A long walk today. Wolfgang generously drove us the six kilometres back to the Camino. Very kindly and sincerely, he extended his generosity to inviting us to visit and stay with the two of them in Germany. It was an earnest invitation. We arrived at the gates of the Roman city of Caparra only to find they were locked with a notice indicating opening time was 10am. After some discussion, searching for yellow arrows to no avail and double checking GPS points, we farewelled Wolfgang and assured him we'd be fine.
It was then that the Camino provided, yet again. As we gazed forlornly at the departure of our new German friend, aware of the rising heat factor and wondering what our day held in store for us, an angel in the form of a groundsman suddenly appeared within the locked premises and we sprung into immediate action. We quickly hailed him over and explained our predicament. Being a non-English speaker mattered not. What he saw were two desperate looking pilgrims who really couldn’t wait until the designated opening hour of 10am. He kindly unlocked the gate and relocked it behind us, prattling supportively in Spanish and giving us the opportunity to observe the ruins of the city before guiding us through to the opposite end, where he once more unlocked gates for our benefit. It was there we discovered both the 2000 year old Roman Arch and our missing arrows. (You really have to be a pilgrim to understand the overwhelming joy of a simple yellow arrow!)
Caparra is a Roman city (actually originally predating the Romans) of ruins. We read that much of the excavations to uncover what we saw only took place as recently as 2015. The buildings are predominantly foundation stones. The city itself suffered through the turbulence of the 3rd and 4th century AD and in the following centuries was completely abandoned. Amazing to read how such an important city can totally perish. Although the four way arch, which is now the unofficial symbol of this camino, appears solid.
Perhaps foolishly, we lingered and marvelled over everything we saw and read. I say foolishly because already at the start of the day it was hot (unusually so) and hence we knew it would be a difficult day. But now, at the end of the day, in retrospect, we wouldn't have had it any other way, given our experiences and new understandings which we will value forever. As we surveyed the ruins, Anneka and Ben passed by, waving but not lingering. A few final photos and we followed in their footsteps.
Our track was varying in size and shape but very often a cow track. And there were a lot of cattle, all looking in prize condition. The trail took us across a number of creek crossings providing the concrete cubes to step across. One such crossing had a block 40cm lower than the others and clever me stepped off onto it with my troubled leg. There was enough pain to justify a rest stop under the nearest tree, and that fixed things adequately. The area is rich with water springs. Despite the drought there are many areas where water runs freely along drains and forms ponds with swampy marsh outside areas. The cattle and birdlife appreciate the clear waters.
Our trail led us to our next village, crossing a bridge over a canal, possibly four metres wide, with fast flowing waters. Farmers are harvesting the waters with canals being dug and sprinkler systems being installed. The trail also skirted around farmland which, had the temperature been kinder, would have been delightful. But in this afternoon's heat it was just an unappreciated inconvenience. Having given a desperate pilgrim some water on the way, we were left in short supply and hence barely made it before the water bladder dried up completely! It would be fair to say the final bit of the day was difficult! (At one point we had become quite excited when quite randomly we came upon a water cooler, in the midst of nowhere. Unfortunately however our elation evaporated upon our attempt to extract water, only to find it could barely produce a drop at a time.)
The town of Aldeanueva is appealing, but stretches a long way. Of course our accommodation, right on the camino, was the far end of town. I let Jenny go on ahead to arrange our check in, as we were well beyond the expected arrival time. And very conveniently, I happened upon an open bar enroute and positioned myself with loads of refreshing lemon drink, right where I knew Jenny would ultimately find me. (And she did!)
There also, at the same bar, was the 'desperate' pilgrim, who having arrived much earlier looked fresh and relaxed, without the strain of his previous dehydrated predicament. But he didn't offer to buy me a drink.
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