I recently had the opportunity to stop in at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site just outside of Howick, Kwazulu Natal.
An extract from the website for the Capture Site (http://www.thecapturesite.co.za): To see the sculpture visitors walk “along a path representing “the long walk to freedom” culminating halfway down a cut into the earth, where the laser cut steel columns gradually come together and focus at a particular point 30 meters from the sculpture. The 50 linear vertical steel columns line up at this point creating the illusion of a flat two-dimensional image magically recreating Madiba’s portrait, metaphorically announcing his return to the site of his disappearance from world view”. It was a very special experience to be there. I got there quite late and was the last visitor for the day so the site was all but deserted. The “long walk to freedom” literally made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The setting is so peaceful and the afternoon light that day was beautiful. There is nothing that I can say about Madiba that has not been said. I thought it more important to include some of his own statements as a reminder of his phenomenal legacy. “It always seems impossible until it’s done." - Nelson Mandela “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realised. But my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”- Nelson Mandela, Defence statement during the Rivonia Trial, 1964 “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” - Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”. - Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom "I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself." Nelson Mandela
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This was our version of “Feris Beuler’s Day Off”. After the downhill into Molinaseca, we made a call to walk the 6km into Ponferrado and stop there for the day. It was such a good decision. The downhill stretch had left some very tired legs and even the short distance for the day felt quite long. It was a beautiful stretch to walk slowly and enjoy as all the new leaves were coming through on the vineyards and the flowers along the way were in full bloom. It was lovely to have time to literally stop and smell the flowers. We found a great coffee shop. It was a wonderful feeling to know that we were already at our final destination and it was only about 11h00. Made a quick hotel selection and what followed can only be described as one of the best power naps of all time. This, combined with a hot bath ensured that my sense of humour was completely restored! The rest of the day was spent exploring the Castillo de los Templarios, a 12th Century templar castle, the Inglesia San Andres XVIIthC and having a relaxed meal in the plaza. It was a fantastic day spent with very special people and in terms of recovery it was incredibly important. I started walking the next day feeling so much stronger and more relaxed. The Sisters decided to take a bus to catch up with the rest of the “tribe”. Philipp and I decided to walk on and catch up with them over the next few days. As we were leaving we met up with Alma, a Mexican lady who I had met on the very first day walking into Roncavalles and not seen since. After this meeting, I would only see her again on the on the way to the lighthouse at Finisterre. The day went perfectly until we reached Cacabelos. Philipp’s tendonitis came back with a vengeance and he made a tough decision to take a taxi to O’Cebreiro to meet up with the Sisters and possibly rest for a day or two. So, I found myself walking alone again. I have to say that I have seldom felt quite as lonely as when I saw him drive off. I knew I would have to put in some long days to catch up with the the people I had gotten to know and like so much. The scenery from Cacabelos to Pereje, where I stopped for the night, was incredible and it was wonderful to be getting back into the mountains. Pereje, or Mordor, as I preferred to call it was not a good stop. I wanted to get to Trabadelo but it was just to far, so Pareje it was. It was freezing cold, there was no hot water, no heating in the albergue and I didn’t know one single person there. My bed was next to a window and the gap between the window and the wall was stuffed with newspaper to keep the cold out. Needless to say, I slept in every piece of clothing I was carrying and I was not sad to move on in the morning.
