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Laurie Reynolds
Laurie Reynolds

Laurie Reynolds

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds

    Medici day

    8 september 2023, Italien ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    It's getting a little hotter, pushing 90 now. I took my early morning walk around the San Lorenzo district, doing reconnaissance for our visit later this morning to the Medici chapels, San Lorenzo church, the palace. The main market was just opening and it's always fun to walk around a real market.

    We are falling into a good routine-- I walk for a couple hours, we eat breakfast, we head out to the destination, we sprinkle our visit liberally with cafe stops. After lunch, back to the hotel for Joe to nap.

    We spent the morning in Medici territory - the San Lorenzo church, which was the church for the Medici family and close to their palace. It has a beautiful Annunciation by Fra Lippo Lippi (I remember him and Fra Angelico, whose Annunciation is in the Prado, from my Spanish Art class in 1970!) We also went to the Medici Chapels, a huge, ornate, imposing pantheon with only 5 people buried inside, I guess they were the most important Medici, because the rest of the line has far more humble tombs. There are even a few Michaelangelo statues. My takeaway of the Medici family is that they had a very impressive trajectory -- from little known merchants and "modest money changers" to the creators of an impressive business empire and control of the city, along with their patronage of the arts of course!

    While Joe napped, I substituted my elliptical workout for a climb up the cathedral dome, and then to the top of the bell tower. It's been a bit complicated figuring out how I can do the climbs, which require timed entry, and still coincide the rest of my visit with Joe's timed entry for the non-climbing part of the visit. Hopefully we can visit the cathedral and the Baptistery together tomorrow.

    It was the hottest part of the day when I got to the cathedral, but the wind at the top of the 481 steps (416 for the bell tower) was so refreshing. Lots of great views after so many twisty turny steps up.

    Our hotel has been making our dinner reservations and so far so good! We had a nice walk to the plaza in front of Santa Maria Novela and then hoofed it to Armando’s Trattoria.

    Get Outlook for iOS    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds

    Church with a view

    7 september 2023, Italien ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    I slept through the night and woke up with no jet lag at 7:15. Woo hoo! Joe was still asleep, so I headed out for an early walk, down to the center of the historic center. Lots of activity there, not the tourists, but those preparing for the tourists — street cleaners, delivery trucks, people going into buildings filled with apartment rentals carrying bundles of sheets and towels, a lot of hustle and bustle. Walking over the Ponte Vecchio with only a handful of people on it, sitting in the square in front of Santa Croce without long lines of tour groups, it was all very pleasant.

    When I am tempted to complain about “the tourists,” I usually think of my favorite billboard, somewhere outside Atlanta on an always crowded interstate. This is a billboard put up by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and it says “You aren’t STUCK in traffic. You ARE traffic.” Same applies here.

    I waited to have breakfast with Joe, and it was very good. Our destination for today was the Church of San Miniato. Romanesque, up high with beautiful views. The story of the Saint whose relics are there (at least as told by Guide Michelin) is a bit less than glorious. Apparently he was a Tuscan ruffian, not an Armenian king on pilgrimage to Rome. His miracles included being thrown into a dungeon with lions and emerging unscathed, and then climbing the hill where the church stands carrying his own severed head. The church is peaceful, uncrowded and we were lucky to hear the organist practicing — there’s always something wonderful about organs playing in ancient spacious churches!

    We had taken a cab up, and the idea was that we would walk back to the hotel. As we descended the hill (stopping in a café for a long while) and crossed the bridge, it seemed a shame not to continue on a couple hundred meters to get to Santa Croce. A few hundred years later than San Miniato and much grander, there’s a good cross section of Italy’s best and brightest buried there — Galieo, Michaelangelo, Machiavelli, Rossini. Very very beautiful, inside and out.

    I saw a lot of people eating good-looking sandwiches with the same wrapper and got directions. Turns out it’s a very famous sandwich shop. Long line moved fast! All’Antico Vinaio. Joe and I couldn’t even finish one, but it was YUMMY. We will probably return.

    We followed our tried and true routine of getting back to the hotel by 3:30 or so, so Joe could nap while I went to the elliptical and had some time to write up this little piece of prose. Someone tried to get out through the fire escape, and it set off a piercing alarm. Joe did not stir, so I know he’s getting some deep sleep!

    We’ll head out for dinner around 7:30. This is a great routine for us, and Joe really seems to be enjoying it so far!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds

    Arrived in Florence

    6 september 2023, Italien ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    When we were waiting to deplane in Barcelona, the guy behind me got a call from the friend he was meeting up with and learned that the immigration control line was two hours long. Since our flight to Florence was leaving in less than an hour, and the next flight to Florence was at 8 pm, I was a bit concerned. But I had made a resolution that this was to be a no-stress zen trip, so I just crossed my fingers.

    Turns out the liine was endless, but there was a separate line for connecting flights. Our very own security check, our very own immigration official, and we were through in a few seconds. Made the flight to Florence in plenty of time, then whizzed out of the airport since we had no checked luggage, and got a taxi to our hotel.

    Our hotel is a bit faded, but it checked all the boxes - in an old building, in the historic center (though on the edge), with a fitness center and elliptical. And the staff are oh so helpful and friendly. After lunch in one of the four cute cafés within a stone’s throw of our hotel, Joe took a nap while I went to the elliptical. I was determined not to take a nap (that always messes me up with jet lag), so I got Joe up and we walked down to the real action near the Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Signoria, Duomo. It is CROWDED. Definitely high season. But we don’t notice it much in our area, where most of the patrons in our lunch café were Italians.

    500 m walk to the restaurant for dinner, across the river — Cambi. I am always a sucker for pasta, and the tagliatelli with mushrooms and cream sauce was quite good! Lots of people eating steak florentine, but a big chunk of beef just didn’t appeal.

