Camino Mozarabe Day 20: Santa Amalia to San Pedro de Merida.

Day 20: Santa Amalia to San Pedro de Merida. 18km.

It was on tar nearly all day.

What a change from yesterday, well I suppose with the clocks moving forward it was the first day of Summer Time. It was a cloudless blue sky once again, no wind and it was warm. We started off expecting the worst but had only gone about a kilometre when off came the rain jackets and the socks from my hands. When we stopped after 2 hours for coffee we took off our waterproof trousers, so we were back to shorts. Towards the end of the day's section we were starting to sweat but we didn't think it quite warm enough to remove our fleeces.

The first half of the walk, 9km, to Torrefresnada was along the hard shoulder of the N430. Yesterday when we arrived here we thought this was a busy highway but now it was quiet; maybe it being Sunday. It was another case of a long long straight road and at the end of it we could see the white houses of Torrefresnada. The worst thing about walking along a road is the distance markers, I keep searching for them and counting down the kilometres. The N430 joined with the A5 Merida - Madrid motorway at Torrefresnada but the arrows ( there were a few of them along the road) guided us onto a Camino Agricola, farm road, into the town. It was still tarred. Just as we reached the edge of town there was a gravel area with benches and palm trees in front of the church. We stopped here to make a cup of coffee and the church bells began to peel, calling the faithful to mass.

We continued on this farm road that ran along the edge of town never really entering it and was now beside the motorway. As we left Torrefresnada it changed to a gravel track but the warm sun and dry weather had firmed up the ground and it was all right to walk on. It only lasted as gravel for about a kilometre then it was tar all the way to San Pedro. It was parallel with the motorway, crossing from one side to the other a couple of times. The waymarking was now normal with all wrong turnings indicated with a cross, it was also a GR trail so we had the red and white flashes to help as well. Along one side of the highway it was moorland with bushes as the ground rose to a ridge of small hills; on the other it was a fruit farm with different varieties of fruit trees growing in lines into the distance. Some were like the small trees we saw yesterday that Moira thought they might be a miniature variety of apple. It was now very pleasant walking after the cold and wet last few days. The countryside was beautiful as it stretched before us, lush and green from the recent rain. In the distance the flat plains were broken by some high mountains but we wouldn't be climbing these, tomorrow was our last day and it was flat from San Pedro into Merida.

Soon we saw the motorway exit signs to San Perdo. We went under the motorway and followed the slip road into San Pedro. It was a bit of a climb and it was a typical sleepy Spanish town. After asking directions we found ourselves in a large motorway type service area but well away from the highway, with a petrol station, lots of restaurants and our bed for the night, Hostal Juan Porro. It wasn't long before we were in our room, a bit expensive at E45, and watching the Malaysian Grand Prix on the TV; Hamilton won!

We went down for a late lunch at 3pm and this time there were others in the dining room. We had a nice paella to start full of different types of shell fish. Next we ordered a fish dish but didn't know what  to expect, the fish was fine but they overdid the tomato dressing. After iced cream to finish it was back to our room for a shower and to relax for the rest of the day listening to the radio on the iPad; the WiFi was very good.

In the evening I couldn't get to sleep at my usual time of 9pm forgetting that it was now Summer Time. It was 'actually' only 8pm and it was still light outside. I checked the reception for YouTube on the computer and it was first class so for an hour I watched some old TV comedies while Moira read her Kindle.

Camino Mozarabe Day 19: Don Benito to Santa Amalia.

Day 19: Don Benito to Santa Amalia. 16km.

It rained all day today.

We had a choice of routes, one going directly from Medellin to San Pedro de Merida via Yelbes and the crossing of the Rio Bordalo. Although this was a shorter route Cicerone seemed to indicate that the river could only be forded in the dry season of July and August. We chose the longer option, 7km longer, which was through the town of Santa Amalia where we intended to spend the night.

As today's walk was quite short we had thought about relaxing this morning and leaving a bit later, but after the terrible night and we had given up trying to sleep it was a quick breakfast and off at the usual time. I dosed myself with a Voltarin anti-inflammatory suppository that I have found deals quickly with my sore back. It wasn't feeling too bad this morning but I wasn't taking any chances.

 It must have been raining all night as there were large puddles everywhere as we made our way out of the town. It was still coming down quite heavily, happily we had come out prepared in our wet weather gear. Moira in her wanderings looking for me had spotted the Camino Mozarabe signs to the exit from the town (though not the ones going back to find me) so we began following these. We reached a t-junction and there was no indication on what way to turn. A road sign for traffic said to the right was to Villanueva de la Serena. I consulted the map, in Cicerone and that town was behind us. We turned left. At another junction the road signs showed Medellin to the right, that was where we were going so headed that way and eventually picked up a yellow arrow.

Once out of town we were on the EX206, it was as straight as a die to a pointed hill about 8km away. This was another hill with a fortress castle on top and below was the town of Medellin. We were on this road, not very busy, until we crossed the bridge over the railway. On the other side there was a Camino sign on a muddy gravel track that pointed back the way. We took this track and in turned at the railway line and ran parallel with them track.  It wasn't very nice, full of potholes filled with the rain, muddy and slippery and it seemed to be going in the wrong direction. We came to a junction of paths and there were three choices, none of them had even a yellow dot of paint to help us decide. In the end we turned round and headed back to the road, at least we knew that was heading for Medellin. 

After about a kilometre on the hard shoulder of the EX206 more arrows appeared directing us to a path running parallel with the road. Even though the road wasn't busy we thought it would be safer on the path. Unfortunately it was hard going, it was very soft mud in places and lots of puddles to try and dodge; it wasn't helping my back which had been fine so far. At the first opportunity we went back to the road and walk on the tar until we reached Medellin. We could have gone into the town to pick up the route but when I consulted the Cicerone map I found that the marked route came out the other side of Medellin and joined the EX206, so the decision was to continue on the road. It turned out quite well as the road ran round the foot of the hill with the castle on top; we were rewarded with great views of all aspects of the castle which appeared to have been well preserved.

The road bent round in a large viaduct as it crossed the Rio Guandiana and we could see through the trees an old bridge where the road and Camino left the town. Where they joined we picked up the signs and arrows and once again tried the official route. It followed the line of the road but it was mud and puddles again. Eventually the track reached a minor tarred road, this was the route to Yelbes and the river crossing, we turned the other way and back to the EX206. There was an arrow on the highway for this alternative route, but only this one at the start. We didn't see another waymark until we reached Santa Amalia. It was a pleasant enough walk and flat going, my back was feeling fine now. The fields here had small trees in full leaf, row after row; at first from a distance I thought they were vines but closer I found they were small trees. We couldn't figure out what they were.

The rain had continued relentlessly all morning and it was a relief to find that our bed for the night at the Hostal Caribe was on the outskirts of the small town. It was near the junction of the EX206 with the busier N430 and Santa Amalia was on this highway. Here the registration system was old fashioned, a pen and paper, and much faster. We were soon in our cosy little room and I had the cooker going for a cup of coffee. We hadn't had a break this morning because of the rain and walking on the road there hadn't been any bars or cafés to stop at. There were also good WiFi that didn't require a password, so I got the radio on right away.