The first stretch into Murias de Rechivaldo was a bit of a challenge. I felt tired after the long day into Astorga. The bar in Murias de Rechivaldo made up for it though. The food was amazing and all organic with freshly squeezed orange juice and lots of fresh vegetables. And, as always, perfect company. It was lovely to get out of the towns and back into the still snow capped mountains. After the breakfast stop, it was a great walking day. I think that this quote by John Muir summed up the day for me. “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” The walk into Rabanal was a “free” day for me. The last stretch into Astorga the day before had knocked the stuffing out of me. During those last few km, I would not have believed that I would be walking again the following day, with a smile on my face and strength back in my legs. I was just so grateful to be feeling strong and surrounded by magnificent scenery and wonderful people. The next coffee stop was at the Cowboy Bar in El Ganso. It was a highlight because while I was walking in to the town, I could feel my phone vibrate as an sms came though. I didn’t usually walk with my phone on but had obviously forgotten to turn it off. I read the message as I sat down in the Cowboy Bar. It was from my Dad. He and my Mom had walked the Camino before and were my inspiration for doing it. The message read “Seem to remember that there was a Cowboy Bar on the stretch you are walking today. Worth a stop.” It felt like my folks were there having coffee with me. Rabanal was another wonderful stop. A lovely albergue with a sunny courtyard and good company. It was also the place where Kevin folded his “delicates” in public...definitely one of the funniest moments on the Camino! Mass was held in the beautiful stone church by Benedictine Monks, in Gregorian Chant. It was beautiful and very moving. Rabanal is the town before the climb to the highest point of the Camino Frances, marked by a cross, the Cruz de Ferro. The walk up to the cross will remain one of my favourites of my whole Camino. I left well before sunrise and in time to watch the full moon setting. No words can possibly describe the beauty of that morning. Tradition is that pilgrims carry a rock with them from the start of their pilgrimage and leave it at the foot of the cross as a symbol of letting go of their burdens. I had made a conscious effort from the beginning of my walk not to read the guidebook I had to far ahead so I literally read “the instructions” a few days in advance. As a result, until shortly before I reached Rabanal, I knew nothing about it and was therefore not carrying a rock. I remained a little indifferent about the cross itself until we got there. Rocks left since early Roman times have literally made a small mountain. Each rock representing someones burden or sadness or gratitude. Spending time there was a truly humbling experience. The walk from Rabanal to Molinaseca was one of the most beautiful of the whole journey. To be back in the mountains was just magic. The downhill into Molinaseca did take its toll though. It is roughly 15km of steep downhill on a rocky path. Some very tired pilgrims presented themselves in the albergue that night. That night in the albergue did produce another classically funny Camino moment. As I mentioned, there were some very exhausted pilgrims and all of us craved a good night sleep. We had a lovely room with about 10 of us in it, no double bunks and a big open window. We seemed to be set for a good night. As the lights went out and all went quiet, someone started snoring. By then I thought I had heard it all but this snoring was something special. Everyone in the room just started laughing. One of the people in the room was Martin, aka the “Horseman”. For some reason he was able to neigh like a horse. In desperation and seeing the much needed peaceful night disappearing, I said to him “Martin, do something!” at which point he jumped onto all fours and gave the perfect neigh. The snoring culprit promptly turned over and we heard nothing from him until the morning. When he woke up he muttered something about strange dreams involving horses.....noone said a word.
“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” ~Robert Louis Stevenson A day in pictures.
Dan's last night. Sad to say goodbye. He was one of the first pilgrims I met on the train together from Bayonne to St Jean. “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” Miriam Beard
The walk out of Leon was very beautiful. Pre sunrise starts were such a wonderful part of walking for me. The light was so lovely and it is just such a perfect time of day. As was becoming the norm, this also ended up becoming an amusing day of walking. I was aiming for Villar de Mazarife and was pottering along quite nicely when Ben caught up to me. I had met him for the first time in Mansilla. He had had two big nights in a row (in Mansilla where apparently he did a great job serenading the hospitalero and another one in Leon). So, when he caught me just past Leon, he was going quite slowly and we walked on together. The conversation was obviously interesting because we completely missed the turn that we were supposed to make to get to Villar de Mazarife. The road we were on meant we would miss Mazarife and be on the “main road” track until half way through the next day. We cut across at San Miguel, adding a few km onto the day. So much for trying to rest my dodgy leg. Anyway, the company was good and we caught up to the others (including Philipp, also post big night out in Leon!) at Chozas de Abajo. It was great to see everyone and made the detour more than worthwhile. Stayed at the Casa de Jesus Albergue. It was an interesting spot with a swimming pool, a guitar and a ship in the garden. It was a very good, relaxing afternoon. The walls of the albergue had been covered by messages and drawings left by previous pilgrims. I had a good laugh when I saw one of the messages left next to my bed. Firstly, it comes from my favourite Dr Seuss book, “Oh The Placed You’ll Go”. Secondly, I have always been a little challenged when it comes telling my left from my right and when I looked down, having read the quote, I noted with amusement that the socks I was wearing, which were clearly labeled “L” and “R”, were on the wrong feet. I wondered if this would decrease my 98 and 3/4 per cent chance of success.
