Total Distance walked by Gordon: 439 kms Total Distance cycled by Ruth: 468 kms When I am planning to travel on a Camino I admit to doing minimal preparation. I check the average weather in the area, buy the plane tickets and a guidebook, pack a 45 litre backpack and off we go. Since we will be on a Camino route I assume there will be adequate ...
I love cycle touring and Spain would be a perfect place for it. This trip, however, is not a bike tour but rather a Camino with my bike and trailer. I see other cyclists almost every day, but only once. They are moving much faster than I am, especially if they are staying on the road. The Eurovelo 1 follows the Via de la Plata route ...
A medieval pilgrim ( and I worry about proportion)! Gordon: Last night we stayed in the latest jewel in the UNESCO chain that we are following up the Via de la Plata: Cáceres. There are layers of history in Cáceres, starting with the oldest known cave paintings. The paintings formed by blowing pigment over hands in the Maltravieso Cave have been dated to 65,000 years before the present, ...
Enrique helping me with my tire. I have travelled on several long trips without a single flat tire, but on this trip I am honing my skills at puncture repair. Perhaps this route is called the Via de la Plata, not for the silver mined or the relatively flat terrain, but the flat tires created by the pesky little thorns along the way. So far I ...
Gordon: It was a cold, wet, windy but mercifully short (15 kms) slog into Mérida today. Southern Spain is having it’s coolest April in decades, so we have had a series of very brisk days. Several mornings it was only 3 or 4 degrees, and with strong, fatiguing winds. I’m glad that Ruth convinced me to throw in another warm layer when I was packing for the trip. The good ...
Zafra Spain Gordon’s Total Distance Walking: 150 kms Ruth’s Total Distance Cycling: 167 Number of paintings or sketches: 7 Art teachers sometimes encourage their students to just fill their sketchbooks, insisting that every page is mileage in learning to make art. Each day, on the Via de la Plata, some of my mileage is, therefore off my bike. I brought my little art kit, and ...
I offered chairs and beer on a long day without a cafe. They call this the “clock tower” in Amaden, but it sure looks a lot like a minaret to me. The beauty of the Via de la Plata has taken me by surprise. I was anticipating that the scenery would be like the meseta, which is to say lovely in its own way, but ...
Leaving from the Seville Cathedral Day One: Seville to Guillena Day Two: Guillena to Castilblanco de los Arroyos Our first dinner on the Via de la Plata was a gathering of eight or nine pilgrims. Everyone at the table had done at least three Caminos. This is not a route beginners generally choose. It is longer and has some stages with fewer services. It’s wonderful ...
The view from our apartment. March 27, 2022 Gordon: We got off to a slow start from Victoria. Our plane had a minor bird strike as it arrived, necessitating an inspection before our departure. This delay meant we would miss our connecting flights, but Air Canada quickly and seamlessly rebooked us through Paris rather than Frankfurt. Baguettes and pain au chocolate for lunch rather than sausages. We never did get ...
With only four more sleeps before we fly to Spain, I think I might repack just one more time. The last few days I have been adding and subtracting from the packing pile. I know less is always better, but I just might need that extra…(fill in the blank with anything unnecessary). Spain actually might have a store or two if I really need something. After ...