231km from Sevilla
I’ve just realised that I skipped a day on my entries; the days are going surprisingly quickly even though it feels like I'm walking at a snail's pace most of the time. Yesterday was day eleven; apparently, I should have my trail legs by this time… but they just hurt in different places.
Some more ruins on the way out of Mérida.
It was, once again, due to be a short and sweet day. This time there was no mud but I wrongly assumed the weather would continue to be fine from the day before and packed away my waterproofs. Rookie error. It only rained for about five minutes but I got soaked. There’s a theme starting to appear here, and I seriously need to get a new rain jacket as soon as I can.
Apart from that, it was a good day! The landscape was wild and lush, the wind was still howling but this meant everything that got wet earlier dried quickly, and the sun was popping its head out every now and then. So I only spent the day in a semi-damp state.
Unexpected Rick & Morty
Overall, despite not feeling like I’ve got my “trail” legs yet, it was a hella big difference from the tough day I had last week (was it really only last week? It seems like a whole lifetime ago!) when it took me almost eight hours to walk 14km.
I also met a new pilgrim on the road from Berlin, when I'd stopped at one point to figure out if I'd gotten lost or not, who told me he'd done a day where he'd walked 53km. I canNOT even imagine.
The day was only a short one and after a slow lunch in a village just before Aljucén, I arrived with a pilgrim friend around two in the afternoon into Aljucén, a small village and a beautiful albergue in a converted farmhouse with included toasty fireplace!
These smaller rural villages are the ones I enjoy the most since I often experience the most unusual moments here. On arrival we could see a big blue bell tent set up on the other side of town with the words "Indian circus" on a poster nearby.
I was so intrigued, after a little rest and a beautifully burning hot shower, I wandered over with another pilgrim friend - who has been nicknamed the Bavarian prince. We didn't actually find any Indian circus performers, so I’m not really sure why they’ve called themselves that, but we did find a little dog in a dress who could do tricks!
A little peek into pilgrim life. This was one of the more beautiful albergues but definitely a bit cramped! It’s the usual sacrifice for choosing a building that’s not purpose-built, but can be worth it.
The evening ended with the darkest rain clouds heading away from us, a double rainbow and a most golden sunset. Onwards and upwards (with today being more upwards than I wanted).
Until next time,
A x
About me
Hey! Ameena here - I’m a freelance portraiture and documentary photographer based in London. I enjoy telling stories about adventure, the outdoors, and our relationship with the natural world.
In this newsletter, I’m digitally retracing my steps on the Camino de Santiago. From March to May 2019, over 45 days, I walked over 900km along the Via de la Plata (the Silver Way) route of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain.
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