    Time for bed, hoping to wake up early but if I sleep in, oh well.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    1

    On our way

    5 september 2023, Förenta staterna ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    When I came home from my Camino this year, Joe was feeling a little left out. So when he said — I’d love to go back to Italy one more time — I volunteered to make that happen. Big sacrifice, I know. So here we are in O’Hare. I had my moments when I thought it wouldn’t happen, but Joe has been really motivated to keep his physical activity up, do balance exercises, walk a few miles a day, all these things that usually I have to nag about. So it’s really a win-win.

    Hotels are now the way for us to go, so I found a nice one in Florence with a fitness center and got a room for a week. We are not going to do the rush-rush-rush tourist agenda of our younger days. One attraction a day and that is it. Rest of the time for cappucinos, piazzas, walking, and eating. No David this time. Maybe the Uffizi, but no crushing to see Venus. But I will climb as many towers as I can while Joe is napping.

    After Florence, I think we will go to Cinque Terre, Lucca, and Siena. But that is all subject to change depending on how our week in Florence goes. I wasn’t sure about how Cinque Terre would be for Joe’s somewhat limited mobilitiy, but a recommended boat ride option convinced me! Small boat for 8 people, prosecco on board with some charcuterie, I can deal with that. So the current plan is to spend three nights in Monterosso (northernmost town in Cinque Terre) , two in Lucca and two in Siena. It will be crowded, I know, but the weather looks great and we will just deal with the crowds.

    We have, I think, a great way to get to Florence. Champaign-Chicago-Barcelona-Florence. Left Champaign at 2:30 pm and we should arrive in Florence by about 1 pm. We are in Chicago and will soon be taking off. .One leg down, two to go!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds

    Day in Burgos

    11 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    I woke up at 5:30, as usual, but today, I just turned over and found that I could easily go back to sleep. It felt very decadent to wake up at 8:30, use up the last few granules of my instant coffee, and sit in bed with nothing to pack up and lug around on my back.

    It had rained a LOT last night, but when I left the hotel around 10 am, it was cloudy but dry. I had never been to the Monasterio de las Huelgas, and Clare, being the good sport that she is, came along.

    It was extremely interesting to learn that 23 cloistered nuns still live there, more than a thousand years after the convent’s founding. They run a laundry, and sell some baked goods.

    I wish I could keep my Spanish kings straight, but the infant king Enrique I is buried in this monastery. Such intrigue—he was injured by a falling rock while playing with friends,
    and his “handlers” brought in a “doctor” to try some experimental surgery, which involved cutting a hole in his skull. He died four days later. Our guide believes it was murder.

    There was an amazing room filled with clothing from the 13th century, in extremely good condition. That was my favorite part, even more than the Romanesque cloister!

    We met Juanma for lunch, my friend who owns an albergue earlier on the Francés (shoutout for the Albergue Maralotx in Cirauqui). We went to a place serving the Burgos specialty of roast suckling lamb. And the Burgos specialty of morcilla. I have to retract all the many bad things I’ve said about morcilla over the years because this was very good (maybe because the Burgos morcilla has rice added) and the lamb —yum. Thanks for driving so far to see us, Juanma, and thanks for taking us to this very non-touristy authentic asador. It was a great way to put a punto final on my Camino 2023.

    In early evening, we had a vino tinto in the Plaza Mayor, and on my way back to the hotel I ran into the Corpus Christi processions.

    Tomorrow, late morning bus to Madrid. Then home on Wednesday.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    45

    Modubar de San Cibrian to Burgos

    10 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    A pretty uneventful walking day, much of it on a Via Verde that is on the now abandoned and once highly touted train line from Santander to the Mediterranean.

    As we got closer to Burgos, there were more and more people out for a weekend ride or walk. A fair number of people even said Buen Camino to us! We have not heard those words much at all on this Camino.

    Walking into Burgos was not a very emotional moment for me. The Ruta de la Lana ends here, but it just didn’t make much of an impact. We went to the Cathedral to get a stamp, and then checked into our respective places. First things, first, shower, and clothes washing. And then the matter of eating lunch. I remembered having a very good hamburger with Rebekah when I walked here in 2015. Sure enough, the place was still there, still serving hamburgers, And they were still pretty good.

    In the afternoon I went to the Museo de Burgos, where I had never been. Its pre-history section has been overshadowed by the museum of evolution, but I very much enjoyed the archaeological portion. One side of the tomb of Santo Domingo de Silos was on display, and it was by far my favorite piece of the museum. It looked just like one of those Limoges pieces, but apparently it was made here in Spain. Same kind of enamel and gold covered copper. Jesus and all the apostles and it was just beautiful. There were also a couple of Limoges boxes, but this was the stand out.

    After the museum visit, I climbed up to the castle, what little remains of it, and enjoyed a great view down over the city of Burgos. And then a trip to a Tienda de Chinos in order to buy some bubble wrap for the olive oil that I will be bringing home to daughter and family. Some rituals never change.

    Burgos has never been one of my favorite cities in Spain, and the cathedral is too over the top for my taste. But I have to say that it does impress in the plaza.

    Clare and I met up with a forum member and spent a couple of hours immersed in Camino talk. He is cycling the Camino Francés and writing a book about the geology along the route. It was a really fun get together.