We went down for lunch at 1:30pm and we were the only ones in the dining room. One of the tables had 'reserved' posted on it, maybe they expected a big crowd to arrive; in the time we were there nobody else arrived. The meal was much better than last night. We had the 'menu del dia'; to start we both had different types of soup, my choice was the normal chicken noodle but Moira ended up with a sort of thick vegetable. For the main course we both had steak and chips, very nice; and to finish Moira had her usual iced cream while I tried the rice pudding. We had the house vino tinto to drink and all for a total of E16.

It was a lie down when we got back to the room and we listened to the radio and read the newspaper for the rest of the afternoon. late afternoon Moira went out into the town to get money from a bank machine and reported back that the sun was shining. Hopefully it will be nice tomorrow.

I had a late shower today and then it was time for bed. After all the noise of last night this hotel was very peaceful and we both had a very good night' s sleep. The clocks go forward tonight, so in theory we will later starting our walk in the morning.

Camino Mozarabe Day 18: Campanario to Don Benito.

Day 18: Campanario to Don Benito. 24km.

We didn't hear any cuckoos today but saw two poppies that were a deep crimson rather than red.

We were both awake early this morning at 5:30am. I made the tea and we had it in bed while Moira read her Kindle and I updated my blog. We got up at the usual time had breakfast and packed, we were on the  Camino at 8am. The restaurant where we had lunch yesterday was at the junction of the major road through the town and the road leading to the railway station. We were soon past the last houses of the town and the road to the station and albergue which was signposted and the fork to the right was a gravel road, the Camino.

On the outskirts of town there were a few fields of grape vines, the first we had seen in the region. Through the day there were some olive groves and holm oaks in the meadows but they were getting fewer and fewer. The landscape was nearly all fields of grain, the winter planting very well advanced and again an emerald green colour.

The route today was an interesting one, made pleasant by visiting a couple of villages on the way. The first, Magacela, was perched on top of a pointed hill that we had seen from a distance yesterday across the flat plain. At first I thought the white features on the hill were rocks, then because it had been so cold maybe snow, but no they were houses and they stretched to near the top to where the ruins of a castle stood. It was a long more or less straight track from Campanario and we could see it far ahead of us. I didn't think we were going to have to climb it as I couldn't remember anything about a climb in the guide book or on the profiles of the route we had seen. But we did, and it was a very steep and gruelling couple of kilometres. As it had started to rain shortly after we started we were going to look for a bar in the village for coffee but when we reached the first of the houses at the foot of the hill there was a lovely little park with benches and the rain had temporarily gone off. It was fortunate that we did stop as there wasn't a shop or bar on the whole route through Magacela. It had been a former Arab settlement and the mosque had been converted into a Christian chapel. The castle on top was 16th century but was now just a pile of stone. Magacela had been designated as a place of Historical Interest but there didn't seem to be any attempt to attract tourists or provide facilities. Where the road reached its highest point, just below the castle there was a flat tiled area with benches, a most wonderful viewpoint. We had a 180* outlook over the ground we had covered this morning and probably yesterday as well. From the strategic position of the castle above they would have a 360* panorama and be able to see any enemy armies approaching from a long distance. After the tough climb we expected to drop sharply but it went down gradually and not as far as we had come up, so even the road coming round the perimeter of the hill had a rise in height.

After a few kilometres on gravel we met a couple of sheep in front of us. Somehow they had got through the fencing isolating their grazing fields. Each time we approached they ran further down the path, stopped and looked at their friends in the field but not knowing how to join them. We tried to keep into the side so they could get back down the path behind us but sheep being silly they keep running away from us. When the path met a tar road they ran up to the right, our route was to the left. That was her last we saw of them, hopefully they got back with their mates safely. It was down this tarred road into the next village of the day La Haba, just a small place and we stopped at the first bar we came to for a beer. The beer you get is in a tiny bottle but they supply you with some tapas, we had a plate of chips and croquettes with a sausage meat filling. I also had our credentials stamped there, the woman at the flat last night didn't have a 'sello'. 

My back had been sore yesterday but not unbearable. Today it was sore before we stopped at the bar in La Haba, the rest, the beer and a couple of pain killers helped. It was then just 6km to the end and I thought I would be all right but it gradually became unbearable. I struggled on until we entered Don Benito and thought I would be fine but I came to a grinding halt with the pain. We were close to a park with benches and Moira suggested that I take a seat while she went to the town centre and booked us into the hostal. Once registered she then intended to come back and help me with my rucksack. She put me on a bench and told me not to move. Unfortunately it started to rain quite heavily so I had to move, not far just across the street to a doorway next to a cafe. They had their chairs stacked nearby and I took one to sit on while sheltered in the doorway. Everything would have been fine, the hostal was only about 10 minutes away and Moira should have been back in about half an hour. But, she got lost and couldn't find the way back to where I was. She asked people even went to the police station but nobody knew anything about the Camino route or where I could possibly be. In the meantime I was pacing up and down the pavement hopefully trying to catch sight of Moira coming up the road. It was nearly two hours after leaving me that she appeared with an ambulance. She had gone to the emergency services and they came out with her to help find me, they must have thought that I was injured or something. They wanted to put me in the ambulance but I had my rucksack on and was walking along the road to the hostal under my own steam. Obviously there words and a bit of shouting, mostly by me at Moira but I soon calmed down, Moira had been just as upset and anxious about the situation as me.

When we arrived at the Hostal Galicia in the town centre the first thing I did was get water on the cooker for coffee. I left Moira to make it while I had a shower. The water was lovely and hot, it got some warmth into my body it had been cold and wet standing waiting in the middle of nowhere. After I was dried I lay on the bed with my cup of coffee and relaxed, I was recovering slowly. There was a decent WiFi signal and we were able to listen to the radio before going down for dinner.

WARNING. Anybody reading this and planning to do this Camimo, when you reach Don Benito avoid the Hostal Galicia. They don't start dinners until 8:30pm and when we arrived at that time we got a surly reception. We were the only people in the restaurant but still it took them an age to get round to even set our table never mind show us a menu. The food was very poor, we had salad which was average but the main course a croquette that had an inedible filling of I don't know what. When we got to bed we managed to sleep until 1am then doors began to be slammed non-stop. Then it sounded like furniture was being moved downstairs. I went down to the restaurant and they were cleaning up with no concern to the noise they were making. I complained and just got blank stares. Their noise stopped but the slamming of doors continued nearly all night and the walls are so thin we could hear the people in the next room talking, and they seemed to be talking all night. We did not have a good night at all and were still very tired in the morning.

Camino Mozarabe Day 17: Castuera to Campanario.

Day 17: Castuera to Campanario. 20km.

