Vía de la Plata – Day 5

Even though I slept in a hotel, for a change, the bed was awful. Like sleeping in a bathtub. My back hurt, and I couldn’t obtain a proper sleep. I woke up at 7:30 and had a quick breakfast at 8:00. I shared breakfast with a Belgian woman and a Slovenian man. They both plan to walk 20-some kilometres today.

I had to hurry because I am doing two stages today. The beginning of the route was an agricultural area of Monesterio; aside from the usual sheep flocks, I smelt and heard that there were pig sties near.

I left the mountains behind, and the landscape opened up to fields and farmlands. Not much shade. In the summer the heat could be unbearable; now, in the beginning of April, it’s comforting.

Big solar panel parks primarily occupy the fields between Monesterio and Fuente de Cantos. The route cut through these parks, and while passing by, I heard the panels adjusting to the rising sun.

My midday stop was at Fuente de Cantos, 20 km from Monesterio, where I had a toast and ham for lunch. I talked to a French woman who started in Sevilla on Saturday. Her husband is walking from Lisbon today. What an odd thing to walk separately on different routes!

I changed my socks here and rested my feet a bit. There is still over 20 km to go. I had to hurry because I do two stages today.

The next town I arrived in was Calzadilla de los Barros, but there was no accommodation here. I paused briefly to refresh myself. From here on, the landscape changed to swamps and farmlands. Occasionally it was difficult to get over the creeks flooding the trail.

I texted to reserve a bed in the albergue in Puebla de Sancho Pérez, but they answered that the shelter house is closed and redirected me to Zafra, the next town, 4 km further from there. I called the number she gave me the address and reserved a bed. This was good news because I was walking already more than 40 km.

I stopped once more near an olive tree garden before Puebla de Sancho Perez. Here I met an older German and Slovenian pilgrims. They were also walking from Monesterio, so they were equally exhausted as I was. I had to lay down in the grass for a while and rest my feet and change socks again. What great timing! Today is Maundy Thursday, the celebration of the Eucharist and remembrance of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Should I stay here for the night and keep vigil? There is still 10 km to go! Maybe I can attend the mass and the procession in Zafra.

When I arrived in Zafra, I noticed that the address they gave me on the phone was at the very end of the town (the other end). But I couldn’t locate anything there. I called them, and they directed me to walk back to the city centre. After 47 km, I dropped my bag at 18:00. The albergue is lovely, with small rooms with only two bunk beds. I am with two Germans. One is in his late 50s; the other is much older.

I noted that, despite the double sock change, my feet couldn’t handle well the long distance they had to absorb today. I might need to treat blisters tomorrow. Well, it certainly wouldn’t be a Camino without blisters.

The albergue offered community dinner, which I was happy to take. We had dinner with all the pilgrims, and I talked late with my two Germans, a Finnish guy and an Irish piano teacher. We discussed politics; they were all very much interested in the upcoming elections in Hungary.