Camino Via de la Plata, VdlP: April 27 Alcancara to Rio Lobos (Stage 14)

We were up early for our breakfast. Stu made coffee, toasted bread and sweet bread in the microwave. Guess what Stu blew a fuse, so we had lukewarm cafe, half toasted bread. We were out the door hoping one of the sleeping pilgrams would be able to fix the fuse. It was 0600. We divided the day into three stages. The first was to Canaveral. The road was fairly steep, rocky and wet. Even when it was flat we needed two headlights and one in our hand to find our way. Daylight brought our attention to the disappearance of the path which became a steep drop off due to a new highway being excavated, then through the hill and left behind an unbelievably muddy road down to a culvert and then up the other side. If you can imagine a tractor trail filled with water that was it. We did manage to get up the hill though our boots were 10 pounds heavier with mud. Finally we arrived at Canaveral crossing a XIV century bridge. We stopped half way through at the only open bar in town. We bought a cheese and egg bocadillo eating only the egg and cheese.

Early departure

Stage two was walking to Grimaldo. After filling up our water bottles at the fountain, we were challenged by a steep and rocky hill. This led us to a pine forest and then a cork forest. The path continued through farmland and fields of flowers. The path narrowed to a single person wide at a time crossing a river through narrow gates and eventually into Grimaldo. We stopped for two cakes and the cook and owner of the bar gave us her home cooked and seasoned sheep intestine. Stu ate most. I hid most of mine in a napkin. Off we went through this charming small village following the arrows to Rio Lobos and our casa rural. This was a beautiful stage through fields of trees, flowers, birds, sheep and cows. We stopped to chat along the way with an Italian couple we will see again tomorrow, and in a meadow we met up with a French couple that have been in front of us and behind us all day. They have done most of the caminos. We continued on to a set of gates. The left gate took us to Rio Lobos. The camino now goes through Rio Lobos because the infamous gate that allowed people through no longer does.

There are now two casa rurals in Rio Lobos and their numbers are on the gate. After 3 more K, we arrived at 3 after walking all day, 37 k. The casa rural we are staying at is Casa Abuela Maxi. It is a 6 bedroom house. We are the only ones here. Cari left us fruit, sweetbreads, cafe, tea, oranges for breakfast. She brought us lettuce and tuna for a salad. She showed us how to use the washing machine and dryer. She also drove us around town and dropped us off at a bar. We walked thru black curtains into an empty bar other then one man. The bartender, a young woman with two small kids, brought us two beers and chicken tapas. We talked to her. Stu used all his charm and we laughed a lot. She bought us another beer and we bought the older man a glass of wine. Tomorrow we head out to Carcabosa. We will start later tomarrow because there is a big fiesta here where a pig is killed and cooked to feed the entire village. There will be music and dancing. We hope to stay for part of it.