Sad to report that this Camino ended for us in Alpera. Ellen was in quite a bit of pain Thurs evening and Fri morning; it was a struggle to walk downstairs and next door to the Hostal's restaurant. The very kind folks at Hostal El Cazador told us about the small clinic in town, and even gave us a lift the short 1 km there. The doc poked around a bit, diagnosed tendinitis, and recommended ibuprofen and rest. With Ellen out of commission for walking we thought we'd rent a car and play tourist for the remaining weeks we had in Spain. But Saturday morning she was in sufficient discomfort that we decided to fly home early (touring around would have just been frustrating for her) and get an assessment from her orthopedist at home.
We spent a couple of hours Saturday morning changing our flights, booking trains to Madrid, and arranging a hotel there. Saturday afternoon we took a bus back to Almansa; two train rides later we were in Madrid. After a day there we flew home. Ellen saw her ortho on Friday, and he suspects a stress fracture of the tibia. She'll return in a week or so for an x-ray to confirm. In the meantime, she is getting around in the house ok but not walking much.
We both want to add a major shout-out to our friends in Alpera. All the staff at the Hostal El Cazador went out of their way to be helpful to us pilgrims. In addition to giving us rides to and from the clinic in town, they treated us to drinks in the restaurant and did everything they could to make Ellen comfortable. Pedro Antonio (whom we had met on first arriving in Alpera) is a local MD and came by a couple more times to visit and check on Ellen.
I'm hoping we can return before long to continue and finish the Lana from Alpera.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Friday, January 25, 2019
Almansa to Alpera, 24 km, Jan 24
We experienced the usual confusion getting out of town (why are the Camino markers largely absent there?) but before long we were walking through the countryside.
After a few km of road walking were on dirt and headed into the hills. This is a rolling stage through mostly empty country. The first half of the stage we were walking mainly west and shielded from the north winds by high bluffs.
The path took us past some old bunkers from the Spanish Civil War.
After about 12 km we passed the sheltering bluffs, descended from the hills, and turned north toward Alpera. Even though we were walking mostly into the wind, it was lighter than the previous day and we were frequently sheltered by small trees.
We passed the junction where the Camino de Levante splits off to head more westward.
As we walked this day, Ellen was experiencing intermittent, then more constant, pains in her left foot. She tried various lace adjustments, but nothing seemed to help. About 5 km before Alpera, we stopped for a short break and when we resumed walking the pain increased dramatically. Ibuprofen helped, and things moderated somewhat as we progressed, but by the time we walked into town she was clearly in a lot of discomfort.
After our recent experiences with unheated albergues we'd called ahead to reserve a room at the Hostal El Cazador. When we walked up to the door about 4 pm, a man just driving up asked if we were pilgrims, and we got into a pleasant conversation with him. It turned out that Pedro Antonio is very active in the local Camino association and lives in the town at the end of the next stage. He brought us Camino pins (the ubiquitous yellow arrows) and little Camino charms. Although the Hostal's restaurant was about to close, they stuck around to serve us a meal. When we finished and asked for the check, we were told that Pedro had already paid our bill.
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| walking out of Almansa |
The path took us past some old bunkers from the Spanish Civil War.
After about 12 km we passed the sheltering bluffs, descended from the hills, and turned north toward Alpera. Even though we were walking mostly into the wind, it was lighter than the previous day and we were frequently sheltered by small trees.
We passed the junction where the Camino de Levante splits off to head more westward.
As we walked this day, Ellen was experiencing intermittent, then more constant, pains in her left foot. She tried various lace adjustments, but nothing seemed to help. About 5 km before Alpera, we stopped for a short break and when we resumed walking the pain increased dramatically. Ibuprofen helped, and things moderated somewhat as we progressed, but by the time we walked into town she was clearly in a lot of discomfort.
After our recent experiences with unheated albergues we'd called ahead to reserve a room at the Hostal El Cazador. When we walked up to the door about 4 pm, a man just driving up asked if we were pilgrims, and we got into a pleasant conversation with him. It turned out that Pedro Antonio is very active in the local Camino association and lives in the town at the end of the next stage. He brought us Camino pins (the ubiquitous yellow arrows) and little Camino charms. Although the Hostal's restaurant was about to close, they stuck around to serve us a meal. When we finished and asked for the check, we were told that Pedro had already paid our bill.
