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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    1
    Day 14

    Sevilla at night — for Irene

    Yesterday in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Since I am not walking tomorrow, I took advantage and walked through Santa Cruz and the Judería after dinner. And then around the Cathedral as night fell. It is beautiful. I also got a great ice cream. How could I resist? There had been a huge line there all day and as I went by on my way back to the hotel, there was only one other person there. My first ice cream on this Camino, and it was really good. The name of the store Abuela in case you are looking for a great ice cream in Sevilla. You will recognize it by the long line!Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    1
    Day 14

    The Alcázar and surroundings

    Yesterday in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Though our rooms weren’t ready when we arrived, we were able to drop off our backpacks and change from trail runners to Chacos. We headed to the Real Alcázar, where we had different entry times because of availability (and this was several months ago!)

    I had forgotten how beautiful the Alcázar is. I don’t think I had ever visited the Cuarto Real (royal apartments, parts of which are still used by the royal family when they’re in town), and that was a treat. The gardens are cool and lush, and the patios and interior rooms will definitely remind you of the Alhambra (no surprise there). The Moorish parts span the 10th to 13th centuries, and when Fernando III of Castilla took Sevilla in the late 1200s, the Catholics kept adding on to the original building. Even Fernando e Isabel added some rooms. Incredibly crowded but still gob-smacking.

    I did not venture far afield but after a very good tapas meal in El Baratillo, I went through Santa Cruz and the Judería. Sevilla’s centro histórico is just beautiful. So happy to have had this time here, end of the 250 km Via Serrana.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    Day 14

    To SEVILLA!!! (17 km, no elevation!)

    Yesterday in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today we had a really nice walk. Entrances into big cities are usually kind of ugly and garbage filled, but this one was very pleasant. It took us a while to get out of Dos Hermanos, which is a bedroom town for Sevilla now. But once we were out., we walked through nice fields, until we got to the outskirts of Sevilla. No industry, no illegal garbage dumps, no big commercial areas. There is a huge military cuartel (barracks) in a beautiful building about 5 km outside of town. We had a nice chat with the guard who explained that both the Guardia Civil and other military personnel live in these barracks.

    The Camino essentially took us down a promenade that used to be filled with mansions. Some are still standing, but many have been replaced by modern buildings.

    We went past the soccer stadium, and into the beautiful Maria Luisa park,where we had our first bit of evidence that Sevilla is mobbed with tourists, From the Plaza de España, we made our way to the main tourist center and went to the Cathedral for our pilgrim stamp.

    We are staying in the same hotel I have stayed in twice, when I walked the Via de la Plata. It’s still a one star hotel, but it’s prices are no longer one star level. Sevilla has become very expensive. I last stayed here in 2013 or 14, and the room that I’m paying €110 for today cost 30 or 10 years ago

    Luckily, we bought tickets months ago to visit the Real Alcázar, can’t wait!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    Day 12

    To Dos Hermanas (41 km, 150 m)

    April 22 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    This is a longer day than I would have wanted to do, but cascading events made it the only choice if I wanted to walk the whole way.

    Jumping ahead to Thursday— we have train tickets to take us from Sevilla, where this camino ends, to Ponferrada, where the Invierno begins. Our train leaves at 9:30, so the only way to have a good chunk of time in Sevilla was to have a short day tomorrow, which in turn required a long day today.

    It was hard for me, even with essentially no elevation gain. The first part was lovely — rural and mostly off road. I had a long break in a charming plaza in Utrera and began the second half about noon. A good chunk was through the very shady and quiet Cañada Real, but the last 9 km were out in the sun, on a dirt road, alongside the train tracks. It was a case of mind over matter, step by step. I got to our little apartment by about 4:45, pretty wiped out. We are now going for pizza to a highly rated pizzeria owned by an Italian.

    But having a 15 km day tomorrow into beautiful Sevilla will be one reward for this penitential day.
    And the other reward is that I now have proof positive that there will be no more 40 km days for me. It’s good to have a reality check, and to get a good understanding of what makes sense for this old lady.

    And here are two good tidbits— I heard from my friend in Santiago that my duffel bag finally arrived. And my power bank looks like it has revived itself!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    3
    1
    Day 12

    To El Coronil (31 km, 440 m)

    April 22 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Great day! The first half, to the town of Montellano, was all track, through ag lands with people out and about, always happy to stop and chat. Olive groves, sunflower fields just sprouting, and some green fields of grain along with some that were ready to harvest. And the wildflowers, oh the wildflowers! There was a small castle way up on a hill, but I wasn’t even tempted to climb up! And several Moorish atalayas (watch towers) in sight in several directions.

