To Hornillos and San Bol

2006

Hornillos

In 2006, we stayed in the Hornillos Municipal Albergue. 

It was tiny, cramped, and dirty.

The attendant was a kind old man.

This was my first experience with bedbugs.

The albergue filled up quickly,

and people were then given mats to sleep on the floor

in a nearby building.

Many of them came out the next morning 

covered in bites.

I had never seen anything like it before,

lumps as large as apricots on people,

red an inflamed.

I felt lucky I didn't get bitten,

and have never again tempted fate by staying there,

as I have met bug-bitten pilgrims over and over,

who got their case of bedbugs at Hornillos.

The church was very pretty,

and if they clean the place up and get rid of the bugs,

I think it will be a nice place to sleep,

but I went by there in 2013,

and found bedbugs again.

Inside the Church

Drying laundry

2013

San Bol

In 2013, I stayed in San Bol. This was a beautiful albergue with a sweet spirit.

The floors were warmed and there was only electricity for 1 hour in the evening so people could charge their phones. The rest of the time, it was blessedly quiet.

VDLP 2013: Zafra, Finally!

Our plane got very much behind in Philadelphia. There was some sort of emergency and at one point we were number twenty-something in line at the runway. We finally got off the ground about an hour late, and that put us into Madrid a bit late.

There were several peregrinos on board but all were headed for Pamplona.

My first stop was the Renfre station at T-4. We landed at T-1 so I had to find the shuttle. I finally got to T-4 and found the tiny Renfre station on the first floor, tucked into a corner by the Cercanius. Hooray! I made it! Well...not quite.

There was a disabled gentleman and his wife trying to make reservations somewhere and the one solitary clerk did a great job for him while the minutes ticked away. I was unable to buy a ticket to Zafra from the machine so I had no choice but to wait. Forty five long minutes later I had missed the only train to Zafra for the day. Exhausted and hungry, I made my way to the Avenuda de las Americas bus.

This bus took me to a metro station where I caught a train to within a block if the south estacion de autobuses. There I was able to get a ticket to Zafra on a line called Avanza Bus.  The coach left at 11:30 am and cost 20,15 Euros.

The buses in Spain are Mercedes Benz buses!

I made the connection by 7 minutes so there was no time to eat or drink. This was one time I wished I had carried some food!

The trip to Zafra was five more hours. I was feeling the lack if sleep, but more of food and water. Two hours into the trip the bus stopped for a 20 minute break and I almost cried with joy as I slugged down a beautiful glass of zumo naranja and found a bag of Mr. Corn!

Armed with a new full bottle of water I enjoyed the scenery into Zafra. The bus windows are huge and great for sightseeing!

I missed a great photo moment when we passed a ruined rooftop holding six nests of storks, each nest with a mother and two babies! Because of the way the road was situated up high, I was able to literally look down into the nests It was an incredible moment!

I had booked a room at the Hotel Cervantes. It's cute, clean and inexpensive but highly perfumed. Luckily I'm only here one night. My head is pounding from the scent but I stripped the bed and am using my sleep blanket and so far was able to sleep about five hours. I paid 28 euros.

On the way to the hotel I saw a poster advertising a new albergue in Zafra, but I'm happy where I am.  There is a mercado a couple of blocks away, I have air conditioning, and I'm happy!

It is now 2:08 am. My body thinks it is morning but I better try to get a bit more sleep. Tomorrow I hope to find the Albergue and officially begin my Camino.

That's all for now.