Forget starting at the cathedral, the usual starting point for Camino Mozarabe exiting Córdoba. Closer to walk directly from my Posada to the camino route. First a reminder about the Posada, it’s opposite a well known church and currently is beautiful inside with so many flowers in the shared patio area.
And it was so much better there last night with two heaters, despite the anti bedwetting bottom sheet. Ughhh. When I’m in a nursing home save my pension and just replace the mattress frequently. NO anti bedwetting sheets please….
Out of the city through the narrow, twisty streets, over, and besides, thousands of years of history. That people have lived here for many thousands of years is well documented. This area thrived in the Roman and later Moorish periods: minerals as well as agricultural products. Presumably also thrived when the Visigoths ruled. Little is known about them.
Best sight leaving? Well, across town are lots of restaurants selling caracoles 🐌 🐌. Here was one saying it had rescued caracoles 🐌 🐌… Ha ha!! Hmmm, selling ones rescued from other vendors? Has saved snails to see? Just a catchy name? Place your bets.
Back to leaving town: you walk along Cordobán streets and then suddenly you arrive at open, grassed areas. Over a Roman bridge and then up alongside, well, the smell and barking dogs suggested animal production of some sort, a sort of reminder of the purported moral superiority of vegetarianism. 😏
Up and around. Alongside a small town, very briefly and then up hills. Cross the odd road and then up some more. Córdoba was visible looking back, in the distant hollow.
Heading up, on the left is a hollow tree with a camino sign in front. From last time here when I walked to Cerro Muriano with a guy from Cordoba, I knew there should be a little religious statue hidden in the hollow of that tree.
Sure enough, it’s still there.
Interesting old farm houses along the way. Hard to know what happens there now in most. Four large dogs on a corner of the road. Hmmm. Potentially dangerous but, phew, these guys were very friendly, especially two of them. And the flowers at this time of the year are very colourful.
And from the top of the highest hill to date, the town of Cerro Muriano was visible. Not as far from the top or down as steep a hill as I’d remembered from my first time here.
In fact, the whole walk, about 18km, took less than 4 hours so by 12:30 I was in the place I’m staying, showered, and washing done. No point in considering walking on as I had booked this place in advance plus, didn’t really fancy 40km today. It’ll come soon enough.
This place? Yes, Santa Maria Del Trabajo, is a large, rather strange building. Looks like an old convent and even has a chapel. The woman who checked me in said not but, it looks like one. A cold, unhappy one.
Ever present religious iconography doesn’t confirm my idea as many places here have that. As long as the heating comes on tonight, as she said it would. 😁
Headed to the supermarket and a possible lunch. Saw one peregrino, another two as I came back and yet another two checking in. So, peregrino central as apparently the place I stayed here last time has shut. Anyhow, my fellow peregrinos are all unknown to me. Four men and one woman.
I get the impression that this route is becoming very busy. Nothing wrong with that if there’s enough accomodation. And I’m not sure there is at every possible stop on route to Merida. Looks like this time of year was a bad choice, not early enough. But, with the water in a couple of areas, and a major creek the day after tomorrow, not sure earlier would have been better. Sigh…
Apple replacement headset? Oh yes. Yes. Beats the Chinese knockoff in quality and, it’s so much meaner on battery use.
Tomorrow: about 21km to Villaharta. More up and down hills again. Fingers crossed the weather stays fine and keeps warning up as I’m heading north west, further inland.
Wandering the world 