    In Montellano, I got a stamp in the town hall, with a nice chat about the Via Serrana with the two functionaries. The last 12 km into El Coronil were also very nice, except for the 4 km on the side of a fairly busy road with a shoulder that was overgrown with wildflowers.

    There was a “water feature” on this stage, which meant getting over to the side of the running current, finding some branches to cross the stream, and then walking in water up to my knees and crawling through an opening of about 2 feet between branches. This meant taking off my backpack and carefully transporting things from side to side. I know this is a terrible description, but believe me, it was a big challenge, and I was happy to make it with just my feet and legs wet. But the reward soon after was a 13 century Moorish castle that was really impressive.

    As I arrived in Montellano, I saw the turn-off for the consulta médica and headed in. I was very sure I had an infection, and even though I know exactly how to treat it, Spain has really clamped down on its pharmacists. No prescription, no nothing. Not at all like the old days.

    But this visit was quick and painless. I entered an empty office, with one doctor and two nurses, one assistant, and me. They asked for my health care card, but when I said I was from the US, they shrugged and gave me the cup. No more than 5 minutes later I was out of there with a prescription and a second prescription in case I still had symptoms a few days later. My Belgian friend Sabine was exactly right – Monurol was the medicine of choice. They had no way to charge me for the visit— this is a regional health care center, open 24 hours a day, with no billing office, no cash register, and no insurance forms to fill out. For someone from the US, it was mind-blowing.

    Clare found a great restaurant and we had an excellent menú del día, nothing like yesterday’s glop. Casa Miguel, in case you are ever in El Coronil.

    Two days to Sevilla! I can’t believe it.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    2110
    Day 11

    To Coripe (26.5 km and 470 m)

    April 21 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    It’s hard to believe we climbed 470 m when our destination is at a lower elevation than our starting point, but since it was almost entirely on a Via Verde (rails to trails), the grade was very gentle and continuously up and down. There were about 20 tunnels to walk through—some lit better than others and done with no lights. Our little challenge for the day.

    We left our little pension at about 7:30 and by 2 we were at our Casa Rural in Coripe. It’s hard to imagine a stage more different than yesterday’s. This was a stage with no variation in scenery, not much to see along the way. It was all scrub on high undulating hills, but there was an impressive outcropping or two interspersed. And they came with some big raptors. But basically, it was one of those days when the camino goes inward, me and my thoughts.

    We walked into the small town of Coripe just as they were finishing their celebration of 130 years as a municipality. It’s a small place with a small store (closed on Sunday) and a few bars. We found one that had some food, and had an iceberg lettuce salad. Then came a “campero” — a plate of eggs, french fries, jamón serrano, shrimp and who knows what else mixed up. I won’t say it was gross, because I ate a lot of it, but I will say that yesterday’s meal bears no resemblance to this. It’s all part of the total package.

    Having a washing machine is always a real treat, even though the Spanish lavadoras are incomprehensible to me. The cycle took more than 3 hours, so we now have no sun and little daylight left to dry our clothes!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    1
    113
    Day 10

    To Olvera (18 km and 540 m up)

    April 20 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    It’s hard to imagine a more perfect short day. It had a little bit of everything that I love about the Camino — beautiful countryside, interesting churches, chances to talk with people living their lives, a great stopping mid-point for a Kas de Limón (terrace with a view), a few aerobic ascents, a charming pensión, a beautiful castle to climb, and a fabulous restaurant.

    The first bit to Torre Alhaquime was all cropland. Many green fields but some that looked brown and barren. Much to our surprise, we saw people out there working in those brown fields. Turns out it’s asparagus picking. Backbreaking work that must be done by hand because the shoots mature at totally different times. The man we talked to had a family business. He said that between February and May, they come out to the fields every day, and slice off by hand the ones that are ready. He told us that today’s crop would be heading to Germany.

    We had a long, gentle decent to the town, where there were remnants of an Arab fortress, and walls that used to surround the town. We had a nice break out on a terrace. In the bar, 3 tables of men were playing dominos. After that, 4 km to our destination, with a few huffing and puffing ascents. In the middle was the chapel of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, a Virgen who answers many petitions.

