When your guide book says that the next section is "not suitable for cyclists, including mountain bikes" you know that there is a steep, difficult climb ahead. And so it was. Fortunately it was less than a kilometer in length.
In this photo the steep section doesn't look as forbidding
as it seemed at the time. Ahead is Angel. It was
the last time that I would see him on the Camino.
The rest of the morning was a pleasant walk through forests of pines and old cork oaks. The only sounds were the birds, the occasional "clunk" of a sheep's bell and the ever present sounds of walking...a creaking backpack, the sound of the walking stick hitting the ground and feet complaining about the ever present weight they were carrying.
This part of the Via de la Plata is greener than any other so far, as it is irrigated by networks of canals and aquaducts that pepper the region.
One of the many irrigation aquaducts.
I had considered stopping for the night at Galisteo, a lovely 9th century city with walls 11 meters high but I felt really good and decided to carry on for an additional 11 km to Carcaboso As I passed the local albergue I met Petra, a very tall German girl, who joined me for the walk to Carcaboso.
The approach to Galisteo.
The 11 meter wall surrounds the old city of Galisteo.
The bar in Carcaboso, Bar Ruta de la Plata, has great accommodations for pilgrims. It is owned by Elena who is famous for her tostadas and what is rumoured to be the largest cafe con leche on the Via de la Plata.
Petra was walking portions of the Camino before taking on the role of "hospitalera" (a volunteer who runs an albergue) in Salamanca. As far as I know Salamanca is the only albergue on the Via de la Plata that has a hospitalero.
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