Monday, September 13, 2010

The Rain in Spain. . .


To be clear, the rain in Spain does NOT fall on this plain called the Meseta! It is hot and very dry here, especially from 1:00 to 5:00 every afternoon.


Final thoughts on Terradillos de los Templarios, population 100. . .

This village is very quiet. Our albergue serves as the towns only restaurant and market, needless to say it was quiet last night.

At dinner the group gently but firmly encouraged Ruth to be more positive, she took it well. We'll see.

This town was indeed associated with the Knights Templar and the rumor is that a fabulous treasure was hidden here a century or so ago.

I couldn't find it.

STAGE 18
Terradillos de los Templarios to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos
26.9 km/16.7 miles
Time Walked, 5:28

Total Distance Walked, 428.9 km/266.5 miles
Total Time Walked, 105:44
18 Nights in Albergues, 100 Euros

Distance to Santiago de Compostela
369.7 km/229.7 miles

Up and at 'em at 6:52 a.m. today. A nice breeze again at our backs all the way to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, population 200. Again this is a small village with only two restaurants and a "supermercado" the size of a small closet.

After checking into the albergue, showering and hand washing the day's laundry, the group has settled into the local bar for lots of cañas and several orders of potatas bravas with garlic sauce.

YUM!!!

An ice cold caña at the end of the walk rivals Cafe con Leche after about two hours of roaming and vino tinto with dinner.

Today I thought a lot about friends and players who were taken at way too early a time. I thought about Steve Wickham, Craig Sweeney, Mike West, Frankie Miramontez, Mike Holcomb, Buzz Holcomb, Dan Murphy, Ed Phillips and, of course, Rick Scott. Such good people. . .

Also today I thought a lot about my grandmother. It seems as if every Spanish woman over 60 years of age is a carbon copy of our wonderful Abuela. They are all small, dress the same, walk with the same shuffle and speak with that great Spanish accent. I miss her so much.

Lots of houses and walls in the last two days made out of adobe. You can still see the straw clearly on the outer walls but they are still standing.

The last two days we have been walking on a dirt path called the Via Trajana that was actually an old Roman road that was the main road between France and Spain via Astorga. The last time that any repairs were done to the Via Trajana was during the reign of Caesar Augustus.

VIVA ESPAÑA!

Vamos Bien!

BUEN CAMINO!!!

1 comment:

steveswindle said...

Is the Meseta sort of like our High Desert? It sounds like it in the way you describe with your words.

May God hold those taken from us in His loving hands. I haven't thought of Mike West in quite a bit, but I can still see his face and hear him encouraging us to go hard. He was truly an inspirational young man and his loss destroyed us as a team.
I also loved Dan Murphy....we would be so stoked to see him in the water out surfing with us...we thought he was cool....and of course he was!!!!

I think that regardless of culture, nationality and so on....Abuelas are the same the world over and our memories of them are just as sweet. It's very cool that you get to bring those memories back into sharp focus and relive them on your adventure....this trip has been a blessing to you in so many ways.
Keep up the great work Papi!!!!!