Pilgrims I met: Valencia to Zamora

The journey from Valencia to Zamora can be a solitary experience, and may not suit everyone - yet it is fabulous. (It is at Zamora that the Cami de Llevant joins the Vía de la Plata to Santiago de Compostela - a route that is increasingly popular). I truly enjoyed the solitude of walking alone or in the company of Gerrit and others through spectacular scenery, beautiful villages, towns and cities. Of course, the industrial hinterland also forms part of the Spanish landscape, and that's the reality and is unavoidable.

Pilgrim shelter such as albergues, Red Cross facilities, and sport centres often required registration procedures that involved police and local authority officials, and were often difficult to negotiate on Sundays. (But that applied to all aspects of pilgrim life on Sundays.) Whereas religious shelters were straightforward and welcoming with the exception of a convent in Torro that refused entry. The reception there was downright unfriendly and unpleasant until a kind man took me under his wings and took care to ensure I had a bed that night in a hostal. These places were usually comfortable and well-equipped with the exception of sport centres that were basic and minimalistic. Of course, hostals, hotels, pensions and such like are usually available in towns and cities. I never failed to find a bed although there were some difficulties.

I met a total of four pilgrims on that stretch, and they were: Miguel and Anna from San Sebastian, Spain; Gerrit from Jordan, Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Jean Michelle from Lourdes, France – and that was all. I met Miguel and Anna at the Asociación Amigos Camino de Santigo Comunidad Valenciana meeting in Valencia. I tried to accompany them but gave up as my attempts left me gasping by their speed. Jean Michelle never indicated any interest to walk together despite my efforts to engage with him. Whereas Gerrit and I joined forces from around 15 April to 15 May 2010, and we quickly became friends. Of course, we all usually met-up at day’s end in the same accommodation; and shared our experiences, drinks and meals. That was also an opportunity to plan the next day’s walk.

Gerrit’s awkward walking gait followed from a right hip replacement and deteriorating left hip and resulted in uneven shoe wear . He experienced painful and acute foot and leg problems, and did not hesitate to travel by bus when his medical problems were acute but also when his guidebook described some unpleasant aspect(s) of the route or whatever, and there were other reasons and causes for travelling by bus rather than walking. We usually met-up in the evening but that became less frequent. I did not understand his motivation to criticise and disagree with my resoluteness to walk each and every step of the way (which I did), and my fixed daily schedule. However, our separation was inevitable given our different stands on issues. Yet, generally it was a pleasant and supportive experience; and there was the advantage of sharing accommodation to reduce costs. There is much I’m grateful for. Thanks!