Spain
Soto del Real

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    • Onto Colemenar Viejo

      September 8, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Was a clear blue sky again today, with the temperatures not too bad. Trail was long and dusty tho. Mostly thru dry creek beds and farm roads. Hostel here is pretty good. Taking 2 litres of water a day. Have a look at today.Read more

    • Day 39

      In Madrid

      May 16, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      It’s hard to believe that only two days ago I was walking into Salamanca. I left the little pension in San Pedro early so I could meet up with @Charrito in Salamanca. It was a short and very straightforward walk except got a few last encounters with cattle. Why do herds that have enormous fields to enjoy always place themselves right on the Camino?!

      But by noon I was in the Plaza Mayor enjoying a cafe con leche with @Charrito, a Camino de Invierno fan who lives in this lovely city. My electric coil had finally stopped working, so I had to walk 24 km before any coffee.

      Then around 2pm I went to the fancy hotel where another camino amiga had snagged very cheap rates for three of us. Me, walking into Salamanca, Jill bussing in from Grimaldo, and Clare bussing up from Cañaveral. It was a great meet up and we gabbed and gabbed till way past pilgrim bedtime. The hotel lobby lights were turned off and finally we headed to bed after midnight. And would you believe that Clare had decided she was not going to join The Electric Coil Club after all and asked me if I wanted hers? How is that for synchronicity?!

      Yesterday we had a few morning hours for coffee in the Plaza Mayor, and a quick walk through the old part to see the cathedral, hunt for the frog on the skull’s head, etc.

      At 10:50 Clare and I were on the fast train. By 12:30 we were in Madrid where we said goodbye, Clare heading to a hotel and me to Soto del Real to spend some time with my closest Spanish friends and their kids. And what better way to spend the afternoon than to take a 15 km walk up through the Guadarrama foothills that start outside their front door?

      Today some more walks are planned and then tomorrow the flight home. I know that some year will be my last Camino but I surely hope there are more in my future!
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    • Day 21

      Sunday in Soto

      September 26, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      Today was family day with my friends in Soto del Real, with the unexpected bonus that the two (now teenaged) kids came with us for a long lunch outdoors in a local restaurant. As a newly appointed EU prosecutor in a unit dedicated to intra-EU fiscal fraud team, my amiga had many fascinating stories about the first few months of her appointment. She really feels like she is doing something worthwhile and for the greater good. And Paco, as always, had many fascinating local government law issues to discuss. Maybe a limited audience, but it is exactly up my alley and we finally stopped talking at 10:30 to turn on the news to see what was happening in Germany.

      Usually when I visit, we are able to take some beautiful long walks in the mountains that start about four minutes from their house. But today it was just a few baby steps to soak up the sun and see the views.

      I have a good friend who arrives in Madrid tomorrow morning to start the Camino de Madrid. We will probably connect in WhatsApp. I feel like I am passing the baton but am still a bit bummed at how it all turned out. But as many of my Camino friends have already told me, the thing to do is to start planning my next Camino!
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    • Day 22

      Camino arrows everywhere

      September 27, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      Today is my last day in Spain, at least for this Camino. My one unchangeable ritual is to pack up as many liters of olive oil as I can realistically fit— in my backpack, as well as in the duffel bag that I sent up to Santiago empty at the start of the camino. This is a tradition that dates back about 10 years, and I don’t think the Berkeley gang has had to buy any olive oil at all since I started.

      I was able to take a little stroll in the morning, before buying my olive oil. Everywhere I looked, I saw camino arrows. A branch of the Camino de Madrid, called the Camino Mendocino, comes through Soto, but very few people walk it. Except for you, Nuala! When you’re a Camino addict, and when you can’t walk, and when you are constantly seeing Camino arrows, it is like waving red flags in front of a bull.

      I am glad I have my PT appointment set up in Champaign, because I would still describe walking as slightly painful. That is actually a little comforting, because it has reassured me that I made the right decision to stop walking.

      Tomorrow I’ll be at the airport bright and early for my flight. With two bags to check and the Covid ritual, I think erring on the side of arriving early is a good one. For anyone contemplating a trip to Europe in the near future, I can recommend the Binax NOW Covid tests that you bring with you in a box. Then you perform the test online with a proctor. No need for an appointment in a lab, and you can do it at whatever time works best for you in the three day window.
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