Guillena

In Guillena I stayed in Polideportivo - a dorm in the sport center. It looks like a prison from inside, but it was OK to sleep there and there is a hot shower. What else do you need to be happy?!

Although the footballers of all ages were playing outside till late (like 3 a.m.!!!) and screaming just in front of the dorm.

There is a bar next to the dorm and the girl opened the door for me. She told me that if I want to go for a walk and the bar will be closed later -I have to call the police (!) to ask them to open the door. And of course...
I needed to buy some water. When I went outside I saw that the bar is closed...pfff... Later I had no choice but to call the police (of course they don't speak English as all other sweet Spanish people) to ask them to come a open the dorm. It was a very funny conversation as I don't speak Spanish and they don't speak English. I was a bit desperate but they understood the word peregrino and came in no time to open the door! First they looked very serious, asked me something, probably wanted to check if I already has been inside. So I started to talk extra friendly - Yes, I've been there, my stuff is inside!!! Open please! I want to sleep! Please, let me in!
I've heard them laughing when they left. :-)
The Santiponce is on the horizon!

Yes, this is the dorm. It was the most spartan one. Other nights I've spent on the cleanest sheets.

Day 2 Sevilla – Guillena – 23 km

I went through Santiponce - little village.
Almost every time you walk through any village -it's siesta time.
The streets are empty, all the doors are slightly opened and you can see colorful curtains...and that smell...it's just some washing powder Spanish housewives use but it smells so good, very clean and natural! Like they use no chemical stuff there.
Leaving Santiponce there is a certain turning point. You walk through the small trees area and there is this wide endless field begins. It lookes really like an ENDLESS field, but the enthusiasm of the first day, the energy is still fresh. You tired but happy and you just go on an on and on...

First and the last fear.

After about 3 km I've decided to stop and take a break, was just laying there in the field, under the Spanish Sun -ah...Nirvana. The best thing is - you can walk for hours and meet nobody. Exactly what I needed.

The moment I wanted to go, stood up and was busy with my bag pack the car came along. It stopped, young guy came out of it, walked towards me and asked ...ermmm something? I was terrified. Don't know why. There was something in his eyes and his manner of asking, no smile -very aggressive. What does he want? So I just smiled and kept to close my bag, frozen from inside and asking myself not to show that I'm scared. He was still standing and like a parrot kept saying same words, pointing his finger to my bag pack all the time. In the end he gave up, spat, went to his car and drove away.

I started to walk but was really shaking, hoping this was the most scary thing which happened to me here. Later I thought - maybe he was just asking - do you need some help?
Well, the smile would be helpful in that case.
And yes -this was the only one unpleasant moment for the whole trip.

However, back to the Camino...It was beautiful. This road gave me intense feeling of happiness. There I suddenly realized that I'm actually walking!
...and I screamed that into the sky!




Monastery of San Isidoro del Campo, Santiponce

Day 2 Sevilla – Guillena – 23 km

Sevilla is behind.
There are gypsies living under the bridge and along the river. This time I decide not to be afraid of them. Actually it's not me, it's my mother who is terrified by them. I just feel uncomfortable in their presence as I remember what gypsies have done to my mother and my niece when they were young ... Although those kind of people you'll find in every culture, so I'm being quite unfair here.
This time I see a gypsy man in his 50's riding a horse. What a beautiful horse it was! I asked the man for permission to take a picture. We talked a bit. Well...he talked. I understood only one word - the name of the village nearby. So I was just saying – sisissi... To make it clear, I haven't learned a word before going not because of disrespect. Just wanted to extra challenge myself (also the reason I haven't trained before, didn't walk-in my shoes and haven't got a map:-)). Besides you learn lots of words already the first day.

It was a nice long walk along the river with a lots of horses watching you...the thing which made me sad is that they all are very skinny and tied with the very short rope, so they just stand there. When I think of it, all the happiness disappears and I want to cry...But there I stopped and talked to them. :-)

After couple of kilometers I almost lost for the first time. The arrows disappeared. What you need to do is just keep going, most of the times it's the right choice. Once you start doubting - you really lost. So I went back, then changed my mind again, turned and kept walking straight forward. It was a right choice after all, but I lost almost half an hour and some energy.

Cotton fields... never saw it before. I remember from my childhood that there are a lot of cotton fields in Uzbekistan. So it was quite a surprise to see them in Spain!

Day 2 Sevilla – Guillena – 23 km

Left hostel in the morning and went to the other side of the river Guadalquivir (still remember this beautiful name from one of my favorite poems of Pushkin):

Ночной зефир
Струит эфир.
Шумит,
Бежит
Гвадалквивир.

I needed to get Pilgrim's Credential first - sort of passport where you'll get the stamps from all the villages and cities you are passing by.

People are so friendly everywhere and it's easy to find anything.
Just ask - ¿Dónde Está e....? Easy!

And the journey has began.

There was a church on the way, still in Seville, so I went there to ask for blessing.
It gave me a nice, calm feeling. I felt so happy, curious and a bit anxious....
Was so excited to find the first arrow. Actually for some reason I didn't took a picture of it. So here is the pic of the second one.

Hostel Nuevo Suizo

Simple cheap clean and safe place to stay.
Free breakfast (toast with cheese or jam & tear or coffee), free internet.
I just bought super delicious grapes in one of the night shops.

Day 1 Sevilla

Actually it wasn't even a day - I felt like under narcoses. Guess just couldn't believe I've started.

Short interruption - it was soooo strange to take only one pair of shoes while going on vacation. No 5 hour fight with yourself, no doubts...eh...I even liked it somehow.

Flying from Weeze -cold, clean, fast.
Saw a sweet board – Kiss & Fly zone.

The airplane is like a Chinese market. If you want to sleep there - forget it.

Arrived to Seville – so unusual to walk with a bag pack and walking shoes. Is it me?
Took a taxi from airport to my hostel (Nuevo Suizo). When we arrived, taxi driver went out, very fast took my luggage, opened the door and stood in front of me saying impatiently – no rush, no rush.

Once I was in the center I was stunned. I even forgot why I'm here and that I won't see much of the city. It was so amazingly beautiful and felt absolutely unreal.
Warm magic evening... With the strong smell of urine almost everywhere.

Spanish men and women are VERY very beautiful. That Southern touch, no brutal macho/femme fatale attitude. Something different - mix of pride, intelligence and modesty.

Somewhere on the street young women was singing. It was one of those moments - warm October evening (actually it felt like it's July), streets of the unknown city and an enchanting melody floating in the air.

A couple of pictures of the Seville at night:

Craft shops for tourists...Those shawls are just amazing!



The Cathedral of Seville


Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, the Archbishop's Palace

Where do I begin

Finally, after a couple of months of procrastinating/editing/writing I'm ready to start this blog.
This is an attempt to describe my trip to Spain in October 2010. The plan was to walk the pilgrimage route Via de la Plata (The Silver Way) from Seville to Santiago de Compostela.
Why? Good question.
There are some thoughts:
1) wanted to go on vacation. As I'm not "all-in" fan (haha, or maybe I could be, but just never tried it), it had to be something completely different.
2) there has to be a symbolic closure of the certain period in my life.
3) I wanted to be by myself. There is a big difference to be by yourself at home or somewhere you've never been before.
4) am just adventurous

My trip turned out to be something completely different from what I've expected.
And I can't be happier.