    I’m not having any grand wrap-up thoughts or pronouncements about the meaning of life. But I have so very much enjoyed walking with Clare and Alun. I think I have decided that I don’t want to walk anymore solo Caminos. Though I love walking alone, it is much more fun to have company at night. So that’s my plan for next year!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    112

    Covarrubias to Modujar de San Cibrian

    9 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Here’s an unusual combination— a long day and a late start. About 34K today and 700 m, so normally I would be leaving by 7 AM. But just 9 km from here is a 7C Visigothic church that doesn’t open until 10:30. So there’s no point in leaving before 8-ish. It felt really weird to be sitting in my room with nowhere to go till such a late hour!

    On my way to the church, as I was thinking about how it was possible that I was going to see a church that is 1500 years old, I came across some dinosaur footprints from 144 MILLION years ago. My head can’t even compute that.

    The church is but a small portion of what used to be there. The decorative panels outside must be typically visigothic, because I have seen many similar carvings in other places. I love the carved panels inside and was able to be in there all alone.

    Clare and I started out at different times, but we met up somewhere after Revilla de Campos. I had been walking for hours with the sun shining on my back and ominous black clouds in front. Soon after we met up, the rain started, but it was just for a few minutes. And for the next couple of hours, though there were black clouds and thunder all around, we just had a few short bursts. Lucky again.

    We’re only about 19 kms from Burgos. The town we’re in, Mondubar de San Cibrian,, has a couple of interesting things—an old traditional chimney, and a fountain made with medieval or Roman sarcophagi, but not much going on. The mayor has taken the church keys away from the owner of the little casa rural where we’re staying, so the list of things to do has now been exhausted.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    2
    1

    Sto Domingo to San Pedro to Covarrubias

    8 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Another detour for us today. Instead of a straight shot 13 kms to the pretty little touristy town of Covarrubias, we decided to take a detour to visit the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza. This monastery was built in the 10th century, with of course lots of modifications and damage. The government spent many millions and took many years to finish the renovation. It is perched on the Arlanza River and was too close and too tempting to pass up. It turned out to be 29 km with 700 m elevation, so it was a good work out.

    The route we put together with various wikiloc trails took us first to the Sad Hill cemetery. For anyone else who is interested in making that visit, I would recommend not following our trail, but simply following the town’s signs that go directly to the site on a wide road. We followed GPS tracks that I had found on Wikiloc. At some point during our ascent, followed by crawling through a hole in a barbed wire fence, and descending on a rocky path, Clare muttered, some thing like— Laurie, you and your wikiloc trails.

    For those who are uninformed about Sad Hill, like we were, this is an iconic set from the movie The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Many fans come here to visit the site of the famous Clint Eastwood shootout scene in the cemetery. In fact, we met a British couple last night in the hotel who were planning to go there — their own pilgrimage, they called it.

    It was fun to see it, and I think we are both now inclined to see the movie someday. We learned that lots of famous people have come here and put their names on some of the 5000 crosses in the cemetery. I had read that Metallica had done it, and I was happy to find that particular cross, because it’s one of my son’s favorite groups!

    Much as we may have been messed up by Wikiloc on a couple of occasions, the rest of the day was really flawless. We had a great trek to the monastery, a wonderful visit there, and a good walk into Covarrubias, another one of the “ pueblos más bonitos de España.” It was 3:30 by the time we got to town, but today was our lucky day. I went into the restaurant in the main square, jampacked with people still eating., and the owner graciously said we could still eat!!!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    1
    141

    Huerta de Rey to Santo Domingo de Silos

    7 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    I have walked into Santo Domingo once before, when I walked the Camino Castellano-Aragonés (very highly recommended, btw). But this time a forum member alerted us to the fact that there is a spectacular gorge very close to the Camino that also goes into Santo Domingo. So once again, we decided to take a detour off the “true“ Camino route.

    The first 15 km had a little bit of elevation up and down through some really nice pine forests. From the village of Peñacoba, we went off Camino, following a GPS track that was supposed to take us on a trail through the woods to the starting point of the gorge. Once we got a few kilometers in, however, we realized that the track had not been properly recorded. It was essentially a couple of straight lines. So there we were, pretty high up and trying to find our way down to the trail head to go through the gorge. We had a general idea which way to go, and thankfully, Clare is much more adept at reading contour lines than I am. So after a couple of slightly hairy kilometers, we found our way down. I would not have done this by myself, or with anyone else who skills were not as great as Clare‘s. We were never in any danger, we were far from the cliffs, and the worst thing that could have happened would have been for us to have to turn around and backtrack. But thankfully we didn’t.

    The path through the gorge is pretty cool. It is all on a metal path with a railing that is attached to the rock face. We saw lots of birds of prey. Even though it’s very short, it was in my opinion worth the detour (and those adventuresome kms).

    We arrived in Santo Domingo early enough to have a lunch. It was edible and expensive. Then we visited the Romanesque cloister, which is one of Spain’s absolute best. We went to vespers in the monastery’s church at seven. The monks here are very famous for their Gregorian chants. They released a recording in the 90s, and I read that more than 2 million copies were sold in the United States. There were more than 20 of them, I’d say, ranging in age from late 30s through very ancient. The chanting was soothing and kind of mesmerizing, but I cannot imagine that they do it six times a day!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    434

    Quintanarraya to Clunia to Huerta de Rey

    6 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Some would fault us for taking another “tourist” day, but with the Roman ruins and amphitheater at Clunia just 4 kms off route, we couldn’t resist. We had briefly considered taking a detour there on our way into last night’s destination but that would have given us a 40+ km day. My body told me when I hit 70 that I’m past my time of 40 km days. So here we are with a short day under 20 and a detour off the camino.

    Since Clunia doesn’t open till 10, and it’s only about 4 km from our albergue, there was no need to get moving early. We had been told that no bar or restaurant opens there before 10, (thanks @Bachibouzouk) , so we took our time.