My walk into Mansilla was a largely solo one. I missed the turn into Reliegos and therefore the legendary Elvis Cafe. As a result, I walked the whole way on my own which was a bit of a mind bender! There was a great albergue in Mansilla with a lovely sunny courtyard. Met up with Susie, Kkin, Craig, Laura, Dale, Kevin, Eric. A really good afternoon. There was also a great hospitalero who did an excellent job fixing blisters etc. This was her proposed solution for Tim’s disastrous blister situation. I got a really early start out on Mansilla with the intent of getting in to Leon early enough to explore it a bit. Luckily for me Eric and Dale stopped me from heading completely off course just outside of Mansilla - there was a very pretty path leading off along the river that just looked perfect so I started ambling along it only to be recalled by them onto the correct path (not as pretty but at least aiming towards Leon!). I stopped in Villarente for coffee and ended up spending an hour there. I got there with Kevin and had coffee with him. Then Philipp and Kristoff arrived. So I had coffee with them to. I think that "Camino Time" had finally sunk in. There really was no rush. Rushing is a habit - one that took a lot of km to break! It was quite hard work walking in to Leon. It was not that pretty and my leg was bugging me - it had somehow gone numb about 5 days before which was starting to cause me some concern. Anyway, we had some good laughs into Leon. At some point, I was called to a halt by someone calling “SudAfrika STOP” (I think the flag on my backpack gave me away). He was a very large Russian, called Sergei, who had spent some time working in SA. He even had De La Rey (Bok van Blerk) on his iPod which he very proudly played for me. Scary stuff! Stayed in the Santa Maria Albergue in Leon. Met up with KKin and Susie and Philipp to go and look at the Cathedral in the afternoon. the Cathedral was magnificent and the stained glass windows were incredible. What should have been a peaceful afternoon turned into a bit of a march around Leon. I went into the pharmacist to see what he had to say about my dead leg and he said that I should see a doctor. Philipp came with me as my official interpreter - what a legend! It turned into a very amusing afternoon. We bounced from the government clinic to the pediatric hospital and finally the private clinic. The doctor confirmed a nerve issue suspicion and recommended 3 days rest and some anti inflammatories. I didn’t have the heart to stay behind and lose my pilgrim team so I decided to take the anti inflammatories and walk on slowly. I did go to bed that night with a worried, heavy heart. Luckily it was easy to get up and moving in the morning - a dormitory of 60 people with no windows - I literally burst out of there gasping for air!
