Gotarrendura to Arevalo - Walking immersion

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Rarely - the path is simple - where the way is clear and flat, turns are few, and the surface is even and certain. Today was like that. A day to be immersed in walking and be grateful - even if it began with some roadside shuffling.
The villages along the way were gentle markers of time and distance. Horses said hello,
while storks were too busy caring for their young in church tower nests.
The weather turned chilly so I donned a jacket for the first time in three weeks.
Pine groves appeared. The path was silent. I was surrounded by pines being tapped for their resin.
After hours of drifting through forest, I turned left onto the roadside path toward Arevalo.

Arevalo was a surprise. 
A small sophisticated city that was once a ‘go to’ destination in the Middle Ages for notable characters including ‘Isabel La Catholica’ who sent Columbus on his way and he came back with America, and St Ignatius of  Loyola, a cofounder of the Jesuits.
This town has form - from centuries past as well as today. Let’s hear it for the bull!
Today was a walking day and a meditative day that culminated in arriving at Arevalo - an historic city strategically encompassed  by the intersection of the Adaja and Arevalillo rivers. It is a place for the ages. I am pleased I had the chance to visit.







Comments

  1. Anonymous19 June 2024 at 03:34

    I remember those long stretches winding gently through endless kms of pine plantation. I stayed in the poliportivo in Arevalo - not salubrious but a bed to rest in. I also lost my staff there. I left it outside a bar and when I retuned it was gone - a sign perhaps!!?? Are the other pilgrims there too? BCA,N

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19 June 2024 at 05:26

      Yesterday and today with albergue company, which is great - but then we will split - Levante (me) and Sureste (others)

      Delete

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