Sanabria Way

In Granja de Moruela, the Camino divides in two. You can go north to Astorga and meet the Camino Francés to Santiago or west through Sanabria and Ourense to Santiago.

Nine years ago, I walked Astorga to Santiago. For me there was no doubt that I would take the Camino Sanabres to complete my VDLP.

The landscape has changed again, as I pass through more little villages and the distances between albergues not as long. Many of these small villages don't have a store or coffee shop/restaurant. The houses are mostly made out of beautiful stone and together with the oak beams, have stood this region's extreme weather over the years.

I like people, I often stop and talk to the persons in the villages, to learn about their lives. They all have something in common, as they tell me that in the villages, there are only old persons left.

Tonight I am in Asturianos, a very small village that has a municipal albergue that sleeps six.There are five of us here tonight. During my walking today, I did not see any of my piligrim friends, sometimes it felt lonely but the smiles of the inhabitants that I meet, give me the energy to walk. The lady at the restaurant tells me that there is only one child in this town. A nine year old girl.

He is 94 years old, has lived in this village all his life. It is very hot, the sun is shinning strong, but he is dressed as if it was very cold. He smiles as I pass by and tells me about his donkey. She is a beautiful long hair donkey, 22 years old. Every day he takes her out to collect and bring home firewood. She has a name (that I can't remember). He went to Santiago once and he is very thankful for his health.

She is 95 years old, when I passed her village of 12 inhabitants this morning, she was wearing a faded red housecoat. The wrinkles of her face, disapeared, when looking into her serene smiling eyes. Her husband is sitting by the little stone church with his walking stick on his hand. Every day someone comes from a nearby village, to spend one hour with them and ensure that they are well. She invites me into her house and I drink some water.

Two km's past a town, I see a bus stop shelter, and when I am close, I see two older men and a woman sitting . I stop and I ask them if they are waiting for the bus? They tell me "No, we come here, to see the piligrims walk by".

I dedicate these last days of walking to all these special persons that I meet along the way. They have worked their land so hard, built their homes, raised their children. Have lived in a Spain pre and post civil war. Now, as their lifes come to a completion, their smiling eyes, gestures, hospitality and kind words, have enriched my life.



I am very thankful to them.

I 

Santa Marta

The evening meal Tábara is prepared by the hospitalero and three of us piligrims shared the hospitality of this albergue. When we arrived, one by one, they told us to leave our laundry in a basket and that they will wash it for us and it would be dry and ready in the morning. This albergue follows the authentic traditions and attention to the piligrims. 

They tell us that they are here to serve us.

On different occasions I tried to help prepare the meal, do the dishes or pick up the laundry from the line....they tell me to enjoy the moment, rest my body and mind.

The evening is very pleasant and we shared a conversation in three languages. José Almeida is the hospitalero, poet and writer and I admire many of his books on the shelf.

Walking to Santa Marta was lovely, the weather perfect for walking through these fields of cultivated land and oak trees.

The Romanic church next to the albergue is in the center of town. It has the oldest stone statue of Santiago dating to the X century.

At the spring and autumn equinox only, at eight o'clock in the morning, the sunlight illuminates the figurative capital, that ends at the left column, at the arch of the apse. The sun rays come through the circular carved little window in the center facade of  the apsidal chapel. The capitals are made of limestone, making this capital very light in colour.

 

The capital iluminated by the equinox lighting, shows the figure of an angel representing the soul going to heaven.

Last night I had a wonderful sleep. The room was very warm, shared the room with just one other piligrim who slept very very quietly.

I didn't wake up till past 8 am. 

Tábara

It had been more than 1000 years since it had been written and illustrated, and for the first time, since it had left this very small village of Tábara, it has returned for just a day.

The people of this village and region would admire for their first time the "Beatus" of Tábara.

This work of early medieval art, is filled with powerful images and few words.

A Beatus is a book-manuscript dating from the centuries IX - XII that share the interpretation of the Apocalipsis of the Evangelion of Saint John. This manuscript illustrates and speaks of the end of the world in the form of a "Code" (Codice) with images and few words.

There are 21 Beatus existing in the world, and out if these 21, three of them were created here in Tábara. The first and most important dates from year 925 and ilustrates life here in the monastic life of Tábara.

Tábara had a very active monastery with more than 600 monks and nuns and the reputation of the best Scriptorium. In this scriptorium worked the writer and the artist, copying and illustrating . Maius and his disciples interpreted the texts that a monk named Beatus from "Liebana" Cantabria, in the VIII century, interpreted from the Apocalipsis of Saint John. Later this books and manuscripts were called Beatus in a generic way, in memory to this dedicated monk, Beatus. The other two Beatus created here in Tábara, are one in Gerona, and the other is the Beatus de Morgan, that is in NY.

Walking the camino is for me always a little adventure. You don't know what you are going to see, learn, meet or feel. As a pilgrim, you are just walking, being open with all your senses to what is around you. There is no effort to being open, it just happens, as you walk.

Maybe through the motion of walking, that mostly happens in silence, you become part of the path, the stones, the air, wind, sun, birds. All your senses are alive living the moment.

