Caminos Teresianos - Day 2

29 October 2023

Gotarrendura to Fontiveros - 25 kms

We set out earlier this morning as daylight saving finished last night meaning sunrise was an hour earlier. We walked out through the main plaza of Gotarrendura and past the Palomar of St Teresa - St Teresa's dovecote - which she inherited from her grandmother. 

Then we were out in the countryagain. We walked through, or past, four small villages: El Oso, Papatrigo, Narros de Saldueña, and Collado de Contreras. There were no services at all, and the two small churches we saw were locked even though it is Sunday. 

We had a quick morning tea break on a seat in Narros de Saldueña. Two ladies were quite concerned about us, managing to convey that it was going to rain very soon. 

Heeding their advice, we quickly set off. We didn't have any rain but from Narros de Saldueña we had extremely strong side-on wind - it was so strong that it was hard to use our poles.

Apart from a section of pine forest, the whole way was through open cropping land - the crops long harvested and much of it plowed. The roads were endless, just a slight rise or bend breaking the kilometres. As we walked through this landscape we wondered what it was like 500 years ago when St Teresa travelled through it. What did she experience? 

We went straight to a bar in Fontiveros where we had to register to stay in the municipal albergue and collect the key. We were offered a meal first, and it was fantastic. The bar/restaurant was incredibly busy and the noise level was tremendously high as the Spanish speak at great volume. 

The lady who manages the pilgrim accommodation, and is the restaurant owner, is lovely. She was so nice to us making sure we had everything we needed. She asked some of her younger restaurant guests to interprete for us. She then asked a family to escort us to the albergue. When we left the restaurant we found that the expected rain had started and it lasted quite a while. We finished our walk for the day at the right time. 

The albergue is one massive room with 16 camp stretchers, a microwave and a small fridge. women's and men's toilet and shower rooms. And there's local art around the walls. We're the only ones here tonight. 

Fontiveros is the birthplace of St John the Cross. A contemporary of St Teresa's, he helped her to reform the Carmelite Order.

Uploading photos is extremely slow tonight so I won't be able to add many. 

I have added captions to several of yesterday's photos. 

In the main plaza, Gotarrendura. 

St Teresa's palomar - dovecote. 

Beautiful morning light as we were standing by St Teresa's palomar in Gotarrendura. 

Approaching El Oso. All the villages seem to appear out of nowhere. 

In El Oso. 

El Oso was such a small village but it has wonderful displays and art pieces. Many to honour agricultural labour.

This art sculpture was amazing as from one angle it showed a woman but from another angle, a man.

A sculpture named Tree of Life, infront of the Church of St Peter the Apostle. 

The roads were never ending. 

The forest made a change from the vast open spaces. 

Resin being collected .

Papatrigo appearing in the distance. At this point, although is doesn't look it, there were still several kilometres to walk before we reached it. 

The wind was extreme by this stage. 

Finally, Fontiveros came into view. 

Walking in to Fontiveros. 

Being escorted to the albergue. 

One of the pieces of art on the albergue walls. I like this one as it shows a Caminos Teresianos marker. 

Then we saw the scene as were walked through the village.