Via De La Plata August 2017 Part 2

Ham and cheese Where, in Italy, my go-to gluten free quick meal was Caprese Salad and consequently swore off it for months after returning, in Spain its ham and cheese. And of course Gazpacho. I absolutely love Gazpacho, perhaps due to its close likeness to a Bloody Mary... of course Gazpacho is rather difficult to take along for the walk, so it's been ham and cheese for the on-the-walk snacks and early evening snacks (whilst you are waiting for these Spanish restaurants to open after the incredibly long siesta time!) The Purple Critter So it's 6:50, dark outside and the roosters are doing their thing and I'm ready to set off from Guillena to Castilblanco Del Arroyos. (Ummmm, White Castle of the Streams???). I call a taxi to transport my luggage to the next town (my back is just not quite strong enough, so I'm forced to slack-pack for now!), and pay him in advance. Of course with miles and miles of nothingness on the trail, and being a typical South African, my mind started running wild and I was certain that my luggage would not be waiting for me, and that I had ACTUALLY paid someone to relieve me of it. But being the eternal positive soul, I decided this was for the best because this luggage lark was getting on my nerves. But there it was, the purple critter, happily waiting for me when I arrived! Pink Leg Warmers So as I sit happily enjoying a glass of "vino blanco" listening to Irene Cara's "What a Feeling" at Bar Isadora, I have an overwhelming urge to put on my pink leg warmers (oh come on... you ALL remember the scene!) and start a flash mob. Leoni, dammit girl, where are you? There are poles everywhere ;-) But really I should be in bed already for my 30km slog in the morning. Shining White Villages The Trail from Castilblanco to Almaden is indeed a slog. Half of it you are literally walking on the shoulder of the road, so the urge to raise your thumb at each passing car is great. One does feel a little like a martyr continuing on regardless. But continue on I did, eventually turning into the Parque Naturale Sierra Norte, a lovely dirt track through a nature reserve until I reached the last couple of kilometers and then swore to everything that is holy! A sharp incline would put it mildly, and I was literally trekking on my tippy toes trying to ascend without sliding back (physically and mentally!) Finally at the summit I saw the shining white village of Almaden De La Plata with the ubiquitous church spire rising up like a beacon and made it to my lodging for the night.

A farmer with a sense of humour!

I thought I was at the top. I was not.