Morille to Salamanca

I had a comfortable night in the albergue, Seiki and I were the only pilgrims so it was a quiet night and we chose beds at opposite ends of the room. I was glad of the duvet as I had felt cold for most of the day. I had set my alarm for 0600 but decided not to get up, It is only 21 km to Salamanca, so there was no need to hurry, and I ended up leaving at 0640. I was wishing that I had more than just a banana for breakfast. The hospitalero had told us that 10 km along the camino there was a village just a few hundred metres off the path and there was a cafe, so a chance of breakfast...needless to say when I got there at 0900, it was closed.

I remembered this stage of the walk very well, it is an almost straight path from Morille to Salamanca, the road rises and falls and has a few twists and turns, but once you are on it you don't turn off it until you get into the city. In the distance you can see the the two cathedrals of Salamanca appearing and disappearing as the path rises and falls. The sky was overcast with a temperature of around 15° and there was a gentle cool breeze, perfect walking weather. I stopped on the hill with the cross and had the salad that I had been saving, I reckoned I would be able to replace it easily enough in the city.

Even with my futile detour in search of coffee, I arrived at the edge of the city well within four hours, but it was nearly an hour before I arrived at my hotel. I had a lot to do today, I needed to find a bank, get fresh supplies from the farmacia - it looks like I have another blister forming under the one that was healing. I also need batteries for my head torch, and food supplies for the next couple of days, if i remember correctly there are not may shops between here and Zamora.

The hotel was exactly as I remembered it, and although I was in a different room it was just as luxurious, and only two minutes walk from the Plaza Mayor. The plaza is regarded as the finest in Spain, but once again its beauty was obscured by a massive stage and lighting that was being made ready for a concert.

I went and had a good dinner mid-afternoon, and met an English couple who were there as part of a river cruise, the place was also hoaching with Americans from the same cruise. We had a good chat and they went off to some touristy things, and I wandered along the main shopping area and bought a few small things, on the camino, weight is everything

I like Salamanca, it is a very beautiful city, the kind of place where you can sit in a street cafe and just watch the world go by all day, but I liked the idea of going back to my luxurious hotel room and having a quiet afternoon, reading and journaling. I wanted to get an early night, I had a big walk the next day.Read more