    On the way in, we decided to check out possible walking routes for going from the Roman ruins to today’s destination of Huerta de Rey, which is back on the Lana. We could go back to our albergue in Quintanarraya and proceed on the Lana from there. But it seemed like there would be an easy, direct route. We asked a few farmers, and had a good track for after our visit.

    We spent two hours at the site. Watched a video and then took our time going from theater to baths to villas to the forum. Lots of good information, and I was happy to see that after many similar visits, I know the differences between frigadarium, tepidarium, and caldarium.

    The town of Huerta de Rey isn’t exactly a glorious town, but we have a good room in the Hostal del Cid and have had a good lunch in Meson de las Herrerías.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    1

    San Esteban de Gormaz to Quintanarraya

    5 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Having been able to stock up on some fruit, my pack was heavy for the walk to Quintanarraya. It had rained last night (don’t ask me how I know, but it has to do with the skylight window snd was a real mess), so I was prepared for mud. But we were pleasantly surprised.

    Many would call this a “boring” or “dull” stage, and it is true that again today there wasn’t much going on, either scenically or historically. Crop lands mainly (many actually looking pretty good), some ups and downs through scrub oak forests. But if you’ve walked any camino, you probably have experienced the centering and peaceful monotony that come from this kind of day out in the wide open spaces. It’s hard to explain, but it’s great.

    A few kms outside the village of Villavaro, there’s a tiny Romanesque chapel. It used to be the parish church for a now disappeared village. The camino has been re-routed to go right by it, and that means 4 or 5 kms more on dirt tracks rather than on the road, so it was a win-win re-routing.

    In Alcubilla we saw the 16th C palace that had been a hotel restaurante till the man with the concession died suddenly. It’s municipally owned and they have been unsuccessful finding someone new. That meant that Clare and I had to walk on 10 more kms to the tiny hamlet of Quintanarraya, where there is a basic 5 bed albergue in the old school. Toilet and shower, hot water, clean. The mayor checked us in.

    During the last 3 or 4 kms of today’s walk, , I could see very dark skies and rain to our north. About a half hour after arrival, it rained, then stopped, then rained. There is now thunder and lightening all around us. We are hoping it moves on by tomorrow morning.

    We have feasted on canned tuna and powdered soup. A couple pieces of fruit and some dark chocolate. Tomorrow our packs will be lighter!

    Tuesday a.m update. At the suggestion of a helpful local man, I have found a little bit of cell phone coverage on the way out of town near the bodegas.(caves in the hill, where people stored and made their wine.).    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    2
    1

    Caracena to San Esteban de Gormaz

    4 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today’s walk was a little longer than the last few days. My GPS showed almost 34 km, but that’s also because I took a few detours to visit a church and to go to a grocery store.

    If I didn’t have a day like this one, it would not be a Camino for me. This was a day when I sort of went on auto pilot in my own little bubble. The rhythm of my steps as replicated by my hiking poles and the pat pat of my feet was all that I could hear . So there I was, just me and my thoughts — no spectacular landscape, no outstanding historical or cultural monuments, just putting one foot in front of the other. No earth-shattering thoughts either, just thinking about whatever came my way. My mom’s birthday is in a few days, so I thought about her a lot.

    There were a few distractions — an 8 inch green lizard, an apple orchard with dark netting all across the top, a few small towns, and a few tractors out in the fields. This was the first time, really, that I had seen farm vehicles. Though the drought is still very much in effect here, I think they have a bit more optimistic forecast for at least some of their crops.

    Today I crossed the Douro/Duero on arrival into San Esteban de Gormaz. I went quickly to see if I could find an open supermarket (it’s Sunday). We are very low on food supplies, and tomorrow we will be sleeping in a town with absolutely no services. We’ve been carrying canned tuna and instant soup in our packs for a few days, but I was hoping to find some fruit and yogurt.

    I found an open store, went inside, and asked about fruit. No fruit in the store, the owner told me. But there is another store about 600 m away, which is also open till 2pm, and which sells fruit. The wife of the owner volunteered to take me in her car to their competitor to buy my supplies. She invited me to their house for lunch (I declined) and also took me on a tour of the town. Finally, she took me up to the place where we were staying and insisted that she had to take off her house slippers when I took her picture. A really special woman.

    Clare and I had a decent menú del día in a crowded restaurant, where a family was celebrating the 94th birthday of their patriarch. He started to cry when they sang happy birthday. It made me think of my own parents and brought a few tears to my eyes too.

    After lunch, I headed up to the castle, or should I say, what used to be the castle. Lining the ascent, there are hundreds of bodegas (small wine, cellars built into the hills), which is not surprising since we are in Ribera del Duero territory. Two beautiful Romanesque churches here, both locked up but both with typical Romanesque capitals.

    I am expecting that tomorrow will be similar to today. Maybe a little longer and with a little more ascent, but basically a very similar terrain.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    1

    Retortillo to Caracena via the GR 86

    3 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    There are two halves to today’s walk. Retortillo to Tarancueña and Tarancueña to Caracena. The camino puts you on the highway for the first half. But there is a GR alternative of about twice that distance. Since the second half is only about 8 or 9, we decided to go for the off-road 24-25 Km option.

    What a day. Lots of having to check the GPS, especially during the first half of the walk. That first part had lots of squishy ground, lots of meadows with high grasses, sometimes even having to cross cultivated fields. We saw tons of structures built against the rock face. According to one very nice man in Valvedenizo, those structures were used for animals. He also showed us the beautiful mushrooms he had just harvested and was going to use to make a revuelto (scrambled eggs) for him and his 100 year old mother. Those two constituted one of two families in the town.