We heard lots of cuckoos today.

The impression I got from reading Cicerone was that Campanario was just a little place, it described as being a small town with shops, bars and banks but no official accommodation. In fact it was a large place. As usual on entering in was through an industrial area then the outskirts until we came to a plaza with the church, shops, a bars and two banks. We were then making our way expectantly out of town and towards the railway station 2 km away where the albergue was situated. This wasn't the case, whereas the area we had gone through was deserted and dead like most of the Spanish towns we now entered a bustling high street with lots of busy shops and people and traffic. As we made our way along this street I spotted the Guardia Civil offices and remembered that the guide book said that the woman in the house opposite had rooms for peregrinos. It was supposed to be No 55 and when I looked it was 55. As we were looking at the house a woman asked if we were searching for 'habitation' and rang the bell of the house. A woman appeared eventually and apologised for the delay in coming but she had been busy painting as we could see, she was splattered with it. The rooms were above and she had five of them, all with two or three beds, it was E30, so we decided to stay here rather than going another 2km to the albergue. 

Our walk had been very good. We left at our normal time of 8am after managing to get the Internet in our room for the newspaper download and to listen to the news on the radio. We followed Cicerone through the town to a roundabout at its end where it said there was a plane in the middle as a monument, it must have been removed as we didn't see it. At the main road it said Campanario 17km, then arrows that directed us to a gravel track where a sign said Campanario 20km. The track was smooth and flat, the weather this morning was perfect, the wind of yesterday gone and blue skies overhead. It was now a pleasure to be walking and we seemed to be making excellent time. Soon we reached a river, Rio Guadalefra, beside a large metal railway bridge, that we had to paddle. Shortly after this we reached the old railway station that Cicerone said was an albergue but the bloggers said was now closed. There was a notice saying albergue but no sign no life. The annoying thing was that the guide book had this station, Quintane de le Serena, at only 6km from Castuera; we had been walking briskly for 90 minutes by this time and I was sure we had further.

We continued at our nice fast pace for another hour and had a stop for a cup of coffee. The weather was really lovely today, a bit chilly in the shade but with no wind it was a big difference. The landscape now seemed better when we could look around not having to bend into a gale. The winter corn was well on here and had a vivid green colour growing among the holm oaks. The large meadows with the oaks made a beautiful picture.

When we got going again after our break we seemed to make good time as we reached a bridge crossing the railway earlier than we expected. Cicerone said from this bridge to Campanario was only 3km. I don't know how they do their measuring and distance estimation but they get it wrong, it took us an hour to reach the town. It had now become quite hilly and we expected to see a conglomeration of houses as we crested each rise and turned every bend, but it was the usual long slog.

After settling into our room and dumping our rucksacks we went out to find a place to eat. There was a bar opposite but they only did sandwiches. We didn't know which way to go so I asked three women  'restaurante'? They had a discussion amongst themselves then a man passing joined in, it seems to be turning into an argument when one of the women indicated to follow her. We did and it was only a short distance down the road and on the left. We had the 'menu del dia'; after a green bean and ham dish which we both had and was very nice   we waited in anticipation for the next course. We weren't sure what we had ordered, one dish turned out to be pork and chips, the other a mixed seafood. Moira wasn't having the seafood, there were octopus in it; so that was mine and I found it very nice. Moira had iced cream again and I had a cream tart. We asked for vino tinto to drink but he came with a carafe of what looked like rose, it was all right. As soon as we finished the carafe he immediately replaced it with a full one.

After all the food and wine it was time for a lie down in the room. Moira went for a shower first but the water was cold. So no showers again, we hadn't had one last night, if we don't get one tomorrow we will start to smell. At least we got some washing done in the cold water and hung out on a line in the sun to dry. It had become bitterly cold outside when the sun went down. We didn't move from our room but spent the rest of the day reading and I managed one of the crosswords from the 'Telegraph'. It was early to sleep tonight after a sandwich and a beer.

Camino Mozarabe Day 16: Monterrubio de la Serena to Castuera

Day 16: Monterrubio de la Serena to Castuera. 18km.

We heard our second cuckoo today.

It was bitterly cold all day, the wind or gale at times into our faces was from the north probably all the way from the Arctic. It was the sort of day when the Irish would say: 'If it twere to rain it would snow'. Luckily there was no chance of rain or snow, it was a beautiful cloudless blue sky. Only a short distance from leaving the town I had to stop and put on my rain jacket, Moira already had hers on; I even had the hood up to protect my ears from the wind.

The first arrow of the day was just outside the hostal, and it was exactly 8 am when we made our way through the bar, full of early morning coffee drinkers, to pick it up. Once out of town the directions took us from the main road on to a very minor, practically traffic free tarred road for 15km, where at some shacks and farm labourer's cottages it changed to a gravel track. This small community didn't deserve a tarred road for some reason. The gravel track went for about 3km to join the main EX104 road into Castuera. There were no problems with navigation it was a straight road all the way but we were kept on track with an over abundance of arrows, plaques and even GR route flashes.

Initially we were back among endless olive groves. The area is noted for olive oil which probably explained the museum yesterday where we had our credentials stamped. One benefit of the trees was that they created a type of wind break and it now wasn't so uncomfortable. That didn't last, the olive groves weren't endless and as the road bent to the left to run parallel with a range of high hills we were back to meadows of holm oak. The wind was now coming straight in our faces and there was no shelter from it by the trees, it was freezing and also a battle walking into it. There were still plenty of sheep about their wooly coats keeping them warm. Moira commented that this region was famous for it hams the feed of acorns from the holm oaks giving it a distinctive flavour but we haven't seen a lot of pigs.

There was a town up near the top of the range of hills ahead of us initially, Benquerencia de la Serena. We thought that was was our destination but I couldn't remember seeing such a climb on the profile of the route we saw on the information board at the olive oil museum. It wasn't where we were going and we didn't have that climb but Castuera was just below the escarpment at the end of the range of hills nestled in a little hump. So there was a steady ascent which got steeper when we reached the gravel road section.

Last night wandering around Monterrubio de la Serena we saw a poster for an organised walk, along today's route. With the number of markers and signs, some looking fresh and new, we suspected that the way marking must have been upgraded for the walk. It seemed quite good value, you got breakfast, a bocadillo and a lift back to 

Monterrubio de la Serena at the end , all for E6.

When we reached the main road at the end of the gravel track we were in Castuera but it was still the usual long trek into the centre. You never know where you are in these towns, there are no shops until you reach the actual centre and no indication how far to go or if you are heading in the right direction. We assumed that the hostal we were looking for, Los Naranjos was in the centre but stopped and asked, to make sure, as soon as we saw another person. It was up on the main road and we just enquired it time, the direction was to the right and at the top of that street, quite a climb up a hill. Now sheltered by the buildings from the cold wind the sun was beating down and we were sweltering in the heat and had to stop to take off our rain jackets half way up the hill.

