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Vía Serrana and El InviernoVía Serrana and El Invierno
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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    1
    114
    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
    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
    3
    11
    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
    1
    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
    Day 14

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

    April 24 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
    11
    Day 14

    The Alcázar and surroundings

    April 24 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
    111
    Day 14

    Repositioning day

    April 24 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We have finished the Via Serrana, and if I had the time, I would just keep walking from Sevilla north on the very beautiful Via de la Plata. But I don’t have that luxury, so today was a day of train rides to get to Ponferrada, where the Camino Invierno begins.

    The walk to the Sevilla train station, about 3 km, was very pleasant, taking us through the maze of streets in Santa Cruz. I could not have navigated it without Google maps.

    First train — an Ave (fast train) to Madrid. 2.5 hours, 300 miles.

    Then in Madrid we had to change train stations, from Atocha to Chamartín. In the not too distant future the two stations will be “one station with two stops,” so we won’t have to use the commuter rail system to transfer. Currently there is no high-speed rail connection between the two, which means that high-speed trains from the south have to stop in Atocha and high-speed trains from the north have to stop in Chamartin. Connecting them is a huge project, even though it’s only about 8 km. Current price tag is estimated at more than 500 million euros and many years of disruption in both stations.

    But that’s not all that’s happening in that area. The project Madrid Nuevo Norte is my going to cover almost 6 km of tracks and make that entire area available for development. Another mind-boggling complicated and expensive project.

    Two more train rides, and by 6:30 we were in Ponferrada. I got a cab to take me to Santo Tomás de Las Ollas, a 10 C church I’ve tried and failed to visit several times. This time I thought was going to be more of the same, because the Señora with the keys did not appear to be home. But a neighbor told me to just knock louder, and she did appear. Just a beautiful circle of horseshoe arches. From there I walked a few kms into town and am ready to start the Invierno tomorrow.

    The weather forecast looks less than great, But we haven’t had to use our rain gear yet, so it seems only fair.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    11
    Day 14

    Sevilla at night — for Irene

    April 24 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
    6
    Day 16

    Ponferrada -Peñalba de Santiago- Montes

    April 26 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    This was a tough but exhilarating day. 27 km and 1200 m up — I think that’s the most elevation I’ve done yet. Actually it was a couple of steep rocky descents that almost got me, but I did fine with my poles and going very slowly. One water crossing had a lot of very fast moving water, but luckily it was not that high at the space I had to cross.

    The trail started out through vineyards and fields, and then switched to forests. The last part was mountainous and rocky. It was a great combination.

    My first destination was the beautiful little pueblo of Peñalba de Santiago. It was one of the last places to get electricity and paved roads in all of Spain, I believe. The houses are stone, with slate roofs, sometimes lots of flowers, sometimes wooden balconies. And there in the middle sits a 10 century Mozarabic church. It has horseshoe arches just like Santo Tomás yesterday, and a recent restoration revealed some original frescoes. One side of one doorway has some beautiful calligraphy, written in what I am assuming is Latin.

    I had a long stop in this town, meeting the man who runs a small Albergue here, and also getting my Kas de Limón fix in the small bar in town.

    Then came the last 8 km or so, starting out with a very steep and rocky climb to a field with a maze laid out in tiny stones. But it was the descent that was the piece de resistance. Incredibly rocky and steep, with frequent water crossings, and signs that I was walking in Roman canals. Though it’s hard to believe, for me at least, the Romans transported water from here to 24 km away where they had a gold mine whose remains I will visit tomorrow.

    My destination for tonight was the monastery of San Pedro in Montes De Valdueza. Though the monastery is pretty much in ruins, the local church authorities opened a small Albergue here, not so much for people walking to Santiago but more for the many people who walk in these mountains. The woman who is in charge lives in town, and she gave me the keys to the monastery! I can’t get into the church though, unfortunately. Because I am a Pilgrim, she will bring me my dinner and fixings for breakfast. It’s kind of weird being the only person in this big place, but tomorrow night there are going to be 70 mountaineers here, and I think I prefer being alone!

    I dodged a bullet and had only a few sprinkles on the last couple of kilometers into town. It’s raining now, and the forecast is that it will continue. But maybe I’ll be lucky tomorrow like I was today.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El Invierno
    311
    Day 17

    Snow and 800 cyclists

    April 27 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Today I walked from Montes de Valdueza to Las Médulas and then another 8 or 9 km to Puente de Domingo Florez. Wikiloc tells me it was 35 KM and about 900 m elevation gain.

    It had been raining all night, but Pilar had told me that the entire distance was on a “pista forestal” (Forest track). That meant no jagged rocks, no extremely steep elevation, all dirt, and no rivers to ford. As I went from one side of a mountain to another, the weather kept changing. At one high point, it was snowing. About halfway there, I ran into three guys setting up a refreshment stand. They told me I was about to encounter 800 cyclists, all of them completing a 101 km circuit from Ponferrada. There were about 200 walkers, but I was unlikely to see them given that they would be much further behind.

    When I started down from that point, it turned into a pea soup fog, with an occasional few minutes of rain. But when I got to Las Medulas, it wasn’t raining, and the view was as spectacular as ever.

    I was going to spend the night there, in a little rural hotel, where I have been several times. But when I got there, the grounds were covered with campers and tents and caravans. I decided that even if there were rooms available, it was going to be a late night party. I decided to continue on nine more kilometers. That will make tomorrow a very short day so that’s nice.    Read more

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