    The last part of the walk, from Tarancueña, was through a canyon. It was a little bit tricky in places but nothing beyond our meager abilities. There were some rocky places where we had to ascend 4 or 5 feet but there were always little crevices or protrusions for our feet to grab. We had several stream crossings, and once I planted a foot in about 6” of water but nothing too bad. We saw some huge birds of prey circling over the canyon. Cool.

    We have a place to stay in Caracena. Rodrigo, the son of the bar owner, who used to allow pilgrims to stay in his house but then moved away, is back. He has taken over the bar/restaurant and is converting a house into a Casa rural. He has also gone to culinary school and his menu is quite upscale. We have eaten a very yummy meal — lamb and mushroom ravioli, some fancy rice snd pork dish, and I had cuajada for dessert, which is one of my favorite foods on earth.

    The casa where we’re staying is still a workbench progress. But it is finished enough for us to stay — comfy beds, good shower, washing machine — what more could we want?!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    21

    San Baudelio de Berlanga

    2 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Promptly at 4 pm, Berlanga de Duero’s only taxista showed up at the Hostal Muralla. It was about a half an hour to the church, through some pretty amazing landscape. Very barren and very rocky. We were the only ones at the church, and it gave me goose bumps. I could see the outlines of the frescoes that had been removed, and there were good pictures that re-created the inside of the chapel. Lots of horseshoe arches, a second floor private oratory, and an altar. There is also an entrance to a cave , where a hermit possibly lived. When this church was built, 10th or 11th century, it was right on the Christian-Muslim border.

    Apparently the church was part of a small (long disappeared) monastery complex. When it was all abandoned, ownership passed to private hands. Then in the 20s, when US treasure hunters were lusting after Romanesque, and the churches in Catalunya wouldn’t part with their treasures, they descended on Soria. The private owners apparently were happy to sell and after a five-year court battle, the Supreme Court approved the sale. There are now pieces in Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Though I don’t understand how it happened, Spain was apparently able to recover a lot of the frescoes (a trade made with the Cloisters, perhaps?) and those are now in the Prado, where they introduced me to the beauty of Romanesque in 1970.

    After our long visit, the taxista offered to take us through her town, Berlanga de Duero (though the Duero River is about 8 Km away). The castle is pretty amazing, and we also went to the interpretive center of San Baudelio. It explained the process of removing frescoes and then replacing them on different walls but I couldn’t understand it. The technique is called “strappo.”

    Clare snd I will be sticking quite close tomorrow. The first part of our walk is off Camino, and the second part goes through a canyon which may have a few tricky parts. Weather looks good!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    1
    12

    Atienza to Retortillo

    2 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    I was like a little kid on Christmas Eve last night. I lay in bed and I thinking about the crazy little trip I had cooked up for today. When I was a junior in college, studying in Spain in 1970, I took a course on the history of Spanish art. This course entailed weekly visits to the Prado with a tutor and two days a week of lectures with the tremendously esteemed Professor Azcarate. . This is where I learned about Romanesque and about the Camino. The Prado has many of the original frescoes from a tiny Romanesque church, San Baudelio de Berganza. The church is about 30 km from today’s stop in Retortillo. How could I be so close to the church whose paintings were the start of my love of Romanesque? And how I learned about the Camino? So I called a taxi located in a town close to the church to see what it would cost. Since his proposal was less than half of my mental euro limit, I jumped at the opportunity. So today, at 4 o’clock, I will get a chance to see San Baudelio. Never mind that most of the paintings were spirited away by the Prado Museum and several rich Americans. I just want to go inside and see it.

    Today’s walk was on the short side, and very enjoyable. We are clearly in a part of the country that has been less impacted by the drought. There were tons of wildflowers, including some that I think were lupines. The walk really had three different parts. First an ascent up to a pine forest that extended for several kilometers. Then a descent and a long stretch on flat open fields. And then third, the rocky steep ascent to the border between Castilla y La Mancha and Castilla y León. No rain, some clouds, beautiful views.

    I spent a lot of my walk today thinking back to that year in Madrid. That was more than 50 years ago! I remember our cute little apartment on Galileo 82, second floor. It’s now a very gentrified part of Madrid, but when I lived there, it was a pretty normal neighborhood. A few cows down the street in a little shed, and tons of little shops. My roommates were Gail, daughter of an army colonel who was a surgeon in Vietnam, and Nicole, daughter of the Senegalese ambassador to Italy. You can imagine that we had a lot of fun. Our biggest challenge was to figure out how to get to the end of the month on our small budgets. It usually meant that the last few nights our dinners consisted of fried onions and popcorn. An unusual aspect about living in Madrid at that time was the”sereno,” This was a man, usually inebriated, who wandered the streets of the neighborhood all night, with a huge ring of keys that opened every front door of every apartment building. When you needed to get in, you just stood on your doorstep and clapped, and he would eventually show up. Oh, the memories.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    2
    113

    Siguenza to Atienza

    1 juni 2023, Spanien ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    I had been debating whether to add 6 kms to the 31 Km day, so that I could visit Carabias, with one of the first porticoed Romanesque churches in Spain (at least I think that’s what I remember). The original idea was that Clare would take a cab a few kms out and then we’d go to the church. But there was no cab availability, so she was going to walk the shorter route. So, hmmm, did I want to add those extra kms????

    When I got to the turnoff at Palazuelos I looked at the weather and saw that rain was forecast for 11-2. Since there was no way I’d get to my destination by 11, I decided that since I was going to get wet anyway, I might as well go see the church. I’m very glad I did, it’s beautiful. Locked up tight but beautiful.

    A few kms outside Carabias, my wikiloc stopped working. Oops. And at that point, I wasn’t on the Camino, so there would be no arrows to follow. I pulled up Google maps and in about 4 km it got me back onto the Camino, right at a junction with a humongous salt factory.