Caudete to Almansa, 27 km, Jan 23
After our cold night in Caudete, we made a quick departure from the albergue and headed down the hill for a breakfast bocadillo in the bar El Chato. The walk out of town was easy (we heard a shouted "Buen Camnio" as we passed another bar) and we were soon on quiet roads.
We walked by (not too close) a large marble quarry and into a mix of olive orchards and vineyards.
A few km out of town, Miguel drove up to check on us, and offered a ride a few km up the road which we declined.
As we continued to walk the wind increased from our left (north) side. It was so strong that gusts practically blew us off our feet; we would have to stop momentarily to catch our balance. We must have looked like drunken sailors as we wove our way along.
After about 7 km of staggering in the wind our route turned north, right into the wind, and it was very heavy and slow going. We ran a little paceline with Ellen tucked in close behind me. I was really leaning on my hiking poles to move forward, and we struggled to maintain forward progress, even at a relatively slow walking pace.
As we inched along, I reminded myself that a pilgrimage is supposed to present challenges. Compared with the devout we've seen in Mexico making pilgrimages on their knees, we had it easy. Still, the only time I can recall experiencing sustained winds like these was on an aborted attempt on Mt Shasta (shout-out to Dave and Aaron).
Around the mid-point of the stage we passed the 100 km mark. We were fortunate to find a little piece of a ruined building alongside our route where we hid behind a wall for a snack break and brief respite from the winds.
We staggered into Almansa after 4 pm after 7 solid hours of walking. After our earlier experiences freezing in albergues on this Camino we were looking for something a little higher on the comfort scale. The first two places we called for a room were full so we ended up at a very basic pension. Even though the shared bath down the hall was quite chilly, we had heat in our room and hot water for a shower so were happy. After cleaning up we had a lovely dinner and excellent bottle of local tempranillo at a nearby bar.
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| Interesting architecture on this church in Caudete |
A few km out of town, Miguel drove up to check on us, and offered a ride a few km up the road which we declined.
As we continued to walk the wind increased from our left (north) side. It was so strong that gusts practically blew us off our feet; we would have to stop momentarily to catch our balance. We must have looked like drunken sailors as we wove our way along.
After about 7 km of staggering in the wind our route turned north, right into the wind, and it was very heavy and slow going. We ran a little paceline with Ellen tucked in close behind me. I was really leaning on my hiking poles to move forward, and we struggled to maintain forward progress, even at a relatively slow walking pace.
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| Not a lot to interrupt that wind |
Around the mid-point of the stage we passed the 100 km mark. We were fortunate to find a little piece of a ruined building alongside our route where we hid behind a wall for a snack break and brief respite from the winds.
We staggered into Almansa after 4 pm after 7 solid hours of walking. After our earlier experiences freezing in albergues on this Camino we were looking for something a little higher on the comfort scale. The first two places we called for a room were full so we ended up at a very basic pension. Even though the shared bath down the hall was quite chilly, we had heat in our room and hot water for a shower so were happy. After cleaning up we had a lovely dinner and excellent bottle of local tempranillo at a nearby bar.
Villena to Caudete, 15 km, Jan 22
After a pleasant evening in Villena, we set off in cold temps on our second rest day, to Caudete. Before heading out we called the albergue to let them know we were coming; Miguel asked that we call again once we had arrived in Caudete.
There are several Caminos passing through this part of Spain; they weave back and forth, and are sometimes contiguous. Right across from the street from our hotel, in a small park, is an obelisk indicating the division point of the Camino del Sureste and the Camino de la Lana.
Walking out of town was straightforward, but as we left the city had to navigate a heavily trafficked circle at the intersection of two highways. Once past that, we were on a mix of mostly quiet paved and unpaved roads all the way to the outskirts of Caudete.
Most of the agriculture we walked through was vineyards and olive groves, plus large fields that are currently bare.
At one point we stopped to chat with a man harvesting olives. He had a large net spread under the tree, and worked through the branches with a small rake.
As we entered the city we passed an interesting church with a full trompe d'loeil facade.
We then proceeded along a very nice tree-lined boulevard, mostly free of cars, into the center of the city. We called Miguel, the hospitalero for the albergue, and arranged to meet there.
The albergue is in an old chapel, up a hill at the very top of the city and with a great view of the surrounding countryside over the rooftops of Caudete.
Miguel and his friend Pepe opened up and showed us around the albergue: how to turn on the small heater in the bedroom, where all the switches are located, how to reset the main breaker when the power goes out. After we dumped our packs he drove us down to a nearby and very popular restaurant to eat.
