La Calzada de Bejar 2019/4/9
The albergue in La Calzada de Bejar was a success. Really good diner in the evening together wirh the other peregrinos. Quiet night and early breakfast.
Simple stage, although we almost reached 1,000 meters of altitude. The stage was equally split between nice dirt tracks and asfalt road.
There was two places in between with some kind of service, i.e. café con leche.
Fuenterroble de Salvatierre is a one street little village with a charming albergue.
Tonight comunal eating at the albergue.
Fuenterroble
Long and lonely stage, without intermediate locations or services. First a long and comfortable approach to the Pico de la Dueña.
Then a progressive ascent and descent to said mountain.
Last, the monotonous track next to a local highway.
An Ente family taking care of me.
And here we see the difference between a field with pigs and a field without.
San Pedro de Rozados
Really cold day to wake up to. It’s the first day I start walking in long pants, extra fleece layer, wool cap and wool gloves.
The most interesting part of the day, still through forests and meadows, are the first kilometers past Morille, the only intermediate town at the foot of the road.
Then, through extensive openings, on a somewhat monotonous route, we gradually approach the university city of Salamanca, visible on the horizon.
Then it’s time for a beer before we go to the hostal. Og course at Plaza Mayor.
Salamanca
Yesterday I was pretty tired after two damn cold days. I woke up at 8:30 am without being embarrassed.
And no hurry because the plan for the day was only a short walk to Calzada de Valdunciel. So I had the time to get a good breakfast, buy some food for the day and !! find a peluqueria and cut the beard.
Very open landscape and very flat. Absolutely no service in the two small pueblos I passed.
But you had the chance to just lay down in the grass and enjoy the life.
Calzada de Valdunciel is a fine little village. And my albergue is simply perfect.
Calzada de Valdeunciel
The meseta in Castilla y León, can be a very harsh experience if the wind is strong and cold. But today nearly no wind, so the only challenge is that there is absolutely no protection against the sun.
But there is a solution to everything.
My albergue and my clothes hanging out to dry.
Zamora
Domingo de Ramos, Palm Sunday in Zamora.
In Zamora Palm Sunday has a very concrete meaning.
Zamora
Soft music in the albergue at 7 a’clock signals wake-up. The city is still sleeping when I leave half an hour later.
Today I walked on a stoney red-yellow dirt track with a heavy wind in the back. There was a bar in Montamarta, after 18km.
Along the way, some great motorway systems must be crossed. Here it’s A-66 running parallel to the old N-630.
The next photo shows a bridge over a lake without water.
In Riego del Camino I went to Casa Camino. That was a good choice. The hospitalera lived in the house so it was like being invited into a family house.
Fine day, a little long, 35km, but very ok.
There lives 117 persons in this little village.
Riego del Camino
Placid and pleasant stage, in a solitary environment, with moderate differences.
After Puente Quintos, on the Esla River, I cross a stretch of steep path. A little like Norway.
These beautiful trees breaks the monotony of the preceding stages.
The rest of the day goes by long and comfortable dirt tracks. At the entrance to Tábara we see the church of Santa María.
Tábara
Wednesday in Semana Santa is total relaxation for me.
It looks as too many peregrinos is going for Santa Marta de Tera (which also was my plan). I have four extra days I need to put in, so I reach Santiago the day before I’m flying back to Copenhagen.
Conclusion: I walk only to Villanueva de las Peras, some 14-15 km. The albergue is perfect and so is the bar/restaurant in the pueblo also.
Although the pueblo is called Villanueva it is not everything here which is new.
This is a photo of the red-yellow mud which is so wonderful to walk on when dry. But very awful when wet – in seconds you have 2kg mud klinging to your boots. Actually you can build houses with that mud.
I don’t the result is very stable.
Villanueva de las Peras
I had the albergue all for my self.
I’m very fascinated by all these mud remains.
And now I’m crossing and following río Tera to Calzadilla de las Teras. The albergue is very basic. Six beds, toilets and no more. I was the first, then arrived an english and a little later three belgiums, father and his to sons.
This was just a place for sleeping.
Calzadilla de Tera
Going out of Calzadilla more of those mud buildings.
The landscape changed and it sll became very beautiful.
Of course there was an ugly bridge in order to cross río Tera.
I this fantastic, very lonely landscape I see the albergue of Rehoboth.
The albergue is of a Christian family of South African origin, who has dedicated a good part of his life to helping orphaned children in Zambia and India. After doing the Camino de Santiago they bought a ruin in Villar de Farfón and built this cozy albergue.
The weather was not the best, but everything else was.
And then I came to Rionegra de la Puente, a quiet friday with fly-fishers enjoying the last days in the semana santa.
The albergue in Rionegro was very ok. And the restaurant across the street served gourmet food at peregrino prices.
Pedro, a spanish guy I have met earlier arrived. Also a group with a pair from Ireland, Mike and Ann, and two german sisters, Christina and Angelica.
It was a cosy evening.
Rionegro del Puente
Sunny morning and day. The first section to Mombeuy rather flat. It is difficult to see, but it’s Mike and Ann in front. Mombeuy was the first chance to get café con leche and something to eat.
Herafter a nice stage, more wooded and changing landscape than in the previous stages, and with numerous villages of passage.
It was a hot and fine day.
The albergue in Asturianos was a little annex room to a sportplace. Only 6 beds. I had an awfull night with my heavy couph.
Asturianos
I have a really hard cough, very persistent. Okay, the day starts cool but with sun.
A little funny butterfly, nearly invisibly on the track.
Here we have Mike and Ann in front. The two sisters Cristina and Angelica is a little behind. We have a wonderful walking to Puebla de Sanabria, which is about midway on today’s route.
Pueblo de Sanabria is on a top high over the surrounding area. It’s sunday, with a lot of tourists. After coffe and a sandwich are we ready to continue. And then it begins to rain.
Not much. Not more than I can handle with my umbrella. But my cough is definitely taking the top of my energy. So when we reach Requejo and our albergue I’m dead tired.
Requejo
A good nights sleep (13 hours) is very rewarding. The couph has nearly gone.
My company the last three days are going to use a taxa because of short of time. So I’m on my own, first 10km up to Padornelo, then 8km down to Lubián.
The start was very okay, but suddenly I ran into a very big road construction area.
There was no arrows, nothing to indicate the camino, so I simply tried to hold me as close to my gps track as possibly. Very steep ascent, 30 degree I guess.
At the top shortly before Padornelo there was of course a little cruz.
After a short coffee break it went down again. The sign and the route was a little confusing, but after some kilometers the landscape became more and more beautiful.
Lubián is a little charming pueblo, some 300 inhabitants. It is one of the few bilingual municipalities in the province of Zamora. Its inhabitants habitually use Spanish as well as Galician. And we are only 10km from the the border to Portugal.
And this is my habitación individual before I got it totally vandalized.
Next Galícia