    At promptly 11am it began to rain. And it rained for the next few hours —nothing too heavy. I even took a quick rest sitting under a tree and was reasonably well protected.

    At about 5 kms out of town, Atienza appears. The castle on top, dominating the town. After checking in, and doing the normal post-camino things like showering and washing clothes, I headed out to see the sights. Beautiful plaza, very Castilian. And I climbed up to the castle, which had its typically amazing views. Below and in the distance, I saw two bright purple fields that are surely lavender.

    It is raining again, and the hotel restaurant opens in a while, so that's probably what we'll do. Tomorrow a nice short 24 Km!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    1

    Mandayona to Siguenza

    31 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Hard to imagine a more perfect camino day, 25 Km and 400 m elevation. We started at 7 and soon entered the Barranco del Rio Dulce, a canyon with the “Sweet River” running through it. Beautiful, shaded, and cool with cliffs towering above. My one (very minor) disappointment was that I only saw one big raptor bird. I was expecting to see them flying all over.

    Leaving the canyon, we stayed close to the river, but now through ag fields. These were the best looking fields we’ve seen, some really verdant green and lots of wild flowers.

    The camino goes through the little town of Pelegrina, with the optional short detour up to the castle (which is totally in ruins). But the views, oh my goodness the views. I took a long boots off rest, enjoying the views in every direction.

    From there to Siguenza was about 8 Km. First a short steep up to the top on rocky narrow paths, then several kms across the plateau on very rocky terrain. The last three kms down to town were all with the castle/parador in view. And the camino went about two minutes from the entrance. So so tempting. In I went and got a decent rate.

    We had an excellent meal in El Atrio. Right across from the cathedral. Then a cathedral visit and that was the end of the day!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    5
    112

    Cifuentes to Mandayona

    30 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We knew there was a shortcut today that would save 4 kms for tomorrow and would not go through Mandayona. But it would have meant missing a supposedly beautiful stretch tomorrow. So off to Mandayona we went.

    It was another non-spectacular but very pleasant walk. Especially the part before the meseta. Rolling hills with lots of rocky outcroppings and some green crops, some dead crops. Once we got to the top of the climb, we were on the meseta. Kms and kms of flat flat flat. Just like Illinois. The only things to break the monotony were fields of lavender, a high speed rail line, and a superhighway to cross.

    We’re in a little hostal owned by a young couple who gave up life in the city of Madrid to come out to a place where there are about 50 year round inhabitants. Their eight year old son goes to school with three other kids from the town. The school is kept alive by virtue of the fact that seven or eight kids from surrounding villages are bussed here. He tells me that they are very happy here and would not ever consider moving back to Madrid.

    We had a good menú del día in the local bar and will soon head off to the town supermarket. We just learned that tomorrow is a holiday celebrating the Castilla y la mancha region. Stores and other commerce will be closed, so we will need to stock up on some food. There was a pretty loud thunderstorm that passed through while we were eating, and another storm just came through. We have been really lucky and have not had to walk in the rain, not yet, anyway!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    113

    Viana de Mondejar to Cifuentes

    29 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    What a beautiful walk today. Since we had gone up to the Tetas yesterday, we got straight on the Camino and headed for Trillo. It was very nice, all off road. And Trillo, what a beautiful place to stop. There’s a bar right on the river, which is cascading down over rocks in a picture perfect scene. We also visited the church, where mass was ending. We had a nice chat with the priest, who is from Ruanda, and has been in Spain for about 14 years. He has been in Trillo for four years and is in charge of seven or eight other small towns, where he goes to say mass. Misas relámpagos m, they are called.

    The path from Trillo went through a few towns, through a lot of ag lands, off and on near a river.
    Aman stopped and gave Clare a big bag of unshelled walnuts. I would’ve said no thanks, but Clare dutifully took them and carry them for 3 km into town. She is now sitting outside the albergue on the steps, cracking them with a rock.

    When I got to town, I went straight to the Bar Salmeron, the place where I had been told to go for the keys. Guess what, the bar was closed. As I was trying to figure things out, a Guardia Civil car came by and I flagged it. After a few calls, they got in touch with the Mayor, who told me to go to the Townhall. Once there, after about a 15 minute wait, the woman in charge came with a map to explain how to go pick up the keys—at the Bar Salmeron! It took a few more phone calls to learn that there was supposedly a set of keys on the windowsill of the little building where we are supposed to sleep out at the football field. I am glad I asked for a phone number because when we got here there was no key to be found. The mayor himself came out and showed us where the key was. If anyone had explained it clearly, we could’ve easily found it, but oh well. I was really glad that this mayor had won reelection yesterday, because if he had lost, the new mayor today would not have had a clue!

    4 th night in a row in albergues. This town has a couple of reasonable pensiones but they are all full because of the huge work crews coming to work on the nuclear power plant. According to one hotel owner, every room is booked for 100 Km around. That may be a slight exaggeration, but in any event, there was no room for us in Cifuentes. Thank goodness for the albergue. It’s very basic but has hot water and blankets which are the top two things on my list!

    We have taken a walk through the historic center, which has some very pretty Churches and plazas. We even walked up to the castle and then onto the supermarket. Another really good day, I feel so fortunate.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    1241

    Salmeron to Viana de Mondejar

    28 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I’m writing this in an albergue where we hadn’t planned to stay, having finished a dinner of two cans of tuna and two apricots. Population here is under 20 so there are no shops or restaurants. But a very nice albergue. With a heater in the bedroom!