It wasn't a hostal, it was Hotel N and a '2 Star' at that. It looked posh not what we are used to, but we had enough of the wind for one day and would have to just spend our money recklessly. It was a surprise when it was E40 and the room though just a little bigger than normal was beautifully tiled. Another thing that probably made it classy was the booking in; at a pub type hostel that get a key immediately, show you to the room and register later. Here it was passports examined and endless details fed into a computer before we were issued with an electronic key card. What made it not so posh was the water wasn't very hot and the WiFi was all right in the dining room and bar but very poor in the rooms.

We had lunch in the dining room and it was quite nice. We both had the same; soup to warm us up followed by chicken and chips. For dessert it was iced cream and also the obligatory bottle of vino tinto. Once connected to the WiFi in the dining room it continued working in the room for a while afterwards. We were able to listen to some comedy on the BBC radio catch-up service in the afternoon. When Moira tried to get I touch with Suzy on Face Time the Internet packed in, we had to go to the bar to finish the call.

At 5pm we went into town to the tourist info office. We wanted them to phone an albergue in Campanario where we go tomorrow, it's the only accommodation there. The bloggers stayed there and we want to know if it is still open. It wasn't very far to the town centre and there were signposts pointing to the tourist info office but it was closed, permanently by the looks of it. We found a supermarket and did some shopping and headed back to the hotel, it was very cold again.

At the hotel Moira tried phoning the albergue in Campanario but the replies were in Spanish and she couldn't make herself understood. We tried down in the bar for somebody who spoke English and the barman did a little, little enough to comprehend what we wanted. He phoned the albergue and said it was still operating and they had plenty of rooms available. We were happy now that we had our accommodation settled for another night.

Back in our room I had the Internet radio working again and we listened to the BBC again until it was time to get to sleep. We just had a snack of bread and cheese for supper along with  strawberries and yoghurt we bought at the supermarket. 

Camino Mozarabe Day 15: Hinojosa del Duque to Monterrubio de la Serena.

Day 15: Hinojosa del Duque to Monterrubio de la Serena. 31km.

It was a long walk today so we didn't hang about once we got up. The breakfast was soon over, the packing done and on the road at 7:30am. We knew the route through town after all our wanderings around yesterday searching for a supermarket and were soon out in the countryside. It was cold and we were well wrapped up but the sky was clear when we started out and it promised to be a warm day. It didn't turn out that way, some light clouds stopped the sun getting through and once clear of the town and in open country there was a strong bitterly cold wind blowing. Moira wore everything, I managed without putting on my rain jacket but did wear socks on my hands all day.

As we left Hinojosa we could see a range of quite high hills ahead in the distance but the route then turned more to the north and it was flat as far as the eye could see. It looked very flat but this was an illusion, we had quite a few ups and downs which tended to make the walk more interesting. It was through farming country much like yesterday, crops being grown among the holm oaks, lots of sheep grazing and at one farm we saw chickens, turkeys and little black piglets running around the yard.

Our major problem with today's section was that we didn't know where we were most of the time. We knew we were on the Camino as the way marking was excellent but there were no villages to pass through to get a bearing and the route didn't tie in with Cicerone. We did get an Idea when we reached a tar road with an arrow for cyclists to take the road, the walkers the footpath; the bloggers had mentioned this and said it came at 15 km and the trail crossed a railway track 2.5km later. This we found correct but then on their account they took a different route along another road to cross the Rio Zujar by a bridge and visit the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Gracia de las Alcantarillas. We stuck with the yellow arrows and had to paddle across the river. We had two breaks today, one for a cup of coffee and a biscuit at the '15km' road, then lunch, bread and cheese and an apple after our paddle through the icy waters of the Rio Zujar. 

All the 'routes' came together again when we reached the EX211 tarred road. Cicerone which also took the Ermita way said it was 8km on the road to Monterrubio de la Serena but where we joined was 2km shorter. It was a hard slog on the tar and soon we crossed the boundary between Cordoba province in the Andalucia region and into Badajoz district in the region of Entremadura. Cicerone said it was a pleasant walk slightly uphill and the wind is usually in your face. It was slightly uphill but the wind in our faces was now a freezing gale and it was anything but pleasant. The town was nowhere to be seen just moorland and we were back among olive groves. When Monterrubio de la Serena did appear suddenly we still had the long trek through the industrial area and as usual the church spire and town centre were at the far end of the town.

Eventually we were in the town and there was a notice board with a street map. There was an albergue on the map near the large church, we had seen from a distance, in the Plaza de Espana, this square was also where the Hostal Vaticana and the Hotel Coto de la Serena were to be found. It was a long straight street into the town centre but the place was dead, even a couple of bars we passed on the way were closed. In the Plaza de Espana the hostal and the hotel were both closed and no signs of life when we rang the bell. It was the same at the door of the house we were told was the albergue, locked up and no reply to knocking or ringing the bell. We asked a woman about places to stay and told the the Hostal Vaticana opened at 5pm but nobody had any info on the hotel or albergue. There was another place to stay according to Cicerone, Pension Balsara on Calle Constitucion, but when we got there, after another trek, it looked like it was closed permanently with a 'for sale' sign showing in the window. Back at Plaza de Espana there was still no sign of life, not even a bar open to get out of the cold wind. On the way into town we had spotted a tourist info office and went back there to see if it had opened after siesta. It had but it wasn't a tourist information office but an olive oil museum which fortunately had a ' information for peregrinos' sign outside. The woman wanted to stamp our credentials first, probably to prove we were genuine peregrinos, then she phoned about the albergue. She said there would be someone to open it at 6pm another 45 minutes. Again it was back to the Plaza de Espana and this time two men were waiting outside the Hostal Vaticana bar obviously waiting for it to open. At 5:30pm a guy arrived and opened up, we were straight across enquiring about 'habitacion' and we were shown a lovely double room. I didn't bother asking the price, just glad that we had a bed for the night.

The first thing we did was to have a shower, the water was piping hot and it got some warmth back into our bodies. Moira went to a small supermarket just outside the hostal where she got milk, fruit, coffee and a couple of cans of beer. We relaxed on the bed drinking the beer and reading until 8pm when dinner was served. We both had the same, soup to start and pork fillets with chips. Moira had iced cream for sweet and I tried the cream caramel. It was all washed down with a bottle of vino tinto. It was a 'peregrino menu' so not huge helpings and cost E8 each. The room was very reasonable as well, E35.

When we got back to our room we read for an hour then settled down to sleep. After the long walk and the frustration of finding a bed for the night we were dead beat and soon fast asleep.

Camino Mozarabe Day 14: Alcaracejos to Hinojosa del Dugue.

Day 14: Alcaracejos to Hinojosa del Duque. 23km.

We were prepared for another cold day when we left at 8am, wrapped up in our fleeces, leggings covering our legs and socks on our hands for gloves. It turned out to be not as bad as yesterday, it was still cold but there wasn't the biting wind blowing. It didn't take long for the sun to warm everything up and allow us to remove the leggings and socks from our hands but not warm enough to take off our fleeces.

