A flower for you

Dear Co-walker,

The three days I had planned to reach Zamora became two. You'll read how this came about.

Zamora is the end of the second part of my pilgrimage. Only one part to go. I'm in for it. Are you? Let us go together for the first part of the bus for FSA in Ethiopia, the most important part because it carries the motor..! Don't let the abused women in Ethiopia down, please!
Follows my story of the last two days.

18/6: to El Cubo de la Tierra del VinoThis pilgrim departs from this fantastically symmetric Plaza Mayor. A blind man could have done this road out of the city: straight and due North ending up at the N630, a north-South road in this country on which or along which I have walked already a couple of times. In fact it is never far away. What the blind man could have smelt is the blossom of the lime tree. No bees around yet, not because it is too early, but because it is too cold...... I felt last night cold sitting on the Plaza Mayor wearing only a shirt in a freezing wind. Not the ideal night for such a wonderful spot!

Also this morning it is overcast, which suits me fine while walking. Off I go after yesterday's rest, not knowing who walks in front of neither whether there is somebody following me..... All on my own: also that suits me fine! This pilgrim goes slowly because his plan is not to walk more than some 16 km and to be for three days on the road to Zamora instead of the usual two. But plans are there to be changed! When a group with a German girl, two Americans and an Italian man comes along I let them pass and follow at a distance. E meet a couple of villages later, the place where I intended to spend the night. It is 11 in the morning and except for one open bar, there is nobody to be seen...It looks as if this will be so for the rest of the day. This makes me decide not to sleep here but to continue for another 20 km and hence reach Zamora in two days. We walk together for some time during which I talk to Veronika a student in packing technology in Berlin. Then I go ahead through the sweeping hills with extensive fields of wheat and barley, sunflowers and even some beet... Then a woman carrying a bunch of field flowers approaches and this pilgrim makes room for her to pass.... But that is not her intention; she comes straight towards me and hands me one of her flowers.... A bit taken aback I accept the flower of which she mentions the name (which I forgot!) and she starts talking... I think I got that something was wrong with the wife of her brother...and please when you reach Santiago, pray for her...! But my Spanish is so rudimentary and it could well be that she meant something else...... Anyway, praying for the wife of her brother at Santiago is not a bad thing. So... I carry the flower for the rest of the day in the sachet I carry on my chest with the guidebook in it. With the sun beating down merciless the rest of the day you can imagine, dear Co-walker, that it wasn't fresh anymore at night!

I feel good after this meeting and have no problems making these last 20 km. At the albergue I find the door closed. Try once more pushing a bit harder...and it opens. I choose a bed and shower. Then the others arrive and I move to a bar to look for a Wi-Fi environment. I hardly sit down when an angry man approaches me wearing a badge which tells me that he works for the albergue. He summons this pilgrim to come immediately to the albergue, which I do. There he waits for me and wants an explanation on how I entered, alledging that I forced the lock of the door....which is not completely untrue!

The local grocery is still open at 8 at night so each of us does his shopping for the following day. Our Italian friend shops for the group for dinner that night, because the albergue has a kitchen. We eat fish pasta together and enjoy a bottle of wine.


19/6: to ZamoraThe others had a bad night. Not me. By chance none of the three Spanish cyclists who slept in the same room as I did, was snoring..... We are up at six and the angry man of last night is up as well. He prepares coffee for us and offers some sweet cakes. I prepare some sandwiches with ham bought last night. With some fruit that will keep me going this day with starts again surprisingly cold. Very cold actually. I enjoy the first rays of the sun which casts such special light on the fields and flowers. That's the time to make photographs. I miss the bar in the next village and when at the end of it I enjoy my bread, the others come along after visiting the bar...! We exchange some words and the I go ahead admiring nature. No main road, all through the fields. It is much the same as yesterday though I had expected to see more vineyards because this area is called “Tierra del Vino”, whereas the area North of Zamora is called “Tierra del Pan” (land of bread). Gradually the vineyards appear...but not a grape to be seen. All the vines have been cut to the root last autumn and the young sprouts are empty. So, Co-walker, don't buy a bottle of 2011 from this area...it simply doesn't exist!

When Zamora appears at the horizon, it is still a long walk. The wind celebrates Sunday as well...so the heat is felt. Crossing the Rio Duero by bridge into the city and soon I am on the Plaza Mayor which is not to compare with that beauty in Salamanca.... But Zamora has something else. It has (with Sevilla) famous Holy week processions and they even have a museum opened for this..... Unfortunately it is Sunday. I find a cheap hostal and am lodged for the night.

Now you are up to date, dear Co-walker. Follow me on the third and last part of the this pilgrimage,

Be well and at peace,
says Jan, the pilgrim