Day 8 Santa Cruz to Cordoba 26kms
I was a little worried about today. It was going to be 37
degrees and we needed to be finished walking
by at least 11 am. In order to do this we needed to be on the road by
5:30 am. Getting up is the easy part,
the problem is, that at 5:30am it is still so dark that we can’t see the yellow
arrows that mark the route out of town. Asking people in the village the night
before doesn’t help because nobody knows anything about the route. Some people
say to go one way, others say to go another. Finally.. last night I found a
tiny grocery store, a family run business and they gave me the
best advice. This little grocery store was a blast from the past. I haven't seen one of these since we lived in rural Chile. It was the
kind where you walk in and there is just a long counter and all the goods are
behind the counter. You must ask for everything you want. It is the only store
in the village.
They said that around here the route is called “Camino de
Jado” and then sure enough I went looking for signs and there they were.
Today’s walk turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The
morning air was a perfect temperature, we kept a very steady pace for 3 hours
straight, had our morning refuel and before we knew it, we could see the city
of Cordoba.
Walking into Cordoba was a delight. I had envisioned walking
through suburbs or an industrial section but nope.. you literally walk directly
into the city by crossing an old roman bridge that leads to the medieval part
of the city.
The Romans have been here since 164 BC. They settled this area
mainly as a grain supply for the Roman Empire. Cordoba is as far up the
Gaudalquivir River as a boat can safely navigate.
We are here and tomorrow is a rest day. Yahoo!!! Our first
after 8 consecutive days of walking.
Day 9 Rest Day in Cordoba
There isn’t much to say about Corboba because I am
awestruck. Can one my boys please marry a Spanish woman so I can live in Spain??
The people here are so beautiful and the food is so good. I will probably be
the only pilgrim in history that gains weight on a pilgrimage.
Today hardly felt like a rest day. There is so much to see,
of course we went to the Cathedral/Mezquite. It started out as a Christian
Basilica in the 6th century, was then taken over by the Muslims in
785, only to be taken over again by the Christians in 1236. As you can see
there is such a blend of Christian and Islamic influence.
Cordoba also is known as the city of patios. Every May they
have a patio competition. All the competitors open up their “Andalucían Patios”
for viewing. If I ever build another house it will definitely have one of
these. Our hotel had a lovely one as well.
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| Our hotel in Cordoba |
Since beginning the Camino we have met 2 other pilgrims from Germany. They started the same day as us but unfortunately they ran into knee and foot problems and they are having to abandon their journey. They had planned to walk from Granada to Merida in 2 weeks. They are also finding the heat and the long distances too much to bear.
This is their 3rd camino, but they admit they did not train properly for this one.
So far, Spencer and I are feeling good. Our feet are holding out well. We are very thankful all our hard training in Tasmania is paying off.
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