La Mancha - pintoresco
2023年4月3日, スペイン ⋅ ☁️ 11 °CNach dem Übernachtungs-, Service- und Einkaufshalt in Alcazar de San Juan steuerten wir auf den Nachbarort Campo de Criptana zu, ist dieser doch auf unserer Landkarte als besonders sehenswertもっと詳しく
Nach dem Übernachtungs-, Service- und Einkaufshalt in Alcazar de San Juan steuerten wir auf den Nachbarort Campo de Criptana zu, ist dieser doch auf unserer Landkarte als besonders sehenswert markiert.
Gross dann die Überraschung, dass wir plötzlich in einer Kalenderbild-Szenerie stehen. Die erhabene Rundsicht auf diesem Hügel über dem Ort lässt uns staunen. Nicht nur, dass diese Windmühlen von einer langen und alten landwirtschaftlichen Tradition erzählen. Sie stehen auch da, als handelte es sich um ehrwürdige Persönlichkeiten, jede mit ihrem je eigenen Gesicht, ihrer eigenen würdevollen Ausstrahlung.
Eigentlich nicht erstaunlich, dass Don Quichotte - der Ritter von der traurigen Gestalt - vor einer Gruppe von Riesen zu stehen glaubte, als er auf diesen Hügel zu ritt.😉
Der gepflegte Ort in dieser markanten endlos weiten Landschaft mag zwar ein touristischer Hotspot sein. Wir sind zum Glück an einem Montagmorgen da und können die Magie dieser Landschaft genießen.
Da der Wetterbericht heute keinen Sonnenuntergang verspricht, verzichten wir darauf, hier oben zu übernachten. Statt dessen fahren wir weiter südwärts ins Quellgebiet des Rio Guadiana, vorbei am Castillo de Peñarroya und am gleichnamigen Stausee.もっと詳しく
This is now payback time for having taken a day to see Alcala del Jucar. Since I told Clare I’d be in Monteagudo to meet her on Sunday, I’ve got to do some pretty long days to get there. Luckily they are fairly flat, with no stage having more than 300 m of ascent.
Last night the clouds got really dark and some of the townspeople were hoping for a little bit of rain. Even though the wheat crop has totally failed, if the rain doesn’t come, the almonds, the grapes, and the olives will all die. There has been no rain since last November. It’s the first thing people talk about and the thing that’s on everyone’s mind. The small towns out here all depend on agriculture. The Moroccan guy who helped me get my phone on wifi talked about the lack of rain. The cafe/bar attached to the hostal is seeing the effects. He usually has a bustling breakfast business starting at 6:30. If there’s no one working in the fields, they won’t be coming in for breakfast.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think I should wait until 630 to contribute to his morning breakfast trade. I wanted to start out and give myself plenty of time to deal with my back. So at about six, I left, having done multiple stretching exercises I found compliments of Ms. Google. As I left, I heard the alarm. The owner had told me yesterday that he would dismantle the alarm so that I could leave without tripping it. But I guess he forgot. I don’t think the three other pilgrims sleeping up there we’re very happy.
After going through Villaharta, the terrain became much more interesting. Still endless vineyards, but the rolling hills make a difference.
Since I had been walking through about 20 km of nothing but vineyards, I began to notice features that I had missed before. When the vines are very young, they are enclosed in a green plastic tube, presumably to keep out animals, or maybe to enhance water retention. As they grow, they burst out of those plastic tubes. And then what? Based on what I see, the tubes are left to disintegrate in the soil that nourishes the vines. This reminded me of a recent article I read that estimated that we all consume a credit card’s worth of plastics every day. Are these green tubes just another way we are poisoning ourselves?
Leaving those profound thoughts aside, I started to focus on my back. During the last 15 km, I stopped two or three times to takeoff my pack, stretch my back and hope that the little pulling would not turn into pain. And I was lucky! Though I arrived in Campillo later than I thought I would, given my early departure, I was very happy that it was a much less painful arrival than yesterday!
I was happy that some other pilgrims had gone ahead to see if the restaurant would wait to give food to us stragglers. I had a wonderful meal of salad, sea bass, and lemon mousse. And took a walk up to the convent, which, unfortunately, was closed. I had a nice chat with a Dominican caregiver who is connected to the man she’s caring for, but really hoping to get out of this small town.
It was a great walk, 37 km, with some very wonderful scenery.もっと詳しく
旅行者 Boy oh boy … that sky really looked like it had rain to give. Sad that it passed over / and looking at those clods of earth around the vines is enough to make one weep. It’s so true though / your words about the chain of events … ie no one to buy breakfast if they are not working the fields if the fields are bare. 😢
mary louise adams Hopefully after today you can slow down a bit to rest your back! Glad your stop and stretch strategy worked! Are your feet okay?
