Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Walking from Cañaveral to Riolobos
20.3 kilometers

We are now into our third week on the Via de la Plata route of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes. We are feeling strong, and best of all, my right foot is improving every day a little. I am certain that if I were not walking all day sometimes on rocky roads beating my feet up that the healing time would be very short.

Today promised to be another very warm day and was warm enough when we started at 7:45 that I did not need my jacket at all. The frequently-used route today from Cañaveral to Carcaboso is 38 kilometers. We are choosing to avoid that extremely long walk, so we are walking to a turnoff, going 4 kilometers off the actual Via de la Plata route to a town called Riolobos. This makes for a 20-kilometer day today and an approximately 21-kilometer day tomorrow to Carcaboso.

Leaving Cañaveral in the morning I took a last picture of what has been the best albergue in which we have stayed so far.

Since a bar/cafe was open in Cañaveral, we stopped for a cafe con leche, and Tom, not being a coffee drinker had a green tea. Cafe con leche is something of a Camino tradition, but because so few places are open when we leave in the morning, it has become unusual for us. When I have had it, it never disappoints – love the cafe con leche in Spain!

We walked out of town and took an alternate path that stayed away from the busy highway. Unfortunately, after walking gradually uphill for about a kilometer, we were confronted by a long, steep, rocky uphill of about 500 meters or maybe more – it seemed that it would never end…but it did and we were into a very nice forest. The photo does not convey how steep this hill was, but we did get to the top.

At the top of the hill, we were in a very nice forest, shaded and quiet.

We knew we were really supposed to have climbed that hill when we saw a yellow arrow directing us into the forest. I got a photo of Tom and Javier as they passed the yellow arrow on a tree to their right.

We descended the hill to a crossing on the highway and directly ahead of us was what has been called either a “strip club” or brothel. Here is a photo of the main sign from a few years ago I found online. Notice the silhouettes of ladies in blue on the ends of the sign.

Here is a photo Javier took of me approaching the same brothel today. Notice I am on the Camino path as indicated by the marker to my right, and notice the sign has changed – the silhouettes of the ladies in blue are gone.

I went to the entrance to see if I could get a stamp in my pilgrim’s credential. I rang the doorbell twice, but there was no answer.

A few minutes later as I was walking away, a car drove up and a lady opened the window, said something in Spanish. All I would make out was “quatro.” I suspect when they are closed, the doorbell alerts her on her phone, and she was telling me that they open at 4 PM. As much as I wanted to get a stamp from the brothel, I’m not going to be able to come back after 4 PM. I’m disappointed – a stamp from a brothel might be unique in the Camino “world.” C’est la vie.

After the brothel, we were back in a natural area.

We came upon a couple from Australia, David and Jenny, and walked with them for a while. They are a little slower because of an injury David is getting over. We got to a small creek that had water in it, and a stepping-stone bridge that was crafted with actual stones, large, slippery, and not completely stable. We did all get across with no one getting wet.

Continuing on in the cattle grazing and natural area, I took a photo of Tom and Javier ahead of me.

The fairly natural Camino path went on and on, with very few rocks, and fairly easy walking.

Tom stopped after seeing something in the bushes. It was the largest rabbit I have ever seen. Tom got this photo of the rabbit. Correction, this is a hare.

At the top of a long gradual hill, we turned left to detour to Riolobos. We saw a large collection bee hives under the trees.

At the top of another long gradual hill, we could see in the distance some ruins of a large Roman aqueduct. Since the Via de la Plata follows or is close to the old Roman road, we are seeing many Roman ruins.

Soon Riolobos came into view a long way off. You can just barely see it as the white color in the slightly above center in the photo.

Since there are no albergues in Riolobos, we booked a room in an apartment, a private room with three beds and a private bathroom. Shared kitchen, laundry, and dining room. There are three bedrooms in this apartment, but only one other person booked here today, Marion from The Netherlands, whom we have seen in albergues for a few days. Javier got a photo of me at the entrance to the apartment as we waited for the manager to bring the key.

It was a very good day on the Via de la Plata. My right foot is better than it has been, and I am more than confident that more improvement is coming. Tomorrow is another 21-kilometer day, not nearly as long as the 33 kilometers two days ago, so less brutal on the feet. We are getting stronger after over two weeks of walking every day and feeling good. My small disappointment today is that I could not get a stamp in my pilgrim’s credential from the brothel. Perhaps there will be another chance somewhere down the Via de la Plata road. When writing these blog entries, I keep using the word “beautiful” and I do not apologize – southern Spain is indeed beautiful.

Next: Riolobos to Carcaboso