    Today’s total was about 29 Km with 700 m elevation. All off road. Brilliant. As soon as we left Salmeron, we had about a 300 m ascent on dark red glommy clay mud. I have decided that it makes no sense to stop and take the mud off with my poles because it comes right back and just slows me down. My unscientific observation this morning was that my shoes have a maximum mud-carrying weight and when it gets to that point, big chunks will just fall off.

    From the top we had a long (10 Km?) walk along the top, including a detour to avoid going on the property of the man who bought up the whole abandoned town of Villaescusa de Los Palositos. This issue has been tied up in court for years. Pilgrims and the public should be able to cross his land. He has even barred access to the Romanesque church and the cemetery where the loved ones of many former villagers are buried. There is a protest march to the church every year, and the legal experts say there’s no doubt that his acts are illegal, but he has kept it going in court for years.

    Then the downhill started, with the last few kms into Viana on narrow rocky goat paths. We were not sure whether to carry on for 8 more kms to Trillo or to just stay here. When a local told me that the hike up to the Tetas de Viana would take about an hour each way, I thought the best thing to do would be to drop our packs and then hike up and back. That seemed better than starting out tomorrow with the ascent and then continuing on.

    The walk up to the top of Teta Redonda was about 2.5 kms. At the end there were chains to hold onto and even one steep metal staircase but nothing scary. The association in Cuenca had told us the path was shut because of a rockslide. There was one section where the handrails had been knocked down and a lot of rocky debris made it a bit tricky, but not dangerous. The views from the top were fabulosas, maybe with the exception of the nuclear power plant.

    So here we are in Viana. I have no “cobertura” (cell phone/data) and we’ve had a pretty skimpy dinner, but we’re clean and warm and have had a great day. I took two packs of Ghirardelli hot cocoa from the lounge in Chicago, and had been saving them for something like this!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    131

    Villaconejos to Salmeron

    27 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    On a normal camino day, I’m in bed by 9. Last night Pepe, our hospitalero, insisted he would come by at 9 to take us to tomar un vino. Anyone who’s stayed here has probably been to his family’s bodega, one of more than 100 caves in this village where wine has been made and stored for centuries. The caves may have been inhabited by visigodos (6 th C?). Both Pepe and co- host Paulino used to stamp grapes in the caves. Paulino remembers being held by the feet and lowered into the clay vat to clean the vat while he was upside down. When one exploded about 20 years ago, leading to the loss of more than 1,000 liters, they bought an aluminum vat and stopped stomping the grapes.

    Pepe’s daughter Virginia was also there and we had a good homemade garlic soup, along with homemade Serrano ham and sausages. Then at the end, a little ceremony, in which both Clare and I were given a peregrino necklace and cross of Santiago. Their words about the meaning of the camino were heartfelt and brought us back to the simple essence of people being generous to people.

    We got up early because a challenging 30 km day awaited. We knew there was a river crossing ahead, but Pepe assured us that the level of the river is controlled by a dam and would not be affected by the recent rains. Since Clare’s engineering expertise is dam safety, I think she was a little sad the dam itself is several kms upriver.

    We were off by 7:15 with no rain in the forecast. 14 glorious kms through wide open fields on rolling hills. If the crops had been alive this would have been majestic emerald green against the occasional reddish rocky outcrops.

    At 13 kms came the river crossing. For all the hype, it was not a problem. The water was moving fast over a sunken part of a concrete bridge, but it went no higher than mid shin.

    Then came about 10 kms on the side of a provincial road. Generally good shoulders and little traffic.

    We could see the Romanesque tower of the Valdeolivas church from many kms away. I knew the odds were slim that we would be able to go inside. As we got closer, we heard a lot of conversation. Rounding the corner, I saw the crowd coming out of church — a baptism. I hightailed it to the door just as the señora in charge was closing it. As we were clearly peregrinas, she happily offered to take us around while her grouchy husband complained. Original 13th century paintings on the bóveda above the alter were discovered (they had been covered in plaster) in 1960 when emergency repairs were done.

    The last 7 kms were on a very nice dirt track through hilly fields and olive groves. We are the only two in the albergue, which is located in the town’s Inquisition prison, at least that’s the story.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    3
    1

    Villar de Domingo Garcia to Villaconejos

    26 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    It was raining when we got up. Since weather.com said it would stop by 8, and since Clare wanted a real coffee in the bar, we set out at a leisurely 8 am. That may be my latest Camino departure ever! But we did have a short day, 24km, with virtually no elevation.

    Right after leaving town, the camino goes off onto a dirt track. It soon became clear that the 10 or so hours of rain the day before had turned the surface into thick red mud that grabbed onto your shoes. After about 2 kms of heavy mud, we decided to hop over to the highway for about 6 Km. There was a decent shoulder, but even so it was not fun walking. Trucks were relatively frequent.

    In the first town of Torralba, I had a Fanta de Limón. At that point, we decided to switch back to the Camino, and it was an excellent decision. A very nice, not muddy, off-road walk. From here all the way into our destinations, it was a dirt trail, sometimes along the river, sometimes beneath caves, and sometimes just through small agricultural plots. All in all, it was a really nice walk.

    We were checking into the Albergue before two, and the very gregarious and convivial hospitalero insisted that he would be back to take us out for a vino at 9 pm when he finished work. 9 pm? That’s our bedtime!

    We got a sandwich in town at the local bar, and we have showered. No way our clothes will dry, so I have washed socks and underwear and we’ll just hope for warmer weather tomorrow.

    It turns out that the nuclear power plant in the region is in need of some major work. Every small Pension and Casa Rural within 100 kilometers are booked out for the entire week and beyond. Though I had hoped to stay in a few of these places, we are lucky that there are Albergues. Today’s albergue has real beds and hot showers, but I think that some of the ones in our future will not be so luxurious. It’s just all part of the adventure!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    5

    Cuenca to Villar de Domingo Garcia

    25 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ 🌩️ 20 °C

    Today was a 33 Km day with a bit of elevation (470 m). I left at 5:30 out of an abundance of caution because we had reservations for the 11 am tour of the Roman ruins in Noheda.