旅行者 I remember that beautiful hacienda. I just read my account of this stage and I very much liked the variation in scenery for a change. I hope your accommodation was more comfortable than the polideportivo.
This morning, as I was leaving Graja De Iniesta, disappointed that I hadn’t found a Café to stop and rest in, I saw a group of women, all dressed in purple and with hair nets on. They were crossing the road in front of me. I asked them what they were doing, and the yexplained that they had just finished their Almuerzo and were heading back to work in the mushroom barns. I asked if I could possibly take a peek inside, I had passed so many of these big industrial buildings with a name indicating that mushrooms were somehow involved with the enterprise, and I was curious.
One of the shift leaders came over and told me she would love to give me a tour. So in I went. No hairnet needed because of my hat.
It was really fascinating. The women doing the picking were in little cages that went up and down and back-and-forth to the different rows of mushrooms, which were growing in long tubs about 4’ wide, 4 or 5 on top of each other. Each one of these tubs was full of bright white mushrooms of different sizes The women had their instructions for the day about which size to pick. They all have a set of measuring circles to make sure they pick the right size. They work until the order is filled, but usually ends around one or 2 PM.
The mushrooms take about three months from seedling to final product, so they are always cycling the growing schedules to make sure there are always mushrooms ready to harvest. In this factory, they sell to fruterías in the region, and to Mercadona and Lidl nationwide. Mushrooms that don’t quite meet up to their standards get sent down the road to a place that cans and bottles them. All picking and stem slicing is done by hand. The rest of the process is automated, filling a plastic container with a green or red indicator to show whether there are too many or too few mushrooms in the container.
I met one of the owners of this huge business. He was about 40, and he told me that his father started the business 50 years ago, growing mushrooms in caves nearby. And now this has evolved so that their barns replicate cave conditions. Most important is the temperature control. He told me that they are probably the only agricultural endeavor in this part of Spain that remains totally unaffected by the drought. I told him he should consider opening up the place for tours, and he said he would be glad to show any Peregrino around if the time was right.
The shift leader took me outside and told me that the three brothers who are now the owners are there working in the assembly line every day. In fact, the one I met had been driving a forklift filled with pallets of mushrooms. All workers are dressed in purple fleeces, pants, shirts, etc. Courtesy of the company. She says she really likes her job.
Shortly after this tour, the Camino took me through almond groves. There was a man working in the fields, so I asked him how things were going. He said that the main problems he’s having is not so much the lack of rain now, but the damage done by a hard freeze on April 5, And now the damage being done by the pulgon, which is some kind of bug that sucks all the liquid out of the leaves in the branches. He ended our conversation by echoing a very common complaint from the people I’ve talked to, which is that the price the farmer gets is pitiful and he’s not sure how much longer he can continue. But then he said with a shrug, but I’ve been here all my life, what else would I do?
So, with my agricultural lessons concluded, I walked a little further to find a good resting place, so that I could begin my remaining 20 km feeling rested and refreshed. But what a great way to break up the day.もっと詳しく
Ola, Laurie! Just checking in and catching up on your travels and incredible photos. Love 'em all! Hope your back is better and that some nighttime rain comes soon. Love hearing about your travels!
旅行者 So interesting to read - you are so open (which is easier when you’re fluent )that you show the locals how Peregrino/as want to understand more about the region they are walking through. I did think you were going to tell us that you had almuerzo wherever theyd come from ❤️
Nach der Besichtigung von Ávila ging es weiter. Hier, in Castillo de Garcimunoz, haben wir einen ganz netten und kostenfreien Stellplatz, direkt an der Burgmauer gefunden. Es gibt hier sogar eine Entsorgungsstation. In der Nacht war es sehr ruhig - ideal für die Weiterfahrt am nächsten Tag.もっと詳しく
Wow, only 24 Km! Only 500 m ascent! Everyone left at more or less the same time, around the ungodly late hour of 7:30! Felt like a rest day actually.
The walk today was virtually all off road. Lots of logging areas (pine, not eucalyptus), through an estate with dire warnings we had been told to ignore. And luckily no one shot at us.
It was undulating hills and beautiful vistas. In normal times, these fields would be a brilliant, emerald green, with wildflowers lining the path. That’s not at all what it is today, though some of the fields look like they’re trying to make it with a tepid, green color, and a few tenacious wildflowers are dotting the path.