After leaving the hostal we were wandering about outside looking at our guide book and also looking lost. A Spanish gentleman without us asking directed us to the Camino, pointing up the street and signalling a right turn. This took us along a walled lane and we were soon out of the town and into the open country. The profile of today's route was flat and it was, though the trail twisted and turned a bit which made it more interesting. Waymarking was very good again and we had no problems keeping on course.

It was all farming country that we passed through and it was mixed. The fields around the holm oak trees, where yesterday they had been a mass of white daisies, were ploughed round the trees ready for spring planting. Some had winter crops already through were giving the countryside a nice green colour. Some of the holm oaks looked really old, they have short very wide trunks knotted and gnarled with age producing peculiar shapes. Another 'spring first' for us was spotting some bright red poppies growing in the hedge rows. Sheep graving among the oaks were now more plentiful and we saw lots more cows in the barns feeding. One farm we passed had a huge herd of black goats that stopped eating to gaze at us as we made our way along the track.

We went through two villages today on the route. The first one, Villanueva del Duque after an hour, was reported to be a mining communitity of old. There was an information board relating to the mining in the area and the extraction and washing of the ore but it didn't say what the material being mined was. There was a monument in the square of a miner hauling what in South Africa is called a cocopan, a metal trolley for transporting the ore. The board told us to look out for derricks used in the mining but we didn't see any.

The second village, Fuente la Lancha, is said to be one of the smallest villages in the province of Cordoba but was actually quite a large place. A notice board told us that it had been designated a village in such and such a year, I thought a village was just a village and didn't require some sort of proclamation. The houses were very pretty painted white with the door jams and lintels made of the distinctive local granite that is found close to the surface. The fence posts are also made from the granite and at times we would mistake them for one of the Camino granite plaque waymarks.

When we left the second village we were on the road only for a short while until we crossed the Rio Guadamatilla then it was into the countryside again. The track now became very sandy and we had to stop a coule of times to shake the sand out of our shoes. With the flat track and good surfaces today we mad excellent time and were comfortably walking at 5km/hr. When we reached the Ermita de la Virgen de Guiana, a lovely little chapel with a picnic area we had just 3.5km to go and it was only 12:15am. But as usual the final section to the finish is the longest and the Camino took us through an industrial estate before getting to the outskirts of the town. Then it was a long trek to the centre only to find that the Hostal El Cazador was in the other direction on the A420 main road. By the time we got into our room it was 1:30pm.

We decided to have lunch right away and shower later. When we went down to the restaurant we found that lunch didn't start until 2pm for some reason and had a beer in the bar while we waited. We both had the same,salad to start and chicken and chips to follow. To cut down on what we are eating we didn't have any bread but took it in a 'doggy bag' for breakfast. For sweet Moira had an iced cream and I ordered an orange which also went into the bag, we shared the iced cream. Back in the room we had a lie down for an hour then went into town to look for a supermarket.

We headed up to the Cathedral and the town square but there weren't any shops, the place seemed dead. It wasn't just that it was a loner than usual siesta, there just weren't any shops in the town centre. After wandering around we were forced to ask directions to a 'supermarcado'.and eventually we found one and stocked up. We retraced our steps to the Cathedral and started to make our way back to the hostal only to find that we were close to the supermarket again, we had come in a full circle. Another her sign of spring were the storks in the nests on the steeples and high towers. There were quite a lot of nests in and around the Cathedral square, there was just one stork in each of the nests at the moment all sitting looking about for the arrival of their mates.

Back in our room at the hostal we settled down on the bed to relax and read. The room was lovely and warm from the heater we left on while we went out. Later we had a snack of bread and cheese with a cup of coffee then it was time to get to sleep.

Camino Mozarabe Day 13: Villaharta to Puerto del Calatraveno to Alcaracejos

Day 13: Villaharta to Puerto del Calatraveno to Alcaracejos. 21km.

We were up at our usual time and surprised while having breakfast when Thea and Dirk appeared packed and ready to go. They were heading down to the roundabout on the main road to catch the bus to Cordoba. They were giving themselves plenty of time, it was only 7 am and their bus wasn't for another 90 minutes. I thought about offering them a lift in our taxi at 8am down to the roundabout and save the walk but it was just as well that I didn't. We were down in the bar with 10 minutes to spare but the taxi didn't arrive until 8:30am, he said he had problems with his battery. He must have driven faster to make up time as he had us on the trail at 8:45am.

When we walked over to the taxi from the bar it felt a bit cold but I thought it was just the early chill, the sky was a cloudless blue and the sun was shining. I also had noticed on the weather forecast while in the bar watching the TV that the temperatures for the day were 4 - 15C but didn't think much about it. We did think about it when we began walking, there was a breeze blowing and it was freezing. We stopped after a short distance and put our rain jackets on top of our fleeces. That helped but our legs and hands were frozen, so another stop a little later to don our leggings and put a pair of gloves on our hands. We felt quite comfortable now but it stayed cold for a while, it was another couple of hours before we got rid of the leggings and 'gloves' but had to keep the fleeces on all day. 

Angel had told me that the route flattened out today. Initially we had a long steep drop on a rough stony track and it looked flat on the land that stretched out below us. But, it was an illusion, the route was very undulating for 10 km until we crossed the A435. This road goes back one way to the N502 where the taxi had dropped us off earlier and the other way continues to the town of Pozoblanco. The ups and downs on this first section weren't particularly long but were quite steep in places. On one hill we were going down while a bunch of mountain bikers were coming up, the leader well in front looked strong but the rest in varying degrees were struggling and 'tail end Charlie' was off his bike walking. The guide book gave a couple of rivers or streams to cross where we thought we might have to paddle but found that by-passes or good stepping stones have been constructed. The vegetation was a mixture of bush and moorland, there were no crops grown here but we did see sheep grazing, the first farm animals we had seen. The route markings were excellent and we didn't have to think about taking a wrong turning as they were all indicated clearly. At the A435 I sat on one of the marker stones for a seat while I brewed up some coffee. The wind was still very cold but we managed to get some shelter behind a bush.

The route once we crossed over the A435 now became flat on a wide gravel track. There were now lots more farms some with sheep and cattle, the fields were cultivated with Holm Oak trees. These trees are important for the hard wood and also the acorns are used as feed for pigs but we didn't see any pigs about. Truffles are also known to grow under the ground near the Holm Oak. After 5 km we reached Merendero which was supposed to be an Ermita or chapel but it was a cafe with a covered outdoor eating area and a park and picnic tables opposite. There were a lots of cars parked here and the cafe was doing a good business. The route now turned to the left onto, initially, a tarred section of road then changed to gravel. There were a lot of cars coming and going along the road to the cafe and park. It wasn't dangerous as the road was wide but on the gravel they create a lot of dust as they pass. This was now 5km on a flat straight road to our destination at the end. In the distance we could see the red roofs of houses and a large bank of solar panels hoping this was Alceracejos, happily it was.

