June 2010 The rest of the trip, The World Cup, Lisbon, Rome and Ezyjet

For details on the rest of our trip, mostly written by Michael,
see http://mandm-eurotrip2010.blogspot.com/

7 and 8 June, 2010 - Casar de Caceres

I decided to do one last day of walking - my feet had healed after getting some good advice in Torremejia to get some compeed patches, after regular bandaids were turning my feet to pulp. Set off about 7am, easy walk out of Caceres on pedestrian/cycle way.
After a difficult stretch along the road, the camino goes onto a quiet track through farmland.
The walk into Casar de Caceres is lovely, through a another typical tree-lined pedestrian and bicycle way.
In Casar de Caceres I ran into Hans and Frano, the Germans. Great to walk into my final destination to a big hug from Frano. The people in the coffee shop outside the Albergue acted like it happens all the time.
In Casar de Caceres there are famous cheese shops, a great churrio cafe down towards the lake and a famous bus station - google it if you are interested in architecture.
In the morning we had coffee and churrios, then got the bus back to Caceres. Buses go every half an hour, Monday to Saturday, and cost about 1.20c.

The famous bus station.
	Lost in Translation - German to Spanish, Spanish to English, English to German

The End - Frano and Hans are getting the bus to Salamanca, I am getting the bus to Sevilla. Two other pilgrims we met at the bus station who had done a "short" walk from Merida. While we were waiting for the bus a change in the weather came through, and it was considerably cooler and overcast. The previous week had been quite a heat wave, much hotter than usual for late May/early June, apparently.

I am already plotting my camino for next year - I hope to leave Australia close to Easter in late April and fly to Madrid then get the bus to Merida and walk from there to Salamanca. I have a rendezvous with a friend in Istanbul in early May, so really want to include some more of the Camino. But then the Camino Norte looks good as well. 2012 maybe. I am hooked.

5 and 6 June, 2010 - Caceres - It's Complicated in a Town Like Adelaide

I arrived in Caceres in the middle of a festival weekend. 40 000 candles were lining the streets of the old city. Unfortunately it was rather windy during the evening, so not many were lit. Caceres is a beautiful city, with a very interesting history. The conquistodors of Mexico and Latin America have left a legacy. There is also a music festival that runs through all of June. Wandering through the old city I came across a concert by a saxophone ensemble. Sure enough, I ran into Yuri the Italian in the crowd.

It was hot, but somehow not as hot as 40 degrees in Melbourne and still ok for walking around in the shade.

Girls going to their Holy communion

This guy was belting out flamenco in opposition to the holy communion ceremony going on in the church behind me.

1, 2, and 3 June, 2010 - Zafra, Villafranca, Torremegia - Once Upon a Time in the West or The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

I didn't take many photos between Cadzillo, Zafra, Villafranca and Torremegia. I think I was too busy chatting to people, and it was rather hot. Out of Cadzillo, walked through rolling hills past chicken farms, more barley and wheat fields and several river crossings. I found my walking pole useful. Negotiated the train tracks into Zafra (the yellow arrows are there, but you have to look hard), and through the town centre to the really nice albergue. Beautiful building with small rooms and great facilities. Had dinner with Yuri, more bull fighting on the TV. When it finished everyone left. Yuri is appalled, I am disturbed but curious - what are the rules? The bull dies and is dragged off at great speed.
At breakfast in Zafra I got talking to Bruno, a French bloke who is very fond of ze All Blacks. Apparently he had spent a night drinking and singing with the team in about 1988. Sean Fitzpatrick gave him his jersey. Naturally we talk about rugby, keeps us talking for about 2 days before he capitulates and quits the Camino. The last 5km we are very weary. We stop for a beer on the way into town. Jose Marie, Bruno's friend who is Basque and climbs mountains for breakfast, got there about an hour ahead of us, and comes and finds us in the bar. Villafranca - we are channelling Once Upon a Time in the West, Bruno is very uncomfortable. We go to the Bibliotecha (library) for internet. There is a bar downstairs where parents wait for their kids doing music lessons. Very civilised. We have a beer watching Rafael Nadal beat someone at the French Open. We stayed in a private Albergue in Villafranca.
We got up very early (4.45am) to have breakfast at 5am and left at 5.30am. Long 30km day ahead. Walked through the dark through fields, grapes, grapes, more grapes, lots of tractors going to work in the dark. After about 2 hours Jose Marie is way ahead, then after another hour or so I catch up with Bruno again sitting at a cross roads. He has decided to quit and go home. This camino is not for him. I kept walking, could see someone in the distance behind me, sure enough it was Laia. Waited by a deep muddy river for Laia to catch up, and sure enough, Yuri appeared also. We climbed up onto the railway bridge to cross the river, and walked into Torremegia. Seriously chanelling Sergio Leone. Deserted streets at about 1pm, apart from old ladies in black disappearing into door ways as we approached. An old lady tried to persuade us to go to a private albergue, but Laia knows to ask a younger person. The old lady yells things at us as we walk away. We cross to the other side of town to the nice modern Albergue.

Heading out of Torremegia towards Merida

31 May, Monestario to Cadzillo - A Town too Far

Set off at 5.45am. Stopped for a coffee on the edge of town, then walked through the dim light down a track through farms and barley fields. Got a bit warm about 11am. Seemed a bit early to stop in Fuente de Cantos, so decided to walk on to Cadzillo. Unfortunately the Albergue is another 2km out of town, off the camino, in a very isolated place. Yuri the Italian and Carlos from Malaga were there. We played a Spanish word game on my iPod then walked back into town for dinner. Unfortunately there was nothing open at 8pm. Finally found a restaurant on the main road, tractors outside. The waiter turned on TV, thought we might want to watch the bull fighting. We walked back about 9pm, the cafe in town was now open. Lot of mosquitos about. Have acquired some blisters.

Heading out from Monestario in the early morning.

Fields of barley



















That far!







The bull between Fuente de Cantos and Calzadilla de los Barros