Arrival in Madrid
Air travel is certainly not the glamorous thing it used to
be. After 36 hours of flying, Sydney to Madrid, we made it to the hotel
downtown, albeit it was basically a closet with a bathroom.
The Camino has already bestowed on us its first random acts
of kindness. Upon checking into the flight in Sydney the man at the counter
blocked a seat between Spencer and I so we would have extra room. It was the
only open seat in economy on an Airbus 380. Then on the flight portion from
Dubai to Madrid we sat beside a wonderful man named Francisco who went 40 kms
out of his way to drive us to our hotel in the center of Madrid. Gracias
Francisco!!
After a quick shower we wandered Madrid until we had to go to
the “Friends of the Camino” office to pick up our “credencial”. (this is an
official certificate that gets stamped along the way to prove that you were a
pilgrim) I had envisioned a seedy little office with a few elderly men sitting
around. This was certainly not the case. We arrived at 7pm to a long line-up of
people. They herded us into a room one group at a time, explained to us various
aspects of the camino, then hurried us out to let the next group in. In the
short time we were there, there were at least 20 other people picking up their
credencial. I can only hope that they all don’t do the same route as us. Last
year 165,000 people did caminos but only 65 pilgrims did the ‘Camino Mozarabe.”
With credencials in hand we ventured out for a lovely meal at the Museum of
Ham. A busy, loud tapas bar with many
types of cured hams hanging from the rafters welcomed us. We enjoyed Jamon
Iberico, Queso Manchego, salad and some
good vino tinto. The Spanish do know how to eat!!!!!
We noticed many changes in Madrid. Due to the recent economic situation in Spain
there were many more buskers than I remember, creative buskers as well the
homeless. There was also a heavy police presence due to the many recent
protests against the austerity programs the government is enforcing.
Now with Spanish mobile phone, Wi-Fi stick, credencials and
heavy (probably too heavy) backacks we are off to Granada by bus to finally
start.
The Beauty of
Granada
There is a Spanish saying- “To be blind in Granada is one of
the world’s greatest tragedies” and I couldn’t agree more. Granada has got to be one of the most
beautiful cities in the world.
We arrived in Granada Wednesday night and were met by wonderful
old friends. Allan and Ana Madsen were close friends of ours when we lived in
Aguilas, Spain from 1999 to 2003. Spending 2 days wandering the streets of
Granada, eating tapas, enjoying wine and reminiscing old times was great fun. We
managed to find the obscure beginnings of the Camino and get our credencial
stamped by the nuns, all in preparation for the big departure on Friday. 
THE FIRST DAY Granada
to Pinos Puente -19kms
I can’t believe we are finally doing the Camino. After
months of anticipation, it is here. Of course we stayed up way too late with
Allan and Ana, drank way too much wine and brandy, so the morning departure was
delayed by a few hours.
Leaving Granada was like being on a treasure hunt. We
managed to find the first few arrows alright but after that it was an interesting
challenge. People that have lived their whole life in Granada had no idea that
there was even a Camino. Everyone we would ask gave us blank stares, even the
woman at the Tourism office had no idea. We eventually found our way out of the
city almost by feel, squealing with delight every time we spotted a golden
arrow. A yellow arrow or a yellow scallop shell is the symbol of the camino and marks the route all the way to Santiago in the north of Spain. In order to find the arrows one must look high and low as they can be
placed in the weirdest places.
Walking felt wonderful. Both Spencer and I feel very, very
blessed to have this incredible experience and are thankful for the
opportunity. We did get lost a few times and even though the distance was only
19 kms I think we ended up walking about 25kms in all.
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