    In Olvera, we are in a 5-room old style, family-run pension. We walked up to the castle and then had a great meal in Tarara. If you are looking for a really good restaurant in the area, this is the one. Kind of a foodie place.

    Post-prandial activities will include walking up to a garden on a promontory and going to a grocery store.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    2335
    Day 9

    Ronda-Acenipo-Sentenil-28 km 750 m upu

    April 19 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We decided to take a slight detour to the Roman ruins at Acinipo and then continue on to Setenil. It added a few km, and it probably had more road walking than the camino route, but it was worth it. The weather was very cool, sunny, and extremely windy. Though we didn’t walk in any mountains today, they were never out of sight. Lots of Olive Groves (the first I’ve seen on this walk) and fields of bright emerald green. With the wind blowing at such high speeds, you could see waves in the fields as the grass blew around. It reminded me of the meseta on the Camino Frontis.

    Acinipo once had a population of about 2,000 in the 2-3 C. All that remains are the ruins of the baths, ruins of the domus (noble house), and the theater. The setting is high on a hill, with clear views in all directions. The theater, with its circular seating carved directly out of the granite rock face, was the most imposing and interesting.

    We got to Sentenil, designated as one of the prettiest Pueblos in Spain, and I think it is a worthy designation. We’re in a very cute Casa Rural with a stunning view over this town below. We have walked around a little bit, climbing up and down, and looking at the two “cave streets”, one on each side of the river. The river is now very small, but over the millennia it carved out these long promenades. It’s pretty impressive. Touristy, but not too much.

    The one snafu of the day was that I woke up to find that my power bank was not charging. This is a problem, because my phone is old and only holds a charge for four hours or so. There seemed to be two options — one, to stay in Ronda till everything opened, or two, just walk as normal to Setenil and hope that the little computer/phone/technology store in town has them. No way was I going to sit in Ronda till stores opened, so on we went. I was able to speak with the owner of the store in Setenil, from the Roman ruins, and he told me he had power banks and that he would be open in the afternoon at five. I got to the store at six, and it is closed. Still waiting with fingers crossed that I will be able to get a new bank.

    Update: I sat waiting on the stoop for 45 minutes with a very chatty young man who was also waiting. He kept me entertained with many stories about his children, his job, the weather, the Virgen de Los Remedios in tomorrow’s town. But I got a new power bank! It’s much heavier than my old one, but I am HAPPY to have it!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    1
    Day 8

    Afternoon in Ronda

    April 18 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    One of the real advantages of having a relatively short day into a very nice place is that the afternoon is just there waiting for you to explore. Since we were both in our hotel rooms by a little after one, we met for lunch at two.

    After lunch, we walked down to the Moorish baths, which my Wikiloc guide (Island Walker) tells us are repurposed Roman baths. They are well preserved and very atmospheric. From the bottom, where the baths are, we had to go back up to the top, over to the other side, and then down, to get to the newly opened path down to the bottom of the Puente Nuevo. This is a very safe and easy to navigate path, which they call the Desfiladero (gorge). There is another phase planned, so stay tuned.

    I went to the church of Santa Maria La Mayor, got a stamp in my credencial, and walked up onto the roof. Good views. Clare had already been up there, so she waited down below and had a beer. Time for bed for this Peregrina!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    21
    Day 8

    To Ronda!!! 21 km and 850 m

    April 18 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Lots of up and down today, but it was a short distance in terms of kilometers so it was all very manageable. I started out in a not so great way – walking down to the train station with Clare (she took a train for a few kilometers and then walked on), I realized that I had left my hat in the Casa Rural. Anyone who walks on a Camino knows that you cannot walk without a hat, so I had to trudge back up the hill and retrieve it. I think it only added about 800 m to my day, so not really a big deal.

    The walk had two very distinctive parts. The first part, to Benaoján, was along a river with the craggy mountains in the background all the time. From there to Ronda was up and then down through a beautiful valley, up to another high point and then into Ronda.

    The wildflowers were just spectacular today. And now we know why – it rained nonstop for the entire week before Easter. That was terrible for all the people traveling that week, but the benefit for us is pretty incredible. I have always seen wild irises on my Caminos, but I have never seen an entire field of gorgeous purple irises. Then there were red, pink, white and yellow flowers all over the place. It was truly gorgeous.

    Ronda is in a beautiful spot. It’s hard to describe, but I’ll attach some pictures.    Read more

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