Spain: Lessons I learned on the Via de La Plata- part 1

I really love going on Camino, and if you like walking you should go. It can be challenging or as easy as you like. Especially on the more popular route, the frances one could get by doing less then 8 miles a day. The Via de plata is a bit more challanging as the towns are farther apart. I had to do it fairly quickly with some long days, but it was still great. While walking all day, it give you lots of time to think. Here are some things I found out about myself and others a bit too.

Well I am slightly ashamed to admit I am a bit afraid of cows. We often had to walk across farmland and right thru herds of cows. They stare at you the whole time with unblinking eyes that say "If I wanted to, I could gore you like that bull did to David Mora" During the time that I was there, a bullfighting festival was going on and it was on all the TV's in cafes, hotels restaurants etc. Here is a link to the video, its a bit graphic. The Spaniards were all quite shocked. The Bulls Win. I'm OK admitting my fear. I met another pilgrim who was also scared of cows. She gravely informed me that 4 people a year are trampled in England. Now I have the stats to back it up.


In the movie the way,  the main characters are shown wearing jeans which often bothered me. No self respecting pilgrim would wear jeans, I thought.. They are too heavy and take to long to dry.

Some pilgrims do wear jeans

And some don't.

I can easily think about thanksgiving, more specifically the menu that I shall expect my sister and Eddy to cook, for up to 2 hours while walking. Especially since I often ate the same meal over and over. Eggs and a salad.Here are some pilgrims sitting down to a very un thanksgiving ish meal. Being Vegetarian is hard in Spain.

Steep mountains never look as steep in pictures as they are in real life. Here I am at the top of one. Take my word it was almost vertical.