Tony, Tim, Betsy & Ray's 2016 Camino

(not forgetting Jane & Ann) A walk along the Camino Mozarabe

Staying in the EU.





Well a good nights sleep and a late morning by Camino standards all awake just by 8am. A quiet night outside for a Spanish city. Still it is mid week and an economic depression hopefully we shall be well away into quiet hinterland by Saturday night. This is a nice quiet hotel.
Task one is to get pilgrim credencials. They can be had from the tourisr office next to the Cathedral the signs are clearly pointing at a demolition site.Eventally we acces the square inside the demolition with tall palm trees and the tourist office.
A clue as to the quietness of the Camino Mozarabe is had by the need to print out the forms and find 6 credencials.
On the way down we spot a fine mutamoros. For those not familiar with the Way of St James he appears on statuary either as a pilgrim with staff water bottle and floppy hat or as the teacher/apostlle with a book. Or as the mounted mutamoros or moor slayer of the crusades. Over the last year we have found them as far apart as Chile and the Philippines, indeed anywhere in colonial spain.
The next aim is the Alcazar the old Moorish citadel and gardens on the hill overlooking the town. This has been very well restored at EU expense but as a consequence entrance is free to EU nationals. A fine use for our taxes we feel. It is very similar to the Alhambra but more restored less original. Old cisterns with goldfish little fountains and waterfalls and many less people than the Alhambra.
After this we manage to find the cathedral office and get the credenciales stamped correctly ready for the start tomorrow.
It is now lunch times and the usual fun with dishes in local Spainish dialects ensues. We learn that gurullos are little pastas and jibia are small bits of random cephalopod. Entremeses are a starter plate of sausage jamon and a bit of spainish omelette. Later Tony manages to replace his bum bag as the clip had broken when he sat on it.
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