There were a lot of narrow winding lanes before we reached the town centre where we saw a bar. It wasn't a hostal so Moira asked for directions; they sent us to an hotel not far away that wasn't mentioned in our guide book. We nearly booked in until I asked the price, E50, no thanks! We wandered about a bit more and eventually found the Hostal Las Tres Jotas, this was the place where our blogger friends stayed, and we paid the same price, E28. We had to go to the Tic Tac Bar opposite to book in and after showering went back there for 'menu del dia'.

It was late afternoon when we finished our meal and as normal we were full with eating too much. It had become cold again even though the sun was shining brightly, we decided to head back to our room and get the heater on. The WiFi was excellent and the BBC radio came through loud and clear. We spent the rest of the day reading and listening to the radio. For 'dinner' we satisfied ourselves with a cup of coffee still feeling full from lunch. It was 9pm when we turned out the light and got to sleep.

Camino Mozarabe Day 12: Villharta to Puerto del Calatraveno to Villaharta

Day 12: Villaharta to Puerto del Calatraveno to Villaharta. 21km.

We were both awake at 5:30am but lay on for another half an hour so as not to disturb the others in the flat. I then got up and made a cup of tea and we drank it in bed until our usual breakfast time. As we were returning here for tonight after our walk we didn't have to carry all our gear, I took just one rucksack with the cooker and what was needed for a cup of coffee. We went down to the bar 10 minutes early to wait for the taxi, he arrived on time which was a surprise.

It was down the hill we clambered up yesterday afternoon to the roundabout and out the N432 towards Espiel then he turned up the N502, the road to Alcaracejos. It was only about 7km up this road where he turned off to car park and monument, Puerto del Calatraveno, and dropped us off. He gave us instructions; follow the track, that ran from where he parked, down to where it joined the main Camino route then turn right heading back to Villaharta. We did this and it was about 500 metres and the plaque with the Camino Mozarabe emblem appeared at the junction. We were on our way.

This route was also supposed to be part of the GR40 trail but we didn't see any red and white flashes and were dependent only on the Camino waymarks. We have found it difficult enough following the markers going in the right direction but going the wrong way could be tricky. Our first problem arose shortly after we started when we came to a y-junction and we didn't know which leg of the 'y' the trail had come along; there were no markers on either of the approach roads. We picked the most likely and were lucky, further along our choice track we came across an arrow. That one was the worst problem, at other junctions it was more obvious what route to take and on the first half of the walk, to the Rio Guardalharbo, the waymarks were plentiful but after that they grew scarce. Fortunately the route was more or less straight with very few turns or deviations and where there were any the signs were excellent.

The sky was overcast when we set off but we expected it to clear as the sun got up. It didn't and it ended up raining, our first of the walk. It wasn't heavy just a slight drizzle but it soon got us wet; fortunately Moira had packed our rain jackets in the rucksack. It didn't last very long but we had to keep our rainwear handy as the sky remained cloudy. The track was very good and fast, gravel in places and in others hard packed earth which was smooth and flat. There were some climbs and steep drops as the route made its way through quite hilly country. The vegetation was bushes and small trees, the only cash crop being grown was again olives which seem to thrive well at higher altitudes.

We had two rivers to cross according to the map. The first, a dried up river, the Arroyo Lorito had a bridge over it. The second the Rio Guardalharbo just had steeping stones which I negotiated but Moira preferred to take off her shoes and socks and paddle. Approaching this second river was where we became concerned about a lack of waymarks. There was a long steep drop to the river and we hadn't seen an arrow for some time. The worry was that if we didn't see one soon it would be a long climb up the slope again back to our last sighting. Fortunately when we reached the river there was an arrow on a rock by the bank. It was the same as we climbed the other side, not an arrow until we reached the top of the hill. When we founded we were safely on track again it was celebrated with a stop and a cup of coffee.

Earlier after we had been walking for 90 minutes we met the German guy who stayed at the flat last night. He had left this morning at 7:30am and had been on the go for 2.5 hours, he was trekking the whole way to Alcaracejos today. There were again signs on the route giving distances which like yesterday were strange. When we started the sign gave 18 km to Alceracejos, the book said 21km. Later, another gave 26 km to Alceracejos meaning we had 12 km to Villaharta while I estimated it nearer 8 km to our destination. As we neared the end it was a long long climb and we hoped to see the houses of Villaharta as we crested the top. We didn't see anything but eventually we reached a road and a car stopped and told us that the town was down the hill. But, we were detoured off the road to a grassy track and a sign that said Villaharta 2 km. This one turned out to be correct and GR red and white flashes now appeared. It seemed a long couple of kays but soon the houses came into sight and we were entering the town.

It was after 1pm and we thought the shops would be closed for siesta but a small supermarket was still open and Moira bought a packet of soup and some fresh bread for lunch. We sat in the lounge for an hour reading then showered before going down to the bar to pick up the WiFi. We had a beer and downloaded the newspaper. Theadora and Dirk were there having lunch and we chatted to them. They had spent the morning just wandering about the local area and were planning to take the bus to Cordoba tomorrow then home to the Netherlands. When we went upstairs again we had the newspaper to read and I had a crossword to tackle. The weather had improved, the clouds cleared away and the sun was out again. Thea and Dirk were out on the balcony of the flat in swimwear sunbathing, we sat on the chairs there but found it cold and decided to come inside.

Moira cooked dinner in the kitchen tonight and it was a change from 'menu del dia'. We had chicken and pasta with tomato sauce, very nice. I did the washing up then spent a couple of hours reading before getting to bed. I slept well after making sure I didn't have a siesta today after our walk.

Camino Mozarabe Day11: Cerro Muriano to Villaharta.

Day 11: Cerro Muriano to Villaharta. 21km.

I was wakened before 6am this morning probably due to having a siesta yesterday afternoon. I made a cup of tea and then downloaded the paper to read before getting the breakfast made. We were packed up and off at 7:45am this morning. It was another lovely day, a bit cooler than the previous few but it would warm up.

The route was straight out along the N432A that ran through the town. At the edge of town there was a board for a walking route. It was for the Sendero de Sierra Morena, the GR48 route from Cerro Muriano to Villaharta, that the Camino also made use of. It gave the profile of the route and it slowly rose about 100 m over about 20 km before a few steep climbs near the end, so most of it was relatively flat.

The route followed the main road from the town and we passed a large military barracks with the soldiers out parading. As we walked along the route some of the women recruits came past us on a training run. The first place to go through after 3.5 km was Estacion de Obejo this was a former railway station with a small community around it. The railway line was still I evidence and we had walked along the remains of it yesterday that was converted to the Camino. Here it was more preserved with the track and rails still in place but no trains now running. After the village the route ran between the old railway and the N422A until the small town of El Vicar. The track was mostly wide and gravel underfoot but in places it was very wet and muddy, fortunately in these sections a bypass had been created through drier ground. A new road, I think it was the now N432, had been built and this carried all the traffic, the 'A' version though still a very good road was vacant and ran beside it. The Camino could have comfortably gone along this road but it ran on a parallel track probably cut when it was this had been the busy highway.