Early morning light on way out of Carrion De Los Condes. The photo above pretty much sums up the days walk into Terradillos de los Templarios. I had expected the “flat middle bit” of the Camino, i.e. the Meseta, to be easy. It wasn’t. The days were long and tough and there were sometimes long stretches between coffee stops but I did love the big skies and wide open space of Meseta. Very good thinking time. Terradillos de los Templarios was formerly a stronghold of the Knights Templar. It is also officially the half way point between St Jean Pied Du Port and Santiago. This turned out to be one of my favourite stops. It was memorable for a few reasons. The first was a history lesson, given in Spanish (Catalan dialect which is apparently quite difficult to understand) by Antonio, interpreted in German and then translated into English for me (by Philipp). We simply called that conversation “lost in translation”. Secondly, I finally met the three South Africans I had been hearing all about. Thirdly, I “threaded” Craig’s monstrous blister for him - I decided that this was a real mile stone in my becoming a “proper” pilgrim as doing something like this would usually far exceed my “squeamish capacity”. It certainly cemented our friendship. And finally, as with so many Camino days, the main highlight was the camaraderie of sharing a meal together at the end of the day. There was a dining room at the albergue so everyone staying there ate together. The walk from Terradillos de los Templarios to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos was character building and, once again, the right company at the right time turned a potential nightmare stretch into one of the best of the Camino for me. The day started badly. I was just tired and uncomfortable and it was cold. I listened to my iPod, which I didn’t do a lot but on this morning it helped somewhat. I took the detour to the Virgen del Puenta church. It was very lovely but not a good day to add on extra miles! The walk from there into Sahagun was on a gravel road covered with tiny little stones that really hurt my feat. To say my spirit was low when I reached Sahagun is an understatement. As I walked into town, I saw Philipp and Kristoff waving at me from the coffee shop. I will not even try to explain the relief of seeing those two smiling faces. We walked the rest of the day together. We passed through Calzada de Coto which really felt like a ghost town. In fact from the outskirts of Sahagun we really saw noone until we reached Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, a distance of around 14km. It got hot and very very long and yet I am not sure that I have ever laughed as much as I did in those 14km. I cannot say what we were laughing about - something about a crazy Camino mascot (which we thought was a mouse but is actually meant to be a lion); a completely abandoned homestead; an empty swimming pool literally in the middle of nowhere; a very eerie playground (perfect setting for a horror movie) and the fact that the area we were walking through what looked like the bushveld in South Africa (see photo below). Had I been on my own, this stretch might have been impossible but the company made it one of the most memorable days of the journey.
The walk from Castrojeriz started with a steep climb up to Alto de Mostelares. It was, again, a beautiful morning. I met up with Susie and KKin at the top of the climb and officially met Philipp there as well. The view was incredible. We walked on and came to a coffee stop on the side of the road. It was just a little stall set up for passing pilgrims. Being the chivalrous individual that he is, Philipp bought me a cup of coffee. When we had finished our coffee, I saw that the man running the stall was filling the urn with water running out of an old pipe that came out of the side of the hill. I am a little paranoid about drinking water but remained calm until Susie announced that she had read that the water source was called “lice fountain”. I am not sure if I have mentioned this before but it is important to maintain a sense of humour at all times! Alas, it was a most memorable coffee stop. The path then drops back down on to the Meseta and is then pretty much flat until Fromista. I loved the wide open spaces of the Meseta - not much beats open spaces and big skies for me. The photo below was taken just before that descent. I stayed in the private albergue in Fromista. It was great as there were very few of us staying there so it was nice and quiet. I had supper with Philipp and Eve, a Frenchman who was starting his walk from Fromista, having reached there on his previous walk. It was a really good evening. The following morning was icy cold. I opted to walk along the river, via Villovieco. I am glad I did as that is where Pepe was standing handing out sweets to passing pilgrims. I don’t know what it was about Pepe but, as Kevin would say, I left him a little misty eyed. Pepe wrote in my Credencial - translated into english “do good and be humble and the Father will protect you”. Meeting Pepe was a very good reminder of the power of a kind gesture and a hug. Another highlight was seeing two big owls along the river. The birds along the Way were incredible. Such beautiful calls. Lots of nightjars early in the mornings and the “cuckoo clock” cuckoos during the day. The owls were special though. I caught up with them a few times. Each time they would just fly on a bit. Quite lovely.