When I woke up this morning, I didn't know anything about Beatus. Actually, I thought a Beatus, was a person that the church recognised highly. Never thought that it could be a book or manuscript with beautiful colourful illustrations.

At mid day I crossed a stone bridge, had walked 21 km and the path was taking me up a rocky hill. Just before disapearing, a young man on a sports bycicle, captured my attention.

He had stopped and I listen to what he had to say.

He asked me if I was going to Tábara, I responded "no, as it would make my walking day more than 38 km".

He spoke about the special day in Tábara and a little of the story of the Beatus (that I did not understand), telling me that it was an important day for the people of this region.

I listened to him. Meeting him at the exact moment that my path crossed the river and road, I decided that if a car just then came along, then I would go to Tábara.

 At that moment a small white car drove by, she was driving to Tábara, no hesitation....

I arrived in Tábara 20 minutes later.

After I settled in the albergue, I went to the beautiful romanic church,

and admired the Beatus of Tábara. Very beautiful. I felt the history, listened to the explanations, learned about Beatus.

Providence had taken me there. A village that did not exist in my path before, creating in me, moments that I would not forget.

This are the beautiful moments of the camino.

Walking in the Wind

Waking up in the albergue in Zamora this morning was beautiful. At 7 am I hear the sounds of gregorian chanting. Each room has speakers. The music started very softly, quiet gaining sound, as the minutes passed by.

It was very hard to actually get up and disrupt the sound of monastic sounds and get organize for the day. Breakfast is at 7 am and we must leave the albergue by 8

The breakfast table was all set when I arrived. Fresh toast, croisants, muffins, butter, jams, fruit.... for us to eat or take. Wow !! A real treat. The hospitaleros are a couple from USA and after spending two weeks in this albergue, today are going to Burgos to volunteer in another albergue.

Last night it rained. The air is fresh as two of us piligrims, find our way out of the city of Zamora. When you enter a city, it usually is done through a scenic way. Leaving the cities seems to be the opposite and also difficult to find the markings. Often I try to leave the cities, close to another piligrim, as I find easier when getting lost, when there are two of us, to share the stress.

The wind was blowing all day long. A cold wind and I keep all my layers of clothing on.

My plans this morning were to walk 20 km and stay in Montamarta, but arriving there it feels too early to stop walking and staying in this very small village with one little bar and a grocery store by the church, doesn't feel right, and I continue walking to the next town 12 km away.

At the end, it felt that the walking was never ending, and finally I see an even smaller village that I realize must be my destination.

There are ~100 habitants in Fontanillas de Castro. It has a shelter for peregrinos that sleeps 4. Three of us piligrims, arrive within 30 min from each other. A Dutch man that I have met before, a 78 year old Spaniard and myself.

We each take a bed, rest, shower, wash socks.

It was so windy that we placed the wet clothes against a wire fence, the wind holds them with out pins and they are dried in less than 1 hour.

 

They tell us that 500 meters along the secondary road, there is a café and they will make us something to eat. I had two bowls of homemade soup.

This village has has no grocery store or bar, only a beautiful simple romanic church with the storks high above nesting, a few houses and farmers that cultivate this precious red earth land.

Zamora

From a faraway distance, I can see the siloutte of the cathedral of Zamora and the city sourrounding it. My steps will take me there in aproximatelly 2.5 hours.

Water, has always been very important through history, and as many other cities where the Roman empire settled, Zamora, also has a river. The Camino enters the city by the stone bridge, over the river Duero.

As I am crossing the bridge, I admire how some of the old city is built over the massive natural rock, along the river banks.

There, high above stands its cathedral, ranging in architectural styles from romanic to romanesque to early gothic.

Zamora has 22 churches, of romanic origin, some beautiful preserved, others were reconstructed romanesque and gothic.

I arrived in Zamora early afternoon. The 19.5 km to here, passed very quickly. I walked by fields of wheat and cultivated precious land. Most of my walking I do alone, as we all walk at different rhythms and stopping for just a few minutes, distance us very quickly from other piligrims. There are also no more than 6-8 piligrims walking daily, at this time of the year.

I left my back pack at the albergue and went exploring. In the cities the albergues are usually closed from 8 am (you have to leave), until 3 pm when piligrims are welcome to come in. In the smaller villages, they are more flexible with the hours.

Eventually most of us piligrims all meet again, in the albergues, coffee shops, tapas bars. It really feels like a little family that appears and disappears. Some you never see again, others you meet more often.

Sharing the albergues means, that many times we sleep in the bunk beds next to each other, we often joke about the snoring, or who has the biggest or smaller pack....as there is a piligrim saying that the size of your pack and what you are packing, represents your troubles in life. The lighter your pack is, the lighter you are within yourself.

Tonight, next to me, as I am writting, there are three men. Germany, Iceland and Holland. We don't choose the room. As we arrive, the rooms are filled. The lower bunks are always the first ones to be taken and so far I have been always in bottom bunks.

The albergue in Zamora is municipal and really nice, run by volunteers from many different countries and you pay a donation.Today a couple from Virginia USA, greet us. 