About 4 km outside of our destination, the clouds darkened, and it started to spit a little rain. But it was just a tease, no rain came, no relief for the farmers.
We are in a nice little Hotel Rural, the Palancares. We had a decent menu del dia and then afterwards I walked out to see what the signs for the Titanosaurio were. Turns out it’s a model of a dinosaur, to remind everyone of all the bones they have found in the area. There is apparently an excellent paleontology, museum, in Cuenca. So many things to do in Cuenca, and I am very glad that I’ll have a rest day there. But I was disappointed to learn that the longest zip line in Europe is closed during the week.もっと詳しく
旅行者 What, no picture of you riding the 🦕? Yes, the zip line is just what you need for your intermittent back pain, but only good if you can carry your 🎒. ❤️ pictures. Thanks for ongoing updates! PS: glad you were dodging bullets.😂🚶🏽♀️🚶🏽♀️
Today, I was expecting a 34 km walk. 3 km more may not seem like a lot, but those last three I was really dragging. I had to stop about once an hour to stretch my back. I saw not one person on the entire walk, no one in the fields, no one in the one town I went through. It was a very solitary day. The high point was definitely the castle and Paracuellos. It is really gorgeous. I didn’t climb around it, mainly because I couldn’t find how to get up to it, but it was beautiful to look at from below.
I think there has been more water here than in the places further south, where we’ve been, but even so, the crops look terrible. Mainly wheat and lentils. I believe they are all total failures. But the reason I think there has been more water here is because there are a few smattering of wildflowers, and at one point I even had to walk through a bit of mud.
I am in the town of Monteagudo de las Salinas. Two days from Cuenca, where I will take a rest day. In the one restaurant in town, three Peregrinos converged. Me on the long off-road route from Campillo, Alun on the shorter road route, and Clare, who had come in from Valencia. For the next two days, there will be three of us, and then Alun is probably going to leave, while Clare and I continue on to Burgos.
I think my days over 35 Km are done now.もっと詳しく
旅行者 First! As the youngsters write nowadays. - Three peregerinos in Monteagudo: the population must have doubled then. I know it drags: the worst part is usually the walk up the carretera a couple kms after the castle in Paracuellos... I think! - You will have some 20 kms-stages to Cuenca from here so I hope you will find it more relaxing than the previous days. Say hello to globetrotter Clare from me. She has given me so many useful updates about the Requena!
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.もっと詳しく
旅行者 Museums, yes! And the Dinosaur museum is there as well. I remember it is right on the Camino going through central Cuenca? Or maybe I was just lost and stumbled upon it when I passed through. - Your info about upcoming stages is interesting. Even with an intact staircase, I don't think I would ever have the guts to go up to the Tetas. (steep?) - Will we see pictures from Noheda? - Take care!
旅行者 Lovely, lovely, lovely to see your glowing smile…and Clare’s! As beautiful as the surroundings. Hope even with the walking that your back is feeling better. Ultreia!
Alan Sykes If you can stay in Caracena, please do. It is on one of the loveliest sections of any camino, and the romanesque churches (and the castle) will delight you, after the breath-taking natural beauty of the canyon.
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!もっと詳しく
旅行者 Wow, what a place. I'd need a few days. One for paleontology and archaeology, the other for more recent stuff. Enjoy!
旅行者 Seems as you followed the Camino (of course) entering Cuenca among the apartment buildings. There is a short-cut on the road... but more dangerous. And the entrance to Cuenca on the road is even worse since it takes you through the industrial suburbs! So it's grey apartment buildings or industrial suburbs either way... But enjoy the rest of Cuenca on you rest day!!
Laurie Reynolds Do you know if these apartment buildings are social housing or market based? Especially the ones without balconies. We three are discussing this right now and I can’t figure it out.
旅行者 I have nooo idea. I just remember they never ended... It takes forever to reach the center of Cuenca.
Ich habe eigentlich keine Worte für das Schöne was wir heute erlebt haben…… 9.5 Kilometer lang! 😅
Ich erzähle einfach nur kurz die Fakten! Denn wenn ich einmal ins Schwärmen komme, bin ich Morgen noch dran! 🤩
Gefrühstückt haben wir in „Campo de Criptana“ auf dem Parkplatz oberhalb der Mühlen. Hier kann man auch wunderbar übernachten!
Wir verabschieden uns von Don Quijotes „Riesen“ und fahren 150 Kilometer auf der leeren N420 durch Zentralspanien nach Osten!
So kommen wir nach Cuenca. Zufällig hatte ich darüber gelesen und war gleich hin und weg. Wir stehen auf dem Parkplatz „ Playa Municipal“, wunderbar, direkt am Fluss im Grünen und laufen die ca. 1,8 km am Rio del Jucar entlang in die Stadt.
