Mind set on 40k day ... early breakfast of fresh orange juice, coffee and churros and out before 7.30 ... and since the start is off the Way after yesterday's relocation, it's hard shoulder in the dark for an hour ... making good time on the quiet N630, familiar companion since Seville and for some time yet ... its big brother takes the strain these days and it looks like the motorway is toll free since most of the traffic is there ... both roads, of course, follow the old Roman road north, as does the Camino ... though we are often far enough away to find peace ... the ubiquitous marble cubes have yellow for Santiago, green for Calzada Romana and both colours where the roads coincide ... engineers may have observed the markers are only cubes on the surface ... an equal amount is underground for stability .. other uses are as seats and stepping stones ... though sitters must beware the carved motifs, since they hold water after rain, as has been discovered ... and a source of employment in making and installing them, a key economic benefit from EU Camino investment, as also seen in the roadside signs ... the more helpful arrows, actually showing the direction to take at key points, are left to the volunteers of the local pilgrim association ...
Another route, marked with red posts, runs from Caceres to Badajoz, and distant mountains are in Portugal, not so far from our route ... FB kindly sends a reminder of the Eastern Portugal walk three years ago ... abandoned further south, due to long hard shoulder stages without services or pilgrims ... plenty of services here, though pilgrims again gone missing ... at early lunch stop in Valdesalor, Victor enquires how many are on the road ... next month maybe numbers will pick up ...
Caceres arrives soon enough, mind having accepted 40, early, persistent and swift morning left afternoon 12 k easy enough ... and the 40 was more like 38 according to Gronze. .. and that's without hard shoulder short cuts ...
The historic centre is not in the centre, but up on a hill, like many strategic towns and yellow arrows show the Way ... though the later rehearsal for exiting revealed no arrows at all ... not at the Church of Santiago, nor at the municipal Albergue ...which had no pilgrims though the adjacent campervan park had plenty from the Escargot Club ... anyway, by this time the Residencial Zurbaran had appeared (showing he is famous here as well as Fuente de Cantos and Bishop Auckland) ... and for €18 offered a single room, bed, sheets but no towels, nearby bathroom and WiFi for your daily delight ... a map from tourist info, some enquiries and a long walk, revealed the route out, though still arrowless. .. whether the escape is tomorrow or the day after will be decided in the morning ... the city has plenty of culture and history to explore and Alejandro at tourist info seemed very surprised at the lack of enthusiasm for the treasures on offer ...
Checking the body parts working hardest, feet are happy enough, legs too ... shoulders are wondering why we are carrying so much wet weather gear when it has barely rained ... overall the organism is operating well on 20 to 40 k per day and loving the Sun ... still, a rest day is in order and a nearby vegetarian restaurant, closed this evening, may offer some relief to stomach, which has coped stoically with excess white bread and occasional meat mistakes ...
Let's see what the morning brings ...
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