    The first 16 or 17 were on asphalt but on very untraveled roads. I think 4 or 5 cars passed me. From the little town of Tondo, it was all off-road and very nice. But still lots of dead fields.

    The tour of the ruins was so interesting. A farmer found some tiles while plowing in 1985, and in 2005, they started excavating. What they found was not the residence but the party place. The villa itself has yet to be found. This was just a huge venue for raucous large day-long events that began with a bath (they have found the baths, which for a private compound are huge, and bigger in fact than the baths for the whole town of Segobriga). Then came the over-abundant meal, then the entertainment (either music or drama). The mosaics are pretty amazing —one series of panels tells the story of a princess whose father beheaded her suitors because the oracles had told him he would be killed by his son-in-law. Another series of mosaics was more familiar, involving Paris, satyrs, Artemis and somewhere hidden there was a scallop shell. This lead our guide to joke about the Camino passing through here in Roman times. There are many acres more to explore, and some funding has been given to forge ahead. They are hoping to find the villa, the slaves’ quarters (they estimate there were about 70), and other parts of the estate.

    From the ruins we had a few kms along a national highway but it wasn’t bad. And then the last kms were quite beautiful. All off road, and even with the dead or dying crops, it was majestic.

    We got to Villar and into our Casa Rural. The guy in Bar Goyo is really nice but was totally frazzled because his two helpers didn’t show up. We got sandwiches and came back to our place. All in all, a great day.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    1
    1

    Rest day in Cuenca

    24 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Like most rest days, I wound up spending most of the time walking. It was fun. A quick synopsis would include a visit to the Cuenca archaeological museum, the Cuenca abstract, art museum, a walk up to the castle, a goodbye lunch in Clare’s pension, and a visit to the Camino association. Just as Lee had told me, Luis said he would have happily let us stay in the albergue for two nights. Oh well, next time.

    Tomorrow begins the second half of this Camino. Alun is going down to Alicante for a few days and then home, so it’s just Clare and I. We were lucky to meet someone at the Association office who has just walked from Cuenca to Burgos. I will write more about the news on the Forum, but the piece of information that stood out most in my mind is that we can no longer climb the Tetas de Viana because the metal staircase at the top has collapsed. And we also learned that the son of the bar owner in Caracena is in the process of opening a Casa Rural in town, and pilgrims can stay there. But we will have plenty of time to figure out whatever adjustments need to be made. For now it’s time for me to go to bed so that I can be sure to make it to the Roman villa in Noheda for an 11:00 tour.    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds
    2

    Fuentes to Cuenca

    23 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Another low key day, 24 kms, into the UNESCO World Heritage city of Cuenca. The drought is just awful. Fields that would be a brilliant emerald green are dry. This area is a
    little less dry than where we have been, and there are more wildflowers than we have seen up till now, but it looks like one crop failure after another.

    The walk itself was really nice. We went by some lagoons, through two small villages with no facilities, but almost every step was off road. As we came in to Cuenca, we passed an endless mindnumbing series of square apartment buildings. No balconies, no cafés or panaderías, just square apartment buildings. It seems so anti-Spanish to build housing that way, but I guess it’s efficient.

    The three of us all chose different places to stay, and I am near the cathedral and near a really good restaurant coincidentally! I had a good lunch, and walked for several hours afterwards to walk some of it off.

    Alun, Clare, and I all met up in late afternoon to walk around a bit and enjoy the views of the town built on top of a gorge. We then walked out to see the pilgrim albergue, and we plan to go back tomorrow when the Association is open. The albergue is always reported to be excellent, but I really wanted a rest day here, so two nights in a hotel is the better way to go. Albergue stays are limited to one night.

    I took one last stroll after dark just to see things in the dark. I knew that the spectacular illumination I remember from years ago had been discontinued because of the huge cost, but it still was beautiful.

    Tomorrow a rest day! It’s been many years since I’ve taken a rest day on a camino, probably more than 15, but I’m looking forward to this one!    Läs mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsRuta de la Lana, 2023Laurie Reynolds

    Fuentes to Cuenca

    23 maj 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Another low key day, 24 kms, into the UNESCO World Heritage city of Cuenca. The drought is just awful. Fields that would be a brilliant emerald green are dry. This area is a
    little less dry than where we have been, and there are more wildflowers than we have seen up till now, but it looks like one crop failure after another.

    The walk itself was really nice. We went by some lagoons, through two small villages with no facilities, but almost every step was off road. As we came in to Cuenca, we passed an endless mindnumbing series of square apartment buildings. No balconies, no cafés or panaderías, just square apartment buildings. It seems so anti-Spanish to build housing that way, but I guess it’s efficient.

    The three of us all chose different places to stay, and I am near the cathedral and near a really good restaurant coincidentally! I had a good lunch, and walked for several hours afterwards to walk some of it off.

    Alun, Clare, and I all met up in late afternoon to walk around a bit and enjoy the views of the town built on top of a gorge. We then walked out to see the pilgrim albergue, and we plan to go back tomorrow when the Association is open. The albergue is always reported to be excellent, but I really wanted a rest day here, so two nights in a hotel is the better way to go. Albergue stays are limited to one night.

    I took one last stroll after dark just to see things all lit up. It was gorgeous.

    Tomorrow I will probably go to the archaeological museum, the Cathedral and its museum, and maybe a convent or two. We are all going to try to sleep in, but I bet I’ll be up early.    Läs mer

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