Municipal albergues are either by donation or between 5-8 €, private albergues 10-12 € and most reigious albergues also by donation. Sometimes we have meals provided, others we cook and when in bigger towns or cities, we mostly all go out for meals and tapas.

As I walk though Zamora, my steps are very slow, in slow motion. Every movement streching my feel, my legs, thighs, my body, my mind. My teva sandels with socks, provide me a great relief at the end of walking and I enjoy the freedom and movement on my toes.

I walked and walked without any planned place, church or any other city sites, I just walked slowly letting my movements take me. I entered a chapel and there in front of me, was Santiago. I am in the chapel of Santiago. Gregorian chanting music playing, making that moment very special for me.

I felt an incredible peace, quiteness and protection from Santiago Apostol. I gave thanks for this incredible piligrimage, journey and protection, that I received every day.

Calzada de Valduncial

The landscape has completly changed since I left Salamanca. From the old oak trees with grazing pigs, cows with the big horns and horses, to fields of wheat, canola and other greens. 

There is an incredible difference from the land that is being irrigated, to the fields that are not. The non irrigated earth is reddish and even though it is spring, it is looking very sad.

The municipal albergue in Calzada a very nice older house with wooden bunk beds that sleeps 8 people. The walls are very thick stone, ceilings wooden timber frame. The small kitchen perfect, with everything you need to prepare a meal. Calzada has a romanic church, a store, pharmacy, medical center and a bar.

The villages that I am crossing are very small, similar to Calzada, ranging from 200-400 habitants. Often I don't see anyone in the streets when I arrive, this is partially because I have been walking from 08-14h, covering 25 kms in the 6 hours. From 2 to 4 pm is lunch time in Spain and people are home, stores closed.

The weather also has changed again and walking after 1 pm very hot. Today I walked always in the sun and finding a tree to have a rest close to the trail, difficult.

There are only two of us in the albergue tonight and for dinner I made some rice soup with potatos and carrots, for this new piligrim and myself. He just started in Salamanca. This is his 3rd stage in walking VDLP as many Spanish do, sometimes over the years.

His 1st stage was Sevilla to Merida, 2nd Merida to Salamanca and 3rd Salamanca to Santiago. Dividing the Camino this way, they can walk a little every year on their vacation time.

This morning I left Calzada with the idea of walking to El Cubo del Vino, but when I arrived there, decided to continue for another 13 km more, to Villanueva de Campean, a total of 29 km.

Tomorrow will be a shorter day walking into Zamora (20km) giving me lots of time to get lost in the history of this city, that I have never been before.

Salamanca!!

On my way to Salamanca....

At 7:30 I am ready to leave San Pedro. It is still dark, and after trying to find the bar-coffee shop, I realised that it is not yet open. I continue into Moriles, 6 km away, to have my coffee there, but in Moriles the bar-coffee shop is also not open yet. There is no other option that to continue walking to the next village 12 km away. 

To my surprise a nice woman, walking her dog, tells me that the bar in her village is also closed. Very unsual for Spain !!!

I walked with her for 2 more km's, until we reached her home, and she invites me for coffee. She made me coffee and covers the table with fruit, cookies, juice for me to have.

We have a nice shared time, she has lots of questions about the Camino, and soon I am on my way.

I see Salamanca in the far distance. The silhouettes of the cathedrals, bell towers, reminds me of when I entered Santiago a few years ago. 

It is lightly raining, I am excited to to be reaching this beautiful city, filled with history, and having covered 530 km of my Camino.

Salamanca is a beautiful city. To me, what makes it so special is that there is so many incredible historical buildings, all so close to each other.

Salamanca has two cathedrals. The old one is romanic, XIII century romanesque style. The new cathedral gothic. The main cupola so high and beautiful. Everywhere you look, is a history and theology lesson carved in stone and wood. Both cathedrals are connected, as they were built side by side.

Casa de  las Conchas, is famous for the cockle shells adorning the façades. Plaza Mayor, baroque XVIII century in perfect condition, where the city hall is located and under the archeway, the brass marking of the Camino in the ground.

Salamanca's university is the oldest university of Spain, dating XIII century. I walked through the lecture halls and see the lecture theater where Fra Luis de Leon, taught theology and moral philosophy, before being judged, prosecuted and imprisoned by the Spanish inquisition, for his views on biblical exegesis.

The student benches are wood, simple designed and covered with marks and writings from former students.

The old library dating XIII century filled with manuscripts and books placed in very old bookcases from the grown to the ceiling.

Salamanca is an alive city. Many of the current faculties are historical buildings. Students all around with futures awaiting for them. Very exciting.

The hotel that some of my peregrino family and I have booked is in a perfect place, next to plaza mayor. When I arrived, I filled the bathtub to the rim, and enjoyed a very relaxing hot bath.

We ate at a nice small restaurant, had a great evening walk throught the streets filled with history and so looking forward to a big bed, with a white duvet.

This morning I visited the cathedrals and at 12:30 I left Salamanca to Calzada de Valdunciel, 18 km away, from where I am now writing to you.