It was a cold night in the albergue. The bedroom's small heater (no heat in the rest of the building) could not keep up with the chilly night and drafty window. Every couple of hours the power went out, so each time we woke up in the night we had to walk downstairs and reset the breaker.
There are several Caminos passing through this part of Spain; they weave back and forth, and are sometimes contiguous. Right across from the street from our hotel, in a small park, is an obelisk indicating the division point of the Camino del Sureste and the Camino de la Lana.
Walking out of town was straightforward, but as we left the city had to navigate a heavily trafficked circle at the intersection of two highways. Once past that, we were on a mix of mostly quiet paved and unpaved roads all the way to the outskirts of Caudete.
 |
| Couldn't resist this gate. Take a look at both names |
At one point we stopped to chat with a man harvesting olives. He had a large net spread under the tree, and worked through the branches with a small rake.
As we entered the city we passed an interesting church with a full trompe d'loeil facade.
We then proceeded along a very nice tree-lined boulevard, mostly free of cars, into the center of the city. We called Miguel, the hospitalero for the albergue, and arranged to meet there.
The albergue is in an old chapel, up a hill at the very top of the city and with a great view of the surrounding countryside over the rooftops of Caudete.
Miguel and his friend Pepe opened up and showed us around the albergue: how to turn on the small heater in the bedroom, where all the switches are located, how to reset the main breaker when the power goes out. After we dumped our packs he drove us down to a nearby and very popular restaurant to eat.
It was a cold night in the albergue. The bedroom's small heater (no heat in the rest of the building) could not keep up with the chilly night and drafty window. Every couple of hours the power went out, so each time we woke up in the night we had to walk downstairs and reset the breaker.
Monday, January 21, 2019
Sax to Villena, Jan 21, 15 km
The next stage of this Camino is from Sax to Caudete, another 30 km. After beating ourselves up on the previous stage, we decided to divide this one into two shorter stages and buy ourselves a couple of rest days. So today was a very easy 15 km from Sax to the city of Villena.
The cloudy and very windy conditions of yesterday gave way to clear skies and very light winds. It was still cool (in the 30s when we set out late morning), but by afternoon the temps were low 50s: perfect walking weather. As we walked out of Sax we had views of the Moorish castle which looms over the town.
After about 5 km of mixed pavement and dirt road we passed through the deserted village of Santa Eulalia. It was founded in the late 1800s as an agricultural cooperative, with small factories, surrounding farmlands, and housing for the workers. All that remains today are the shells of some buildings.
This part of Spain is more industrial, and less agricultural, than the north with which we are more familiar. There, it seemed that every acre without buildings was either a cultivated crop or forest land. Here in the south, we are seeing a fair bit of empty land. The crops we see are predominately olive groves, fruit trees, and vineyards.
From Santa Eulalia it was an easy 10 km to Villena. As is common in Spain, we passed the ruins of many former farm houses and buildings.
With a short day today, we arrived in Villena early in the afternoon. Found a nice hotel, and a great meal at a nearby bar/restaurant. First course was spaghetti carbonara for Ellen, paella for me; second was grilled chicken for her and an outstanding grilled calamari in garlic for me. We didn't quite finish the very tasty bottle of local red wine that came with the meal.
The cloudy and very windy conditions of yesterday gave way to clear skies and very light winds. It was still cool (in the 30s when we set out late morning), but by afternoon the temps were low 50s: perfect walking weather. As we walked out of Sax we had views of the Moorish castle which looms over the town.
After about 5 km of mixed pavement and dirt road we passed through the deserted village of Santa Eulalia. It was founded in the late 1800s as an agricultural cooperative, with small factories, surrounding farmlands, and housing for the workers. All that remains today are the shells of some buildings.
This part of Spain is more industrial, and less agricultural, than the north with which we are more familiar. There, it seemed that every acre without buildings was either a cultivated crop or forest land. Here in the south, we are seeing a fair bit of empty land. The crops we see are predominately olive groves, fruit trees, and vineyards.
From Santa Eulalia it was an easy 10 km to Villena. As is common in Spain, we passed the ruins of many former farm houses and buildings.
With a short day today, we arrived in Villena early in the afternoon. Found a nice hotel, and a great meal at a nearby bar/restaurant. First course was spaghetti carbonara for Ellen, paella for me; second was grilled chicken for her and an outstanding grilled calamari in garlic for me. We didn't quite finish the very tasty bottle of local red wine that came with the meal.
