Sevilla to Guillena

I couldn’t get asleep until two in the morning. Then, I woke up at 6:00 AM, much before my alarm was set, so in the end, I had just few hours of sleep. This was not unexpected as I know how excited I was to get started. Beside that, air-conditioning wasn’t working well at all.

Leaving the hostel for the still dark and empty streets of Sevilla made an impression on me. The crescent moon was so strong. It was like set sailing out in some immense and unknown ocean. Tension and excitement. Now, after the Camino, I realize those first steps were somehow similar to the last, in their lightness full of expectations and that… something.

First big joy – we found the first yellow arrow on the Isabel II bridge! Then, just one block after the bridge we were already stopped by the first disjunction. Should we go left or should we go right? One would think it will be depressing coming across a disjunction so early in the Camino, first day, after just few hundred meters! Yet, were not scared at all . Why? Probably because of our will and readiness to embrace challenges. This energy, on the mere beginning of Camino, was too strong. Will it stay on that level all the way to the end? God knows. The logical procedure addressing the disjunction was to split on both sides and inform the other when an yellow arrow or Camino sign was found. This procedure will be always used in such situations and this actualy happened later many times. Luckily, this time we were in doubt for just few minutes since a bicyclist passed near and simply pointed us the right direction. That was the very first person we encountered on this Camino.

Just few moments later – the very first salute. A contour emerged suddenly out of the obscured narrow street and transformed in a gentlemen with a beard: “Buen Camino Peregrinos!“. Now, now I knew that I was on the Camino! Immediately the very first photo was taken right there, by the first Camino sign.

There was a black cat in front of us! Luckly, Andrej said cat had a white lock, so we are safe! Again, soon after, yet another element of the Camino showed in front of us – the first milestone (millario in Spanish). It said: more than one thousand kilometers ahead. One still doesn’t have a sense of distances… hundreds of kilometers ahead?

Just two kilometers later, at dawn, we came to a big road junction at two levels. A true highway loop and we had to find our walk-through. Under one of the elevated lanes a place that looked somewhat scary: neglected horse tied to a pale, a lot of recyclables, poor cottages, old, dusty cars – an nomad demimonde just on the outskirts of the city! The track continued along the river and the city was still there, on the other side. We didn’t realized that somehow we lost our path. Luckily to get back on track we just had to go back few hundred meters and then go through an estate. The only problem was that a drove of dogs were nastly barking and “protecting” that estate (an old farm).

What to do: risk and go directly through them or as a safer option to pass by around the estate? Safety was chosen and we outflanked the estate so we had to take a longer path yet we were soon on the track marked with yellow arrows. Here we met the very first pilgrim on our Camino – a lady from Berlin, Germany. She chosed the same (faulty) route. And that reminded me of the “Pilgrim’s rule number one” (as Andrej mentioned many times later): “never go with the crowd (since they use the same logic!)”. Basically saying – avoid groupthinking. After just two hours we experienced our first, slight detour.

The sun came up at 8:30. Soon after we were entering the first town on our Camino – Santiponce. The very first of many, so typical Iberian small towns, so in-line with general prejudice. The town contains the ruins of the Roman city – Italica. Nowdays a small town, once had big importance. Roman Emperors Trajan, Hadrian and possibly Theodosius were born here. Visiting the ruins of the Roman theatre would be mandatory but it is closed on – Mondays! Pity. Well, time for first coffee then. A very good one, at the bar just in front of this old Roman theatre.

Now, between us and our today’s destionation, the village of Guillena, there was only this straight macadam track. Only? Striding between those yellow, golden fields of grain, those fifteen kilometers on the hot Andalusian sun were anthing but “only”. The air temperature was above forty degrees and we – barely – made it across!

Finally, at the very entrance of the village – a gas station. I just had to buy a big bottle of fresh water and a soft dring (Powerade). At that moment, God had the shape and taste of genuine fresh water for me! Later, on my Camino He will take and present to me in other, most unimaginable forms! As we stopped, suddenly I felt pain in my shoulders. Completely unaccustomed bearing fifteen kilos backpack caused rapid inflamation. First physical pain of this Camino.

La Luz del Camino de Guillena was the name of the albergue, simply the first one we came across when entering this small village. It looked good enough and with that we didn’t want to look for further. Room costed 10 Euros and for just 2 Euros they offered a modest breakfast. It was a small, but nice place to stay in which I felt like a real “backpacker” („low-cost, independent international travel“) also that was the first time in my life that I enter an accommodation with a backpack! It was also the first of almost forty lodgings on the walk ahead and of course I was very curious how this first would be and also an reference to all others that were still to come.

