A tiny pueblito as good as dropped out of the sky for me this morning. I’d left Tábara shortly after dawn at 6:30 a.m. under still waning star light. For the second day in a row I found myself obstructed by massive landscape rearranging construction—bulldozers, earth haulers, trucks—it looked like the birth of a gigantic new super highway. This dramatically disrupts way marking. Oh Camino! Where art thou?
My already dated guidebook was as good as useless but I seemed to guess right. Yellow “fleche”/arrows reappeared and following them led me into Villanueva de las Perras, a town that I had no reason to expect. I found a bar and sat down at its sidewalk tables to reorient myself. A man appeared on the still morning quiet street and, proving himself the rare English speaker, asked me if I needed anything. I said no but that I would have loved a cup of coffee had the bar been open. He asked if I liked my coffee with cream and sugar and disappeared. Returning shortly, he brought me a muffin and fresh brewed cup of coffee. Before excusing himself (he had not yet had his own breakfast), he set me straight on my whereabouts and explained that the construction was the high speed rail infrastructure that will soon link together all major Spanish cities.
As I learned walking the Camino Francès in 2007, wind power generating turbines in long ridge line formations are common in the Spanish countryside. This summer, I’m seeing them complemented by solar power generating panel arrays too and a postage stamp suggests that the Spanish are experimenting with ocean current driven water turbine electrical generation. I’m in Olleros de Tera (KM 691) tonight. Stumped for a refugio or food shop/restaurants in a town two kilometers to the south in late afternoon, three kids emerged to guide me here where I happily have both. A young waitress who has served me at the Bar/Restaurant “La Trucha” has given me a new scallop shell with beautiful color for my neck lanyard. I feel blessed.
