French Annie who speaks very good English and wants to come to Australia and NewZealand for a holiday since her son visited there for several months. The expense of flying is always a deterrent for Europeans.
We tried to take a coffee break after about 12 kms but it is Labour day and nothing is open. We sit for awhile and have some snacks we are carrying but then push on to Fuenterroble where we are staying in the parish Albergue. This place is run by the local priest who is quite a character and has encouraged the town to capitalise on the passing pilgrims.  He will take a mass at 7 pm and then we have a light communal meal. This had been our expectation but the English translation on registration didn't convey that impression. We were unaware until later in the day. We have then proceeded to the supermarket called Perregrino and purchased odds and ends for dinner.

We have spent a delightful afternoon at the local bar enjoying lunch with pimentos at last! We were joined by the Dutch ladies and the Danish man. One of the Dutch women, Diana lived in Australia for 6 months  30 odd years ago and had a wonderful time so it was fun to hear her stories of that time.
The Danish fellow, Jan is a gifted masseuse and he offers to ease Peter's foot problems. The whole bar is full of Spanish people playing cards, very loudly and they are making cracks about all wanting massages.  We just whiled away the afternoon talking and joking which was very pleasant.

This Albergue is very interesting with lots of paintings done by a local ( friar tuck type). They have about 6 donkeys which I think they are sending to Jerusalem or have come from Jerusalem. I couldn't  discern which direction from the conversation. They are making carriages also, presumably for the donkeys to pull.

When we go to hang out the washing the friar tuck person tells us not to go too close to the dog because he is a wolf and will bite us if we go too close. He is a fine looking animal but all black with grey around the chin. We are in the group accommodation at the back  while the Dutch and Danish have a 3 bed room. We came too early! The whole place is full of character with bits added on at different times.  The priest takes mass in his church which we attend and then he calls us for a pilgrim's blessing. He talked about the difficult task ahead walking but that what we were doing was worthwhile and said we had God's protection. He seems very committed to assisting the pilgrims on their way and not only helps serve the communal dinner but is up early to serve breakfast. We bought strawberries and fruit for our dinner but never saw them.  I was rather disappointed because they were luscious looking. That is the Camino though. Someone else will enjoy them.
Tomorrow we will walk 28 kms so it is good to have a rest today.