Then two new shocks! First, guests are asked not to throw the toilet paper into the toilet but in the bin nearby the toilet. Yuuuck! Second, they didn’t have hot water! „Hot water?! Hahaha, why? You don’t need hot water!  Look how warm it is outside! Haha!“. Ha..ha..yeah. I simply had to wash clean myself from all the dust and sweat from today’s walk on that “roasting” sun so had to perform that ”Banzai shower”. Showering with yelling! Next first thing to do – wash, and dry clothes. Drying clothes is actually more challenging then washing as requires more time.

So after washing and first siesta repose, it was time, around six PM, to visit this village (pueblo in Spanish) in which we stayed. Central square with the church, red sheets placed from the windows and balconies, traditional jalousies and cheerful stripes on all houses which are all compactly closed. Neat white facades decorated with colorful lines and shapes, with many ceramic decorations. Streets almost completely empty of people during the hot siesta. This scenary and culture are defined by Moorish legacy in architecture and this arid and hot southern climate. Ennio Morricone’s music (from “Spaghetti Western” movies) immediately came to our minds and will convoy us up until long further in the North.

A tiny grocery shop was open at that time but its shelves were so empty. It was a very sad seen. Global recession? The shop was closing down? I didn’t feel good to take photos of those empty shelfs. Yet I did take a photo of a closed shop some days later in Merida. It was obviously closing business. The moment after I took it I felt a great remorse as I start to think about those people. This is why I will not post those photos here. Just few minutes after, we met our landlady. Small village indeed.

Hogar del pensionista was the eatery that she recommend. Of course it was just around the corner (and most probably she was somehow related to the restaurant?). A young couple was running this place which possibly was used for social gatherings of the local community. Their little son was also wandering around the dining hall with his cat (named Marisol, Macarena or some name that sounded like that). I assume they didn’t have a place or relatives to leave the child while they had to work so they kept him with them in the restaurant. Again, we will see the same much later in Gonzar at an albergue managed by a Romanian family. That reminded me my mother taking me few times with her in her hairdressing salon with the usual: „sit there and don’t make too much mess“. This might look a little bid rude but but I remeber how nice and interesting those visits to my mother’s workplace were.

This ample dining room had an open cabinet with some old books and other publications offered (most probably) for public reading, some tables were equipped with board games, walls were decorated with mostly old photos of local associations and local people. It seemed that the best and cheerful period of this village was left in some other, past times.

We were warmly welcomed and served. Not just because we were almost only guests in the restaurant (beside one bothersome Spaniard, from our hostel). One can feel that they were simply so accomodating. They specifically offered us typical local food (which we were anyhow always asking for). Some kind of local „hummus“ was a great appetizer and was followed by – sardines (although we were sure we ordered – chicken?!). Well maybe our Spanish is still not good enough?

After this appetizer, we had to wait a while for the pork steaks. The wiating was well worthed since those were very tasty. For the first time beer Cruzcampo was on the menu – a very good beer.

After early dinner we went out for a walk and again to trace our way out of this village for tomorrow morning. This is very useful beacuse we will again depart very early, few hours before the sunrise, in pitch-dark! We will do that every afternoon before the next day stage. In the nearby grocery store I bought a simple sandwich with ham nd cheese and a botle of water for my tomorrow’s brunch, for 3.45 Euros.

Upon coming back to the albergue I checked how my clothes were drying – not so bad but still wet, let’s hope clothes will be dry enough by our departure tomorrow before dawn. Drying will become one of my greatest worries for the rest of this Camino. I took a painkiller (shoulders!) and went to sleep.

Before departing to this Camino, I decided to take with me a handy notebook and while on Camino to write my short diary. I suspected that, while on Camino, walking all those distances, I will not have time or suitable conditions for writing a proper, “full” diary. Still, it would be good to note some observations, thoughs and feelings while livning that Camino experience, little “asterisks”. That notebook had to be solid, easy to take out and put back in the backpack. Not too big, not too small. I spent few days in looking for it in few stationary stores but was not satisfied with any offered. Finally, on twenty second of August my colleague Barbara gave me a suitable one, with a hand written dedication: „A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step…“. Was starting single step the one when I step out my home on that morning, Saturday thirty first of August or the one before dawn in Seville on second of September? Irrelevant. Thanks Barbara.

Asterisks

That evening, in Guillena, I wrote down my first little thought, marked with an asterisk(*):

* “One should not judge other people, especially not close associates.” Obviously I was physically on the Camino but mentally still loaded with worries from my job. I wanted and believed this burden will be disappering with every kilometer, day, every sunset…