Camino de Levante

Valencia Cathedral

Valencia 4th March
Here I am ready to start. It's been a long day. I was wondering last night why I am doing this and whether it wouldn't be sensible to just turn off my alarm and forget about it, but here I am.
I flew here [ Ryanair], not something I do very often for a camino, at security the woman checked my 2 bags of liquids/creams with great care but she let them through, it was only when I arrived in Valencia and heard loads of announcements about liquids, and only 1 bag in the hand luggage that I realised how lucky I had been, I suspect that it was because I left from Santiago airport, other airports are probably less forgiving of pilgrims.

Day 1
Valencia to Silla 15k
A short day, and done without a backpack, so I didn't feel like a pilgrim.

The Church at Alfafar

 The route was well signed, right from the cathedral of Valencia, the best signed city centre I've ever seen. Most of the day it was through commercial and industrial zones but Alfafar was pretty. I also managed to do a bit of shopping that I needed. I returned to Valencia by train, in time for the 'mascletá'. Valencia is in Fallas, the 3 weeks of celebration leading up to the feast of Saint Joseph on the 19th March. 

the mascletá

the mayoress and the Falleras on the Ton Hall balcony

Falleras with the men who organised today's fireworks

Day 2 Silla to Algamessi 23kms
I took the train to Silla. Today I have my backpack and feel like a pilgrim. The route was mostly well signed but I did get lost in the towns, even though they are not very big. I have learnt that I need to read my guide book!
After Benifaio I was stopped by a man in a car, an 'amigo' checking on how pilgrims are finding the signs. He explained that some towns are not very amenable to signage!
Today the walk was still flat but through orchards, not through industrial estates like yesterday. Algamessi is lovely and so is the albergue. It is all very pilgrim friendly.
Day 3 Algamessi to Xativa 30.4 k

A  covered cross

The walls of Alzira

The chirch in Alzira

I got up earlier than I planned but not early enough. It was a long walk and it got very hot by the afternoon.  The temp was in the mid 20's in the sun and there was no shade.

This felt appropriate!

Xativa is a very interesting town, fortunately I have visited before as I am far too knackered to visit it today.

Day 4 Xativa to Moixent 27.9 km
A better day than yesterday, still sunny but there's a bit of breeze and thin cloud,and none of the horrible little flies that bothered me yesterday. There were even a few kilometres that weren't on tarmac. The scenery is improving as well as there are hills around, it's more picturesque.
More sociable as well, it's Sunday and lots of people are out and about. 6 people wished me 'buen camino'; a man in a van stopped to ask me if I was going to Santiago and an old man in a car stopped and asked where I was going, when I said 'Santiago' he drove on but then he stopped again and offered me a lift. He didn't say whether he meant Santiago or the next town! I graciously declined so he gave me an orange instead, I've been eating a lot of oranges recently, though by the end of today there were far fewer orange trees.

Moixent, from the Albergue

Day 5 Moixent to La Font de la Figuera 17.9km+
My guide book says 17.9 but that is from the edge of Moixent and I was in the albergue about 1km on the other side of town, other signs say 19.8!
It was just as well that it was a short day as I had a bad night. I was awake for a while, feeling vaguely queasy, then I got up for a drink of water, then I was sick, I've no idea why but it left me very hesitant to have breakfast this morning. In the end I risked having a cup of coffee but nothing to eat.
The walk was lovely, the first 7.5 km was uphill but through countryside; fields of olive and almond trees and the occasional vineyards.

Pretty flowers!

changes in scenery

It has been another warm day but there was some respite as some of the walk was through pine forests.There were no villages but I found a place to sit down at about 9 km. I had some fruit and nuts and that kept me going till I arrived but I was desperate for food when I got here.
The albergue is new and has a lovely kitchen, but no pots and pans yet, as it is free and there is no donation box I have bought a couple of pans and some dishes, which I will leave, so I can prepare my own food and be certain of what I am eating :)

This is the sign for the Via Augusta, it was present till shortly after La Font de la Figuera

Day 6 La Font de la Figuera to Almansa 27.9km

leaving La Font

I got up early to try and walk before it got hot. The first 5 km were uphill but pleasant, past vineyards and through Mediterranean pine forests. Then it got flat and hot. Initially there was evidence of an overnight frost, we are now at 700m.

Torre Chica

What a waste of a road!

I am finding the incessant sun too much, if I wanted to walk in the sun I would walk in summer! There was no shade anywhere and nothing to sit on so even sitting down for a rest was difficult. I stopped for a lunch break sitting against the wall of an abandoned factory.

arriving in Almansa

I think this must be for history lessons

By the time I got to Almansa I was exhausted. I'm staying in, what I expected to be, a convent but it seems to be an 'old peoples' home, run by nuns. All I want to do is sleep. I think it's time to admit that I'm in the right place, I'm an old person.

another view of Almansa castle

The Town Hall

inside the Town Hall

The church

a plaza

the fountain

Day 7 to Albacete
I have realised that I have made a big mistake, I have committed myself to a fixed schedule, this is something I never do. I always have a vague timetable but it has flexibility.  This time I have: reserved a bed in Toledo; I want to be in Zamora for Good Friday and I have booked, and paid, an albergue for Easter Sunday. This meant that this next weekend I was committed to 3 days of 36km, the alternative was to do 38km today, after yesterday I know that this impossible. The temperature today is set for 25 degrees. I've also found that the distances I had are not the same as the ones in the guide book, the distance for today may be either 32kms or 40, depending on the source of information.
I gave this a lot of thought as I trudged along yesterday and the answer was to take a train from Almansa to Albacete, this will ease the next few days and give me a rest day today and, probably, an extra day in Toledo.
So there we go, I've cheated again, hopefully soon some clouds will appear.

Albacete cathedral

The scissor museum