Orito to Sax, Jan 20, 30 km
This was a long stage for early in the Camino (while our aging bodies are still adjusting to the walk): 30 km of mostly steady (but gentle) uphill, with a very strong headwind and clouds threatening rain.
We started with a breakfast of toast (slathered with a tomato mixture) in Orito's bar, and headed out in chilly weather. Our route followed quiet roads to the industrial city of Monforte del Cid. It being Sunday, plenty of people were out walking, and we met a lovely older couple along the way; he had walked the Lana some years ago and has walked other Caminos as well. We've learned from past experience that route marking frequently disappears in cities, and we saw this again in Monforte del Cid. Once we did locate markings, they did not correspond with the written descriptions in the big guide, but things were close enough and we eventually made it out of town. About 4 km of road walking later we entered Novelda, and except for a few key spots found the markings adequate to get through town and on our way. As we left Novelda the route diverted off pavement to roughly follow a river course. This was sometimes rocky, other times smooth, as we meandered back and forth upstream about 12 km to the city of Elda. We passed many people trail running and mtn biking along the same paths. Although it was great to be off pavement, the strong headwind and sometimes rough surface made for slower progress than we expected.
By the time we arrived in Elda, we'd only covered about 20 km and even though it was mid-afternoon we had not yet taken a break. We stopped at a small market, picked up pastries (one of cheese and ham, the second filled with chocolate), a couple of boxes of juice, and wolfed it all down as we sat, rapidly losing body heat in the wind, on a park bench. We left Elda well bundled (even gloves). From here our route mostly continued up the river path, but with a much less rocky walking surface all the way to Sax. For about one km our route followed an interpretive path which included walking up and over the remains of a 300 year old dam.
We'd called ahead to a three-star hotel in Sax which has a great pilgrim rate, and finally staggered in after 9 hours of walking just as the full moon was rising above the nearby hills.
Washed up, took a little rest, and found a quiet bar for giant sandwiches for dinner. Ellen's burger also had bacon, cheese, and an egg. My giant bocadillo (sandwich on a large roll) had pork, chicken breast, cheese, and egg. A couple of beers and an order of calamari to top things off left us feeling much better.
We started with a breakfast of toast (slathered with a tomato mixture) in Orito's bar, and headed out in chilly weather. Our route followed quiet roads to the industrial city of Monforte del Cid. It being Sunday, plenty of people were out walking, and we met a lovely older couple along the way; he had walked the Lana some years ago and has walked other Caminos as well. We've learned from past experience that route marking frequently disappears in cities, and we saw this again in Monforte del Cid. Once we did locate markings, they did not correspond with the written descriptions in the big guide, but things were close enough and we eventually made it out of town. About 4 km of road walking later we entered Novelda, and except for a few key spots found the markings adequate to get through town and on our way. As we left Novelda the route diverted off pavement to roughly follow a river course. This was sometimes rocky, other times smooth, as we meandered back and forth upstream about 12 km to the city of Elda. We passed many people trail running and mtn biking along the same paths. Although it was great to be off pavement, the strong headwind and sometimes rough surface made for slower progress than we expected.
By the time we arrived in Elda, we'd only covered about 20 km and even though it was mid-afternoon we had not yet taken a break. We stopped at a small market, picked up pastries (one of cheese and ham, the second filled with chocolate), a couple of boxes of juice, and wolfed it all down as we sat, rapidly losing body heat in the wind, on a park bench. We left Elda well bundled (even gloves). From here our route mostly continued up the river path, but with a much less rocky walking surface all the way to Sax. For about one km our route followed an interpretive path which included walking up and over the remains of a 300 year old dam.
We'd called ahead to a three-star hotel in Sax which has a great pilgrim rate, and finally staggered in after 9 hours of walking just as the full moon was rising above the nearby hills.
Washed up, took a little rest, and found a quiet bar for giant sandwiches for dinner. Ellen's burger also had bacon, cheese, and an egg. My giant bocadillo (sandwich on a large roll) had pork, chicken breast, cheese, and egg. A couple of beers and an order of calamari to top things off left us feeling much better.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Alicante to Orito, Jan 19, 24 km
This was a long day, one which began before it even started. We went to bed early so we'd be ready for an early start; I even set an alarm (something I seldom do). From prior experience in Spain we've learned to avoid hotels located near or over nightlife. But shortly after midnight the partying started on the otherwise empty street outside our hotel room, and it continued (loudly) until close to 5. I didn't get to sleep until about 6:30, and slept right through the alarm that went off soon after; we didn't start walking until after 10 am.
