[Gocamino] Via de la Plata

[Jeff Stys]

I just returned from two weeks on the Via de la Plata starting in
Salamanca.  I had done two weeks starting from Sevilla in December 2005.
I plan on the another trip to "finish" the final stage sometime in the
future.  

During December albuerges were mostly open but I did not encounter
another pilgrim the entire trip.  Some nights were cold but walking
during the day was very pleasant.  

On the October trip, there were approximately 5-7 pilgrim per night in
the albuerges. In a two week period, I only stayed in one hotel (Zamora)
and one private home.  There was good walking weather but did use a
sleeping bag several nights.  Most of the pilgrims had done the camino
frances or walked the routes in France or Germany.  

The distances can be quite long between towns (35K) and the terrain can
be somewhat unvaried.  If you enjoyed the meseta, you'll love the via de
la plata.  

I walked the Camino Frances in two different trips.  The Via was
different not only in the numbers of pilgrims and the terrain but I
believe that because of the relative rarity of pilgrims the local folks
were more welcoming.  My Spanish is fairly decent and I was approached
by more people who wanted to chat.  The accommodations ran the gamut
from luxurious to very basic but I always felt warmly welcomed. 

Let me know if I can help out with any additional information.  

Jeff 

-----Original Message-----
From: gocamino-bounces at oakapple.net
[mailto:gocamino-bounces at oakapple.net] On Behalf Of Glenn
Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 2:20 PM
To: Santiagobis at yahoogroups.com; GOCAMINO at oakapple.net;
saintjames at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Gocamino] Via de la Plata

Sil wrote: "For me its richest blessings are the pilgrims who walk it
and the
people who care for them." 

I so totally agree.  Each of my 2 Camino Frances I met people whom I
will never forget and from whom I learned so much.  I would like to walk
the Via de la Plata, but I have to admit, that I am concerned that there
are not enough pilgrims there (Yet) to have the same feeling of
fellowship.  I know that there is much to see, and I enjoy walking
alone, but as Sil said, the times resting at the bars and the evenings
of sharing at the refugios were so precious.  What times of the year
would there be the most pilgrims walking The Via de la Plata route?
Also are there enough refugios to minimize staying at hotels or hostels?
The rate the US dollar is falling, staying for many days at a hotel
could be prohibitively expensive.

Glenn
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