Caceres to Galisteo

On Saturday we set off early from Caceres, intending to walk 30 or so km to the Embalse. No buses to Casar de Caceres until 12pm because it is still festa. We set off at 7.30am, made good time to Casar. Familiar territory to me, had a chat with a farmer with some sheep about the weather on the way into town, the bit I understood was more rain as we go north. Found the only coffee shop open, humming with locals. We set off through the farms that produce all the great cheese from this area, through quite remote farmland. Stopped for lunch amongst some cows, then via more narrow rocky pathways until we came upon the resorvoir. Walked all the way around it, looking forward to stopping after 30km, only to find the albergue was closed due to bad water. There was a phone number for a taxi to Canaverale, but we don´t have a local sim card. We are feeling ok, so decide to keep walking. Over a big hill, rocky pathway, through more cows, I am suffering now. We take the wrong path after some construction of a parking lot in the middle of nowhere, do an extra km or 2, but climb through a fence, through some paddocks, up a gully and find the path again. All the way through town, find the Hostal Malaga 44km later. Huge crowd in the bar watching Real Madrid seconds beat someone 6-3. Kaka and Higuin have scored 3 and 2 each. No more rooms left, but the barman has otra casa, down the street, we have the place to ourselves. Back to the bar to watch Barca seconds beat Osasuna 2-0. Messi and Xavi on the bench.

Sunday: Our feet are pretty sore, so next day we walk to Grimaldo, then see how we are going. We walk over a big hill through beautiful pine forest, then through farmland. We chat to Madelaine from Bordeaux in France, then stop for a coffee and take our socks off after 8km in Grimaldo. We are feeling ok, Grimaldo is very small, so we decide to walk the 20km to Galisteo. Through great farmland, lots of cows, gates, beautiful farmland. We catch glimpses of towns, encounter a tortoise in the middle of the path, green wheatfields, a canal, an obscure gateway through a farm, up a big hill, and finally Galisteo. Galisteo is a walled town. You can see it from a distance, then it disappears the closer you get to it. We find our way in, ask at the Bar Emigrantes for a room, they are full, but the older man who only speaks Spanish phones someone, his wife explains to us in limited English that a woman, who is currently out in the countryside, will pick us up and take us to some accomodation. Quick beer, bull fighting on the TV, the woman arrives, 2 kids, us and 2 backpacks in a tiny car, we drive through the city walls and she shows us into a house, one up, three down, washing machine, bathroom all to ourselves. 20 euros and drop the key off to her mother´s place across the street in the morning. Luxury.
Monday: Ciaran´s feet are a bit of a mess, but we decide to walk only 10km to Carcabosa. We walk and talk with Betty Jean and Susan from Canada. The walk is all along the road, we think we missed the path somewhere, but we find the hostel, after some confused directions from old people in black in the street.