Cuenca, die Hauptstadt der gleichnamigen Provinz liegt 946 m Höhe und zählt 56.000 Einwohner. Während die Neustadt mit allen zentralen Einrichtungen in der Ebene liegt, geht es auf teilweise steilen Treppen hinauf in die historische Altstadt. Diese zählt zum UNESCO Weltkulturerbe!
Die Mauren hatten die Stadt in ihrem Besitz. 1177 wurde sie vom König von Kastilien nach monatelanger Belagerung erobert. Nachdem wir die Mauern gesehen haben, können wir uns das Belagerungsszenario gut vorstellen!
Die Schluchten zweier Flüsse trennen die Altstadt von der Umgebung. Wahrzeichen der Stadt sind die „Casas Colgades“, die hängenden Häuser über dem tiefen Tal des Flusses Huécar!
Einen schönen Blick hat man von der alten Eisenbahnbrücke „Puente de San Pablo“.
Das Zentrum der Stadt bildet die Plaza Mayor. Hier steht die gotische Kathedrale, an der mehrere Jshrhunderte gebaut wurde! Ein Traum!
Abends ist alles angestrahlt.
Morgen, an unserem letzten „Urlaubstag“, vor Beginn der Rückreise, lassen wir uns verzaubern!
Ihr dürft gespannt sein! 😍
Unsere Tipps:
1. sich immer selber vor Ort ein Bild über den möglichen Übernachtungsplatz machen. Wir schlafen heute wie schon gesagt auf dem Parkplatz „Playa Municipal“. Darüber stand im Netz, es gäbe jetzt Verbotsschilder und der gefährliche Prozessionsspinner würde hier sein Unwesen treiben! Nichts davon stimmt! Aber wir wären fast nicht hierher gefahren! 🤔
2. Bester Aussichtspunkt auf die Altstadt, die „hängenden Häuser“ und die Schlucht ist vom höchsten Punkt aus: >Barrio del Castell<!
Die vielen Stufen bergan sind anstrengend. Ja! Aber es lohnt sich sowas von!
Der Bus Nr. 2 fährt auch hoch!もっと詳しく
Sie wird auch die Stadt mit den hängenden Häusern genannt.
Nachdem wir erst mittags von Trujillo aufgebrochen sind und recht gemütlich unterwegs waren, sind wir erst gegen 16 Uhr hier angekommen. Ein Übernachtungsplatz entlang des Flusses war schnell gefunden. Hui, ist es hier kühl 🥶 na ja, Cuenca liegt auf gut 1.000 Meter Seehöhe.
Wir kraxeln die steilen Gassen in die Stadt und ich freu mich schon auf die zahlreichen Tapas Lokale, die in der spanischen Tourist-Info angekündigt sind. Aber unsere Suche bleibt erfolglos .😩 Entweder sie haben schon Winterpause oder nur mehr am Wochenende offen. 😳
Nach unserer Stadtbesichtigung und der erfolglosen Lokalsuche wurde im Dia kurzerhand eine große Empanada de Atún besorgt, daheim im WoMo in der Pfanne gewärmt und gemütlich, gemeinsam mit einem Gläschen Rosé, vertilgt.もっと詳しく
この場所は、次の名前で知っているかもしれません:
Provincia de Cuenca, Cuenca, Província de Conca, クエンカ
naturweltenbummler Schon auf unserer Bucket List. Sind auf dem Weg nach Zaragoza und wollen dann durchs Landesinnere bis zur Gorafe Wüste.…
旅行者 Sehr schöne Windmühlenbilder, den Ort hab ich für uns ins „Heimweg-Programm“ genommen. 😉 Noch eine kurze Lernfrage: Von welcher Firma ist die Landkarte, die ihr benutzt? Ist eine gute Sache wenn Orte als besonders sehenswert gekennzeichnet sind! Alles Gute und schöne Ostertage 👋
旅行者 Das ist die MarcoPolo-Landkarte 1:800'000 für Spanien, Portugal, Andorra. Wir nehmen das als Anhaltspunkt in Gegenden, wo wir keinen Reiseführer o.ä. haben. Und eine haptische Übersicht ist halt immer noch sehr praktisch - trotz all der digitalen Tools. Auch euch schöne Ostertage.
旅行者 Herzlichen Dank, ich bin auch unbedingt für Landkarten aufm Tisch, wo ich dann drin rum malen kann. Hatte dieses Mal nur die kostenfreien ADAC Karten dabei wegen der Übersicht. 💐