When we reached El Vicar, about halfway, we stopped at a nice bench in the village square for coffee and a biscuit. After leaving the village it was on the old N432A for about 4km which were flat and we made good time. The profile now corresponded with the one on the route board we saw at the start this morning and we began a steep ascent. The old road disappeared and it was a gravel track beside the new highway. As we came over the top a signpost said Villaharta 6km, I had estimated by the speed we were walking that it was nearer to 4 km. then as we dropped down and through a tunnel to under the N432 to the Fuente de los Malos Pasos there was another 'mile post' saying 2.5km to go. This was now too little as although we could now see Villaharta it was not that close. After walking a further 30 minutes another sign told us Villaharta 1.7 km, this one was about right. It was now another ascent to the town over some rough ground but with our destination so near there was again a spring in our steps.

Tomorrow's stage from Villaharta to Alcaracejos was a distance of 37 km. with seemingly no alternative but to do the whole distance. This had been worrying us from Day1, as we didn't think we could manage it. Cicerone said there was a bus service to a town off the route, Espiel, and we considered taking it then seeing if there was bus from there to Alcaracejos. When we arrived in the town centre we looked around hopefully for a bus stop and instead found a pub, Bar Mirasierra, with a plaque saying 'Info for Peregrinos'. We went in to have a beer and see if they knew about buses. The owner was extremely helpful and made himself understood even though he had no English. He told us about the buses, one at 7pm and the other tomorrow morning at 11am. As an alternative he suggested, with the help of his son who spoke some English, to take walk to a point about halfway and take a path to the road where a taxi could pick us up and return us to Villaharta. The next day take the taxi again to the halfway point and finish the stage to Alcaracejos. He would arrange the taxi that was run by his son-in-law. We liked the idea but preferred to go by taxi firstly to the halfway point and walk back, that way not having to phone and wait for the taxi to hopefully come and pick us up. With that arranged it was just a matter of accommodation and he had that as well, next door he had a flat with three bedrooms, lounge, kitchen and bathroom for E30; it was ideal. The owner of Bar Mirasierra was called Angel Garcia Ruiz and he was an angel anyone doing this Camino call here for excellent service. We thought we would be on our own but a German guy arrived while we were having lunch followed much later by a Dutch couple, so the flat was full.

We had arranged to have lunch at the bar before we found out there was a kitchen. We went down after showering and had just two of the main dishes which we shared, a mixed salad and some sort of fried meat in batter with chips. It was very nice and just enough with a bottle of red wine. Again I was dead beat after the walk and lunch, I'm getting like the Spanish and enjoying a siesta for a hour or so. I got up about 5 pm and found the other arrivals while I was sleeping were the Dutch couple we walked with to Santa Cruz a few days ago. There names are Theadora and Dirk from Utrecht in the Netherlands, they were going to finish at Cordoba but had time in hand to do a bit more. Moira asked them if they wanted to share the taxi with us tomorrow to do half the long section but our 8am start was too early for them and they are finishing now anyway.

We sat in the lounge and had a sandwich later for dinner. It had an enormous TV which didn't work very well but all the programmes are in Spanish so it didn't matter. The WiFi that was good in the bar downstairs didn't extent to flat unfortunately, so there wasn't any radio to listen to tonight. We read for a while and I tried the crossword in the newspaper. Eventually we went to bed, it was too early and with my siesta I wasn't particularly tired and didn't sleep very well.

Camino Mozarabe Day 10: Cordoba to Cerro Muriana.

Day 10: Cordoba to Cerro Muriano.

It was just before 8am when we set off for another day on the Camino. It was warm enough not requiring leggings but it was a bit overcast. When the sun got higher and it became hotter the light cloud cleared away and it turned into a beautiful day. It was easy making our way through the city after our 'practice run' yesterday, we knew where all the sign boards were to be found high on the walls. From the busy road at the top edge of our street map, Ronda del Marrubial, it was a left turn into Sagunto, that was where we had coffee yesterday, now it was into new territory as we turned left and along Cinco Caballeros. This narrow lane came to a busy double carriageway street, Avenida King Carlos III, where there was a large block of stone with the Camino symbols on it and an arrow pointing to a road continuation opposite. This road turned out to be Avenida de Blas Infante, this was the avenue that Cicerone said the waymarks started again and they did with yellow arrows now showing us the way. Unfortunately our guide book is a bit old and improvements have obviously been made to the Camino, as the route guidance through Cordoba is actually excellent now.

Avenida de Blas Infante was on the far outskirts of Cordoba and as the  houses ended we went under a railway line and into the country. It wasn't quite countryside with the now gravel track near a motorway and a 'spaghetti' junction to go under. Soon it was over an old bridge then things quietened down but the tracks alternated between dirt roads and tracks, and with tarred minor roads. Then we went through a small dormitory village which was just being built when our Cicerone was written. The main road through the village was quiet and had a wide pavement but the waymarks kept the Camino away from it using narrow paths and back streets instead. We had experiences along this section similar to the bloggers we follow, finding ourselves walking through piles of rubbish discarded along the sides of the trail. 

After we had been walking for 2 hours we stopped at a convenient set of rocks to make a cup of coffee. Shortly after we started again the trail crossed an old Roman bridge that was mentioned in the guide book and came to the start of a local walking route, Canada Real Soriana. The board with the map and details of this route, that coincide with the Camino, said it was 4.5 km long and finished when it met the N432A, the road that went on to Cerro Muriano. This short section was a delight, it was narrow mountain paths that kept climbing up the edge of a ridge. It was through woodland with various types of trees and bushes, not an olive grove in sight. It was tough climbing but the changes in scenery and the lovely mountain path seemed to put a spring into our steps as we moved steadily upwards.

When we reached the N432A we thought it would be on the road until the end but it was only on a track beside the highway for a short distance. Then there were big signs telling everyone that this was the Camino de Santiago and funded by the EU, and these directed us to more climbing over a last hill before our destination came into view. These local tracks and paths were a favourite with mountain bikers and trail runners and we saw a number of them as we made our way. Another happening as we came down the hill into Cerro Muriano, we heard our first cuckoo of the year. It was a change the approach to Carro Muriano, as it wasn't long after first seeing the town that we were walking along the N422A which was the Main Street. 

Another thing that was out of date with Cicerone and even the blog was their information on accommodation. The impression was that there wasn't very much here and maybe have to consider catching a bus back to Cordoba for an hotel, but there was an advert on a post coming into town for an albergue and in the town there were at least two hostals. Our hotel, Casa de Colonel, was through the town according to a map supplied on its web site. As we left the town there wasn't anything resembling an hotel so we went back to a shop to ask for directions. We were guided back into town to Bar X who they said owned the hotel. We ended up in a room at this bar as they had our booking form from the Internet.

