Caudete to Almansa

The scenery is settling into flat land and cultivated fields. Mountains are now in the rear view mirror. Since it’s springtime, the crops are growing (lettuce, wheat, artichokes, corn) and the trees are green (lots of olives, almonds, and other fruit trees I can’t identify). But the surrounding hills and rocky outcrops are brown and desolate. We are not in wildflower country, which I was sort of expecting. But the landscape makes for more introspection, as the backdrop doesn’t grab my attention as much. So the hours are filled with thought about trivial things, interesting things, and even important things on occasion. But I have not yet solved any of life’s greatest problems.

I have walked a route that crisscrosses with this one —the Levante from Valencia. The next two nights will be in places I’ve been before. For those who wonder why I would ever go back to the same place, here’s a passage from a Portuguese. Nobel prize winner, that I really love.

"The end of one journey is simply the start of another. You have to see what you missed the first time, see again what you already saw, see in springtime what you saw in summer, in daylight what you saw at night, see the sun shining where you saw the rain falling, see crops growing, the fruit ripen, the stone which has moved, the shadow that was not there before. You have to go back to the footsteps already taken, to go over them again or add fresh ones alongside them.You have to start the journey anew. Always"
Jose Saramago, A Journey to Portugal

After a delicious lunch, it was time to visit the castle. All I can say is - fabulous.Read more