Note to fellow pilgrims: In the route descriptions to follow, I'll refer to the extensive (over 200 pages) Camino de la Lana guide published by the local association as the "big guide" and the more recent brief guide from Kevin O'Brien as the "little guide." Both are available for download on Ivar's forum, and I have both loaded on my phone for ready reference.
The way through Alicante was generally adequately marked, and many of the signs supplemented the usual directional arrows with words (continue on this street until __). Still, we referred several times to the big guide to clarify things. Unlike on the busier Caminos, people we passed on the street seemed to not recognize us as pilgrims. But one elderly man stopped us to chat, which we did at some length about a variety of topics. He was quite insistent on giving me a two Euro coin to carry as a good luck piece; it's in my pack. Once outside of the downtown area we passed through a fairly ugly industrial area, then the city cemetery, and were soon on more rural roads. We continued on a succession of rural roads, mostly paved, for several hours.
Toward the end of the day our path became dirt, and we ascended for a distance on excellent mountain biking singletrack, much of which was quite steep and rough (think Spence Mountain trails, but limestone rather than lava).
It was after 4 pm by the time we walked into the small town of Orito, where we were reminded that yes, it is important to call ahead for albergues on this lightly traveled Camino. We asked in the bar, and they suggested we try the church. The priest there told us to ask Raul (who lives nearby) for the key, but when we went to his house we learned he was away in Alicante for the day. We spoke with him on the phone, and after some back and forth he arranged for someone in the village to meet us at the bar with the key. The woman who came was very helpful in setting us up in the albergue, which is quite modern and nice.
It is also unheated in the winter (nightime temps were in the 30s) and there was no hot water turned on. Fortunately there was a very small space heater to use in the bedroom, we are carrying good sleeping bags, and there were extra blankets in the albergue.. Other than missing showers we did ok. After missing sleep the night before, I barely made it to 9 pm before dropping off.
Note to fellow pilgrims: In the route descriptions to follow, I'll refer to the extensive (over 200 pages) Camino de la Lana guide published by the local association as the "big guide" and the more recent brief guide from Kevin O'Brien as the "little guide." Both are available for download on Ivar's forum, and I have both loaded on my phone for ready reference.
The way through Alicante was generally adequately marked, and many of the signs supplemented the usual directional arrows with words (continue on this street until __). Still, we referred several times to the big guide to clarify things. Unlike on the busier Caminos, people we passed on the street seemed to not recognize us as pilgrims. But one elderly man stopped us to chat, which we did at some length about a variety of topics. He was quite insistent on giving me a two Euro coin to carry as a good luck piece; it's in my pack. Once outside of the downtown area we passed through a fairly ugly industrial area, then the city cemetery, and were soon on more rural roads. We continued on a succession of rural roads, mostly paved, for several hours.
Toward the end of the day our path became dirt, and we ascended for a distance on excellent mountain biking singletrack, much of which was quite steep and rough (think Spence Mountain trails, but limestone rather than lava).
It was after 4 pm by the time we walked into the small town of Orito, where we were reminded that yes, it is important to call ahead for albergues on this lightly traveled Camino. We asked in the bar, and they suggested we try the church. The priest there told us to ask Raul (who lives nearby) for the key, but when we went to his house we learned he was away in Alicante for the day. We spoke with him on the phone, and after some back and forth he arranged for someone in the village to meet us at the bar with the key. The woman who came was very helpful in setting us up in the albergue, which is quite modern and nice.
It is also unheated in the winter (nightime temps were in the 30s) and there was no hot water turned on. Fortunately there was a very small space heater to use in the bedroom, we are carrying good sleeping bags, and there were extra blankets in the albergue.. Other than missing showers we did ok. After missing sleep the night before, I barely made it to 9 pm before dropping off.
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Sad to report that this Camino ended for us in Alpera. Ellen was in quite a bit of pain Thurs evening and Fri morning; it was a struggle to...
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This was a long day, one which began before it even started. We went to bed early so we'd be ready for an early start; I even set an al... -
We experienced the usual confusion getting out of town (why are the Camino markers largely absent there?) but before long we were walking th...