The room was very nice and we immediately showered after a short but hard day's  walk. When we were changed and freshened up we went down to the restaurant for lunch. We had the 'menu del dia' and as usual it was too much. I was full and exhausted afterwards and as soon as we were back in the room I lay on the bed; I slept for over an hour. When I woke up Moira phoned Suzy on Face Time and we saw Hollie crawling about the floor. She is becoming very lively.

The WiFi signal was very good and we were able to get the BBC radio without any interruptions. We listened to it and read until it was time to get to sleep. After such a big lunch we weren't hungry and in the evening we only had a cup of coffee and an apple. It was about 9:30 pm when we got to sleep.

Camino Mozarabe Day 9: Rest day in Cordoba

Day 9: Rest day in Cordoba.

We had a lazy start to the day, relaxing after breakfast and reading the paper, we managed to get WiFi at last and downloaded the 'Telegraph'. It was 9am when we got out and a little chilly, but it promised to be another nice warm day. The first thing we did when we left the hotel was head for the Cathedral.

It cost E8 each to visit the mosque that had been converted to a Cathedral. It was breathtaking as soon as we entered. The inside was very like the mosque we had been to in Casablanca with a huge central area that was just a mass of columns and archways. When it was taken over as a Christian Cathedral the area between the columns  around the walls had been converted into separate chapels with much statuary, paintings and religious decoration which is abhorrent to the Islam Faith. The centre of the floor area and been built into a typical Spanish type altar with lots of gold and elaborate decoration. The carvings of the choir stalls and on the ceilings were particularly impressive. A lot of the carvings had been restored and may be quite modern but examples of the remains of the originals were on display in museum cases. We spent well over a hour there and it was certainly worth the visit.

While in the Cathedral we spoke to a man from Sweden who told us that the gardens were worth seeing, they were free to pensioners. Unfortunately we couldn't find the gardens he was referring to, the ones running down the length of the city walls weren't particularly exciting and were free anyway. Instead we decided to trace the route for leaving the city tomorrow. We checked at two different tourist offices but they weren't any help not knowing anything about the Camino. I asked for directions to the Avenida Blas Infante where Cicerone says the waymarking begins again; they didn't know where the road was and had to check on the computer, the conclusion was that it was way off the edge of the city street map. Instead we decided to start at the Camino Mozarabe de Santiago sign we had seen high on the wall of the Cathedral just over the Roman bridge we crossed yesterday. 

It turned out that the route was well marked. We followed the signs to where we saw others last night near the Iglesia de Santiago. From there they directed us along narrow streets to the Iglesia San Lorenzo then it was up to a busy street, Ronda del Marrubial. Now we turned into a small street and were off the map. By now we were quite happy that the route was well marked and there were now road signs directing traffic to the N432 which was on our route, so we turned back. First we had a break for a coffee at a nearby cafe and checked the map. I found that there was a more direct route to where we were if we took the major avenues round the outside of the inner city. We decide to return to Hostal Alcazar that way.

When we reached Ronda del Marrubial again we turned in the other direction meeting  Avenida de las Ollerias a busy tree lined thoroughfare. That then took us to the Avenida de America where we strolled through tree lined gardens before turning down more street gardens on Avenida Servantes. These garden walks led all the way to the city walls where we were earlier this morning. On the way we saw a Chinese restaurant offering a 'menu del dia' for E6.50. I don't 

actually like Chinese food but decided to give it a try. It was very good, we both had the same, spring roll and salad to start, then duck with rice, and finishing with iced cream, there was also a beer to wash it all down. While we were walking along these shopping areas we were on the lookout for an ironmonger's or hardware shop. We found one and asked for a Camping Gaz cyclinder for our cooker, we even had the burner attachment to show what we required. He didn't have any but a customer who was there marked on our map the street with a shop that he thought might have them. As it was after 1am and siesta time we reckoned it would be closed so decided to go later this afternoon. In the meantime we headed back to the hotel for a break and a rest. The conclusion after our route research was the main Avenida option was much longer and we would be better to stick to following the signs tomorrow.

We spent a couple of hours in the cool of our room until 4:30 pm relaxing and reading today's newspaper which Moira had downloaded. When we went out it had cooled down and was a pleasant evening as we made our way to find the shop, that the man had marked on our map, for a Gaz cylinder. It was up near the Iglesia San Lorenzo where we had walked this morning following the Camino signs but this time we took a more direct route, more or less straight up from the river. On the way we came across another ironmonger's and he had the small puncture type Gaz containers in the window, but it was still siesta time. We went to a bench to sit and wait the 1 minute until 5 pm his opening time expecting it to be 10. But, surprise, surprise, we were hardly sat down and there he was opening up. Our joy evaporated when he gave us a blank look when Moira showed him the burner attachment and all he could offer was the puncture type we saw in the window which we were under the impression were now illegal for safety reasons.

We continued on our way to the spot marked on our map. It was only a short distance from the San Lorenzo church and we remembered seeing a truck delivering large gas canisters there this morning. Not now holding out much hope we found the shop and in the window it had gas appliances of all shapes and sizes so we might be lucky. But it was closed, it's hours were from 9am to 2pm then closed for the rest of the day. We decided as tomorrow was a short walk, only 18 km we would leave later and get here for it opening at 9am. Not yet giving up on our quest for gas we headed for a shopping mall near the river that had the Eroski supermarket sign on top. The thought was that there may be a Decathlon sports shop there and they sell Camping Gaz equipment.

Rather than take the main road to the river we made our way through the narrow quiet lanes with overhanging balconies, typically Spanish. They were mostly traffic free but occasionally we had to press our bodies against the wall to allow a car to pass. At the mall we had no joy finding a Decathlon so decided to do some shopping at Eroski before heading back to the hotel. It was more a hypermarket then a supermarket and we looked at the sports section only to find a shelf with Gaz cyclinders of all sizes, at last we got what we were looking for. We did our other shopping, bread, milk, etc then headed for the hotel.

When we reached the Roman bridge we cut up past the Cathedral and through the town. I was looking for the Spanish Inquisition museum; an American that was staying at our hotel told me last night he had visited it and found it gruesome, it was in amongst the trashy souvenir shops. There was a passageway with suits of armour on display and stories about the Inquisition on information boards but the main exhibition was in six rooms costing E3 each to go in. We didn't bother. Instead we continued our walk round and went up a lane to the Synagogue. There was a signpost directing us up this lane but nothing on the buildings indicating which one was the Synagogue, everything was closed anyway. From there we came to the city walls and returned through the gardens to our hotel.

We had a snack of bread and cheese with some wine then settled down to read. The Internet signal was good and we were able to listen to the radio. It was budget day in the UK which was the main news with the Chancellor giving us a little help by increasing our tax free allowance. Later we listened to the quiz, 'Brain of Britain'. Before going to bed Moira managed to get us booked into an hotel in Cerro Muriano where we finish tomorrow's section.