Although it was a long day, the river walk was really pretty and made up for the last 6km into Carrion De Los Condes which got a bit monotonous. I chose the first albergue I got to, Santa Clara. Carrion De Los Condes was a pretty town and while I was wandering around, I found Susie, KKin, Dale and Kevin and had a great afternoon with them. We went to the Nun’s blessing at the Santa Maria albergue. Kristoff joined us there. The nuns sang and then gave a message about Light and Strength. Between the nuns and Pepe, a very emotional but special day. We found a dinner spot, and with it Philipp and Eve, so all was good. Sharing a meal together at the end of I thought I would let some photos do the talking again. Photo above: early morning light as I walked out of Hornillos. This is one of my favourite photos because I took it the day before I met Philipp. He became such a special part of my Camino and it intrigues me that when I took this I had not met him yet. It makes me realise how fortunate I was to meet the people I did because you can miss people completely along the way, even though you are walking the same path as them. Hontanas. This was a stunning town and one of my favorite overall because it appeared so suddenly. Some towns you can see from literally miles away and it can take you an hour or more to reach. This can be a problem if there is an urgent requirement for coffee! This town literally appeared out of nowhere and bought with it a very welcome and unexpected mid morning coffee stop. Above and below - Just before getting to the village of Castrojeriz, where I stopped for the night, you pass the ruins of the 14th Century San Anton Monastery. To quote John Brierly "This was the ancient monastery and hospice of the Antonine Order founded in France in the 11 century. The Order's sacred symbol was the "T"shaped cross known as the Tau - nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet and symbolising divine protect
After the snow and wind and rain, it was quite lovely to walk in the sunshine and appreciate the spring blossoms. I had begun lose faith in the concept of “Spring in Europe” as the weather we had experienced thus far had in no way been a reflection of my understanding of spring! The warm sunshine, spring flowers, big blue skies and rolling green fields along these sections remedied this. Spring in Spain is indeed magnificent. Photo above: the beginning of the Meseta. Beautiful long stretch of road into Hornillos. Just a quick note on Hornillos. When I arrived the lady who ran the albergue was busy serving lunch in the bar said that we needed to wait until she was done to see if there was still place to stay there for the night. This was not such a problem because it was a beautiful day and everyone staying in Hornillos for the night sat on the steps of the church in the sun and chatted. It really was a perfect afternoon. The accommodation story was eventually sorted out and I managed to get a bed, albeit in a bit of an unfriendly room. The room had about 10 bunk beds which was fine except that they had no ladders and being the last one to get a spot there, I clearly got the top middle bunk. There was a large sign as you went into the room stating that due to the fact that there were no ladders on the bunks, the chairs next to the beds were to be kept clear for people trying to climb up and down to the top bunks. I didn’t think much of this at the time. By the time I had been allocated a bed it was time for dinner so I just dropped my backpack were it belonged and headed out. I got back at about 9 to find that the people in my room had already turned the lights out. This confirmed to my initial “unfriendly” assessment. I couldn’t find my torch so used the light of my kindle to dig around in my pack to find my sleeping bag etc. I eventually managed to scramble up onto my bed. It was one of those “saggy” bunk beds, the kind where you end up sleeping in a ball in the hollow in the middle. The major issue came when I needed to get up in the middle of the night. I had to extricate myself from “saggy” bed and climb down, without a torch or a ladder, and while trying not to wake anyone up. It was going pretty well until I started lowering myself onto the chair (aka replacement ladder) next to the bed. I had just got to the point where I was close enough to just let go and hopefully land on the chair when the guy sleeping on the bunk below me grabbed my leg and hissed “DON’T step on my glasses!” He had apparently missed the large sign explaining the ladder situation and used the chair as a bedside table. To say I got a fright is a severe understatement. I just let go and ended up dropping down next to the stupid chair onto the cold floor. Believe me when I say that doing this on feet that have walked a few hundred kms is not advisable! Photo above: these guys didn’t get a place to sleep in the albergue in Hornillos. They got really cold but as with all things, it is the resulting story that makes it all worth it!
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Author_Jo-Anne Hay
I was privileged to spend a lot of time exploring wilderness areas in southern Africa from a very young age. I got my first camera when I was 6 years old and I have been passionate about wildlife and landscape photography ever since. |